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Mythic Mandarin

What do you think? 是不是 and 觉得

HSK 2 Unit 3: Comparing things · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 17 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can ask yes-or-no questions with A-not-A forms such as 是不是 and 去不去, and ask and give opinions with 觉得.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 短 mean?

    1. a little while
    2. late
    3. short (in length)
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, short (in length).

    短 (duǎn) means short (in length).

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to wear (glasses, a hat)”?

    1. 比
    2. 就
    3. 戴
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 戴.

    “to wear (glasses, a hat)” is 戴 (dài).

  3. Listening

    From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    正在 zhèngzài

    1. in the middle of (doing)
    2. as early as, right away
    3. (have done before)
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, in the middle of (doing).

    You heard 正在 (zhèngzài): in the middle of (doing).

New words

  • 觉得juédeto feel, to think (an opinion)
  • 对duìright, correct
  • 可能kěnéngmaybe, possible
  • 当然dāngránof course

A-not-A questions

Say a verb or adjective, then 不, then the same word again: 去不去？, are you going? It replaces 吗, so never add 吗. 有 becomes 有没有.

  • 你去不去？

    Nǐ qù bu qù?

    Are you going (or not)?

  • 这个菜好吃不好吃？

    Zhège cài hǎochī bu hǎochī?

    Is this dish tasty?

  • 你有没有时间？

    Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu shíjiān?

    Do you have time?

  • Not: 你是不是学生吗？

    But: 你是不是学生？ Nǐ shì bu shì xuésheng?

    A-not-A already asks: no 吗.

对不对？ at the end checks: right?

Opinions: 觉得

觉得 (juéde) is to think or feel, for opinions. 当然 (dāngrán) is of course; 可能 (kěnéng) maybe.

  • 你觉得北京怎么样？

    Nǐ juéde Běijīng zěnmeyàng?

    What do you think of Beijing?

  • 我觉得汉语很有意思。

    Wǒ juéde Hànyǔ hěn yǒuyìsi.

    I think Chinese is interesting.

  • 他可能不来。

    Tā kěnéng bù lái.

    He may not come.

Characters

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

Is Beijing good?

Liu Fang is thinking about a trip and asks Li Ming.

Listen first

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

  1. Listening

    Listen first. Is Liu Fang going to Beijing?

    1. maybe
    2. definitely
    3. no
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, maybe.

    可能去: maybe.

  2. Listening

    When does Li Ming suggest going?

    1. May
    2. December
    3. now
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, May.

    你五月去，五月最好.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 刘芳

    你Nǐ觉得juéde北京Běijīng好hǎo不bu好hǎo？

    Do you think Beijing is good?

  2. 李明

    当然Dāngrán好hǎo！你Nǐ去qù不bu去qù北京Běijīng？

    Of course! Are you going to Beijing?

  3. 刘芳

    可能Kěnéng去qù。北京Běijīng冷lěng不bu冷lěng？

    Maybe. Is Beijing cold?

  4. 李明

    现在Xiànzài有点儿yǒudiǎnr冷lěng。

    It's a bit cold now.

  5. 刘芳

    我Wǒ想xiǎng十二shí'èr月yuè去qù，你nǐ觉得juéde怎么样zěnmeyàng？

    I'm thinking of going in December. What do you think?

  6. 李明

    十二Shí'èr月yuè太tài冷lěng了le！你Nǐ五wǔ月yuè去qù，五wǔ月yuè最zuì好hǎo。

    December is far too cold! Go in May, May is the best.

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.

  • 你觉得北京好不好？

    Nǐ juéde Běijīng hǎo bu hǎo?

    Do you think Beijing is good?

  • 可能去。北京冷不冷？

    Kěnéng qù. Běijīng lěng bu lěng?

    Maybe. Is Beijing cold?

  • 当然好！你去不去北京？

    Dāngrán hǎo! Nǐ qù bu qù Běijīng?

    Of course! Are you going to Beijing?

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 觉得 mean?

    1. body, health
    2. he, him
    3. to feel, to think (an opinion)
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, to feel, to think (an opinion).

    觉得 (juéde) means to feel, to think (an opinion).

  2. Characters

    Which word means “right, correct”?

    1. 戴
    2. 最
    3. 对
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 对.

    “right, correct” is 对 (duì).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 可能 (maybe, possible)?

    1. kènéng
    2. kěnèng
    3. kěnéng
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, kěnéng.

    可能 is read kěnéng. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    当然 dāngrán

    1. of course
    2. classmate
    3. a little
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, of course.

    You heard 当然 (dāngrán): of course.

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 觉得 (to feel, to think (an opinion)). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: juéde

    觉得 is juéde in pinyin.

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    现在有点儿冷。 Xiànzài yǒudiǎnr lěng.

    1. It's a bit cold now.
    2. Of course! Are you going to Beijing?
    3. Maybe. Is Beijing cold?
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, It's a bit cold now..

    You heard 现在有点儿冷。 (Xiànzài yǒudiǎnr lěng.): It's a bit cold now.

  7. Grammar

    Which question is right?

    1. 你是不是老师吗？
    2. 你是不是老师？
    3. 你是老师不是吗？
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 你是不是老师？.

    你是不是老师？ No 吗 with A-not-A.

  8. Fill the gap

    Complete: Do you have time?

    你有＿＿时间？

    1. 不有
    2. 没
    3. 没有
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 没有.

    你有没有时间？ 有 becomes 有没有.

  9. In context

    You want someone's opinion of a film. What do you ask?

    1. 你觉得这个电影怎么样？
    2. 你看电影吗？
    3. 你去不去？
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 你觉得这个电影怎么样？.

    你觉得这个电影怎么样？: 你觉得…怎么样: what do you think of ...?

  10. Reading

    Read: 我觉得北京最好。北京的菜很好吃，地方也很大。可是十二月有点儿冷，五月去最好。 When is the best time to go, according to the writer?

    1. December
    2. any time
    3. May
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, May.

    五月去最好.

Ask opinions

Ask three A-not-A questions and give three opinions with 觉得, out loud. Record yourself.

  1. Ask: 你去不去…？ 你喜欢不喜欢…？
  2. Answer with 当然 or 可能.
  3. Give an opinion: 我觉得…。

Sentence frames

  • 你觉得＿＿怎么样？

    Nǐ juéde ＿＿ zěnmeyàng?

    What do you think of ...?

  • 我觉得＿＿很＿＿。

    Wǒ juéde ＿＿ hěn ＿＿.

    I think ... is very ...

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 ask A-not-A questions without 吗.
  • I give opinions with 觉得.
  • I can say 当然 and 可能.

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: HSK 2 Unit 4: Travel and transport, where you plan routes, distances and trips.