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Mythic Mandarin

A letter to my teacher

HSK 3 Unit 8: Festivals and stories · Lesson 5 of 7 · About 22 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can follow and write a longer letter that uses all the HSK 3 grammar, about what you have learned and what you want to do next.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 脚 mean?

    1. to win
    2. to get, to obtain
    3. foot
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, foot.

    脚 (jiǎo) means foot.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to win”?

    1. 尝
    2. 赢
    3. 脚
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 赢.

    “to win” is 赢 (yíng).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    难忘 nánwàng

    1. to tell, to explain
    2. unforgettable
    3. hotel
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, unforgettable.

    You heard 难忘 (nánwàng): unforgettable.

New words

  • 感谢gǎnxièto thank, thanks
  • 继续jìxùto continue
  • 水平shuǐpínglevel, standard
  • 提高tígāoto raise, to improve
  • 目标mùbiāogoal, target
  • 祝zhùto wish
  • 文章wénzhāngarticle, piece of writing

A letter

A letter starts with 亲爱的 (dear) or with a title and 您好, and ends with 祝您 + a wish. In between, it uses everything you know.

  • 王老师，您好！

    Wáng lǎoshī, nín hǎo!

    Dear Teacher Wang,

  • 祝您身体健康！

    Zhù nín shēntǐ jiànkāng!

    Wishing you good health!

水平 (shuǐpíng) is a level; 提高 (tígāo) is to raise or improve; 目标 (mùbiāo) is a goal.

  • 我的汉语水平提高了很多。

    Wǒ de Hànyǔ shuǐpíng tígāo le hěn duō.

    My Chinese has improved a lot.

Characters

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

Mark's letter

At the end of the course, Mark writes to Teacher Wang.

Listen first

Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.

Helpful words: 亲爱的 qīn'àide dear (in letters)

  1. Listening

    Listen first. How long has Mark been learning Chinese?

    1. three years
    2. one year
    3. two years
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, three years.

    我学汉语已经三年了.

  2. Listening

    What does Mark thank Teacher Wang for?

    1. her help with his Chinese
    2. the books he reads every day
    3. a trip they made together
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, her help with his Chinese.

    因为您的帮助，我的汉语水平提高了很多.

Show the text
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 王老师Wáng lǎoshī，您nín好hǎo！

    Dear Teacher Wang,

  2. 我Wǒ学xué汉语Hànyǔ已经yǐjīng三sān年nián了le。虽然Suīrán汉语Hànyǔ很hěn难nán，但是dànshì我wǒ越yuè学xué越yuè喜欢xǐhuan。

    I've been learning Chinese for three years. Although it's hard, the more I learn, the more I like it.

  3. 我Wǒ刚gāng开始kāishǐ学xué的de时候shíhou，一yí个gè汉字Hànzì都dōu不bú会huì写xiě。

    When I first started, I couldn't write a single character.

  4. 现在Xiànzài我wǒ能néng看kàn懂dǒng很hěn多duō文章wénzhāng，也yě能néng用yòng汉语Hànyǔ跟gēn朋友péngyou聊天liáotiān。

    Now I can understand lots of texts, and I can chat with friends in Chinese.

  5. 因为Yīnwèi您nín的de帮助bāngzhù，我wǒ的de汉语Hànyǔ水平shuǐpíng提高tígāo了le很hěn多duō。

    Thanks to your help, my Chinese has improved a lot.

  6. 我Wǒ把bǎ您nín给gěi我wǒ的de书shū都dōu放fàng在zài桌子zhuōzi上shàng，每天měitiān都dōu看kàn。

    I keep all the books you gave me on my desk and read them every day.

  7. 我Wǒ的de下xià一yí个gè目标mùbiāo是shì看kàn懂dǒng中文Zhōngwén电影diànyǐng，我wǒ会huì继续jìxù努力nǔlì。

    My next goal is to understand Chinese films, and I'll keep working hard.

  8. 非常Fēicháng感谢gǎnxiè您nín！祝Zhù您nín身体shēntǐ健康jiànkāng！

    Thank you so much! Wishing you good health!

