Basic Grammar: all 87 lessons free
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什么 — Stays Where the Answer Goes
什么 — 站在答案的位置上
English moves the question word to the front. Chinese leaves it exactly where the answer goes.
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Memory hook
Put 什么 where the answer goes
Ask, then answer — same shape
Listen to each pair. Notice that the answer is the question with one word replaced.
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Memory hook
什么 can also go first — when it IS the answer
Where does 什么 go?随堂小练
No pressure — just making it stick.
你喜欢吃____？
Nǐ xǐhuan chī ____?
What do you like to eat?
____好吃？
____ hǎochī?
What is delicious?
你想喝____咖啡？
Nǐ xiǎng hē ____ kāfēi?
What coffee do you want to drink?
Which one is correct Chinese?
Look and answer随堂小练
No pressure — just making it stick.
我喜欢喝____。
Wǒ xǐhuan hē ____.
I like drinking ____.
我喜欢吃____。
Wǒ xǐhuan chī ____.
I like eating ____.
我想吃____。
Wǒ xiǎng chī ____.
I want to eat ____.
This lesson's characters
Today's verbs are built the same way, and you already know the half two of them share. The third swaps the mouth for a heart.
to eat
形meaning + sound
口 mouth + 乞 qǐ for the sound: you eat with your mouth.
to drink
形meaning + sound
口 mouth again, a new sound part: you drink with your mouth too.
to think, to want
形meaning + sound
心 heart below, 相 xiāng for the sound: in Chinese you think with your heart.
Ask it out loud随堂小练
No pressure — just making it stick.
Your turn — say it
你喜欢吃什么？
What do you like to eat?
Your turn — say it
什么好吃？
What is delicious?
Your turn — say it
你想喝什么咖啡？
What kind of coffee do you want?
The five sentences to drill
什么 never moves. Say each question, then answer it about yourself.
Tap any line to hear it
Drill them out loud随堂小练
No pressure — just making it stick.
Your turn — say it
你喜欢什么？
What do you like?
Your turn — say it
你喜欢吃什么？
What do you like to eat?
Take these with you
Everything worth taking away. Tap any line to hear it.
Words 生词
Characters 汉字
Before you go课后回顾
- Ask yourself these out loud and answer them: 你喜欢吃什么? 你喜欢喝什么? 你喜欢什么运动? Say both halves — the shape is the point.
- Take any sentence you can say and replace one word with 什么. You have just made a question, without moving anything.
- Bring me three 什么 questions next class. I will answer them and you will hear how much you understood.