Level 2 - Lesson 1
Bai Jiayue has arrived in Beijing, asks what a local food name means, and makes a simple plan with Annie to try it.
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
Contains 4 words
Peking Duck; Beijing roast duck
我们到北京了。
Wǒmen dào Běijīng le.
We have arrived in Beijing.
是您姐姐来接的我们。
Shì nín jiějie lái jiē de wǒmen.
It was your older sister who came to pick us up.
我请你吃北京烤鸭。
Wǒ qǐng nǐ chī Běijīng kǎoyā.
I will treat you to Peking Duck.
她还给我们介绍了很多东西。
Tā hái gěi wǒmen jièshào le hěn duō dōngxi.
She also introduced many things to us.
有时不太懂她的意思。
Yǒushí bú tài dǒng tā de yìsi.
Situation: 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.
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.
to understand
meaning; idea
time; occurrence
then; right away; just
that; then; in that case
Sometimes we do not quite understand what she means.
请你帮忙。
Qǐng nǐ bāngmáng.
Please help.
是您姐姐吧？
Shì nín jiějie ba?
It was your older sister, right?
那就一次吧。
Nà jiù yí cì ba.
Then just once, okay?
老师让我看书。
Lǎoshī ràng wǒ kàn shū.
The teacher had me read.
老师叫我看书。
Lǎoshī jiào wǒ kàn shū.
The teacher told me to read.
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
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.
Situation: 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.’
Situation: 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.
Use this confirmation 吧 (ba) only when the speaker has an expectation; use 吗 (ma) for a neutral yes-no question.
吧 (ba) shows the speaker expects that the sister was responsible.
是我姐姐去接你们的吧？
It was my older sister who went to pick you up, right?
Here 吧 (ba) softens a suggested action; it does not ask whether a belief is true.
你们回房间休息吧。
Go back to your room and rest.
是我姐姐去接你们的吧？
It was my older sister who went to pick you up, right?
你不懂吧？
You don't understand, right?
Dialogue 01: Arriving in Beijing, Turn 2
Confirming who did the pickup
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?
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.
我姐姐 (wǒ jiějie) is the focused event detail.
是我姐姐去接你们的吧？
It was my older sister who went to pick you up, right?
With a verb object, 我们 (wǒmen) appears after 的 (de) in this lesson's reply.
是，她接的我们。
Yes, she was the one who picked us up.
是我姐姐去接你们的吧？
It was my older sister who went to pick you up, right?
你是昨天到北京的吗？
Was it yesterday that you arrived in Beijing?
Dialogue 01: Arriving in Beijing, Turn 2
Asking who did the known pickup
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?
Dialogue 01: Arriving in Beijing, Turn 3
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.
Tell or ask someone to act with 叫
In everyday speech, say that person A tells or asks person B to perform an action.
你 (nǐ) is the invited person and also the person doing the eating.
我请你吃北京烤鸭。
I will treat you to Peking Duck.
你 (nǐ) is the person being asked, and 帮忙 (bāngmáng) is the action.
请你帮忙。
Please help.
我 (wǒ) receives 让 (ràng) and performs 看书 (kàn shū).
老师让我看书。
The teacher had me read.
我请你吃北京烤鸭。
I will treat you to Peking Duck.
请你帮忙。
Please help.
老师让我看书。
The teacher had me read.
老师叫我看书。
The teacher told me to read.
Dialogue 02: Asking About Meaning, Turn 4
Annie wants to treat Bai Jiayue
北京烤鸭是北京的菜，她想请你吃。
Peking Duck is a Beijing dish; she wants to treat you to it.
Dialogue 03: Making a Peking Duck Plan, Turn 2
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.'
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.
老师让我看书 (lǎoshī ràng wǒ kàn shū) means the teacher had me read; 我 (wǒ) is the pivot.
老师叫我看书 (lǎoshī jiào wǒ kàn shū) uses 叫 (jiào) to give an instruction; it does not mean 'be called.'
我 (wǒ) receives the instruction and performs 看书 (kàn shū).
老师叫我看书。
The teacher told me to read.
Annie offers to treat Bai Jiayue
那我请你吃北京烤鸭吧。
Then I will treat you to Peking Duck.
