Grandma goes online: 甚至

HSK 4 Unit 2: Not only… but also · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 22 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can follow a story about an older person learning new technology, stress a surprising point with 甚至, and talk about generations and technology.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

Meaning
What does 除了 mean?
1. besides, except
2. language
3. disadvantage, weak point
That is 语言 (yǔyán).
That is 缺点 (quēdiǎn).
Show the answer
Answer: A, besides, except.
除了 (chúle) means besides, except.
Characters
Which word means “even”?
1. 缺点
2. 而
3. 连
缺点 (quēdiǎn) means disadvantage, weak point.
而 (ér) means while, whereas (in contrast).
Show the answer
Answer: C, 连.
“even” is 连 (lián).
Listening
From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
原来 yuánlái
1. so, like that
2. it turns out, originally
3. disadvantage, weak point
That would be 那么 (nàme).
That would be 缺点 (quēdiǎn).
Show the answer
Answer: B, it turns out, originally.
You heard 原来 (yuánlái): it turns out, originally.

New words

甚至shènzhìeven, so much that
视频shìpínvideo
年轻人niánqīngrényoung people
退休tuìxiūto retire
学会xuéhuìto learn (successfully), to master
熟悉shúxīfamiliar, to be familiar with

甚至: even

甚至 (shènzhì) adds a surprising extreme at the end of a list: even. It often goes with 都 or 也.

她会用手机买东西，甚至会在网上开店。
Tā huì yòng shǒujī mǎi dōngxi, shènzhì huì zài wǎngshàng kāidiàn.
She can shop with her phone, and even run an online shop.
他很忙，甚至周末都在工作。
Tā hěn máng, shènzhì zhōumò dōu zài gōngzuò.
He's very busy, he even works at weekends.

学会 (xuéhuì) is to learn successfully; 熟悉 (shúxī) is to be familiar with.

我已经学会了。
Wǒ yǐjīng xuéhuì le.
I've got the hang of it.

Characters

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

甚shèn excessive; undueStroke order
视shì to look atStroke order
频pín frequencyStroke order
轻qīng lightStroke order
退tuì to retreat; to withdrawStroke order
熟shú ripe; matureStroke order
悉xī in all casesStroke order

Grandma's new phone

Xiaoyu writes about her grandmother for a class assignment.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 智能手机 zhìnéng shǒujī smartphone; 外孙女 wàisūnnǚ granddaughter (daughter's daughter)

Listening
Listen first. How old is Xiaoyu's grandma?
1. sixty-five
2. eighty-five
3. seventy-five
Show the answer
Answer: C, seventy-five.
我奶奶今年七十五岁.
Listening
What could she not do before?
1. cook
2. use a phone
3. go out alone
Show the answer
Answer: B, use a phone.
以前，她连手机都不会用.
Listening
What surprising thing does she do now?
1. teaches other older people to use phones
2. sells clothes online
3. makes videos for young people
Show the answer
Answer: A, teaches other older people to use phones.
甚至还会教别的老人用手机.

Show the text

我Wǒ奶奶nǎinai今年jīnnián七十五qīshíwǔ岁suì，已经yǐjīng退休tuìxiū十shí几jǐ年nián了le。
My grandma is seventy-five this year and has been retired for over ten years.
以前Yǐqián，她tā连lián手机shǒujī都dōu不bú会huì用yòng。
She used to not even know how to use a phone.
去年Qùnián，我wǒ给gěi她tā买mǎi了le一yí个gè智能手机zhìnéng shǒujī。
Last year I bought her a smartphone.
开始Kāishǐ的de时候shíhou，她tā不bù熟悉shúxī，常常chángcháng问wèn我wǒ问题wèntí。
At first she wasn't familiar with it and often asked me questions.
可是Kěshì她tā学xué得de很hěn快kuài，不但búdàn学会xuéhuì了le发fā消息xiāoxi，而且érqiě学会xuéhuì了le在zài网上wǎngshàng买mǎi东西dōngxi。
But she learned fast: not only messaging but also shopping online.
现在Xiànzài她tā每天měitiān跟gēn老lǎo朋友péngyou视频shìpín，甚至shènzhì还hái会huì教jiāo别的biéde老人lǎorén用yòng手机shǒujī。
Now she video-calls her old friends every day, and even teaches other older people how to use phones.
她Tā说shuō：“年轻人niánqīngrén会huì的de，我们wǒmen也yě能néng学会xuéhuì！”
She says: "What young people can do, we can learn too!"

