HSK 3Lesson 22
School is out for a few days, and Yixue has written a plan for a weekend trip to the sea. Annie has never seen the sea. You will hear the plan, a late friend, and a camera that gives up at the worst moment.
You will learn to talk about a holiday trip: say that school is out, plan the day, and put what you do in order.
Part 1 · 14 new words
Contains 4 words
to travel; to go on a trip
to have a holiday or vacation
weekend
tourist; visitor
Contains 5 words
to take a photograph
to take a picture
Contains 3 words
river
ocean; sea
Contains 2 words
first; before the others
then; after that
Part 2 · 7 phrases
一放假，我就跟家人去外地旅游。
As soon as school is out, I go traveling with my family to another city.
周末颐和园的游客太多了，门口都是人。
There are far too many tourists at the Summer Palace on weekends; the gate is full of people.
手机拍照很方便，可是爸爸还是喜欢用相机照相。
Taking pictures with a phone is easy, but Dad still likes to use a camera.
我把今天的照片发给你，你看看。
I'll send you today's pictures; have a look.
坐了四个小时火车，我们终于看到海了。
After four hours on the train, we finally saw the sea.
奶奶家在山里，门口有条河，我常去玩儿。
Grandma's house is in the hills, with a river by the door, and I go there to play often.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Friday morning at the train station. School has given everyone a few days off and it is the weekend, so Yixue has written a plan for a trip to the sea. Annie has never seen the sea. Jiayue is late again.
王一雪Wang Yixue
学校放假了，还有周末，我们去海边旅游。我把要做的事都写好了！
School's out and the weekend is coming too, so we're taking a trip to the seaside. I've written down everything we're going to do!
安妮Annie
真的？
Part 4 · 1 point
先……，再/然后……
Put 先Xiān before the first verb, then use 然后Ránhòu or 再Zài to start the second action.
Put two actions in order
先Xiān marks the first step; 然后Ránhòu or 再Zài marks what follows.
photograph; picture
camera
to shine on; to light up
mountain; hill
出门以前先看天气，然后决定穿什么衣服。
Before going out, check the weather first, then decide what to wear.
Really?
王一雪Wang Yixue
真的！先坐火车，然后去海边，晚上在那儿吃饭。几点做什么，都在这儿呢。
Yes! First the train, then the seaside, and dinner there in the evening. What we do at what time is all right here.
安妮Annie
我还没看过海呢！在哪儿吃饭你也想好了啊？可是白家月呢？
I've never seen the sea! You even decided where to eat? But where's Bai Jiayue?
王一雪Wang Yixue
她说九点到，现在都九点半了！第一班火车已经开了。
She said she'd be here at nine, and it's nine-thirty already! The first train has left.
白家月Bai Jiayue
对不起对不起！我起床晚了……
Sorry, sorry! I got up late...
王一雪Wang Yixue
又晚了！下一班是十点半，你先去买票，然后买早饭，快点！
Late again! The next one is at ten-thirty. Go buy the tickets first, then breakfast, and hurry!
Late in the morning on the beach. It is October and there are almost no tourists. Annie sees the sea for the first time, and Li Wen takes out his camera to take her picture.
安妮Annie
啊……这就是海！比我想的大多了。
Oh... so this is the sea! It's so much bigger than I thought.
李文Li Wen
你看，十月的海边几乎没有游客，我们想走哪儿就走哪儿。
Look, there are hardly any tourists at the seaside in October. We can go wherever we want.
安妮Annie
李文，你的相机呢？快给我照相！
Li Wen, where's your camera? Quick, take my picture!
李文Li Wen
好，你站那儿，看海……啊？相机怎么坏了？
Okay, stand over there and look at the sea... Huh? What's wrong with the camera?
安妮Annie
什么？我第一次看海，你的相机就坏了！
What? It's my first time seeing the sea, and your camera dies on me!
李文Li Wen
我昨天晚上还好好的呢，怎么会这样？
It was fine last night. How could this happen?
