Chinese for English speakers Farm · Lesson 0

Do you like ... or not?

Chinese 喜不喜欢 — 你喜不喜欢运动? (Do you like exercising?) — verb-not-verb question pattern.

Conversation

  1. Kyle Kyle

    你喜不喜欢运动？

    nǐ xǐ bù xǐ huan yùn dòng?

    Do you like exercising?

    Tip: 运动 <yùndòng> = sport, exercise

  2. Rose Rose

    不太喜欢。

    bú tài xǐ huan.

    Not that much.

    Tip: 不太 <bútài> = not much, not really. The character <bù> makes almost every verb or adjective negative

  3. Kyle Kyle

    那你喜欢什么呢？

    nà nǐ xǐ huan shén me ne?

    What do you like then?

  4. Rose Rose

    我喜欢睡觉。

    wǒ xǐ huan shuì jiào.

    I like sleeping.

    Tip: 睡觉 <shuìjiào> = to sleep

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How does the verb-not-verb pattern work?

Positive verb + 不 + same verb = yes/no question. 是不是 (is or isn't), 喜不喜欢 (like or not), 去不去 (go or not).

What does 不太 mean?

'Not very / not too'. Negative softening: 不太喜欢 = 'don't really like'.

Chinese exercise vocabulary?

运动 (exercise/sports), 跑步 (run), 游泳 (swim), 健身 (fitness/gym), 瑜伽 (yoga), 散步 (walk).

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Chinese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.

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