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.

她说：“年轻人会的，我们也能学会！”
Tā shuō: “Niánqīngrén huì de, wǒmen yě néng xuéhuì!”
She says: "What young people can do, we can learn too!"
现在她每天跟老朋友视频，甚至还会教别的老人用手机。
Xiànzài tā měitiān gēn lǎo péngyou shìpín, shènzhì hái huì jiāo biéde lǎorén yòng shǒujī.
Now she video-calls her old friends every day, and even teaches other older people how to use phones.
开始的时候，她不熟悉，常常问我问题。
Kāishǐ de shíhou, tā bù shúxī, chángcháng wèn wǒ wèntí.
At first she wasn't familiar with it and often asked me questions.

Practice

Meaning
What does 甚至 mean?
1. even, so much that
2. (for vehicles)
3. in short, in a word
That is 辆 (liàng).
That is 总之 (zǒngzhī).
Show the answer
Answer: A, even, so much that.
甚至 (shènzhì) means even, so much that.
Characters
Which word means “video”?
1. 甚至
2. 视频
3. 熟悉
甚至 (shènzhì) means even, so much that.
熟悉 (shúxī) means familiar, to be familiar with.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 视频.
“video” is 视频 (shìpín).
Pinyin
How do you read 年轻人 (young people)?
1. niánqīngrén
2. niánqīngrèn
3. niānqīngrén
Show the answer
Answer: A, niánqīngrén.
年轻人 is read niánqīngrén. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
退休 tuìxiū
1. to retire
2. serious, severe
3. other, something else
That would be 严重 (yánzhòng).
That would be 别的 (biéde).
Show the answer
Answer: A, to retire.
You heard 退休 (tuìxiū): to retire.
Your turn
Recall: type the Chinese for “to learn (successfully), to master” (characters or pinyin).
Show the answer
Answer: 学会
“to learn (successfully), to master” is 学会 (xuéhuì).
Listening
Listen. Which sentence did you hear?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
以前，她连手机都不会用。 Yǐqián, tā lián shǒujī dōu bú huì yòng.
1. My grandma is seventy-five this year and has been retired for over ten years.
2. She used to not even know how to use a phone.
3. But she learned fast: not only messaging but also shopping online.
Show the answer
Answer: B, She used to not even know how to use a phone..
You heard 以前，她连手机都不会用。 (Yǐqián, tā lián shǒujī dōu bú huì yòng.): She used to not even know how to use a phone.
Reading
Read: 我爷爷八十岁了，不但每天跑步，而且学会了游泳，甚至参加了比赛！ What is the most surprising thing grandpa did?
1. ran every day at eighty
2. learned to swim at last
3. took part in a competition
Show the answer
Answer: C, took part in a competition.
甚至参加了比赛: even took part in a competition.
Grammar
Which sentence uses 甚至 correctly?
1. 甚至他很忙，周末都工作。
2. 他很忙，周末甚至。
3. 他很忙，甚至周末都在工作。
Show the answer
Answer: C, 他很忙，甚至周末都在工作。.
他很忙，甚至周末都在工作。: 甚至 + the extreme case.
In context
You have finally learned to make dumplings. What do you say?
1. 我学包饺子会了！
2. 我学会包饺子了！
3. 我会学包饺子了！
Show the answer
Answer: B, 我学会包饺子了！.
我学会包饺子了！: 学会: learned successfully.
Your turn
Type the Chinese for video call (to video)
Show the answer
Answer: 视频
视频: video, to video-call.

Never too late

Tell the story of someone who learned something new later in life, out loud, in eight sentences. Record it.

Who they are and what they couldn't do before, with 连…都.
How they learned, with 不但…而且.
The surprising result, with 甚至.

Sentence frames

以前，他连＿＿都不会。
Yǐqián, tā lián ＿＿ dōu bú huì.
Before, he couldn't even ...
现在他甚至＿＿。
Xiànzài tā shènzhì ＿＿.
Now he even ...

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 a longer story with 连, 不但…而且 and 甚至.
I can tell a story about learning something new.

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 4 Unit 3: Conditions and choices, where you talk about what happens no matter what.

1 Warm-up: do you remember?

2 New words

3 甚至: even

4 Characters

5 Grandma's new phone