HSK 2Lesson 1
Bai Jiayue has arrived in Beijing, asks what a local food name means, and makes a simple plan with Annie to try it.
You will learn to report a short travel update, say who came to pick someone up, and describe being invited or treated to a meal.
The learner will be able to understand and use "请", "让", and "叫" to express requests. They will master the use of the modal particle "吧" (2) to express a tone of speculation or estimation, and master the use of the "是……的" sentence to emphasize details such as the time, place, and manner of events. They will also learn about Peking Duck, a famous Beijing specialty, and the proper way to enjoy it.
Part 1 · 11 new words
Contains 4 words
to introduce; to explain
to help; to lend a hand
to pick up; to meet
to let; to have someone do something
Contains 3 words
sometimes
to understand
Contains 4 words
Peking Duck; Beijing roast duck
time; occurrence
Part 2 · 10 phrases
我们到北京了。
We have arrived in Beijing.
是您姐姐来接的我们。
It was your older sister who came to pick us up.
我请你吃北京烤鸭。
I will treat you to Peking Duck.
她还给我们介绍了很多东西。
She also introduced many things to us.
有时不太懂她的意思。
Sometimes we do not quite understand what she means.
请你帮忙。
Please help.
是您姐姐吧？
It was your older sister, right?
Part 3 · 3 conversations
Bai Jiayue calls Teacher Wang after arriving in Beijing and confirms who picked them up.
白家月Bai Jiayue
王老师，我们到北京了。
Teacher Wang, we have arrived in Beijing.
王老师Teacher Wang
太好了。是我姐姐去接你们的吧？
Great. It was my older sister who went to pick you up, right?
白家月Bai Jiayue
Part 4 · 3 points
Modal Particle 吧 (2)
Put 吧ba at the end of a statement when you think it is probably true and want the listener to confirm it.
Turn a likely belief into a confirmation question
State what you think is true, then ask the listener to confirm it.
Use this confirmation 吧ba only when the speaker has an expectation; use 吗
meaning; idea
then; right away; just
that; then; in that case
那就一次吧。
Then just once, okay?
老师让我看书。
The teacher had me read.
老师叫我看书。
The teacher told me to read.
是，她接的我们，还给我们介绍了很多东西。
Yes, she picked us up and also introduced many things to us.
王老师Teacher Wang
很好。你们回房间休息吧。
Good. Go back to your room and rest.
At the hotel, Bai Jiayue asks Teacher Wang what Peking Duck means before deciding whether she wants to try it.
白家月Bai Jiayue
安妮问我：“你想吃北京烤鸭吗？”我不懂“北京烤鸭”的意思。
Annie asked me, ‘Do you want to eat Peking Duck?’ I don't understand what ‘Peking Duck’ means.
王老师Teacher Wang
北京烤鸭是北京的菜。
Peking Duck is a Beijing dish.
白家月Bai Jiayue
我懂了。这个菜好吃吗？
I understand now. Is this dish good?
王老师Teacher Wang
很好吃。那你就说：“我想吃。”
It's very good. Then just say, ‘I want to try it.’
Annie learns that Bai Jiayue has never tried Peking Duck and invites her to go after class on Saturday.
白家月Bai Jiayue
你吃北京烤鸭了吗？
Have you tried Peking Duck?
安妮Annie
没有，一次也没吃。
No, not even once.
白家月Bai Jiayue
那星期六我请你吃吧。
Then let me treat you on Saturday.
安妮Annie
好，星期六下课我就来找你。
Great. I'll come find you as soon as class ends on Saturday.
In sentences
Expected confirmation
是我姐姐去接你们的吧？
It was my older sister who went to pick you up, right?
吧ba shows the speaker expects that the sister was responsible.
Suggestion contrast
你们回房间休息吧。
Go back to your room and rest.
Here 吧ba softens a suggested action; it does not ask whether a belief is true.
你不懂吧？
You don't understand, right?