白家月Bai Jiayue
别着急，用我的手机吧。安妮，笑一个！
Don't worry, use my phone. Annie, smile!
In the afternoon the friends walk to a small river and the hill behind the town. Jiayue takes pictures with her phone, and Yixue has an idea for a picture of all three.
王一雪Wang Yixue
前面有一条小河，河后面的山就是最后一站了。
There's a little river ahead, and the hill behind it is our last stop.
白家月Bai Jiayue
河边这么好看，我要多拍照！安妮，站过去，笑一个。
The riverbank is so pretty, I want to take lots of pictures! Annie, go stand over there and smile.
安妮Annie
这样可以吗？我冷得笑不出来了。
Like this? I'm so cold I can't smile.
白家月Bai Jiayue
再往左一点，对，别动！笑一个，我再照一下。
A little more to the left. Yes, don't move! Smile, one more.
王一雪Wang Yixue
我们几个人一起照一个吧。那边有个游客，请他帮我们照。
Let's get one of all three of us. There's a tourist over there, so let's ask him to take it.
白家月Bai Jiayue
好啊，我去。
Sure, I'll go.
安妮Annie
你们看，河水里也有山呢！
Look, you can see the hill in the water too!
On the train home on Sunday evening, the weekend is almost over. The friends look through the pictures on their phones, and Yixue notices something about Jiayue's.
王一雪Wang Yixue
周末快过完了，我们看看照片吧。
The weekend's almost over. Let's look at the pictures.
安妮Annie
好啊！这是我第一次看海的照片。
Yes! This is the picture of my first time seeing the sea.
王一雪Wang Yixue
白家月，你看，海边的照片里都有你的手！河边的也是。
Jiayue, look, your hand is in all the pictures from the beach! The river ones too.
白家月Bai Jiayue
啊？真的？
What? Really?
安妮Annie
没关系，有你的手，才是我们这次旅游的照片！这个我就要了。
It's fine. A picture with your hand in it is how you know it's from our trip! I'm keeping this one.
白家月Bai Jiayue
那下次我再给你们照吧！
Then next time I'll take them for you again!
王一雪Wang Yixue
不用不用，下次让李文先看看相机，然后再出门！
No, no. Next time Li Wen checks his camera first, and then we go out!
At the station Yixue reads her plan as 先坐火车，然后去海边Xiān zuò huǒchē, ránhòu qù hǎibiān: the train first, the seaside next.
In sentences
With 再
你先吃点东西，再去买票。
Eat something first, and then go buy the ticket.
再Zài comes right before the second verb and fits advice, plans and requests.
Three steps
我们先买票，再上车，最后给家里打电话。
We buy tickets first, then board, and finally call home.
You can chain a third step after the second.
到了海边，安妮先看了半个小时的海，然后才想起照相。
At the seaside, Annie looked at the sea for half an hour first, and only then remembered to take a picture.
A：我们去哪儿吃饭？ B：先去看海，然后再吃饭吧。
A: Where shall we eat? B: Let's look at the sea first, then eat.
看病以前，要先打电话，然后再去医院。
Before seeing a doctor, call first and then go to the hospital.
他们先坐飞机，再坐火车，三天后才到家。
They took a plane first, then a train, and only got home three days later.
先Xiān means "first" and goes right before the verb of the first action. The second action begins with 然后Ránhòu, "then", or with 再Zài, "and then": 我们先坐火车，然后去海边Wǒmen xiān zuò huǒchē, ránhòu qù hǎibiān. 然后Ránhòu can start a new clause and is common when you tell a plan or a story; 再Zài sits right before the second verb and is used for plans, advice and requests: 你先吃点东西，再去买票Nǐ xiān chī diǎn dōngxi, zài qù mǎi piào. You can also add 才Cái or 最后Zuìhòu later in the chain. The key constraint is the position of 先Xiān: it goes before the verb, after the subject. A common mistake is to put it after the verb: ✗ 我们去先海边Wǒmen qù xiān hǎibiān, ✓ 我们先去海边Wǒmen xiān qù hǎibiān.
