HSK 4 · Lesson 11飞机推迟起飞了 The flight is delayed

At the airport: check-in, security, boarding. The passive with 叫 / 让, the written 将 (= 把), 等 / 等到 “when, by the time”, 由于…因此… “because of…, so…”, 来得及 / 来不及 “be / not be in time”, 赶紧 / 赶快 “hurry” and …，好… “so that”.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

Check-in

A
您好，请给我看一下您的护照。
Nín hǎo, qǐng gěi wǒ kàn yíxià nín de hùzhào.
Hello, may I see your passport, please?
B
给您。我坐去北京的航班。
Gěi nín. Wǒ zuò qù Běijīng de hángbān.
Here you are. I’m on the flight to Beijing.
A
您的签证没问题。不过，由于天气原因，此次航班推迟一个小时起飞。
Nín de qiānzhèng méi wèntí. Búguò, yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, cǐ cì hángbān tuīchí yí ge xiǎoshí qǐfēi.
Your visa is fine. But because of the weather, this flight is delayed by an hour.
B
那我在上海转机还来得及吗？
Nà wǒ zài Shànghǎi zhuǎnjī hái láidejí ma?
Will I still make my connection in Shanghai?
A
转机时间有两个小时，来得及。登机以前请先过安检。
Zhuǎnjī shíjiān yǒu liǎng ge xiǎoshí, láidejí. Dēngjī yǐqián qǐng xiān guò ānjiǎn.
You have two hours to connect — you’ll make it. Please go through security before boarding.
B
好的，谢谢！
Hǎo de, xièxie!
OK, thank you!

Running to the gate

A
快点儿！广播里说，我们的航班开始登机了！
Kuài diǎnr! Guǎngbō li shuō, wǒmen de hángbān kāishǐ dēngjī le!
Hurry! They’ve announced boarding for our flight!
B
等等，我的证件呢？
Děngdeng, wǒ de zhèngjiàn ne?
Wait, where are my documents?
A
在我这儿。你赶紧走吧！要是错过了航班，就得等到明天了。
Zài wǒ zhèr. Nǐ gǎnjǐn zǒu ba! Yàoshi cuòguòle hángbān, jiù děi děngdào míngtiān le.
I’ve got them. Get going! If we miss the flight we’ll have to wait till tomorrow.
B
来不及买咖啡了吧？
Láibují mǎi kāfēi le ba?
No time to buy a coffee, then?
A
来不及了！到了目的地再喝吧。
Láibují le! Dàole mùdìdì zài hē ba.
No time! Have one when we get there.
B
好，我们赶快走，好赶上飞机。
Hǎo, wǒmen gǎnkuài zǒu, hǎo gǎnshàng fēijī.
OK, let’s hurry so we catch the plane.

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. The passive with 叫 / 让

thing + 叫 / 让 + doer + verb + result

In speech 叫 or 让 often replace 被: 我的蛋糕叫弟弟吃了 “my cake was eaten by my little brother”, 自行车让人借走了 “someone has borrowed the bike”. Unlike 被, 叫 / 让 must be followed by the doer (at least 人 “someone”), and the verb needs a result (了, 走了, 坏了…).

我的蛋糕叫弟弟吃了。
Wǒ de dàngāo jiào dìdi chī le.
My cake was eaten by my little brother.
自行车让人借走了。
Zìxíngchē ràng rén jièzǒu le.
Someone has borrowed the bike.

2. 将 = 把 (written); 等 / 等到 “when, by the time”

Announcements and instructions use 将 instead of 把: 请将手机关机 “please switch off your phones”, 请将行李放好 “please stow your luggage”. 等 + event means “when…, then”: 等我回来再说 “we’ll talk when I’m back”. 等到 is “by the time”: 等到我们到机场，飞机已经起飞了 “by the time we reached the airport, the plane had left”. (Lesson 5 had the other 将, “will”.)

请将手机关机。
Qǐng jiāng shǒujī guānjī.
Please switch off your phones.
等到我们到机场，飞机已经起飞了。
Děngdào wǒmen dào jīchǎng, fēijī yǐjīng qǐfēi le.
By the time we got to the airport, the plane had already left.
等我回来再说。
Děng wǒ huílai zài shuō.
We’ll talk when I’m back.

