我看不懂这个句子 I can’t understand this sentence — HSK 3, lesson 6

Dialogues

Revising for an exam

A

下个星期考试，你复习了吗？

Xià ge xīngqī kǎoshì, nǐ fùxí le ma?

The exam is next week. Have you revised?

B

复习了。课文我看了三遍，可是有的句子还看不懂。

Fùxí le. Kèwén wǒ kànle sān biàn, kěshì yǒude jùzi hái kàn bu dǒng.

Yes. I’ve read the text three times, but there are still some sentences I can’t understand.

A

哪个句子？我看看。这个词你查词典了吗？

Nǎge jùzi? Wǒ kànkan. Zhège cí nǐ chá cídiǎn le ma?

Which one? Let me see. Did you look this word up in the dictionary?

B

查了，可是我记不住。

Chá le, kěshì wǒ jì bu zhù.

I did, but I can’t remember it.

A

你把它写在笔记本上，每天看一遍，就记住了。

Nǐ bǎ tā xiě zài bǐjìběn shang, měi tiān kàn yí biàn, jiù jìzhù le.

Write it in your notebook and read it through every day — then you’ll remember it.

After school

A

你几年级了？

Nǐ jǐ niánjí le?

What year are you in?

B

初中二年级。这个学期我的数学成绩不太好。

Chūzhōng èr niánjí. Zhège xuéqī wǒ de shùxué chéngjì bú tài hǎo.

Second year of middle school. My maths marks aren’t great this term.

A

放学以后你去哪儿？

Fàngxué yǐhòu nǐ qù nǎr?

Where do you go after school?

B

去图书馆写作业。作业太多了，今天晚上写不完。

Qù túshūguǎn xiě zuòyè. Zuòyè tài duō le, jīntiān wǎnshang xiě bu wán.

To the library to do homework. There’s so much I won’t finish it tonight.

A

别着急，认真做，一页一页地写。

Bié zháojí, rènzhēn zuò, yí yè yí yè de xiě.

Don’t rush — work carefully, page by page.

New words

年级niánjígrade; year (in school, college etc)
班级bānjíclass (group of students)
学期xuéqīterm, semester
成绩chéngjìachievement; performance records; grades
作业zuòyèschool assignment; homework; work
复习fùxíto review; revision
练习liànxíto practice; exercise; drill
练liànto practice; to train; to drill
句子jùzisentence
句jùsentence; clause; phrase
段duànparagraph; section; segment
页yèpage; leaf
遍biàneverywhere; all over; classifier for actions: one time
黑板hēibǎnblackboard
铅笔qiānbǐ(lead) pencil
笔记bǐjìto take down (in writing); notes
笔记本bǐjìběnnotebook (stationery) (CL:本)
词典cídiǎndictionary
字典zìdiǎnChinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters…
查cháto research; to check; to investigate
数学shùxuémathematics
历史lìshǐhistory
校长xiàozhǎng(college, university) president; headmaster
校园xiàoyuáncampus
初中chūzhōngjunior high school (abbr. for 初級中學)
放学fàngxuéto dismiss students at the end of the school day
室shìroom; work unit; grave
认真rènzhēnconscientious; earnest; serious

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 遍 and 次 — “times”

次 is simply “a time”: 去过两次. 遍 is “a time from beginning to end” (read, listen, write in full): 课文我看了三遍 “I’ve read the text through three times”, 请再说一遍 “please say it again”.

请再说一遍。

Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.

Please say it again.

这本书我看了两遍。

Zhè běn shū wǒ kànle liǎng biàn.

I’ve read this book twice.

2. Can / can’t: 看得懂, 看不懂

verb + 得 / 不 + result

Put 得 “can” or 不 “can’t” between the verb and its result: 看得懂 “can understand (reading)” — 看不懂 “can’t”, 听得清楚 — 听不清楚 “can’t hear clearly”, 写得完 — 写不完 “can’t finish writing”, 记不住 “can’t remember”, 找不到 “can’t find”, 拿不动 “can’t lift”. Question: 你看得懂看不懂？ / 你看得懂吗？

这个句子我看不懂。

Zhège jùzi wǒ kàn bu dǒng.

