HSK 3 · Lesson 9我想请三天假 I’d like three days off

Work: 请假 “ask for leave”, 放假, 开会 — separable verbs (请了三天假); 完成, 离开, 分开; 打算 “plan to”, 决定 “decide”; 总是 and 一直 “always, all along”; 一刻 “a quarter of an hour”; 从…起 “starting from”.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

Asking for leave

A
经理，我想请三天假。
Jīnglǐ, wǒ xiǎng qǐng sān tiān jià.
Manager, I’d like to take three days off.
B
有什么事吗？
Yǒu shénme shì ma?
Is something the matter?
A
我妈妈下周住院，我得照顾她。
Wǒ māma xià zhōu zhùyuàn, wǒ děi zhàogù tā.
My mum is going into hospital next week, and I have to look after her.
B
好。你走以前把这个工作完成。
Hǎo. Nǐ zǒu yǐqián bǎ zhège gōngzuò wánchéng.
All right. Finish this job before you go.
A
没问题，明天下午三点一刻以前就能完成。
Méi wèntí, míngtiān xiàwǔ sān diǎn yí kè yǐqián jiù néng wánchéng.
No problem, I’ll have it done by a quarter past three tomorrow afternoon.

Colleagues

A
你怎么总是这么忙？
Nǐ zěnme zǒngshì zhème máng?
Why are you always so busy?
B
这个问题我想了半天，还是没有解决的办法。
Zhège wèntí wǒ xiǎngle bàntiān, háishi méiyǒu jiějué de bànfǎ.
I’ve been thinking about this problem for ages and still can’t find a solution.
A
开会的时候问问经理吧。
Kāihuì de shíhou wènwen jīnglǐ ba.
Ask the manager at the meeting.
B
会议几点结束？我打算下班去打篮球。
Huìyì jǐ diǎn jiéshù? Wǒ dǎsuàn xiàbān qù dǎ lánqiú.
When does the meeting end? I’m planning to play basketball after work.
A
四点半。从下周起我们放假，你去哪儿玩儿？
Sì diǎn bàn. Cóng xià zhōu qǐ wǒmen fàngjià, nǐ qù nǎr wánr?
At half past four. We’re off from next week — where are you going?
B
我决定在家休息。上个假期我一直工作，太累了！
Wǒ juédìng zài jiā xiūxi. Shàng ge jiàqī wǒ yìzhí gōngzuò, tài lèi le!
I’ve decided to rest at home. I worked through my last holiday — I’m exhausted!

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 请假, 放假, 开会, 见面 — separable verbs

These verbs are “action + object”, so time, number and 了 go inside: 请了三天假 “took three days off”, 放一个星期假, 开了一个会 “held a meeting”, 见过一次面 “have met once”. Meet whom — 跟他见面 (not “见面他”).

我想请三天假。
Wǒ xiǎng qǐng sān tiān jià.
I’d like to take three days off.
我们明天跟经理见面。
Wǒmen míngtiān gēn jīnglǐ jiànmiàn.
We’re meeting the manager tomorrow.

2. 完成, 离开, 分开 — verb + result

These words are built as “verb + result”. 完成 “complete” and 离开 “leave” take an object: 完成工作, 离开北京, 离开家. 得 / 不 can go inside: 离不开 “can’t do without”, 分不开 “inseparable”.

他昨天离开了北京。
Tā zuótiān líkāile Běijīng.
He left Beijing yesterday.
我离不开手机。
Wǒ lí bu kāi shǒujī.
I can’t live without my phone.

3. 打算 “plan to” and 决定 “decide”

Both go before a verb: 我打算下班去打篮球 “I plan to play basketball after work”, 我决定在家休息 “I’ve decided to rest at home”. Both can also be nouns: 你有什么打算？ “what are your plans?”, 这是我的决定.

周末你有什么打算？
Zhōumò nǐ yǒu shénme dǎsuàn?
What are your plans for the weekend?

4. 总是 and 一直 — “always, all along”

总是 (总) means “always, every time”, a habit: 他总是迟到 “he’s always late”. 一直 means “continuously, all along (over a period)”: 假期一直工作 “worked all through the holiday”, 雨一直下 “it keeps raining”.

他总是迟到。
Tā zǒngshì chídào.
He’s always late.
雨一直下。
Yǔ yìzhí xià.
It keeps on raining.

5. 一刻, 半天, 从…起

刻 is a quarter of an hour: 三点一刻 = 3:15, 三点三刻 = 3:45 (also 差一刻四点 “a quarter to four”). 半天 is “half a day” and colloquially “ages”: 我等了半天 “I waited for ages”. 从…起 means “starting from”: 从下周起放假 “the holidays start next week”.

会议三点一刻开始。
Huìyì sān diǎn yí kè kāishǐ.
The meeting starts at a quarter past three.
我等了你半天。
Wǒ děngle nǐ bàntiān.
I waited ages for you.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    我想请三天假。 Wǒ xiǎng qǐng sān tiān jià. — I’d like to take three days off.

  2. Answer
    他总是迟到。 Tā zǒngshì chídào. — He’s always late.

  3. Answer
    会议三点一刻开始。 Huìyì sān diǎn yí kè kāishǐ. — The meeting starts at 3:15.

  4. Answer
    我决定在家休息。 Wǒ juédìng zài jiā xiūxi. — I’ve decided to rest at home.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. “I took two days off”

    Answer
    我请了两天假。
  2. “I’m meeting him tomorrow”

    Answer
    我明天跟他见面。
  3. 3:15 = 三点一___

    Answer
    刻
  4. “It keeps raining”: 雨___下。

    Answer
    一直

3. Build the sentence

  1. I plan to travel at the weekend.

    Answer
    我打算周末去旅游。 Wǒ dǎsuàn zhōumò qù lǚyóu.
  2. Finish the work before you leave.

    Answer
    你走以前把工作完成。 Nǐ zǒu yǐqián bǎ gōngzuò wánchéng.
  3. Our holiday starts next week.

    Answer
    从下周起我们放假。 Cóng xià zhōu qǐ wǒmen fàngjià.
  4. I waited ages for you.

    Answer
    我等了你半天。 Wǒ děngle nǐ bàntiān.

4. Dialogue: you are the employee

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

A
你下个星期有什么打算？
Nǐ xià ge xīngqī yǒu shénme dǎsuàn?
What are your plans for next week?
B
我想请两天假。
Wǒ xiǎng qǐng liǎng tiān jià.
I want to take two days off.
A
为什么？
Wèi shénme?
Why?
B
我朋友从外地来，我们打算见见面。
Wǒ péngyou cóng wàidì lái, wǒmen dǎsuàn jiànjian miàn.
A friend is coming from out of town and we plan to meet.
A
好，可是你得先把工作完成。
Hǎo, kěshì nǐ děi xiān bǎ gōngzuò wánchéng.
All right, but you have to finish your work first.
B
没问题，星期三以前就能完成。
Méi wèntí, xīngqīsān yǐqián jiù néng wánchéng.
No problem, I’ll have it done before Wednesday.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. I’d like to take a day off.
    Answer
    我想请一天假。
  2. He’s always late for work.
    Answer
    他上班总是迟到。
  3. What are your plans for the weekend?
    Answer
    周末你有什么打算？

💡 Did you know?: Making up for holidays

To make the Spring Festival and Golden Week last seven days in a row, China moves working days: a couple of Saturdays or Sundays around the holiday become workdays. This is called 调休 tiáoxiū, and the schedule is published in advance.

Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).