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Mythic Mandarin

Renting a flat: topic first

HSK 3 Unit 3: Home and daily life · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 20 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can talk about renting a flat, describing rooms, rent and the area, with the topic first and the comment after.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 下载 mean?

    1. to download
    2. police officer
    3. wok, pot
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to download.

    下载 (xiàzài) means to download.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to cut”?

    1. 切
    2. 盐
    3. 炒
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 切.

    “to cut” is 切 (qiē).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    倒霉 dǎoméi

    1. unlucky
    2. to put, to place
    3. to keep at it, to persist
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, unlucky.

    You heard 倒霉 (dǎoméi): unlucky.

New words

  • 房子fángzihouse, flat
  • 租zūto rent
  • 房租fángzūrent
  • 客厅kètīngliving room
  • 卧室wòshìbedroom
  • 安静ānjìngquiet
  • 吵chǎonoisy

Topic first

Chinese often starts with the topic, then says something about it: 这个房子，我很喜欢, this flat, I really like (it). It is very natural in speech.

  • 这个房子，我很喜欢。

    Zhège fángzi, wǒ hěn xǐhuan.

    I really like this flat.

  • 房租，一个月四千块。

    Fángzū, yí gè yuè sìqiān kuài.

    The rent is four thousand a month.

  • 客厅很大，卧室有点儿小。

    Kètīng hěn dà, wòshì yǒudiǎnr xiǎo.

    The living room is big; the bedroom is a bit small.

  • Not: 我很喜欢，这个房子很喜欢。

    But: 这个房子，我很喜欢。 Zhège fángzi, wǒ hěn xǐhuan.

    Topic, then the comment, without repeating the verb.

Flats and areas

租 (zū) is to rent; 房租 (fángzū) is the rent. 安静 (ānjìng) is quiet and 吵 (chǎo) noisy.

  • 我想租一个房子。

    Wǒ xiǎng zū yí gè fángzi.

    I'd like to rent a flat.

  • 这儿晚上很安静。

    Zhèr wǎnshang hěn ānjìng.

    It's quiet here at night.

Characters

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

Viewing a flat

Chen Jing shows Anna a flat that a friend of hers is renting out.

Listen first

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

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What is the bedroom like?

    1. big and noisy
    2. a bit small but quiet
    3. big and bright
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, a bit small but quiet.

    有点儿小，但是很安静.

  2. Listening

    How much is the rent?

    1. three thousand a month
    2. four hundred a month
    3. four thousand a month
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, four thousand a month.

    一个月四千块.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 陈静

    这个Zhège房子fángzi，你nǐ觉得juéde怎么样zěnmeyàng？

    What do you think of this flat?

  2. 安娜

    客厅Kètīng很hěn大dà，我wǒ很hěn喜欢xǐhuan。卧室Wòshì呢ne？

    The living room is big, I really like it. And the bedroom?

  3. 陈静

    卧室Wòshì在zài那儿nàr，有点儿yǒudiǎnr小xiǎo，但是dànshì很hěn安静ānjìng。

    The bedroom is over there. It's a bit small, but very quiet.

  4. 安娜

    房租Fángzū多少duōshao钱qián？

    How much is the rent?

  5. 陈静

    房租Fángzū，一yí个gè月yuè四千sìqiān块kuài。

    Four thousand a month.

  6. 安娜

    有点儿Yǒudiǎnr贵guì。这儿Zhèr吵chǎo不bu吵chǎo？

    A bit expensive. Is it noisy here?

  7. 陈静

    不Bù吵chǎo。虽然Suīrán离lí地铁dìtiě站zhàn很hěn近jìn，但是dànshì晚上wǎnshang很hěn安静ānjìng。

    No. Although it's close to the subway, it's quiet at night.

  8. 安娜

    好Hǎo，我wǒ想xiǎng租zū！

    OK, I'd like to rent it!

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.

  • 房租多少钱？

    Fángzū duōshao qián?

    How much is the rent?

  • 房租，一个月四千块。

    Fángzū, yí gè yuè sìqiān kuài.

    Four thousand a month.

  • 客厅很大，我很喜欢。卧室呢？

    Kètīng hěn dà, wǒ hěn xǐhuan. Wòshì ne?

    The living room is big, I really like it. And the bedroom?

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 房子 mean?

    1. before, in the past
    2. house, flat
    3. salary, wages
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, house, flat.

    房子 (fángzi) means house, flat.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to rent”?

    1. 付
    2. 吵
    3. 租
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 租.

    “to rent” is 租 (zū).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 房租 (rent)?

    1. fángzù
    2. fángzū
    3. fāngzū
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, fángzū.

    房租 is read fángzū. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    客厅 kètīng

    1. living room
    2. apple
    3. to set out, to depart
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, living room.

    You heard 客厅 (kètīng): living room.

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 卧室 (bedroom). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: wòshì

    卧室 is wòshì in pinyin.

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    客厅很大，我很喜欢。卧室呢？ Kètīng hěn dà, wǒ hěn xǐhuan. Wòshì ne?

    1. The living room is big, I really like it. And the bedroom?
    2. OK, I'd like to rent it!
    3. Four thousand a month.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, The living room is big, I really like it. And the bedroom?.

    You heard 客厅很大，我很喜欢。卧室呢？ (Kètīng hěn dà, wǒ hěn xǐhuan. Wòshì ne?): The living room is big, I really like it. And the bedroom?

  7. Reading

    Read: 这个房子，客厅很大，卧室也不小。房租虽然有点儿贵，但是离公司很近，晚上也很安静。 What is the downside of the flat?

    1. It is noisy.
    2. The rent is a bit high.
    3. It is far from work.
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, The rent is a bit high..

    房租虽然有点儿贵: the rent is a bit high.

  8. Grammar

    Which sentence puts the topic first?

    1. 我很喜欢喝这个茶。
    2. 这个茶，我很喜欢。
    3. 喜欢，我这个茶。
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 这个茶，我很喜欢。.

    这个茶，我很喜欢。: 这个茶，我很喜欢: topic, then comment.

  9. In context

    You want to know if the area is quiet. What do you ask?

    1. 这儿安静了吗？
    2. 这儿吵不吵？
    3. 这儿租不租？
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 这儿吵不吵？.

    这儿吵不吵？: 这儿吵不吵: is it noisy here?

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for I'd like to rent a flat

    Show the answer

    Answer: 我想租一个房子

    我想租一个房子: I'd like to rent a flat.

Your home

Describe your home out loud as if showing it to a new flatmate, in eight sentences. Record yourself and listen back.

  1. Start with topic-first sentences: 客厅，…；卧室，…。
  2. Say what is where, with 着.
  3. Talk about the rent and whether it is quiet or noisy.

Sentence frames

  • ＿＿，我很喜欢。

    ＿＿, wǒ hěn xǐhuan.

    ..., I really like (it).

  • 房租，一个月＿＿块。

    Fángzū, yí gè yuè ＿＿ kuài.

    The rent is ... a month.

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 put the topic first and comment on it.
  • I can talk about renting: rooms, rent, quiet and noisy.

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 3 Unit 4: Health and change, where you talk about how things change and how you feel.