HSK 3Lesson 28
It is a cold Saturday morning in late November, and Li Wen and Liu Ming are moving to the new flat. The van comes late, the lift in the old building is still broken, and the box marked books turns out to hold shoes. You will hear how the morning goes and what Liu Ming finds at the end.
You will learn to talk about moving house: count and carry boxes, say where things go, and say how well or how fast you do something and what happens right after.
Part 1 · 6 new words
Contains 4 words
to move; to carry (something heavy)
to move house
to put; to place
box; suitcase
Contains 2 words
to finish; to complete
to separate; to put apart
Part 2 · 6 phrases
我们下个月搬家，新家离地铁站很近。
We're moving next month, and the new home is close to the subway station.
桌子太大，一个人搬不动，你来帮忙。
The table is too big for one person to move. Come and help.
你的手机放在哪儿了？我怎么找不到？
Where did you put your phone? I can't find it anywhere.
她出国的时候带了两个大箱子，里面都是书。
When she went abroad she took two big suitcases, all full of books.
老师给我们的题，我们一个小时就完成了。
We finished the questions the teacher gave us in just an hour.
苹果和香蕉要分开放，别放在一起。
Keep the apples and the bananas apart. Don't put them together.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
A cold Saturday morning in late November, the last morning in the old flat. Li Wen has counted the boxes and thinks moving will take only a morning. Liu Ming is still packing his last cup, and Annie has come to help.
李文Li Wen
十二个箱子，都在这儿了。搬家只要一个上午，吃了早饭我们就开始。
Twelve boxes, all here. Moving only takes a morning. As soon as we've had breakfast, we'll start.
安妮Annie
今天真冷啊！车几点到？
Part 4 · 2 points
主语+动词+宾语+动词+补语
Say the verb and its object, then repeat the verb and add 得De plus how it was done, or a length of time.
Say how well you do it
Repeat the verb, then add 得De and a description.
It's so cold today! What time does the van come?
李文Li Wen
九点。
Nine.
刘明Liu Ming
等一下！我的杯子还没放进箱子呢！
Wait! My cup isn't in the box yet!
李文Li Wen
你收东西收得太慢了！
You're so slow at packing!
刘明Liu Ming
我放好了杯子就来！
I'll come as soon as the cup is in!
安妮Annie
快点吧！
Hurry up!
The van comes half an hour late. The lift in the old building is still broken, so everyone carries boxes down six floors while the driver loads the van.
司机Driver
对不起，路上车多，我晚了半个小时。
Sorry, there was a lot of traffic and I'm half an hour late.
李文Li Wen
没关系。电梯还是坏的，我们得走楼梯搬下去。
That's all right. The lift is still broken, so we have to carry things down the stairs.
司机Driver
六层？那你们搬东西要搬半天了。
Six floors? Then you'll be carrying things for half a day.
安妮Annie
我搬小的吧。这个小箱子写着“衣服”。
I'll take the small ones. This small box says "clothes".
司机Driver
好，小的放在前面，大的放在后面。
Okay. Small ones in the front, big ones in the back.
刘明Liu Ming
这个写着“书”的箱子，你们小心放啊，里面有我的书。
This box that says "books", please be careful with it. My books are inside.
司机Driver
你们搬箱子搬得真快，一个小时就搬完了。
You carry boxes so fast. You were done in an hour.
In the new flat. Yixue has come to help and tells everyone where each kind of box goes. The box marked books turns out to hold something else.
王一雪Wang Yixue
听我说：做饭的东西放这边，睡觉用的东西放那边，要分开放。
Listen: things for cooking go on this side and things for sleeping go on that side. Keep them apart.
刘明Liu Ming
好。这个写着“书”的箱子，我放在床旁边。
Okay. I'll put this box marked "books" next to the bed.
李文Li Wen
等一下，这个箱子是你最后收的，我打开看看……刘明，这里面是鞋！
Hold on, you packed this box last. Let me open it... Liu Ming, there are shoes in here!
刘明Liu Ming
鞋？我收东西收得太快了。
Shoes? I packed too fast.
王一雪Wang Yixue
那书呢？
Then where are the books?
刘明Liu Ming
可能在那个写着“鞋”的箱子里。
Maybe in the box that says "shoes".
安妮Annie
箱子上的字没写错，是东西放错了箱子！
The labels aren't wrong. The things went into the wrong boxes!
