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Daily lessons · Day 23 of 90
Getting around a city
Transport
Chinese uses a different verb depending on what you sit on, straddle or drive. There are only four to learn and each one tells you something about the vehicle.
Which verb
坐 for anything you sit inside, 骑 for anything you straddle, 开 for anything you drive.
Why it works
The verb comes from your posture, not from the machine. That is why a plane takes 坐, the same as a bus, and a motorbike takes 骑, the same as a horse. Once you know which of the three postures applies, you never have to remember the pairing for a new vehicle.
Working out the route
怎么 is how, and it goes in front of the verb.
Why it works
怎么 sits where an English how would, in front of the verb, and it is one of the most productive words in the language: 怎么去 how to get there, 怎么说 how to say it, 怎么办 what do we do now. It never moves to the front of the sentence, which fits the day 8 rule about question words staying in place.
In a taxi or on the way
Enough to arrive at the right place at roughly the right time.
Why it works
Show a driver the address in characters rather than reading pinyin aloud. Pinyin without tones matches several possible places, and a driver cannot type it into a navigation app. Having the destination saved in Chinese on your phone before you set off solves most taxi problems before they start.
The metro is the easy option
Big Chinese cities have extensive, cheap, signposted metro systems with English on the signs and announcements. Security scanners at every entrance add a minute or two, and bags go through them. For a visitor the metro is usually faster than a taxi at rush hour and removes the whole problem of explaining where you want to go.
Carried over from earlier days
Say each one out loud before you look at the English.
Today’s words 12
Check yourself
8 questions. Get 6 right to finish the day.
Which verb goes with a bicycle?
- 骑 qí
- 坐 zuò
- 开 kāi
- 走 zǒu
Show the answer
骑 qí 骑 is to straddle: bikes, scooters, horses.
Type how do I get there in pinyin.
Show the answer
zěnme qù 怎么 is how, and it sits before the verb.
Why does a plane take 坐?
- the verb comes from your posture, and you sit in a plane
- planes are a kind of bus
- 坐 is used for anything expensive
- it is an exception to learn
Show the answer
the verb comes from your posture, and you sit in a plane Posture, not machine, decides the verb.
Where does 怎么 go?
- in front of the verb
- at the start of the sentence
- at the end
- after the object
Show the answer
in front of the verb Question words stay in the slot the answer fills.
What should you show a taxi driver?
- the address in Chinese characters
- the address in pinyin
- the name in English
- a photo of the building
Show the answer
the address in Chinese characters Drivers type characters into a navigation app.
Which means where do I change?
- 在哪儿换乘 zài nǎr huànchéng
- 换乘在哪儿吗 huànchéng zài nǎr ma
- 哪儿在换乘 nǎr zài huànchéng
- 换乘哪儿在 huànchéng nǎr zài
Show the answer
在哪儿换乘 zài nǎr huànchéng Place before the verb, and 哪儿 stays in the place slot.
What slows you down at every metro entrance?
- a security scanner for bags
- a ticket inspection
- a language test
- a passport check
Show the answer
a security scanner for bags It adds a minute or two, no more.
Type how long will it take in pinyin.
Show the answer
yào duō cháng shíjiān Literally, it needs how long a time.
Question 1 of 8
Writing practice optional
Every character from today, in the order it came up. Watch it, trace it, then write it from memory.
Press Watch to see the stroke order.
Stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi via Hanzi Writer, Arphic Public License.
Character 1 of 36
This lesson is written by an English speaker who learned Mandarin as a second language, and it is waiting on a check by a native speaker. If you spot something off, please tell us and we will fix it.