HSK 2Lesson 5
Bai Jiayue and Annie visit Wang Yixue's family. They enter the home, meet the grandparents, eat together, and decide when to leave for the mall near the hotel.
You will learn to welcome guests at home, give gifts politely, and say that a time or situation has already reached an important point.
The learner will be able to welcome guests at home, give and receive gifts politely, and say that a time or situation has already reached an important point.
Part 1 · 14 new words
Contains 7 words
to come in
with; to follow
to walk; to go
hotel
to come out
to come down
to go down
Contains 5 words
paternal grandfather; grandpa
paternal grandmother; grandma
Contains 2 words
to wait
quick; soon; quickly
Part 2 · 10 phrases
快进来！
Come on in!
这是给你们准备的礼物。
This is a gift prepared for you.
这是孩子们的爷爷、奶奶。
These are the children's grandpa and grandma.
都十二点了，饭菜都准备好了。
It is already twelve o'clock, and the food is all ready.
奶茶也真好喝。
The milk tea is also really good.
那我们跟爷爷说谢谢。
Then we will say thanks to Grandpa.
酒店前边有商场，我们走过去吧。
There is a mall in front of the hotel. Let's walk over.
Part 3 · 3 conversations
Bai Jiayue and Annie arrive at Wang Yixue's home, bring gifts, and meet the grandparents.
王一雪Wang Yixue
家月、安妮，快进来！
Jiayue, Annie, come on in!
白家月Bai Jiayue
一雪姐，这是给你们准备的礼物。
Sister Yixue, this is a gift prepared for you.
Part 4 · 3 points
Simple Directional Complements (1)
Put 来lái after a movement direction when the person or thing moves toward the speaker or the place treated as ‘here.’
Movement comes toward here
The mover approaches the speaker or the current reference point.
Choose 来lái from the speaker's or scene's viewpoint, not from the mover's viewpoint.
In sentences
gift; present
to prepare
milk tea
等一下，孩子们没下来。
Wait a moment; the children have not come down.
他们出来了。
They came out.
你们跟我走。
Follow me.
王一雪Wang Yixue
太客气了！这是孩子们的爷爷、奶奶。
You are too polite! These are the children's grandpa and grandma.
刘爷爷Grandpa Liu
你们好，快坐吧。
Hello! Please, have a seat.
At noon, Wang Yixue announces that lunch is ready, and the guests decide to wait for the grandparents before eating.
王一雪Wang Yixue
都十二点了，饭菜都准备好了，我们吃饭吧。
It's already twelve, and all the food is ready. Let's eat.
白家月Bai Jiayue
爷爷奶奶呢？他们不一起吃吗？
Where are Grandpa and Grandma? Aren't they eating with us?
王一雪Wang Yixue
他们说让我们等一下，很快就下来。
They said to wait a moment. They'll come down very soon.
白家月Bai Jiayue
好，我们等他们一起吃。
Okay, we'll wait and eat together with them.
In a hotel lobby, the group waits for the children to come downstairs before walking to the mall in front of the hotel.
王一雪Wang Yixue
酒店前边有商场，我们走过去吧。
There is a mall in front of the hotel. Let's walk over.
安妮Annie
等一下，孩子们没下来。
Wait a moment; the children have not come down.
白家月Bai Jiayue
他们下来了。我们一起走过去吧。
They came down. Let's walk over together.
王一雪Wang Yixue
好，你们跟我走。
Okay, follow me.
Come inside toward the host
快进来！
Come on in!
The host is inside, so 进来jìnlái describes movement inward toward her.
Come down toward the waiting group
他们下来了。
They have come down.
下xià gives the downward path, and 来lái says the children approach the waiting speakers.
A directional complement tells the listener not only what movement happens but also how it relates to a viewpoint. In this first subtype, the last part is 来lái: movement direction + 来lái. 来lái means that the movement approaches the speaker, the listener, or the place the conversation treats as the destination. In 快进来kuài jìnlái, the host is inside and asks the guests to move in toward her. In 孩子们下来了háizimen xiàlái le, the speaker is waiting downstairs, so the children move down toward the speaker's location. The physical path—such as moving inward or downward—does not decide between 来lái and 去qù; the viewpoint does.
Simple Directional Complements (2)
Put 去qù after a movement direction when the person or thing moves away from the speaker or the place treated as ‘here.’
Movement goes away from here
The mover leaves the speaker or current reference point for another place.
Ask: is the mover approaching ‘here’ or leaving ‘here’? That viewpoint question decides between 来lái and 去qù.
In sentences
Walk over to another place
我们走过去吧。
Let's walk over there.
The group leaves its current position and moves toward the mall, so the directional phrase ends in 去qù.
Go down away from here
他们下去了。
They have gone down.
下xià gives the downward path, while 去qù says the movement is away from the current viewpoint.
This second subtype keeps the same movement-direction structure but ends in 去qù: movement direction + 去qù. 去qù means that the movement leaves the speaker, listener, or current reference point and heads toward another place. In 我们走过去吧wǒmen zǒu guòqù ba, 走zǒu names the action, 过guò shows movement across or over to the nearby place, and 去qù shows that the group moves away from where they are now. Compare 来lái, which points movement toward ‘here.’ The same physical direction can take either ending: 下来xiàlái is down toward here, while 下去xiàqù is down away from here.
Fixed pattern 都……了
Put 都dōu before a time, age, amount, or other point and 了le at the end to stress that the point has already been reached.
The point is already here
Use this when a time, age, amount, or stage has reached a noteworthy point and that fact matters to what comes next.
The whole frame means ‘it has already reached this point.’ Do not automatically translate 都dōu as ‘all.’
In sentences
General time point
都十二点了
it is already twelve o'clock
No subject is needed because the sentence states the current time.
Point belonging to a subject
她都二十岁了
she is already twenty years old
The subject comes before the complete 都……了dōu...le frame.
Do not confuse ordinary 都
饭菜都准备好了
the food is all ready
Here 都dōu means ‘all’; it does not introduce a reached point.
都三点了。
It is already three o'clock.
都十二点了，我们吃饭吧。
It is already twelve o'clock; let's eat.
The pattern 都……了dōu...le presents a point as already true now, often with the feeling that it is later, longer, or more than expected. In 都十二点了dōu shí'èr diǎn le, the point is twelve o'clock; the speaker uses that fact to suggest eating. Here 都dōu does not mean ‘all.’ Compare 饭菜都准备好了fàncài dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le: in that sentence, 都dōu has its ordinary meaning ‘all,’ while 了le marks the new ready state. The two words occur together, but only the first sentence uses the fixed ‘already reached this point’ pattern.
