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Mythic Mandarin

And you? 呢 and 也

HSK 1 Unit 1: Meeting new people · Lesson 3 of 5 · About 16 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can ask the same question back with 呢 and say me too with 也.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Grammar

    Quick recall: how do you ask where someone is from?

    1. 你是什么人？
    2. 你是哪国人？
    3. 你是国人吗？
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 你是哪国人？.

    你是哪国人？ 哪 asks which country.

New words

  • 呢neand ...? (asks the same question back)
  • 也yěalso, too
  • 医生yīshēngdoctor

Asking back with 呢

After you answer a question, send it back with 呢 (ne): 我是学生，你呢？ means I'm a student, and you? 呢 saves you repeating the whole question.

  • 我叫大卫，你呢？

    Wǒ jiào Dàwèi, nǐ ne?

    My name is David. And yours?

  • 我是英国人，你呢？

    Wǒ shì Yīngguó rén, nǐ ne?

    I am British. And you?

Me too: 也

也 (yě) means also or too. It always comes after the subject and before the verb, never at the start or the end of the sentence like English too.

  • 我也是学生。

    Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.

    I am a student too.

  • 她也很高兴。

    Tā yě hěn gāoxìng.

    She is glad too.

  • 他也不是医生。

    Tā yě bú shì yīshēng.

    He is not a doctor either.

  • Not: 也我是学生。

    But: 我也是学生。 Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.

    也 goes after the subject, right before the verb.

  • Not: 我是也学生。

    But: 我也是学生。 Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.

    也 comes before 是, not after it.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

What do you do?

David and Anna talk at the language school.

Listen first

Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What is Li Ming?

    1. a teacher
    2. a student
    3. a doctor
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, a student.

    安娜 says 他也是学生: he is a student too.

  2. Listening

    What does David mean with 李明呢？

    1. What about Li Ming?
    2. Is Li Ming a doctor?
    3. Goodbye, Li Ming.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, What about Li Ming?.

    After a question about jobs, 李明呢？ asks the same about Li Ming: what about Li Ming? On its own, 李明呢？ can also mean where is Li Ming?

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 大卫

    安娜Ānnà，你nǐ是shì学生xuésheng吗ma？

    Anna, are you a student?

  2. 安娜

    不Bú是shì，我wǒ是shì老师lǎoshī。你Nǐ呢ne？

    No, I'm a teacher. And you?

  3. 大卫

    我Wǒ是shì学生xuésheng。李明Lǐ Míng呢ne？

    I'm a student. What about Li Ming?

  4. 安娜

    他Tā也yě是shì学生xuésheng。

    He's a student too.

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 我是学生，你呢？

    Wǒ shì xuésheng, nǐ ne?

    I am a student. And you?

  • 我也是学生。

    Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.

    I am a student too.

  • 他也不是医生。

    Tā yě bú shì yīshēng.

    He is not a doctor either.

Practice

  1. Fill the gap

    Complete: I am a student. And you?

    我是学生，你＿？

    1. 吗
    2. 呢
    3. 也
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 呢.

    我是学生，你呢？ 呢 sends the question back.

  2. Word order

    Put the words in order: I am a teacher too.

    • 老师
    • 也
    • 我
    • 是
    Show the answer

    我也是老师 Wǒ yě shì lǎoshī.

    I am a teacher too.

    The subject 我, then 也, then 是老师.

  3. Your turn

    Type also (too) in pinyin.

    Show the answer

    Answer: yě

    Also is yě (也), third tone.

  4. Meaning

    What does 医生 mean?

    1. doctor
    2. student
    3. teacher
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, doctor.

    医生 (yīshēng) is a doctor.

  5. Grammar

    Which sentence says He is not a doctor either?

    1. 他不也是医生。
    2. 也他不是医生。
    3. 他也不是医生。
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 他也不是医生。.

    他也不是医生。 也 comes first, then 不是.

  6. Listening

    Listen. What is the speaker doing?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    我是英国人，你呢？ Wǒ shì Yīngguó rén, nǐ ne?

    1. Saying goodbye
    2. Asking where you are from
    3. Saying they are a doctor
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, Asking where you are from.

    You heard 我是英国人，你呢？: they say they are British and ask where you are from.

Your mission: keep the conversation going

A real conversation is not an interview: answer, then ask back.

  1. Answer three questions about yourself: your name, your country and what you do.
  2. After each answer, ask back with 你呢？
  3. Use 也 when something is true for you too.
  4. Record one exchange, playing both people.

Sentence frames

  • 我是＿＿，你呢？

    Wǒ shì ＿＿, nǐ ne?

    I am ... And you?

  • 我也是＿＿。

    Wǒ yě shì ＿＿.

    I am ... too.

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I can ask back with 你呢？
  • I put 也 after the subject and before the verb.
  • I can say 他也不是… for not ... either.
  • I know 医生.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next lesson: Who is that? 这, 那 and 谁