HSK 2Lesson 10
This lesson follows Xiaoxue preparing for an exam while her mother reminds her to review words, notes, and wrong answers.
You will learn to put a study item first and comment on it, ask someone to choose between alternatives, and say that school or an exam is coming soon.
The learner will be able to understand and use sentences with a subject-predicate phrase as the predicate to describe people, things, or situations. They will be able to understand and use alternative questions to express inquiries. They will master the use of the fixed pattern "要/快/快要/就要……了" to express that something is about to happen.
Part 1 · 12 new words
Contains 4 words
word
notebook
wrong; mistake
question; problem
Contains 3 words
to help
school starts; start of school
Contains 2 words
door
behind; back side
Contains 3 words
exam; to take an exam
or
Part 2 · 10 phrases
明天考试，我在读书呢。
The exam is tomorrow, so I'm reading.
这些词要好好看看。
You need to review these words carefully.
本子上做错的题也要看一看。
You should also look over the questions you got wrong in your notebook.
是您准备考试还是我准备考试？
Are you preparing for the exam, or am I preparing for the exam?
快要开学了。
School is about to start.
爸爸帮弟弟准备书包和本子。
Dad helps my younger brother get his schoolbag and notebook ready.
我就要考试了。
Part 3 · 3 conversations
At home, Wang Yixue checks whether Xiaoxue is preparing for her exam.
王一雪Wang Yixue
小雪，你在做什么呢？
Xiaoxue, what are you doing?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我就要考试了，在看词。
I am about to take an exam, so I am reviewing words.
王一雪Wang Yixue
Part 4 · 3 points
Subject-Predicate Predicate Sentences
Use topic + person or thing + predicate when the whole person–predicate clause is the comment about the opening topic.
A clause comments on the topic
Start with the thing under discussion, then say who does what with it.
The opening topic is not followed by
about to; soon will
to laugh; to smile
I am about to take an exam.
是我和弟弟上学还是你们上学？
Are my younger brother and I going to school, or are you going to school?
他们都笑了。
They all laughed.
本子在门后面。
The notebook is behind the door.
You should also look at the questions you got wrong in your notebook.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我知道，词和题我都看过了。
I know. I have reviewed the words and the questions.
Before school starts, Liu Ming helps prepare Xiaoxue's younger brother's school things.
刘明Liu Ming
快要开学了，我帮弟弟准备本子。
School is about to start, so I am helping your younger brother prepare notebooks.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
他的书包呢？
Where is his schoolbag?
刘明Liu Ming
在门后面。
It is behind the door.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
好，我帮您拿过来。
Okay, I'll help you bring it over.
At home before an exam, Wang Yixue gives Xiaoxue a genuine choice between another short review and a break.
王一雪Wang Yixue
这些词你看完了吗？
Have you finished reviewing these words?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
看完了，错的题也看完了。
I finished reviewing them, and I finished reviewing the wrong questions too.
王一雪Wang Yixue
那你想再看看本子，还是休息一下？
Then do you want to look over your notebook again or take a break?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我还是再看看本子吧。
I'd better look over my notebook again.
In sentences
Ask about a person's progress with a topic
这些词你看完了吗？
Have you finished reviewing these words?
这些词zhèxiē cí sets the topic. The complete clause 你看完了吗nǐ kàn wán le ma comments on it.
Report progress on two topics
词和题我都看过了。
I have reviewed both the words and the questions.
词和题cí hé tí are placed first as the overall topic; 我都看过了wǒ dōu kàn guo le is the clause that comments on them.
Describe a person through one of their features
这个男孩儿个子很高。
This boy is very tall.
这个男孩儿zhège nánháir is the overall topic. Inside the comment, 个子gèzi is the inner subject and 很高hěn gāo is its predicate, showing that this construction is not limited to fronted objects.
Contrast: ordinary subject–verb–object order
你看完这些词了吗？
Have you finished reviewing these words?
This neutral question keeps 你nǐ as the sentence subject and 这些词zhèxiē cí after the verb. Use 这些词你看完了吗zhèxiē cí nǐ kàn wán le ma when the words are already the discussion topic and you want to comment on the listener's progress with them.
