Level 2 - Lesson 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.
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
Contains 2 words
to wait
快进来！
Kuài jìnlái!
Come on in!
这是给你们准备的礼物。
Zhè shì gěi nǐmen zhǔnbèi de lǐwù.
This is a gift prepared for you.
这是孩子们的爷爷、奶奶。
Zhè shì háizimen de yéye, nǎinai.
These are the children's grandpa and grandma.
都十二点了，饭菜都准备好了。
Dōu shí'èr diǎn le, fàncài dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le.
It is already twelve o'clock, and the food is all ready.
奶茶也真好喝。
Nǎichá yě zhēn hǎohē.
Situation: 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!
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.
paternal grandmother; grandma
gift; present
to prepare
milk tea
quick; soon; quickly
The milk tea is also really good.
那我们跟爷爷说谢谢。
Nà wǒmen gēn yéye shuō xièxie.
Then we will say thanks to Grandpa.
酒店前边有商场，我们走过去吧。
Jiǔdiàn qiánbian yǒu shāngchǎng, wǒmen zǒu guòqù ba.
There is a mall in front of the hotel. Let's walk over.
等一下，孩子们没下来。
Děng yíxià, háizimen méi xiàlái.
Wait a moment; the children have not come down.
他们出来了。
Tāmen chūlái le.
They came out.
你们跟我走。
Nǐmen gēn wǒ zǒu.
Follow me.
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.
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.
Situation: 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.
Situation: 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.
Choose 来 (lái) from the speaker's or scene's viewpoint, not from the mover's viewpoint.
The host is inside, so 进来 (jìnlái) describes movement inward toward her.
快进来！
Come on in!
下 (xià) gives the downward path, and 来 (lái) says the children approach the waiting speakers.
他们下来了。
They have come down.
快进来！
Come on in!
他们下来了。
They have come down.
Dialogue 01: Arriving at Wang Yixue's Home, Turn 1
Invite guests toward the host
家月、安妮，快进来！
Jiayue, Annie, come on in!
Dialogue 03: Leaving for the Mall, Turn 3
The children reach the waiting group
他们下来了。我们一起走过去吧。
They came down. Let's walk over together.
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).
The group leaves its current position and moves toward the mall, so the directional phrase ends in 去 (qù).
我们走过去吧。
Let's walk over there.
下 (xià) gives the downward path, while 去 (qù) says the movement is away from the current viewpoint.
他们下去了。
They have gone down.
我们走过去吧。
Let's walk over there.
他们下去了。
They have gone down.
Dialogue 03: Leaving for the Mall, Turn 1
Leave the hotel for the mall
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.
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.’
No subject is needed because the sentence states the current time.
都十二点了
it is already twelve o'clock
The subject comes before the complete 都……了 (dōu...le) frame.
她都二十岁了
she is already twenty years old
Here 都 (dōu) means ‘all’; it does not introduce a reached point.
饭菜都准备好了
the food is all ready
都三点了。
It is already three o'clock.
她都二十岁了。
She is already twenty years old.
都十二点了，我们吃饭吧。
It is already twelve o'clock; let's eat.
Dialogue 02: Waiting to Eat Together, Turn 1
The clock makes lunch relevant
都十二点了，饭菜都准备好了。
It is already twelve o'clock, and the food is all ready.
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.