Around noon the last boxes are open. The move is almost finished, and Liu Ming finds a card he thought he had lost for good.
李文Li Wen
最后一个箱子也搬上来了，十二点以前我们完成了！
The last box is up, and we got it done before twelve!
安妮Annie
太好了！一个上午就搬完了。
Great! The whole move took just a morning.
王一雪Wang Yixue
刘明，这个箱子没有写字，是你收的吧？你打开看看。
Liu Ming, this box has no label. You packed it, didn't you? Open it and see.
刘明Liu Ming
这是什么？……我六层的旧卡！
What's this? ...My old card from the sixth-floor flat!
李文Li Wen
是你上个月丢的那个？
The one you lost last month?
刘明Liu Ming
对！我收东西的时候找到了，放进箱子里，就忘了。
Yes! I found it while I was packing, put it in a box and forgot all about it.
李文Li Wen
新家搬好了，我请大家吃北京烤鸭。吃了饭再回来睡觉！
The new place is all set. I'll treat everyone to Peking duck. After we eat we'll come back and sleep!
In the old flat, Li Wen says 你收东西收得太慢了Nǐ shōu dōngxi shōu de tài màn le: the verb 收Shōu is said twice, and 得De leads to 太慢了Tài màn le.
In sentences
Shorter form
他搬得很快。
He carries things fast.
When everyone knows the object, you can drop the first half.
刘明收东西收得太快，把鞋放进了写着“书”的箱子。
Liu Ming packed so fast that he put his shoes in the box marked "books".
A：你说汉语说得真好！ B：还可以，我学了两年。
A: You speak Chinese so well! B: It's okay. I've studied it for two years.
妈妈做饭做得很好吃，我们都爱吃。
Mom cooks very well, and we all love her food.
我们走路走了一个小时，才到山下。
We walked for an hour before reaching the foot of the hill.
When a verb has an object and you want to say how well, how fast or for how long, the verb is said twice: verb + object + verb + 得De + a description, as in 他搬东西搬得很快Tā bān dōngxi bān de hěn kuài. For a length of time use verb + object + verb + 了Le + the length: 我们搬箱子搬了一个上午Wǒmen bān xiāngzi bān le yí ge shàngwǔ. The second verb carries the 得De or the time, because the first one is busy with its object. In speech, the first verb and its object are often left out when the object is clear: 他搬得很快Tā bān de hěn kuài. The key constraint is that 得De never follows a verb that still has its object behind it. A common mistake is to put 得De straight after the first verb: ✗ 他搬东西得很快。Tā bān dōngxi de hěn kuài. ✓ 他搬东西搬得很快。Tā bān dōngxi bān de hěn kuài.
……了……（就）……
Put 了Le after the first verb and 就Jiù before the second to say that the second action follows right away.
One thing right after another
了Le closes the first action and 就Jiù starts the second.
Liu Ming says 我放好了杯子就来Wǒ fàng hǎo le bēizi jiù lái: as soon as the cup is in the box, he will come.
In sentences
Contrast
吃了饭才走，不吃饭不走。
We only leave after we've eaten; not before.
才Cái says "not until", while 就Jiù says "right away".
下了课我就去书店，你在门口等我。
As soon as class is over I'm going to the bookstore, so wait for me at the door.
A：你什么时候给我打电话？ B：吃了饭我就给你打。
A: When will you call me? B: As soon as I've eaten.
他到了北京就给我打了电话。
As soon as he got to Beijing he called me.
孩子洗了澡就睡觉了。
The child fell asleep as soon as she had had her bath.
The pattern first verb + 了Le + (object) + 就Jiù + second verb says that the second action follows right after the first one is done: 下了班我就回家Xià le bān wǒ jiù huí jiā. The 了Le marks the first action as completed, and 就Jiù shows there is no delay. It is used for plans, habits and requests, so it does not have to be past: 吃了早饭我们就开始Chī le zǎofàn wǒmen jiù kāishǐ. The two verbs can have the same or different subjects. The key constraint is that 了Le belongs to the first action and 就Jiù to the second. Compare 就Jiù with 才Cái: 吃了饭就走Chī le fàn jiù zǒu (as soon as we eat) with
我放好了杯子就来！
I'll come as soon as the cup is in!
Why it matters · Liu Ming promises 放好了杯子就来Fàng hǎo le bēizi jiù lái: he will come the moment the cup is packed.
