If we miss the train: 要是
HSK 4 Unit 3: Conditions and choices · Lesson 3 of 5 · About 22 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can talk about what would happen in a situation with 要是…就, and make sure you get somewhere on time.
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Warm-up: do you remember?
Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.
Meaning
What does 结婚 mean?
That is 熟悉 (shúxī).
That is 休假 (xiūjià).
Show the answer
Answer: B, to get married.
结婚 (jiéhūn) means to get married.
Characters
Which word means “no matter (what, how, who)”?
另外 (lìngwài) means in addition, other.
语言 (yǔyán) means language.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 无论.
“no matter (what, how, who)” is 无论 (wúlùn).
Listening
From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
月饼 yuèbǐng
That would be 年轻人 (niánqīngrén).
That would be 污染 (wūrǎn).
Show the answer
Answer: A, mooncake.
You heard 月饼 (yuèbǐng): mooncake.
New words
要是…就…
要是 (yàoshi) means if, like 如果, but is more spoken. 的话 can be added at the end of the condition.
要是你明天有空，我们就去爬山。
Yàoshi nǐ míngtiān yǒu kòng, wǒmen jiù qù páshān.
If you're free tomorrow, let's go hiking.
要是赶不上火车的话，我们就打车。
Yàoshi gǎnbushàng huǒchē dehuà, wǒmen jiù dǎchē.
If we can't make the train, we'll take a taxi.
赶 (gǎn) is to rush to catch something: 赶火车, 赶上 (catch in time), 赶不上 (miss).
快点儿，我们要赶不上了！
Kuàidiǎnr, wǒmen yào gǎnbushàng le!
Hurry, we're going to miss it!
你提醒我一下，好吗？
Nǐ tíxǐng wǒ yíxià, hǎo ma?
Could you remind me?
Characters
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
Hurry up!
Mark and Anna are leaving for the station.
Listen first
Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.
Listening
Listen first. When does the train leave?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 9:00.
火车九点开.
Listening
When will they take a taxi?
Show the answer
Answer: B, if there's no bus in ten minutes.
要是十分钟以后还没有公共汽车，我们就打车.
Show the transcript
安娜
马克，几点了？我们该出门了。
Mark, what time is it? We should leave.
马克
八点二十。火车九点开，来得及。
Eight twenty. The train leaves at nine, there's time.
安娜
要是路上堵车，就赶不上了。
If there's traffic on the way, we'll miss it.
马克
要是十分钟以后还没有公共汽车，我们就打车。
If there's no bus in ten minutes, we'll take a taxi.
安娜
好。你提醒我带护照，我老是忘。
OK. Remind me to take my passport, I always forget.
马克
放心，我已经放在你包里了。
Don't worry, I've already put it in your bag.
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.
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Recording is not available in this browser. Listen, then repeat aloud and compare by ear.
要是路上堵车，就赶不上了。
Yàoshi lùshang dǔchē, jiù gǎnbushàng le.
If there's traffic on the way, we'll miss it.
要是十分钟以后还没有公共汽车，我们就打车。
Yàoshi shí fēnzhōng yǐhòu hái méiyǒu gōnggòng qìchē, wǒmen jiù dǎchē.
If there's no bus in ten minutes, we'll take a taxi.
马克，几点了？我们该出门了。
Mǎkè, jǐ diǎn le? Wǒmen gāi chūmén le.
Mark, what time is it? We should leave.
Practice
Meaning
What does 要是 mean?
That is 窗户 (chuānghu).
That is 桌子 (zhuōzi).
Show the answer
Answer: A, if, suppose.
要是 (yàoshi) means if, suppose.
Characters
Which word means “to hurry, to rush (to catch)”?
饿 (è) means hungry.
花 (huā) means flower.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 赶.
“to hurry, to rush (to catch)” is 赶 (gǎn).
Pinyin
How do you read 出门 (to go out, to leave home)?
Show the answer
Answer: A, chūmén.
出门 is read chūmén. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
提醒 tíxǐng
That would be 职业 (zhíyè).
That would be 专业 (zhuānyè).
Show the answer
Answer: C, to remind.
You heard 提醒 (tíxǐng): to remind.
Your turn
Recall: type the Chinese for “to take a taxi” (characters or pinyin).
Show the answer
Answer: 打车
“to take a taxi” is 打车 (dǎchē).
Grammar
Which sentence is right?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 要是你累了，我们就休息。.
要是你累了，我们就休息。: 要是…就, with 就 after the subject.
Fill the gap
Complete: If we can't catch it, we'll take a taxi.
要是＿＿的话，我们就打车。
Show the answer
Answer: A, 赶不上.
赶不上: can't catch it in time.
In context
You are afraid you will forget your friend's birthday. What do you ask?
Show the answer
Answer: B, 你提醒我一下，好吗？.
你提醒我一下，好吗？: 提醒: to remind.
Your turn
Type the Chinese for to take a taxi
Show the answer
Answer: 打车
打车: to take a taxi.
What if?
Plan a trip to the airport out loud, with three 要是 sentences about things that could go wrong.
- When you will leave home.
- What you will do if there is traffic, or if you are late.
- Ask someone to remind you of something.
Sentence frames
要是＿＿，我们就＿＿。
Yàoshi ＿＿, wǒmen jiù ＿＿.
If ..., we'll ...
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 use 要是…就 for if in spoken Chinese.
- I can say catch and miss with 赶上 and 赶不上.
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.