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Basic Grammar: all 87 lessons free

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Free tasteBasic Grammar

就 — Then Let's Just

副词「就」— 那就……吧

外面下雨了,就不去了吧。 就 before the verb draws the conclusion from what was just said: given that, then this. The word that ends a discussion kindly.

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Cloned voice — synthesised in a real teacher's timbre, not a recording of her.

Memory hook

situation,就 + V (吧)

Given that, then this

Three from the deck, then the situations it asks you to close. Hear how 就 arrives right after the comma.

Tap any line to hear it

Culture corner

太……了,就……吧 — the Chinese shrug

Close the case那就这么定了

No pressure — just making it stick.

外面下雨了,____不去了吧。

Wàimiàn xiàyǔ le, ____ Bú qù le ba.

It's raining — let's not go then.

A friend praises the pizza. Which reply draws the conclusion?

You don't want to go — then just rest at home.

Tap the tiles in order — it checks itself when the sentence is complete. Tap a placed tile to take it back.

Your sentence

我明天要上班,就____了,你们去吧。

Wǒ míngtiān yào shàngbān, jiù ____ Liǎo, nǐmen qù ba.

I have work tomorrow, so I won't come — you go.

Your turn — say it

太晚了,就明天再说吧。

Tài wǎn le, jiù míngtiān zài shuō ba.

It's too late — let's leave it till tomorrow.

你想买,____。

Nǐ xiǎng mǎi, ____.

If you want it, just buy it.

Close each situation with the natural conclusion.

Tap a word to fill the next gap; tap a filled sentence to clear it. Every word is used once.

Word bank

0/5

Situations, in pictures看图下结论

No pressure — just making it stick.

Four situations from the deck. Match each picture to its word, then close it: 太……了,就……吧.

Tap a picture, then choose its word. Picked wrong? Tap that picture and choose again. Match all the cards to finish.

Your turn — say it

外面下雨了,就不去了吧。

Wàimiàn xiàyǔ le, jiù bú qù le ba.

It's raining — let's not go then.

The burgers here are delicious — burgers, then.

Tap the tiles in order — it checks itself when the sentence is complete. Tap a placed tile to take it back.

Your sentence

Your turn — say it

太累了,就休息吧。

Tài lèi le, jiù xiūxi ba.

Too tired — then just rest.

Six situations, six decisions

Finish the deck's list about yourself — what do YOU do when it is too hot, too far, too late?

太Tài热rè了le,就jiù吧Ba。

Too hot — then let's ____.

太Tài远yuǎn了le,就jiù吧Ba。

Too far — then let's ____.

了Liǎo,就jiù吧Ba。

____ — then let's ____.

  • 1. your fix: 去游泳 / 喝冰水 / 在家
  • 2. your fix: 打车 / 不去 / 坐地铁
  • 3. a problem: 下雨 / 没钱 / 太晚
  • 4. the fix: 在家看电影 / 明天再说
字

This lesson's characters

就 itself, and two words from the situations it settles: the late hour and the burger.

就

Jiù

then, so; right away

会two ideas joined

京meaninga high mound, a capital尤meaningoutstanding — the old form showed a hand reaching就

京, a high place, beside 尤: to go up to the high place, to reach it, to settle there. From 'arrive at' came both of 就's modern jobs — 'right away' (就来, reaching you now) and 'so, then' (就吃披萨吧, arriving at the decision). It also means 'to approach' in words like 就业, to take up a job. A character about getting there.

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京Jīngcapital — the high place on the left: 北京, 南京蹴Cùto kick — a foot beside 就: 蹴鞠, ancient football
晚

Wǎn

late; evening

形meaning + sound

日meaningthe sun免soundmiǎn → wǎn晚

The sun 日 with 免 for the sound: the sun's late hours. 晚上 is the evening, 晚饭 is dinner, and 太晚了 is the sentence that ends a night out — 太晚了,就明天再说吧. 晚安, 'evening peace', is good night, and 来晚了 is arriving late.

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免Miǎnto avoid, to exempt — the sound part碗Wǎnbowl — 宛, a cousin of 免, beside stone
汉

Hàn

Han — Chinese; (汉堡) the ham- in hamburger

形meaning + sound

氵meaningwater — it began as a river's name又soundthe simplified right side; the old form had 𦰩汉

汉 was a river first — the Han, which gave its name to a dynasty, and the dynasty gave its name to the people: 汉族, the Han Chinese, and 汉语, the Chinese language you are learning. Then the twentieth century needed to spell 'hamburger' and reached for the same syllable: 汉堡, a Han-fortress with meat in it. 这家店的汉堡很好吃,就吃汉堡吧.

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汉语Hànyǔthe Chinese language — the Han tongue难Nándifficult — the same right side, beside a bird

Read it

Read each line aloud with the pinyin. When it feels easy, cover it.

  1. 太Tài晚wǎn了le,就jiù明míng天tiān再zài说shuō吧ba。It's too late — let's leave it till tomorrow.
  2. 这Zhè家jiā店diàn的de汉hàn堡bǎo很hěn好hǎo吃chī。This place's burgers are delicious.
  3. 那Nà我wǒ们men就jiù吃chī披pī萨sà吧ba。Then let's just have pizza.
结

Take these with you

Everything worth taking away. Tap any line to hear it.

Words 生词

Characters 汉字

Sentences to keep 主要句型

Before you go课后回顾

  1. 1Run the deck's list out loud — 太热了,太累了,太饿了,下雨了,没钱了,太远了 — and close each with your own 就……吧. Six decisions in under a minute.
  2. 2Notice how 就 ends things gently: 就不去了吧 is a no that nobody has to feel bad about. Use it the next time a plan falls through.
  3. 3Two 就s now: 就来 (right away) and 就吃吧 (so, then). Both mean the mind is made up — that is the thread.