SkarpChapter 5 of 9
Talking About Routines: Likes, Dislikes, and Daily Activities
Learn to talk about what you do every day, your hobbies, and express likes and dislikes in natural conversation.
New Words and Phrases: Daily Activities and Preferences
In this step, you will learn common verbs and phrases to talk about your daily routine and what you like or don't like to do.
| Word | Pronunciation | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 工作 | gōng-zuò (gong-dzwor) | to work; job | 我在公司工作。(I work at a company.) |
| 学习 | xué-xí (shweh-shee) | to study; to learn | 我晚上学习中文。(I study Chinese in the evening.) |
| 吃饭 | chī-fàn (chrr-fan) | to eat (a meal) | 我早上七点吃饭。(I eat (have a meal) at seven in the morning.) |
| 睡觉 | shuì-jiào (shway-jyao) | to sleep; to go to bed | 我晚上十一点睡觉。(I go to sleep at eleven at night.) |
| 喜欢 | xǐ-huan (shee-hwahn) | to like | 我喜欢看书。(I like reading books.) |
| 不喜欢 | bù xǐ-huan (boo shee-hwahn) | to not like; to dislike | 我不喜欢早起。(I don’t like getting up early.) |
| 在 | zài (dzeye) | at; in; (used for ongoing actions: be doing) | 我在工作。(I am working.) |
| 常常 / 有时候 / 很少 | cháng-cháng (chahng-chahng) / yǒu-shí-hou (yo-ship-ho) / hěn-shǎo (hun-shaow) | often / sometimes / rarely | 我常常工作，很少出去玩。(I often work and rarely go out to have fun.) |
Language Patterns: Likes, Ongoing Actions, and Frequency
1. Expressing likes and dislikes with 喜欢 (xǐhuan)
Basic pattern:
- Subject + 喜欢 + activity / thing
Example:
我喜欢吃饭。
Wǒ xǐhuan chīfàn.
I like eating.
To say you don’t like something, just add 不 (bù) before 喜欢:
- Subject + 不喜欢 + activity / thing
Example:
我不喜欢早起。
Wǒ bù xǐhuan zǎo qǐ.
I don’t like getting up early.
You can also add a reason after it, but for now keep sentences short and simple.
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2. Using 在 (zài) for current actions
在 (zài) can show that an action is happening right now, similar to “am/is/are doing” in English.
Basic pattern:
- Subject + 在 + verb
Examples:
- 我在工作。
Wǒ zài gōngzuò.
I am working.
- 他在学习中文。
Tā zài xuéxí Zhōngwén.
He is studying Chinese.
You can also add a place before 在:
- 我在家工作。
Wǒ zài jiā gōngzuò.
I work at home. / I am working at home.
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3. Adverbs of frequency
Use these before the verb to say how often you do something:
- 常常 (chángcháng) – often
- 有时候 (yǒu shíhou) – sometimes
- 很少 (hěnshǎo) – rarely
Basic pattern:
- Subject + frequency word + verb + object
Examples:
- 我常常加班。
Wǒ chángcháng jiābān.
I often work overtime.
- 我有时候晚上学习。
Wǒ yǒu shíhou wǎnshang xuéxí.
I sometimes study in the evening.
- 他很少吃早饭。
Tā hěnshǎo chī zǎofàn.
He rarely eats breakfast.
You can combine these patterns:
- 我有时候在家工作。
Wǒ yǒu shíhou zài jiā gōngzuò.
I sometimes work at home.
- 她常常晚上学习，不喜欢早起。
Tā chángcháng wǎnshang xuéxí, bù xǐhuan zǎo qǐ.
She often studies at night and doesn’t like getting up early.
Practice Dialogue: Talking About Daily Routines and Hobbies
In this dialogue, two friends talk about their daily routines, how often they do things, and what they like or don’t like.
Two friends talking after work about their typical day and hobbies.
你现在在做什么？
What are you doing right now?
我在家工作，你呢？
I am working at home, and you?
我在学习中文。我下班以后常常学习。
I am studying Chinese. I often study after I get off work.
你每天几点下班？
What time do you finish work every day?
我有时候六点下班，有时候七点下班。
Sometimes I finish work at six, sometimes at seven.
你下班以后喜欢做什么？
What do you like to do after work?
我喜欢吃饭、看书，有时候出去玩。
I like to eat, read, and sometimes go out to have fun.
我不喜欢出去玩，我很少出去。我晚上常常睡觉很早。
I don’t like going out; I rarely go out. I often go to sleep early at night.
Check Your Understanding: Daily Activities and Preferences
Answer this question to check your understanding of frequency words and the verb 喜欢 (xǐhuan).
How would you best say: "I sometimes like to go out" in Mandarin Chinese?
- 我有时候喜欢出去。
- 我常常喜欢出去。
- 我不喜欢出去。
- 我在出去喜欢。
Show Answer
Answer: A) 我有时候喜欢出去。
The correct answer is "我有时候喜欢出去。" (Wǒ yǒu shíhou xǐhuan chūqù.) This follows the pattern: Subject + frequency word + 喜欢 + verb. 有时候 means "sometimes." The second option uses 常常 (often), which changes the meaning. The third option means "I don’t like to go out." The fourth option is ungrammatical word order.
Key Terms
- 在
- zài (dzeye) – at; in; also marks an ongoing action when placed before a verb, like “am doing.”
- 下班
- xiàbān (shyah-ban) – to finish work; to get off work; useful for daily routine talk.
- 吃饭
- chīfàn (chrr-fan) – to eat a meal; general word for eating, not just rice.
- 喜欢
- xǐhuan (shee-hwahn) – to like; used before verbs or nouns to express preference.
- 学习
- xuéxí (shweh-shee) – to study; to learn; can take objects like 中文 (Chinese).
- 工作
- gōngzuò (gong-dzwor) – to work; job; used for talking about your occupation or working activity.
- 常常
- chángcháng (chahng-chahng) – often; frequency adverb usually placed before the verb.
- 很少
- hěnshǎo (hun-shaow) – rarely; literally “very few/rarely,” used before verbs to show low frequency.
- 睡觉
- shuìjiào (shway-jyao) – to sleep; to go to bed.
- 不喜欢
- bù xǐhuan (boo shee-hwahn) – to not like; simply add 不 (bù) in front of 喜欢.
- 出去玩
- chūqù wán (choo-choo wahn) – to go out to have fun; common casual expression.
- 有时候
- yǒu shíhou (yo-ship-ho) – sometimes; frequency adverb, often used before the verb.