3. 由于…，因此… “because of…, therefore…”

由于 “owing to” and 因此 “therefore” are the formal partners of 因为 and 所以, used in news and announcements: 由于下大雪，因此很多航班取消了 “owing to heavy snow, many flights have been cancelled”. Either can be used alone: 由于天气原因，航班推迟了.

由于下大雪，因此很多航班取消了。
Yóuyú xià dà xuě, yīncǐ hěn duō hángbān qǔxiāo le.
Owing to heavy snow, many flights have been cancelled.
各位旅客，由于天气原因，此次航班推迟起飞。
Gèwèi lǚkè, yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, cǐ cì hángbān tuīchí qǐfēi.
Ladies and gentlemen, owing to the weather this flight’s departure is delayed.

4. 来得及 / 来不及; 赶紧 / 赶快; …，好… “so that”

来得及 is “to be in time”, 来不及 “to not be in time”; a verb can follow: 来不及买咖啡了 “no time to buy coffee”. 赶紧 and 赶快 mean “hurry, at once”: 你赶紧走吧. A second clause with 好 gives the purpose — “so that”: 我们赶快走，好赶上飞机 “let’s hurry so we catch the plane”.

早点儿出发，好赶上飞机。
Zǎo diǎnr chūfā, hǎo gǎnshàng fēijī.
Set off early so you catch the plane.
现在去还来得及。
Xiànzài qù hái láidejí.
If we go now we’ll still make it.
飞机上不准吸烟。
Fēijī shang bù zhǔn xī yān.
Smoking is not allowed on the plane.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    飞机十点降落。 Fēijī shí diǎn jiàngluò. — The plane lands at ten.

  2. Answer
    由于下大雪，很多航班取消了。 Yóuyú xià dà xuě, hěn duō hángbān qǔxiāo le. — Owing to heavy snow, many flights have been cancelled.

  3. Answer
    请写上您的国籍和出生日期。 Qǐng xiěshang nín de guójí hé chūshēng rìqī. — Please write your nationality and date of birth.

  4. Answer
    我的手表不准。 Wǒ de shǒubiǎo bù zhǔn. — My watch isn’t accurate.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. “My cake was eaten by my brother”

    Answer
    我的蛋糕叫弟弟吃了。
  2. 现在去机场还___吗？——还有三个小时，___。

    Answer
    来得及；来得及
  3. How does an announcement say “Please switch off your phones”?

    Answer
    请将手机关机。
  4. 我们早点儿出发，___赶上飞机。

    Answer
    好

3. Build the sentence

  1. Please go through security before boarding.

    Answer
    登机以前请先过安检。 Dēngjī yǐqián qǐng xiān guò ānjiǎn.
  2. This flight is delayed by an hour.

    Answer
    此次航班推迟一个小时起飞。 Cǐ cì hángbān tuīchí yí ge xiǎoshí qǐfēi.
  3. Someone has borrowed the bike.

    Answer
    自行车让人借走了。 Zìxíngchē ràng rén jièzǒu le.
  4. Get going!

    Answer
    你赶紧走吧！ Nǐ gǎnjǐn zǒu ba!

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

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

A
您好，您的航班取消了。
Nín hǎo, nín de hángbān qǔxiāo le.
Hello, your flight has been cancelled.
B
为什么取消了？
Wèi shénme qǔxiāo le?
Why has it been cancelled?
A
由于天气原因，今天的航班都不飞了。
Yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, jīntiān de hángbān dōu bù fēi le.
Because of the weather, no flights are leaving today.
B
那我明天还能走吗？
Nà wǒ míngtiān hái néng zǒu ma?
Can I still fly tomorrow?
A
可以，明天上午九点有一班。
Kěyǐ, míngtiān shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn yǒu yì bān.
Yes, there’s one at nine tomorrow morning.
B
好，请帮我换到明天上午那班。
Hǎo, qǐng bāng wǒ huàndào míngtiān shàngwǔ nà bān.
OK, please move me to tomorrow morning’s flight.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. Someone has broken my bike.
    Answer
    我的自行车叫人弄坏了。
  2. If we leave now, we’ll still be in time.
    Answer
    我们现在走还来得及。
  3. Because of the rain, the match was cancelled.
    Answer
    由于下雨，比赛取消了。

💡 Did you know?: Chunyun — the great migration

Before the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) almost the whole country travels home to family. This period, about forty days, is called 春运 chūnyùn, “spring transport”. Billions of trips are made by train, plane, coach and car — the largest annual human migration in the world. Train tickets sell out within minutes of going on sale.

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