A normal subject–predicate sentence has one subject followed by what you say about it. In a subject-predicate predicate sentence, the sentence opens with an overall topic, and the rest of the sentence is itself a small subject–predicate clause that comments on that topic. In 这些词你看完了吗zhèxiē cí nǐ kàn wán le ma, 这些词zhèxiē cí is the overall topic; inside the comment, 你nǐ is the subject and 看完了吗kàn wán le ma is its predicate. The structure is useful when the speaker wants to establish what is being discussed before saying who did what with it. English often puts the same topic after the verb: ‘Have you finished reviewing these words?’ Do not add 是shì between the topic and the inner clause.
Alternative Questions
Put 还是háishi between two choices to ask ‘A or B?’; do not add 吗ma.
Offer two choices
Ask which of two alternatives is true or preferred.
End with question intonation or a question mark, but not 吗ma. This lesson's 还是háishi pattern asks the listener to choose; it is not the form for joining alternatives inside an ordinary statement.
In sentences
Contrast two people
是您考试还是我考试？
Are you taking the exam, or am I taking it?
The two alternatives keep the same person + 考试kǎoshì shape, making the choice explicit.
Contrast two school groups
是我和弟弟上学还是你们上学？
Are my younger brother and I going to school, or are you going to school?
Both choices end in 上学shàngxué, so 还是háishi contrasts who is going.
Choose between two things
你喝咖啡还是奶茶？
Do you drink coffee or milk tea?
The shared verb 喝hē comes before the two noun choices; 还是háishi links 咖啡kāfēi and 奶茶nǎichá.
Choose between two actions
你想读书还是睡觉？
Do you want to read or sleep?
The shared 想xiǎng comes before two parallel action choices: 读书dúshū and 睡觉shuìjiào.
An alternative question offers two possibilities and asks the listener to choose one: choice A + 还是háishi + choice B. The choices can be nouns, actions, or complete clauses, but they should have parallel shapes so the contrast is easy to hear. 是您考试还是我考试shì nín kǎoshì háishi wǒ kǎoshì contrasts two complete clauses: ‘Are you taking the exam, or am I?’ Because 还是háishi already makes the sentence a question with alternatives, do not add 吗ma at the end. This question use of 还是háishi differs from its statement use meaning ‘still’ or ‘had better,’ which the learner met earlier.
Fixed Pattern yao/kuai/kuaiyao/jiuyao...le
Put 要yào, 快kuài, 快要kuàiyào, or 就要jiùyào before an event and 了le at the end to say the event is close to starting.
An imminent change
The speaker sees the event as close to beginning now.
Do not use these frames for any distant future event. The speaker must treat the change as close or as the next expected step.
In sentences
Basic about-to form
要考试了。
The exam is about to begin.
要yào plus final 了le presents the exam as approaching now.
Very near change
快下雨了。
It is about to rain.
快kuài is the compact form and stresses that the rain is very near.
Explicit near change
快要开学了。
School is about to start.
快要kuàiyào explicitly marks school as close to starting.
Expected event with a known time
下周就要开学了。
School is about to start next week.
就要jiùyào presents school as the next expected event and fits naturally after the known time 下周xià zhōu.
All four frames present an event as imminent, not simply as a future plan: 要……了yào...le, 快……了kuài...le, 快要……了kuàiyào...le, and 就要……了jiùyào...le. 要yào is the basic ‘about to’ form; 快kuài is the shortest and stresses that the change is very near; 快要kuàiyào makes the same near-change meaning explicit; 就要jiùyào often presents the event as the next expected step and works especially well when a known time is stated, as in 下周就要开学了xià zhōu jiùyào kāixué le. Final 了le belongs to the complete imminent-change frame. Compare plain 我要考试wǒ yào kǎoshì
Dialogue 1 · The Exam Is Soon · Turn 2
The exam is the next expected event
我就要考试了，在看词。
I am about to take an exam, so I am reviewing words.
就要next-expected imminence marker考试upcoming event了imminent change
Why it matters · 就要考试了jiùyào kǎoshì le presents the exam as the next expected event and explains the current studying.
