Are you free? Invitations and 可以
HSK 1 Unit 7: Free time and getting around · Lesson 3 of 5 · About 16 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can ask if someone is free, invite them, accept or decline politely, and ask permission with 可以.
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 出租车 mean?
That is 左边 (zuǒbian).
That is 怎么 (zěnme).
Show the answer
Answer: B, taxi.
出租车 (chūzūchē) means taxi.
Characters
Which word means “to hit, to play (ball games)”?
走 (zǒu) means to walk, to go.
到 (dào) means to arrive, to reach.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 打.
“to hit, to play (ball games)” is 打 (dǎ).
Listening
From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
时候 shíhou
That would be 近 (jìn).
That would be 前面 (qiánmian).
Show the answer
Answer: C, time, moment.
You heard 时候 (shíhou): time, moment.
New words
Are you free?
Ask 你有时间吗？ or 你有空吗？, do you have time, are you free? To invite, suggest an activity and add 好吗？
明天晚上你有空吗？
Míngtiān wǎnshang nǐ yǒu kòng ma?
Are you free tomorrow evening?
我们一起去看电影，好吗？
Wǒmen yìqǐ qù kàn diànyǐng, hǎo ma?
Shall we go and see a film together?
To decline politely, apologise and offer another time.
对不起，明天我没有时间。下次一起去，好吗？
Duìbuqǐ, míngtiān wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān. Xiàcì yìqǐ qù, hǎo ma?
Sorry, I don't have time tomorrow. Let's go together next time, OK?
可以: may, can
可以 (kěyǐ) asks and gives permission: may I? It also says something is possible. The negative is 不可以 (not allowed). For a learned skill, use 会.
我可以坐这儿吗？
Wǒ kěyǐ zuò zhèr ma?
May I sit here?
可以。
Kěyǐ.
Yes, you may.
这儿不可以开车。
Zhèr bù kěyǐ kāi chē.
You can't drive here.
For a skill you learned, 会 is the natural word: 我会说汉语. 可以 is mainly about permission and possibility.
Characters
- 间 = 门
- 意 = 心
- 思 = 心
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
A film tomorrow?
Zhang Wei invites Liu Fang to the cinema.
Listen first
Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.
Listening
Listen first. What does Zhang Wei suggest?
Show the answer
Answer: A, seeing a film.
张伟 says 我们一起去看电影.
Listening
Who else may come?
Show the answer
Answer: B, Liu Fang's younger sister.
刘芳 asks 我可以叫我妹妹一起去吗？ and 张伟 says 可以.
Show the transcript
张伟
刘芳，明天晚上你有空吗？
Liu Fang, are you free tomorrow evening?
刘芳
有。你想做什么？
Yes. What would you like to do?
张伟
我们一起去看电影，好吗？那个电影很有意思。
Shall we see a film together? That film is very interesting.
刘芳
好！我可以叫我妹妹一起去吗？
Great! Can I ask my younger sister to come along?
张伟
可以！我们七点在超市前面见。
Sure! Let's meet in front of the supermarket at seven.
刘芳
好，明天见！
OK, see you tomorrow!
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.
刘芳，明天晚上你有空吗？
Liú Fāng, míngtiān wǎnshang nǐ yǒu kòng ma?
Liu Fang, are you free tomorrow evening?
好！我可以叫我妹妹一起去吗？
Hǎo! Wǒ kěyǐ jiào wǒ mèimei yìqǐ qù ma?
Great! Can I ask my younger sister to come along?
可以！我们七点在超市前面见。
Kěyǐ! Wǒmen qī diǎn zài chāoshì qiánmian jiàn.
Sure! Let's meet in front of the supermarket at seven.
Practice
Meaning
What does 时间 mean?
That is 桌子 (zhuōzi).
That is 会 (huì).
Show the answer
Answer: B, time.
时间 (shíjiān) means time.
Characters
Which word means “free time”?
车 (chē) means car, vehicle.
到 (dào) means to arrive, to reach.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 空.
“free time” is 空 (kòng).
Pinyin
How do you read 可以 (can, may)?
Show the answer
Answer: C, kěyǐ.
可以 is read kěyǐ. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
有意思 yǒuyìsi
That would be 不错 (búcuò).
That would be 高兴 (gāoxìng).
Show the answer
Answer: B, interesting.
You heard 有意思 (yǒuyìsi): interesting.
Pinyin
Type the pinyin of 下次 (next time). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.
Show the answer
Answer: xiàcì
下次 is xiàcì in pinyin.
In context
You want to ask if you may sit down. What do you say?
会 is for skills.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 我可以坐这儿吗？.
我可以坐这儿吗？: 我可以坐这儿吗: may I sit here?
Grammar
Which sentence declines an invitation politely?
Show the answer
Answer: A, 对不起，我没有时间。下次一起去，好吗？.
对不起，我没有时间。下次一起去，好吗？: Sorry, plus another time: polite.
Fill the gap
Complete: Are you free tomorrow?
明天你有＿＿吗？
Show the answer
Answer: A, 空.
明天你有空吗？ 有空: to be free.
Reading
Read: 星期六我有时间。我们一起去看电影，好吗？那个电影很有意思。 What is the writer suggesting?
Show the answer
Answer: B, seeing a film on Saturday.
我们一起去看电影: see a film together.
Invite a friend
Act out an invitation out loud: invite a friend, then play the friend declining and offering another time.
- Ask if they are free: …你有空吗？
- Suggest an activity with 好吗？
- Decline politely and suggest 下次.
Sentence frames
＿＿你有空吗？我们一起＿＿，好吗？
＿＿ nǐ yǒu kòng ma? Wǒmen yìqǐ ＿＿, hǎo ma?
Are you free ...? Shall we ... together?
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 你有空吗？ and invite with 好吗？
- I can decline politely with 对不起 and 下次.
- I ask permission with 可以 and use 会 for skills.
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.