HSK 3 · Lesson 15好久不见！ Long time no see!

Time and history: (在)…以前 / 以后 “before / after”, 后来 “afterwards (in the past)”, 终于 “finally”, 不久 “soon”, 好久 “a long time”. Festivals, studying abroad, culture.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

Back from China

A
好久不见！你什么时候回来的？
Hǎojiǔ bú jiàn! Nǐ shénme shíhou huílai de?
Long time no see! When did you get back?
B
上个星期。我在中国留学了两年。
Shàng ge xīngqī. Wǒ zài Zhōngguó liúxuéle liǎng nián.
Last week. I studied in China for two years.
A
在中国生活怎么样？
Zài Zhōngguó shēnghuó zěnmeyàng?
How was life in China?
B
刚去的时候不习惯，后来就习惯了。中国文化对我影响很大。
Gāng qù de shíhou bù xíguàn, hòulái jiù xíguàn le. Zhōngguó wénhuà duì wǒ yǐngxiǎng hěn dà.
At first I wasn’t used to it, but later I got used to it. Chinese culture has had a big influence on me.
A
你以后打算做什么？
Nǐ yǐhòu dǎsuàn zuò shénme?
What do you plan to do now?
B
我想做汉语老师。
Wǒ xiǎng zuò Hànyǔ lǎoshī.
I’d like to become a Chinese teacher.

The Spring Festival

A
中国人最大的节日是什么？
Zhōngguó rén zuì dà de jiérì shì shénme?
What is the biggest Chinese festival?
B
是春节，春节是中国的新年。
Shì Chūnjié, Chūnjié shì Zhōngguó de xīnnián.
The Spring Festival — the Chinese New Year.
A
春节有多久的历史了？
Chūnjié yǒu duō jiǔ de lìshǐ le?
How old is the Spring Festival?
B
已经有几千年了。过去人们过节要准备很多天。
Yǐjīng yǒu jǐ qiān nián le. Guòqù rénmen guòjié yào zhǔnbèi hěn duō tiān.
Several thousand years. In the past people spent many days getting ready for it.
A
现在呢？
Xiànzài ne?
And now?
B
现在很多东西在网上就能买到，方便多了。
Xiànzài hěn duō dōngxi zài wǎngshang jiù néng mǎidào, fāngbiàn duō le.
Now you can buy lots of things online — much more convenient.

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. …以前 / …以后 — “before / after”

“Before” is event + 以前 (前), “after” is event + 以后 (后); the whole phrase comes before the main verb: 来中国以前，我不会说汉语 “before I came to China I couldn’t speak Chinese”, 下课以后去吃饭. It can start with 在: 在吃饭以前….

来中国以前，我不会说汉语。
Lái Zhōngguó yǐqián, wǒ bú huì shuō Hànyǔ.
Before coming to China I couldn’t speak Chinese.
下课以后我们去吃饭。
Xiàkè yǐhòu wǒmen qù chīfàn.
After class we’ll go and eat.
我前年去过北京，后年还想去。
Wǒ qiánnián qùguo Běijīng, hòunián hái xiǎng qù.
I went to Beijing the year before last, and I want to go again the year after next.

2. 后来 and 以后

后来 means “later, afterwards” only about the past, and only on its own: 刚去的时候不习惯，后来就习惯了. 以后 works for past and future and after an event: 以后再说 “we’ll talk later”, 毕业以后. Not: “后来我们再见吧”.

他去年去了北京，后来去了上海。
Tā qùnián qùle Běijīng, hòulái qùle Shànghǎi.
Last year he went to Beijing, and later to Shanghai.

3. 终于 “finally”, 不久 “soon”, 好久 “a long time”

终于 means “at last” (after a long wait): 我终于找到了 “I finally found it”. 不久 is “soon, before long”: 不久以后 “some time later”. 好久 is “a long time”: 好久不见 “long time no see”, 我等了好久. 久 means “long”: 多久？ “how long?”.

我终于找到工作了！
Wǒ zhōngyú zhǎodào gōngzuò le!
I’ve finally found a job!
你在这儿住了多久了？
Nǐ zài zhèr zhùle duō jiǔ le?
How long have you lived here?

4. 过去, 发生, 影响

过去 guòqù is “the past, in the past” (in HSK 2 it was 过去 “go over”): 过去人们…. 发生 is “happen”: 发生了什么事？ “what happened?”. 影响 is “influence”: 对…有影响, 影响很大.

发生了什么事？
Fāshēngle shénme shì?
What happened?
中国文化对我影响很大。
Zhōngguó wénhuà duì wǒ yǐngxiǎng hěn dà.
Chinese culture has influenced me a lot.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    好久不见！ Hǎojiǔ bú jiàn! — Long time no see!

  2. Answer
    我终于找到工作了！ Wǒ zhōngyú zhǎodào gōngzuò le! — I’ve finally found a job!

  3. Answer
    发生了什么事？ Fāshēngle shénme shì? — What happened?

  4. Answer
    下课以后我们去吃饭。 Xiàkè yǐhòu wǒmen qù chīfàn. — After class we’ll go and eat.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. “At first I wasn’t used to it, later I was”: 开始不习惯，___就习惯了。

    Answer
    后来
  2. “We’ll talk about it later”

    Answer
    以后再说吧。
  3. 我等了一个小时，他___来了。

    Answer
    终于
  4. “How long?”

    Answer
    多久？

3. Build the sentence

  1. Before coming to China I couldn’t speak Chinese.

    Answer
    来中国以前，我不会说汉语。 Lái Zhōngguó yǐqián, wǒ bú huì shuō Hànyǔ.
  2. I’ve finally found a job!

    Answer
    我终于找到工作了！ Wǒ zhōngyú zhǎodào gōngzuò le!
  3. Chinese culture has influenced me a lot.

    Answer
    中国文化对我影响很大。 Zhōngguó wénhuà duì wǒ yǐngxiǎng hěn dà.
  4. How long have you lived here?

    Answer
    你在这儿住了多久了？ Nǐ zài zhèr zhùle duō jiǔ le?

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

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

A
好久不见！你去哪儿了？
Hǎojiǔ bú jiàn! Nǐ qù nǎr le?
Long time no see! Where have you been?
B
我去中国留学了。
Wǒ qù Zhōngguó liúxué le.
I went to study in China.
A
你在那儿住了多久？
Nǐ zài nàr zhùle duō jiǔ?
How long did you live there?
B
住了一年。
Zhùle yì nián.
A year.
A
习惯那儿的生活吗？
Xíguàn nàr de shēnghuó ma?
Did you get used to life there?
B
开始不习惯，后来习惯了。
Kāishǐ bù xíguàn, hòulái xíguàn le.
Not at first, but later I did.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. Long time no see! How are you?
    Answer
    好久不见！你怎么样？/ 最近怎么样？
  2. After work I go home.
    Answer
    下班以后我回家。
  3. Summer has finally come!
    Answer
    夏天终于来了！

💡 Did you know?: The monster Nian

An old legend says that on New Year’s Eve the monster 年 nián came out of the sea and attacked villages. People noticed it feared the colour red, fire and loud noise — hence red couplets on doors, lanterns and firecrackers. That is why celebrating New Year is called 过年, “getting through Nian”.

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