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Mythic Mandarin

At the airport: delays and announcements

HSK 3 Unit 7: Travel and seasons · Lesson 2 of 5 · About 20 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can check in, go through security, understand flight announcements and deal with a delay.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 身份证 mean?

    1. to be responsible for
    2. identity card
    3. result, grade
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, identity card.

    身份证 (shēnfènzhèng) means identity card.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “hotel”?

    1. 酒店
    2. 计划
    3. 通知
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 酒店.

    “hotel” is 酒店 (jiǔdiàn).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    压力 yālì

    1. ability
    2. dictionary
    3. pressure, stress
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, pressure, stress.

    You heard 压力 (yālì): pressure, stress.

New words

  • 航班hángbānflight (number)
  • 登机dēngjīto board (a plane)
  • 晚点wǎndiǎndelayed, late
  • 托运tuōyùnto check in (luggage)
  • 安检ānjiǎnsecurity check
  • 广播guǎngbōbroadcast, announcement

At the airport

托运 (tuōyùn) is to check in luggage; 安检 (ānjiǎn) is the security check; 登机 (dēngjī) is to board. A delayed flight is 晚点 (wǎndiǎn).

  • 你有行李要托运吗？

    Nǐ yǒu xíngli yào tuōyùn ma?

    Do you have luggage to check in?

  • 我们的航班晚点了。

    Wǒmen de hángbān wǎndiǎn le.

    Our flight is delayed.

  • 飞机快要起飞了，请马上登机。

    Fēijī kuài yào qǐfēi le, qǐng mǎshàng dēngjī.

    The plane is about to take off, please board at once.

Characters

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

Delayed!

Mark and Anna wait at the gate.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 各位旅客 gèwèi lǚkè dear passengers

  1. Listening

    Listen first. How long is the delay?

    1. one hour
    2. half an hour
    3. two hours
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, two hours.

    广播说要晚两个小时.

  2. Listening

    What do they decide to do?

    1. complain
    2. have a coffee
    3. change flights
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, have a coffee.

    我们去喝杯咖啡吧.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 广播

    各位旅客Gèwèi lǚkè，飞fēi往wǎng上海Shànghǎi的de航班hángbān晚点wǎndiǎn了le。

    Attention passengers: the flight to Shanghai is delayed.

  2. 马克

    安娜Ānnà，你nǐ听见tīngjiàn了le吗ma？我们Wǒmen的de航班hángbān晚点wǎndiǎn了le！

    Anna, did you hear that? Our flight's delayed!

  3. 安娜

    听见Tīngjiàn了le。要Yào晚wǎn多duō长cháng时间shíjiān？

    I heard. How long will it be?

  4. 马克

    广播Guǎngbō说shuō要yào晚wǎn两liǎng个gè小时xiǎoshí，十二shí'èr点diǎn才cái起飞qǐfēi。

    The announcement said two hours. It won't take off until twelve.

  5. 安娜

    反正Fǎnzhèng我们wǒmen不bù着急zháojí。我们Wǒmen去qù喝hē杯bēi咖啡kāfēi吧ba。

    We're not in a hurry anyway. Let's go and have a coffee.

  6. 马克

    好Hǎo，可是kěshì别bié走zǒu太tài远yuǎn，十一shíyī点diǎn半bàn就jiù要yào登机dēngjī了le。

    OK, but let's not go too far. Boarding is at eleven thirty.

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.

  • 各位旅客，飞往上海的航班晚点了。

    Gèwèi lǚkè, fēi wǎng Shànghǎi de hángbān wǎndiǎn le.

    Attention passengers: the flight to Shanghai is delayed.

  • 安娜，你听见了吗？我们的航班晚点了！

    Ānnà, nǐ tīngjiàn le ma? Wǒmen de hángbān wǎndiǎn le!

    Anna, did you hear that? Our flight's delayed!

  • 广播说要晚两个小时，十二点才起飞。

    Guǎngbō shuō yào wǎn liǎng gè xiǎoshí, shí'èr diǎn cái qǐfēi.

    The announcement said two hours. It won't take off until twelve.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 航班 mean?

    1. flight (number)
    2. loudly
    3. traffic jam
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, flight (number).

    航班 (hángbān) means flight (number).

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to board (a plane)”?

    1. 登机
    2. 免费
    3. 包括
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 登机.

    “to board (a plane)” is 登机 (dēngjī).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 晚点 (delayed, late)?

    1. wǎndiǎn
    2. wǎndiān
    3. wāndiǎn
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, wǎndiǎn.

    晚点 is read wǎndiǎn. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    托运 tuōyùn

    1. to check in (luggage)
    2. not to have
    3. China
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to check in (luggage).

    You heard 托运 (tuōyùn): to check in (luggage).

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 安检 (security check). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: ānjiǎn

    安检 is ānjiǎn in pinyin.

  6. Listening

    Listen. What does the announcement say?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    飞往北京的航班晚点了。 Fēi wǎng Běijīng de hángbān wǎndiǎn le.

    1. The flight to Beijing is delayed.
    2. The flight to Beijing is boarding.
    3. The flight to Beijing is cancelled.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, The flight to Beijing is delayed..

    晚点了: delayed.

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: Do you have luggage to check in?

    你有行李要＿＿吗？

    1. 安检
    2. 托运
    3. 登机
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 托运.

    托运: to check in luggage.

  8. Grammar

    Which sentence means It won't take off until twelve?

    1. 十二点就起飞。
    2. 十二点才起飞了。
    3. 十二点才起飞。
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 十二点才起飞。.

    十二点才起飞。: 十二点才起飞: not until twelve, and no 了 with 才.

  9. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for our flight is delayed

    Show the answer

    Answer: 我们的航班晚点了

    我们的航班晚点了: our flight is delayed.

At the gate

Act out an airport scene out loud: check-in, security and a delay announcement.

  1. The check-in staff ask about luggage.
  2. You hear that the flight is delayed and say how long.
  3. Decide what to do while you wait.

Sentence frames

  • 我们的航班晚点了，要晚＿＿。

    Wǒmen de hángbān wǎndiǎn le, yào wǎn ＿＿.

    Our flight is delayed by ...

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 talk about check-in, security and boarding.
  • I understand a delay announcement.

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: Sorting out a problem politely