Present Tense

Chinese Lesson 13 (Present Tense & Survival)

Duration: 30 mins

Lessons Chinese Lessons
Linguistic Chinese Vocabulary
Culture Chinese Phrases
Structure Chinese Grammar

This 13th lesson deals with the present tense in Chinese. In addition I included a vocabulary list about survival and emergencies. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Chinese Classes.

Present

The present is one of the 3 tenses (past, present, and future) we will be discussing in the next 3 lessons. So it is recommended not to skip any of them because they are all related.

Below is a list of 15 sentences conjugated into the present tense. I focused on the examples you might come across or use very often. The table contains 3 columns (English, Chinese, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.

Present Tense in Chinese

Present Chinese Audio
I see you我看见你。
Wǒ kànjiàn nǐ.
I write with a pen
You love apples你爱吃苹果。
Nǐ ài chī píngguǒ.
You give money
You play tennis你打网球。
Nǐ dǎ wǎngqiú.
He reads a book他看一本书。
Tā kàn yī běn shū.
He understands me他懂我，他了解我
Tā dǒng wǒ, tā liǎojiě wǒ
She has a cat他养一只猫。
tā yǎng yī zhǐ māo.
She knows my friend她认识我的朋友。
Tā rènshì wǒ de péngyǒu.
We want to learn我们要学习。
Wǒmen yào xuéxí.
We think Spanish is easy我们觉得西班牙语简单
Wǒmen juédé xībānyá yǔ jiǎndān
You (plural) work here你们在这里工作。
nǐmen zài zhèlǐ gōngzuò.
You (plural) speak French你说法语
Nǐ shuō fǎyǔ
They drive a car他们开车。
tāmen kāichē.
They smile他们微笑
Tāmen wéixiào

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact me using the Chinese contact form on the header above.

Survival Expressions

Below is a list of 28 words related to survival expressions such as emergencies, and calling for help. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to communicate better when in distress or when providing help to someone else who is in need.

Survival Expressions in Chinese

Accident事故
shìgù
Allergy过敏
guòmǐn
Ambulance救护车
jiùhù chē
Asthma哮喘
xiāochuǎn
Danger危险
wéixiǎn
Doctor医生
yīshēng
Headache头痛
tóutòng
Heart attack心肌梗死
xīnjī gěngsǐ
Help me帮我
bāng wǒ
Hospital医院
yīyuàn
Medicines药品
yàopǐn
Pharmacy药房
yàofáng
Poison毒药
dúyào
Police警察
jǐngchá
Stomach ache胃痛
wèitòng
Stroke窒息
zhìxí

Daily Conversation in Chinese

Finally, here are some common sentences to strengthen your conversation skills. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Chinese Phrases page. Enjoy!

Common Expressions in Chinese

Are you okay?你还好吗？
nǐ hái hǎo ma?
Call a doctor!呼叫医生
Hūjiào yīshēng
Call the ambulance!呼叫救护车
hūjiào jiùhù chē
Call the police!报警
bàojǐng
Calm down!冷静一下。
lěngjìng yīxià.
Fire!着火了
Zháohuǒle
I feel sick我不舒服。
wǒ bú shūfú.
It hurts here这里疼。
Zhèlǐ téng.
It's urgent!紧急情况
Jǐnjí qíngkuàng
Stop!停！
tíng!
Thief!小偷！
Xiǎotōu!
Where is the closest pharmacy?最近的药店在哪里？
Zuìjìn di yàodiàn zài nǎlǐ?
You look beautiful! (to a woman)你很漂亮
Nǐ hěn piàoliang
You have a beautiful name你的名字很美
nǐ de míngzì hěn měi
This is my wife我爱我的太太。
wǒ ài wǒ de tàitài.
This is my husband这是我先生
Zhè shì wǒ xiānshēng

Fun Facts

Language Quote: ❝To have another language is to possess a second soul.❞ ‒Charlemagne

Congratulations! You finished your 13th lesson in Chinese about the present tense, and survival expressions. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Chinese Lesson 14. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Chinese homepage.

Lessons Chinese Lessons
Linguistic Chinese Vocabulary
Culture Chinese Phrases
Structure Chinese Grammar