Don't worry! 别 and 不要
HSK 2 Unit 5: Skills and advice · Lesson 3 of 5 · About 16 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can tell someone not to do something with 别 and 不要, reassure someone with 放心, and give friendly warnings.
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Warm-up: do you remember?
Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.
Meaning
What does 外面 mean?
That is 条 (tiáo).
That is 门 (mén).
Show the answer
Answer: C, outside.
外面 (wàimian) means outside.
Characters
Which word means “to climb a mountain, to go hiking”?
起飞 (qǐfēi) means to take off.
附近 (fùjìn) means nearby.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 爬山.
“to climb a mountain, to go hiking” is 爬山 (páshān).
Listening
From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
换 huàn
That would be 短 (duǎn).
That would be 第 (dì).
Show the answer
Answer: C, to change.
You heard 换 (huàn): to change.
New words
Don't: 别 and 不要
别 (bié) + verb or 不要 + verb tells someone not to do something. Both are common; 别 is a little softer in speech.
别着急！
Bié zháojí!
Don't worry! (Take your time!)
不要在这儿吃东西。
Búyào zài zhèr chī dōngxi.
Don't eat here.
别担心，我没事。
Bié dānxīn, wǒ méi shì.
Don't worry, I'm fine.
别…了 means stop doing it: 别玩了！, stop playing!
别看手机了！
Bié kàn shǒujī le!
Stop looking at your phone!
Worry and relax
着急 (zháojí) is to be anxious or in a hurry; 担心 (dānxīn) is to worry about something. 放心 (fàngxīn) is to stop worrying.
你放心，我明天去。
Nǐ fàngxīn, wǒ míngtiān qù.
Don't worry, I'll go tomorrow.
Not:
你不担心！But: 你别担心！ Nǐ bié dānxīn!
Telling someone not to: 别, not 不.
Characters
- 急 = 心
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
The exam is tomorrow
Liu Fang is nervous before an exam. Li Ming tries to help.
Listen first
Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.
Listening
Listen first. Why is Liu Fang nervous?
Show the answer
Answer: C, She has an exam tomorrow..
明天要考试了.
Listening
What does Li Ming tell her to do?
Show the answer
Answer: C, stop looking at her phone and sleep early.
别看手机了，早一点儿睡觉吧.
Show the transcript
刘芳
明天要考试了，我很着急！
The exam is tomorrow and I'm so nervous!
李明
别着急。你准备了吗？
Don't worry. Have you prepared?
刘芳
准备了，可是我还是很担心。
Yes, but I'm still worried.
李明
你放心，你学得很好。别看手机了，早一点儿睡觉吧。
Relax, you've studied well. Stop looking at your phone and go to bed a bit earlier.
刘芳
好，谢谢你！
OK, thank you!
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.
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Recording is not available in this browser. Listen, then repeat aloud and compare by ear.
别着急。你准备了吗？
Bié zháojí. Nǐ zhǔnbèi le ma?
Don't worry. Have you prepared?
明天要考试了，我很着急！
Míngtiān yào kǎoshì le, wǒ hěn zháojí!
The exam is tomorrow and I'm so nervous!
你放心，你学得很好。别看手机了，早一点儿睡觉吧。
Nǐ fàngxīn, nǐ xué de hěn hǎo. Bié kàn shǒujī le, zǎo yìdiǎnr shuìjiào ba.
Relax, you've studied well. Stop looking at your phone and go to bed a bit earlier.
Practice
Meaning
What does 别 mean?
That is 给 (gěi).
That is 首 (shǒu).
Show the answer
Answer: C, don't.
别 (bié) means don't.
Characters
Which word means “don't”?
散步 (sànbù) means to go for a walk.
放心 (fàngxīn) means to relax, to be at ease.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 不要.
“don't” is 不要 (búyào).
Pinyin
How do you read 着急 (to worry, to be anxious)?
Show the answer
Answer: A, zháojí.
着急 is read zháojí. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
担心 dānxīn
That would be 学生 (xuésheng).
That would be 能 (néng).
Show the answer
Answer: B, to worry.
You heard 担心 (dānxīn): to worry.
Pinyin
Type the pinyin of 放心 (to relax, to be at ease). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.
Show the answer
Answer: fàngxīn
放心 is fàngxīn in pinyin.
Grammar
Which sentence means Don't worry!
不 states a fact; 别 tells someone not to.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 别着急！.
别着急！: 别着急: don't worry.
Fill the gap
Complete: Stop playing games!
别玩游戏＿＿！
Show the answer
Answer: C, 了.
别玩游戏了！ 别…了: stop doing it.
In context
Your friend is anxious about you travelling alone. What do you say?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 你放心，我没事。.
你放心，我没事。: 你放心: relax, don't worry.
Your turn
Type the Chinese for Don't worry (with 别 and 担心)
Show the answer
Answer: 别担心
别担心: don't worry.
Reassure a friend
A friend is nervous before something important. Talk to them out loud.
- Tell them not to worry, with 别.
- Tell them to stop doing something, with 别…了.
- Reassure them with 放心.
Sentence frames
别＿＿，你放心！
Bié ＿＿, nǐ fàngxīn!
Don't ..., relax!
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 use 别 or 不要 to tell someone not to do something.
- I can say stop doing it with 别…了.
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.