HSK 3 · Lesson 20新的一年有什么打算？ Plans for the new year

HSK 3 wrap-up: 会 “will” (prediction), 差五分八点 “five to eight”, 只能 “can only, have to”, 干 “do”, 好多 “lots of”, 起 “starting from”; review of 把 / 被 and comparisons. Newspapers, lists, paper.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

Plans

A
新的一年你有什么打算？
Xīn de yì nián nǐ yǒu shénme dǎsuàn?
What are your plans for the new year?
B
我打算多看中文报纸，我的汉语还差得远呢。
Wǒ dǎsuàn duō kàn Zhōngwén bàozhǐ, wǒ de Hànyǔ hái chà de yuǎn ne.
I plan to read more Chinese newspapers — my Chinese still has a long way to go.
A
别这么说，你的汉语好多了。明年你会去中国吗？
Bié zhème shuō, nǐ de Hànyǔ hǎo duō le. Míngnián nǐ huì qù Zhōngguó ma?
Don’t say that — your Chinese is much better. Will you go to China next year?
B
会。我的名字已经在留学生名单上了。
Huì. Wǒ de míngzi yǐjīng zài liúxuéshēng míngdān shang le.
Yes. My name is already on the list of exchange students.
A
太好了！到了中国你想干什么？
Tài hǎo le! Dàole Zhōngguó nǐ xiǎng gàn shénme?
Great! What do you want to do in China?
B
我想去看大熊猫，还想学做中国菜。
Wǒ xiǎng qù kàn dàxióngmāo, hái xiǎng xué zuò Zhōngguó cài.
I want to see the pandas, and learn to cook Chinese food.

We’re late!

A
现在几点？
Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
What time is it?
B
差五分八点。
Chà wǔ fēn bā diǎn.
Five to eight.
A
电影八点开始，我们只能打车去了。
Diànyǐng bā diǎn kāishǐ, wǒmen zhǐ néng dǎchē qù le.
The film starts at eight — we’ll have to take a taxi.
B
行，我来叫车。路上车会很多吗？
Xíng, wǒ lái jiào chē. Lùshang chē huì hěn duō ma?
OK, I’ll call one. Will the roads be busy?
A
这个时候不会。
Zhège shíhou bú huì.
Not at this time of day.

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 会 — “will”, likelihood

In HSK 1 会 meant “can (know how)”. Now it is a prediction, “will, be likely to”: 明天会下雨 “it will probably rain tomorrow”, 他不会来了 “he probably isn’t coming”. Often with 的 at the end: 你会喜欢的 “you’ll like it”.

明天会下雨吗？
Míngtiān huì xià yǔ ma?
Will it rain tomorrow?
你会喜欢的。
Nǐ huì xǐhuan de.
You’ll like it.

2. 差 — “to (the hour)”, “poor”

差 chà means “be short of”: 差五分八点 “five to eight”, 还差两个人 “we’re two people short”. As an adjective it is “poor, bad”: 他的成绩很差; 还差得远 “still a long way off”. 差不多 is chàbuduō.

现在差一刻九点。
Xiànzài chà yí kè jiǔ diǎn.
It’s a quarter to nine.

3. 只能, 干, 好多, 起

只能 means “can only, have no choice but”: 只能打车去了 “we’ll have to take a taxi”. 干 gàn is a colloquial “do”: 你在干什么？ 好多 means “lots of”: 好多人; while 好多了 is “much better”. 起 means “starting from”: 从今天起; you know 起床 and 起来 already.

你在干什么？
Nǐ zài gàn shénme?
What are you doing?
从今天起，我每天跑步。
Cóng jīntiān qǐ, wǒ měi tiān pǎobù.
From today I’m going to run every day.

4. Review: 把, 被, comparison

The three key HSK 3 structures. 把 — what was done to an object: 我把报纸放在桌子上了. 被 — what happened to it: 报纸被风刮走了 “the newspaper was blown away”. Comparison: 今年比去年忙多了; 我跟你一样忙; 我没有他忙.

报纸被风刮走了。
Bàozhǐ bèi fēng guāzǒu le.
The newspaper was blown away.
今年比去年忙多了。
Jīnnián bǐ qùnián máng duō le.
This year is much busier than last year.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    明天会下雨吗？ Míngtiān huì xià yǔ ma? — Will it rain tomorrow?

  2. Answer
    差五分八点。 Chà wǔ fēn bā diǎn. — 7:55

  3. Answer
    我们只能打车去了。 Wǒmen zhǐ néng dǎchē qù le. — We’ll have to take a taxi.

  4. Answer
    报纸被风刮走了。 Bàozhǐ bèi fēng guāzǒu le. — The newspaper was blown away.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. “You’ll like it”

    Answer
    你会喜欢的。
  2. 8:45 = 差___九点

    Answer
    一刻
  3. “I put the newspaper on the table”

    Answer
    我把报纸放在桌子上了。
  4. “This year is much busier than last year”

    Answer
    今年比去年忙多了。

3. Build the sentence

  1. What are your plans for the new year?

    Answer
    新的一年你有什么打算？ Xīn de yì nián nǐ yǒu shénme dǎsuàn?
  2. From today I’ll run every day.

    Answer
    从今天起，我每天跑步。 Cóng jīntiān qǐ, wǒ měi tiān pǎobù.
  3. My name is on the list.

    Answer
    我的名字在名单上。 Wǒ de míngzi zài míngdān shang.
  4. Will it rain tomorrow?

    Answer
    明天会下雨吗？ Míngtiān huì xià yǔ ma?

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

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

A
你学完 HSK 三级了吗？
Nǐ xuéwán HSK sān jí le ma?
Have you finished HSK 3?
B
学完了！我把这本书看了三遍。
Xuéwán le! Wǒ bǎ zhè běn shū kànle sān biàn.
Yes! I’ve read this book through three times.
A
你觉得考试会难吗？
Nǐ juéde kǎoshì huì nán ma?
Do you think the exam will be hard?
B
不会太难。只要认真复习，就没问题。
Bú huì tài nán. Zhǐyào rènzhēn fùxí, jiù méi wèntí.
Not too hard. As long as you revise properly, it’ll be fine.
A
考完以后你想干什么？
Kǎowán yǐhòu nǐ xiǎng gàn shénme?
What do you want to do after the exam?
B
学 HSK 四级！
Xué HSK sì jí!
Start HSK 4!

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. It will probably be cold tomorrow.
    Answer
    明天会很冷。/ 明天可能会很冷。
  2. It’s ten to nine.
    Answer
    现在差十分九点。
  3. From today I’ll read a Chinese newspaper every day.
    Answer
    从今天起，我每天看中文报纸。

💡 Did you know?: HSK 3 done. What next

Congratulations: the HSK 3 lessons cover all 500 level-3 words of the HSK exam syllabus (HSK 考试大纲, 2025) and its grammar: 把 and 被, “can / can’t” (看得懂 / 看不懂), 越…越…, 只要 / 只有, 不但…而且…. Together with HSK 1–2 that makes 1,000 words — enough to live and study in China, understanding simple notices, menus and conversations.

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