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.

  • 非常感谢您！祝您身体健康！

    Fēicháng gǎnxiè nín! Zhù nín shēntǐ jiànkāng!

    Thank you so much! Wishing you good health!

  • 因为您的帮助，我的汉语水平提高了很多。

    Yīnwèi nín de bāngzhù, wǒ de Hànyǔ shuǐpíng tígāo le hěn duō.

    Thanks to your help, my Chinese has improved a lot.

  • 我的下一个目标是看懂中文电影，我会继续努力。

    Wǒ de xià yí gè mùbiāo shì kàn dǒng Zhōngwén diànyǐng, wǒ huì jìxù nǔlì.

    My next goal is to understand Chinese films, and I'll keep working hard.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 感谢 mean?

    1. than, compared with
    2. to thank, thanks
    3. slowly
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, to thank, thanks.

    感谢 (gǎnxiè) means to thank, thanks.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to continue”?

    1. 感谢
    2. 绿茶
    3. 继续
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 继续.

    “to continue” is 继续 (jìxù).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 水平 (level, standard)?

    1. shuīpíng
    2. shuǐpíng
    3. shuípíng
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, shuǐpíng.

    水平 is read shuǐpíng. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    提高 tígāo

    1. oil
    2. to raise, to improve
    3. to order food
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, to raise, to improve.

    You heard 提高 (tígāo): to raise, to improve.

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 目标 (goal, target). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: mùbiāo

    目标 is mùbiāo in pinyin.

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    我刚开始学的时候，一个汉字都不会写。 Wǒ gāng kāishǐ xué de shíhou, yí gè Hànzì dōu bú huì xiě.

    1. My next goal is to understand Chinese films, and I'll keep working hard.
    2. When I first started, I couldn't write a single character.
    3. I've been learning Chinese for three years. Although it's hard, the more I learn, the more I like it.
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, When I first started, I couldn't write a single character..

    You heard 我刚开始学的时候，一个汉字都不会写。 (Wǒ gāng kāishǐ xué de shíhou, yí gè Hànzì dōu bú huì xiě.): When I first started, I couldn't write a single character.

  7. Reading

    Read: 虽然工作很忙，但是我每天都学习半个小时汉语。现在我的水平越来越高，我的目标是明年去中国工作。 What is the writer's goal?

    1. to work in China next year
    2. to pass an exam this year
    3. to teach Chinese at home
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to work in China next year.

    我的目标是明年去中国工作.

  8. Grammar

    Which sentence means My Chinese has improved a lot?

    1. 我的汉语水平提高了很多。
    2. 我的汉语水平很多提高了。
    3. 我的汉语提高水平很多。
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 我的汉语水平提高了很多。.

    我的汉语水平提高了很多。 Verb + 了 + 很多.

  9. In context

    How do you end a letter to a teacher with a wish?

    1. 加油！
    2. 祝您身体健康！
    3. 不客气！
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 祝您身体健康！.

    祝您身体健康！: 祝您身体健康: wishing you good health.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for to continue to work hard

    Show the answer

    Answer: 继续努力

    继续努力: to keep working hard.

Your letter

Write and then read out loud a letter of eight to ten sentences to a teacher or friend about your Chinese. Use at least five grammar points from HSK 3. Record it and save a copy to your device.

  1. Greet them and say how long you have been learning.
  2. Say what was hard and what is easier now, with 虽然…但是 and 越来越.
  3. Thank them with 因为.
  4. Say your next goal and end with a wish.

Sentence frames

  • 我学汉语已经＿＿了。

    Wǒ xué Hànyǔ yǐjīng ＿＿ le.

    I've been learning Chinese for ...

  • 我的下一个目标是＿＿。

    Wǒ de xià yí gè mùbiāo shì ＿＿.

    My next goal is ...

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 follow and write a longer letter with the HSK 3 grammar.
  • I can review any HSK 3 unit before moving on.

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: Before the stories: a summer trip to the mountains