HSK 3 · Lesson 11我高兴极了！ I’m over the moon!
Feelings: 开心, 难过, 生气, 着急, 担心, 害怕, 放心. How strong — 高兴极了, 急坏了, 高兴得很; 让 “make (someone feel)”: 这件事让我很生气; 一点儿也不 “not at all”; 一会儿…一会儿… “now…, now…”; 急什么啊 “what’s the rush”.
Dialogues
A child crying
A good mark
New words
- 开心kāixīnto feel happy; to rejoice; to have a great time
- 难过nánguòto feel sad; to feel unwell; (of life) to be difficult
- 生气shēngqìto get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness
- 着急zháojíto worry; to feel anxious
- 急jíurgent; pressing; rapid
- 担心dānxīnworry
- 放心fàngxīnto feel relieved; to feel reassured; to be at ease
- 害怕hàipàto be afraid; to be scared
- 怕pàto be afraid; to fear; to dread
- 哭kūto cry; to weep
- 满意mǎnyìsatisfied; pleased; to one's satisfaction
- 奇怪qíguàistrange; odd; to marvel
- 感到gǎndàoto feel; to sense; to perceive
- 喜爱xǐ'àito like; to love; to be fond of
- 心里xīnlǐin one’s heart
- 安静ānjìngquiet; peaceful; calm
- 难看nánkànugly; unsightly
- 难听nántīngunpleasant to hear
- 声音shēngyīnsound; voice
- 声shēngsound; voice; tone
- 突然tūránsudden; abrupt; unexpected
- 受shòuto receive; to accept; to suffer
Grammar
1. Extremely: 极了, 坏了, 得很
After an adjective or a verb of feeling: 高兴极了 “thrilled”, 急坏了 “frantic”, 累坏了 “worn out”, 饿坏了 “starving”, 好得很 “very good”. 坏了 usually marks a strong (often unpleasant) state; no 很 before these forms.
2. 让 — “make (someone feel)”
Thing / person + 让 + whom + feeling / action
From HSK 2 you know 妈妈让我早点儿睡. With feelings 让 means “make”: 这件事让我很生气 “this makes me very angry”, 你的成绩让妈妈放心了. Similar verbs: 叫 (more colloquial) — 妈妈叫我回家; 请 (polite) — 我请你吃饭 “dinner is on me”.
3. 一点儿也不 — “not at all”
一点儿也不 + adjective / verb means “not at all”: 我一点儿也不怕 “I’m not a bit scared”, 一点儿也不累. Likewise “not a single”: 一个人也没有 “not a soul”, 一口也没吃 “didn’t eat a bite”. 都 can replace 也.
4. 一会儿…一会儿… and 急什么啊
一会儿 A 一会儿 B means “now A, now B”: 一会儿哭一会儿笑 “crying one minute, laughing the next”, 天气一会儿冷一会儿热. Word + 什么(啊) is an impatient “why on earth…”: 急什么啊 “what’s the rush?”, 哭什么 “what are you crying for?”, 怕什么 “what’s there to be afraid of?”.
Exercises
1. Listen and choose the translation
- 我高兴极了。 Wǒ gāoxìng jí le.
Answer
我高兴极了。 Wǒ gāoxìng jí le. — I’m thrilled. - 这件事让我很生气。 Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ hěn shēngqì.
Answer
这件事让我很生气。 Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ hěn shēngqì. — This makes me very angry. - 我一点儿也不怕。 Wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bú pà.
Answer
我一点儿也不怕。 Wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bú pà. — I’m not a bit scared. - 别担心！ Bié dānxīn!
Answer
别担心！ Bié dānxīn! — Don’t worry!
2. Choose the correct option
- “I’m worn out”
Answer
我累坏了。 - “This makes me happy”
Answer
这件事让我很高兴。 - 教室里一个人___没有。
Answer
也 - “Crying one minute, laughing the next”
Answer
一会儿哭一会儿笑
3. Build the sentence
- This makes me very angry.这件事让我很生气。 Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ hěn shēngqì.
Answer
这件事让我很生气。 Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ hěn shēngqì. - I’m not a bit scared.我一点儿也不怕。 Wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bú pà.
Answer
我一点儿也不怕。 Wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bú pà. - The child suddenly started crying.孩子突然哭了。 Háizi tūrán kū le.
Answer
孩子突然哭了。 Háizi tūrán kū le. - Your marks have put Mum’s mind at rest.你的成绩让妈妈放心了。 Nǐ de chéngjì ràng māma fàngxīn le.
Answer
你的成绩让妈妈放心了。 Nǐ de chéngjì ràng māma fàngxīn le.
4. Dialogue: calm your friend down
You are speaker B. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.
5. Translate into Chinese
- I’m worn out and want to sleep.
Answer
我累坏了，想睡觉。 - Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.
Answer
别担心，没问题。/ 别着急，一定没问题。 - I’m not cold at all.
Answer
我一点儿也不冷。
💡 Did you know?: “Face”, 面子
面子 miànzi, “face”, is one’s standing in others’ eyes. People try not to “lose face” or make others lose it: a refusal often sounds soft (“I’ll think about it”), and criticism is given in private, not in front of others. Praising someone in public is 给面子, “giving face”.
Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).