I can’t understand this sentence.

作业太多了，我写不完。

Zuòyè tài duō le, wǒ xiě bu wán.

There’s too much homework — I can’t finish it.

3. Results: 记住, 学到, 看到

住 means “fixed, held”: 记住 “memorise”, 拿住 “hold firmly”. 到 means “achieved”: 学到 “learn (something)”, 看到 “see”, 找到 “find”, 买到 “manage to buy”. Not achieved — 没记住, 没买到.

这个词我记住了。

Zhège cí wǒ jìzhù le.

I’ve memorised this word.

我在这儿学到了很多。

Wǒ zài zhèr xuédàole hěn duō.

I’ve learned a lot here.

4. 一页一页 — “page by page”; 句, 段, 页

A doubled “number + measure word” means “one by one”: 一页一页地写 “write page by page”, 一个一个地说. Measure words for text: 一句话 “a sentence”, 一段课文 “a paragraph”, 第十页 “page ten”.

请看第十页。

Qǐng kàn dì-shí yè.

Please look at page ten.

学生们一个一个地回答。

Xuéshengmen yí ge yí ge de huídá.

The students answer one by one.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

Answer
这个句子我看不懂。 Zhège jùzi wǒ kàn bu dǒng. — I can’t understand this sentence.
Answer
请再说一遍。 Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn. — Please say it again.
Answer
作业太多了，我写不完。 Zuòyè tài duō le, wǒ xiě bu wán. — Too much homework — I can’t finish it.
Answer
这个词我记住了。 Zhège cí wǒ jìzhù le. — I’ve memorised this word.

2. Choose the correct option

“I can’t understand (by listening)”
Answer
听不懂
“I read the text through three times”: 课文我看了三___。
Answer
遍
“I didn’t find it”: 我没找___。
Answer
到
“Can you finish writing?”: 你写得___吗？
Answer
完

3. Build the sentence

I can’t understand this sentence.
Answer
这个句子我看不懂。 Zhège jùzi wǒ kàn bu dǒng.
Please say it again.
Answer
请再说一遍。 Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.
I write this word in my notebook.
Answer
我把这个词写在笔记本上。 Wǒ bǎ zhège cí xiě zài bǐjìběn shang.
I can’t finish my homework tonight.
Answer
今天晚上我写不完作业。 Jīntiān wǎnshang wǒ xiě bu wán zuòyè.

4. Dialogue: you are the student

You are speaker B. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.

A

老师说的话你听得懂吗？

Lǎoshī shuō de huà nǐ tīng de dǒng ma?

Can you understand what the teacher says?

B

听得懂一点儿，她说得太快了。

Tīng de dǒng yìdiǎnr, tā shuō de tài kuài le.

I understand a little — she speaks too fast.

A

课文你看了几遍？

Kèwén nǐ kànle jǐ biàn?

How many times have you read the text?

B

看了两遍。

Kànle liǎng biàn.

Twice.

A

新词都记住了吗？

Xīn cí dōu jìzhù le ma?

Have you memorised all the new words?

B

还没有，有几个我记不住。

Hái méiyǒu, yǒu jǐ ge wǒ jì bu zhù.

Not yet — there are a few I can’t remember.

5. Translate into Chinese

I didn’t catch that — please say it again.
Answer
我没听清楚，请再说一遍。
I can’t find my dictionary.
Answer
我找不到我的词典。
Look at page twenty.
Answer
请看第二十页。

💡 Did you know?: Gaokao — the exam of a lifetime

高考 gāokǎo, the national university entrance exam, is taken in early June. The score decides which university a student gets into, so the final years of Chinese school are months of almost non-stop revision. On exam days drivers are asked not to honk near schools, and police help students running late.