HSK 3 · Lesson 7你应该去医院 You should see a doctor
Health and appearance: 应该 / 该 “should”, 得 děi “have to”, 必须 “must”, 不用 “no need”; 如果…就… and …的话 “if”; 该…了 “it’s time to”. Body parts: 脸, 嘴, 牙, 耳朵, 腿, 脚.
Dialogues
A cold
At the doctor’s
New words
- 感冒gǎnmàoto catch cold; (common) cold
- 发烧fāshāoto have a high temperature (from illness); to have a fever
- 病人bìngrénsick person; patient; invalid
- 住院zhùyuànbe in hospital
- 出院chūyuànleave hospital
- 检查jiǎncháinspection; to examine; to inspect
- 健康jiànkānghealth; healthy
- 锻炼duànliànto toughen; to temper; to engage in physical exercise
- 脸liǎnface
- 嘴zuǐmouth; beak; nozzle
- 牙yátooth; ivory
- 牙刷yáshuātoothbrush
- 耳朵ěrduoear; handle (on a cup)
- 头发tóufahair (on the head)
- 腿tuǐleg; hip bone
- 脚jiǎofoot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object)
- 身高shēngāoheight
- 胖pàngfat; plump
- 瘦shòuthin; to lose weight; (of clothing) tight
- 矮ǎi(of a person) short; (of a wall etc) low
- 应该yīnggāiought to; should; must
- 该gāishould; ought to; probably
- 得děihave to, must
- 必须bìxūmust; to have to
- 不用búyòngneed not
- 如果rúguǒif; in case; in the event that
- 的话dehuàif (at the end of a condition)
Grammar
1. 应该, 该, 得 děi, 必须 — “should, must”
All four go before the verb. 应该 / 该 mean “should” (advice): 你应该去医院. 得 děi is a colloquial “have to”: 我得走了 “I have to go”. 必须 is “must, absolutely”: 你必须休息. The negative of all of them is 不用 “no need” (or 不应该 “shouldn’t”); “不得” and “不必须” are not used this way.
2. 如果…就…, …的话 — “if”
如果 + condition (+ 的话)，(subject) + 就 + result
The condition comes first: 如果明天还发烧，你就得去医院 “if you still have a fever tomorrow, you’ll have to go”. 就 sits before the verb of the second part (after its subject!). A colloquial option puts 的话 at the end of the condition: 疼的话，就吃药. Both together are fine too: 如果疼的话….
3. 该…了 — “it’s time to”
该 + verb + 了 means “it’s time to”: 该吃饭了 “time to eat”, 我该走了 “I must be going”, 你该锻炼身体了 “it’s time you took some exercise”.
4. Appearance: 他个子高, 头发长
Describe appearance the way HSK 2 said “my head hurts”: person + body part + quality. 她头发很长 “she has long hair”, 他眼睛很大, 他个子很矮. Height is 身高: 他身高一米八. 胖 is “plump”, 瘦 “thin”; about a person it’s politer to say 不瘦 than 胖.
Exercises
1. Listen and choose the translation
- 你应该去医院检查一下。 Nǐ yīnggāi qù yīyuàn jiǎnchá yíxià.
Answer
你应该去医院检查一下。 Nǐ yīnggāi qù yīyuàn jiǎnchá yíxià. — You should get checked at the hospital. - 如果下雨，我们就不去了。 Rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù bú qù le.
Answer
如果下雨，我们就不去了。 Rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù bú qù le. — If it rains, we won’t go. - 我得走了。 Wǒ děi zǒu le.
Answer
我得走了。 Wǒ děi zǒu le. — I have to go. - 不用住院。 Bú yòng zhùyuàn.
Answer
不用住院。 Bú yòng zhùyuàn. — There’s no need to stay in hospital.
2. Choose the correct option
- “You don’t need to come”
Answer
你不用来。 - 如果明天下雨，我们___不去了。
Answer
就 - “Time for bed”
Answer
该睡觉了。 - “She has long hair”
Answer
她头发很长。
3. Build the sentence
- You should drink more water.你应该多喝水。 Nǐ yīnggāi duō hē shuǐ.
Answer
你应该多喝水。 Nǐ yīnggāi duō hē shuǐ. - If it rains, we won’t go.如果下雨，我们就不去了。 Rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù bú qù le.
Answer
如果下雨，我们就不去了。 Rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù bú qù le. - You must rest for a week.你必须休息一个星期。 Nǐ bìxū xiūxi yí ge xīngqī.
Answer
你必须休息一个星期。 Nǐ bìxū xiūxi yí ge xīngqī. - It’s eleven — time for bed.十一点了，该睡觉了。 Shíyī diǎn le, gāi shuìjiào le.
Answer
十一点了，该睡觉了。 Shíyī diǎn le, gāi shuìjiào le.
4. Dialogue: you are the doctor
You are speaker A. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.
5. Translate into Chinese
- You should exercise more.
Answer
你应该多锻炼身体。 - If you’re busy, don’t come.
Answer
如果你忙，就别来了。/ 你忙的话，就别来了。 - It’s time for me to go home.
Answer
我该回家了。/ 我得回家了。
💡 Did you know?: Traditional Chinese medicine
Alongside ordinary hospitals China has traditional medicine, 中医 zhōngyī: herbal remedies, acupuncture, massage. Many hospitals have both departments — 西医 “Western” and 中医 “Chinese” medicine — and patients can choose.
Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).