假期 Jiàqī — holidays

去了 vs 去过

qùle vs qùguo

went (this time) vs have been (experience)

去了 is one finished trip. 去过 is “have you ever…?” — it can be more than once.

• 昨天我去了海滩。

  Zuótiān wǒ qùle hǎitān.

  Yesterday I went to the beach.

• 假期我去了博物馆。

  Jiàqī wǒ qùle bówùguǎn.

  On the holidays I went to the museum.

• 你去过中国吗？

  Nǐ qùguo Zhōngguó ma?

  Have you been to China?

• 我去过悉尼歌剧院。

  Wǒ qùguo Xīní gējùyuàn.

  I have been to the Sydney Opera House.

• 他没去过动物园，所以这个周末他想去。

  Tā méi qùguo dòngwùyuán, suǒyǐ zhège zhōumò tā xiǎng qù.

  He hasn’t been to the zoo, so he wants to go this weekend.

• 我们去过蓝山两次。

  Wǒmen qùguo Lánshān liǎng cì.

  We have been to the Blue Mountains twice.

可以 + verb

kěyǐ + verb

can / may do something

What you are allowed to do, or what is possible in that place.

• 在动物园可以拍照。

  Zài dòngwùyuán kěyǐ pāizhào.

  At the zoo you can take photos.

• 在海边可以冲浪。

  Zài hǎibiān kěyǐ chōnglàng.

  At the seaside you can surf.

• 在学校可以说中文。

  Zài xuéxiào kěyǐ shuō Zhōngwén.

  At school you can speak Chinese.

跟 / 和 … 一起 + activity

gēn / hé … yìqǐ + activity

do something together with someone

跟 and 和 both work here. Put the person after 跟/和, then 一起, then the activity.

• 我跟妈妈一起去逛街。

  Wǒ gēn māma yìqǐ qù guàngjiē.

  I go shopping with my mum.

• 她和哥哥一起打篮球。

  Tā hé gēge yìqǐ dǎ lánqiú.

  She plays basketball with her older brother.

• 他们喜欢跟朋友一起踢足球。

  Tāmen xǐhuan gēn péngyou yìqǐ tī zúqiú.

  They like to play soccer with friends.

虽然 A，但是 B

suīrán A, dànshì B

although A, but B

A is the “even though” part. B is the surprise or opposite idea.

• 虽然爬山很累，但是风景很美。

  Suīrán páshān hěn lèi, dànshì fēngjǐng hěn měi.

  Although climbing the mountain is tiring, the view is beautiful.

• 虽然我怕鲨鱼，但是我还是去了海滩。

  Suīrán wǒ pà shāyú, dànshì wǒ háishì qùle hǎitān.

  Although I’m afraid of sharks, I still went to the beach.

• 虽然假期不长，但是我想做很多事情。

  Suīrán jiàqī bù cháng, dànshì wǒ xiǎng zuò hěnduō shìqing.

  Although the holiday isn’t long, I want to do a lot of things.

不仅 A，还 B

bùjǐn A, hái B

not only A, but also B

Stack two good (or two similar) points about the same thing.

• 考拉不仅可爱，还很懒。

  Kǎolā bùjǐn kě'ài, hái hěn lǎn.

  Koalas are not only cute, they’re also lazy.

• 中国菜不仅好吃，还很便宜。

  Zhōngguó cài bùjǐn hǎochī, hái hěn piányi.

  Chinese food is not only delicious, it’s also cheap.

• 悉尼不仅有歌剧院，还有很多博物馆。

  Xīní bùjǐn yǒu gējùyuàn, hái yǒu hěnduō bówùguǎn.

  Sydney not only has the Opera House, it also has many museums.

因为 A，所以 B

yīnwèi A, suǒyǐ B

because A, therefore B

A is the reason. B is what happens because of it. English often drops “so”; Chinese keeps 所以.

• 因为我很累，所以我要睡觉。

  Yīnwèi wǒ hěn lèi, suǒyǐ wǒ yào shuìjiào.

  Because I’m tired, I’m going to sleep.

• 因为市中心有很多好吃的东西，所以我很喜欢那里。

  Yīnwèi shìzhōngxīn yǒu hěnduō hǎochī de dōngxi, suǒyǐ wǒ hěn xǐhuan nàlǐ.

  Because the city centre has lots of good food, I really like it there.

• 因为我怕鲨鱼，所以我不去冲浪。

  Yīnwèi wǒ pà shāyú, suǒyǐ wǒ bú qù chōnglàng.

  Because I’m afraid of sharks, I’m not going surfing.

而且

érqiě

and also / furthermore

Add another point in the same direction — not a contrast like 但是.

• 这家餐厅便宜，而且很好吃。

  Zhè jiā cāntīng piányi, érqiě hěn hǎochī.

  This restaurant is cheap, and it’s also delicious.

• 悉尼歌剧院很漂亮，而且特别有趣。

  Xīní gējùyuàn hěn piàoliang, érqiě tèbié yǒuqù.

  The Sydney Opera House is beautiful, and it’s also especially interesting.