In 是我姐姐去接你们的吧shì wǒ jiějie qù jiē nǐmen de ba, the speaker has evidence that the sister did the pickup and uses final 吧ba to ask for confirmation: 'It was my sister, right?' This differs from suggestion 吧ba, as in 你们休息吧nǐmen xiūxi ba, where the speaker proposes an action. It also differs from neutral yes-no 吗ma: 吗ma does not show that the speaker already expects one answer.
是……的 Sentence
Use 是shì + focused detail + known event + 的de to ask or confirm who, when, where, or how a completed event happened.
Focus the responsible person
Treat the event as known and ask which person carried it out.
Do not use this pattern merely to identify two nouns; it answers a detail question about a known event.
In sentences
Ask who did it
是我姐姐去接你们的吧？
It was my older sister who went to pick you up, right?
我姐姐wǒ jiějie is the focused event detail.
Confirm with the object after 的
是，她接的我们。
Yes, she was the one who picked us up.
With a verb object, 我们wǒmen appears after 的de in this lesson's reply.
你是昨天到北京的吗？
Was it yesterday that you arrived in Beijing?
The event—someone picked the travelers up—is already known. 是我姐姐去接你们的吧shì wǒ jiějie qù jiē nǐmen de ba places 我姐姐wǒ jiějie after 是shì to focus the person responsible. The reply 是，她接的我们shì, tā jiē de wǒmen confirms that person and shows an available order when the verb has an object: the object 我们wǒmen can follow 的de. This extends the earlier basic 是……的shì...de model by using it in a confirmation question and by keeping the object after 的de; ordinary copular 是shì, as in 北京烤鸭是北京的菜Běijīng kǎoyā shì Běijīng de cài, simply identifies one noun as another and does not focus a past-event detail.
Pivotal Sentences
Put a person after 请qǐng, 让ràng, or 叫jiào; that person receives the first verb and performs the next action.
Invite someone to do an action
One person invites, treats, or asks another person to do the next action.
In 我请你吃北京烤鸭wǒ qǐng nǐ chī Běijīng kǎoyā, 你nǐ is invited and also does the eating.
Let or have someone act with 让
Say that person A allows or causes person B to do the next action.
老师让我看书lǎoshī ràng wǒ kàn shū means the teacher had me read; 我wǒ is the pivot.
Tell or ask someone to act with 叫
In everyday speech, say that person A tells or asks person B to perform an action.
老师叫我看书lǎoshī jiào wǒ kàn shū uses 叫jiào to give an instruction; it does not mean 'be called.'
In sentences
Treat someone to a meal
我请你吃北京烤鸭。
I will treat you to Peking Duck.
你nǐ is the invited person and also the person doing the eating.
Ask someone to help
请你帮忙。
Please help.
你nǐ is the person being asked, and 帮忙bāngmáng is the action.
Have someone read
老师让我看书。
The teacher had me read.
我wǒ receives 让ràng and performs 看书kàn shū.
Tell someone to read
老师叫我看书。
The teacher told me to read.
Pivotal sentences share one structure: person A + 请/让/叫qǐng/ràng/jiào + person B + action. Person B is the object of the first verb and the understood subject of the next action—the 'pivot.' In 我请你吃北京烤鸭wǒ qǐng nǐ chī Běijīng kǎoyā, 你nǐ is invited and does the eating. Choose the first verb by meaning: 请qǐng politely invites or requests, 让ràng lets someone act or causes them to act, and 叫jiào conversationally tells or asks someone to act. This 叫jiào is not the earlier naming use in 我叫李文wǒ jiào Lǐ Wén, 'My name is Li Wen.'
Dialogue 1 · Arriving in Beijing · Turn 3
Confirming the responsible person
是，她接的我们，还给我们介绍了很多东西。
Yes, she picked us up and also introduced many things to us.
她focused person接known action的focus closure我们object
Why it matters · 她tā supplies the focused answer and 我们wǒmen follows 的de.
Dialogue 3 · Making a Peking Duck Plan · Turn 2
Annie offers to treat Bai Jiayue
那我请你吃北京烤鸭吧。
Then I will treat you to Peking Duck.
我person inviting请invite verb你person invited吃北京烤鸭next action
Why it matters · 你nǐ is the person invited, and 吃北京烤鸭chī Běijīng kǎoyā is the action Annie offers.
