Section 01
Vocabulary: Making Plans
请
To invite / Please
请客
To treat (someone)
朋友
Friend
一起
Together
想
Would like to / think
要
To want / Going to
去
To go
见
To see / meet
在
At / In / On
学校
School
哪里 / 哪儿
Where
时间
Time
什么时候
When?
吃
To eat
早饭
Breakfast
午饭
Lunch
晚饭
Dinner
中国菜
Chinese food
美国菜
American food
怎么样
How about it?
好
Good / Okay
不好
Not good / No
太好了
Great / Excellent
有没有
Have or not have
吧
Suggestion particle
Cultural Note: "请客" (Treating): In Chinese culture, paying for someone's meal is an important way to build relationships. If you say "我请你" (I invite you) or "我请客" (It's my treat), it explicitly implies you will be paying the bill!
Practice Time
Interactive Vocabulary Games
Section 02
Grammar Points
1. Actions at a Location (在 + Place + Action)
In English, you usually state the location at the end of the sentence (e.g., "play basketball at school"). In Chinese, the location must come before the action! You use the word 在 (zài) to mean "at/in/on".
Subject + 在 + [Location] + [Action]
1.
我们在学校打篮球。
Wǒ men zài xué xiào dǎ lán qiú.
We play basketball at school.
2.
我们在家吃晚饭。
Wǒ men zài jiā chī wǎn fàn.
We eat dinner at home.
2. Future Actions / Needs with 要 (yào)
While 想 (xiǎng) means "would like to," 要 (yào) is much stronger. It means "to want to," "need to," or "am going to." It often functions as the future tense marker.
Subject + 要 + Verb + Object
1.
星期六我要请客。
Xīng qī liù wǒ yào qǐng kè.
On Saturday I am going to treat (pay for the meal).
3. Making Suggestions: 想...吗, 怎么样 and 吧
You can invite people in several natural ways:
1) Ask if they want to do something using 想 (xiǎng) + ... + 吗?
2) Propose an idea and add 怎么样 (zěn me yàng - how about it?) at the end.
3) Make a soft "Let's do..." suggestion by adding 吧 (ba) at the end.
1) Ask if they want to do something using 想 (xiǎng) + ... + 吗?
2) Propose an idea and add 怎么样 (zěn me yàng - how about it?) at the end.
3) Make a soft "Let's do..." suggestion by adding 吧 (ba) at the end.
1.
你想一起去吃中国菜吗？
Nǐ xiǎng yì qǐ qù chī zhōng guó cài ma?
Do you want to go eat Chinese food together?
2.
我们在学校打篮球，怎么样？
Wǒ men zài xué xiào dǎ lán qiú, zěn me yàng?
We play basketball at school, how about it?
3.
我们一起吃早饭吧！
Wǒ men yì qǐ chī zǎo fàn ba!
Let's eat breakfast together!
4. Questions: 有没有 (Have or Not) & 什么时候 (When)
A common way to ask a Yes/No question is to place the verb and its negative form side-by-side (e.g., 有没有, 好不好, 是不是). To ask "when" an event happens, use 什么时候 (shén me shí hou). To say "See you [time/place]", add 见 (jiàn) after the time or place.
1.
你今天有没有时间？
Nǐ jīn tiān yǒu méi yǒu shí jiān?
Do you have time today (or not)?
2.
你明天什么时候有时间？
Nǐ míng tiān shén me shí hou yǒu shí jiān?
When do you have time tomorrow?
3.
好，明天晚上学校见！
Hǎo, míng tiān wǎn shang xué xiào jiàn!
Okay, see you at school tomorrow evening!
Section 03
Reading Practice in Context
Choose a context below to see how to invite friends and arrange plans.
约时间吃饭
Making Plans for Dinner (Dialogue)
A
王芳，你明天什么时候有时间？
Wáng Fāng, nǐ míng tiān shén me shí hou yǒu shí jiān?
Wang Fang, when do you have time tomorrow?
B
我晚上有时间。你想一起去吃中国菜吗？
Wǒ wǎn shang yǒu shí jiān. Nǐ xiǎng yì qǐ qù chī zhōng guó cài ma?
I have time in the evening. Do you want to go eat Chinese food together?
A
太好了！我们在哪里吃？
Tài hǎo le! Wǒ men zài nǎ lǐ chī?
Great! Where do we eat?
B
我们在学校吃，怎么样？
Wǒ men zài xué xiào chī, zěn me yàng?
We eat at school, how about it?
A
好，明天学校见！
Hǎo, míng tiān xué xiào jiàn!
Okay, see you at school tomorrow!
生日请客
A Birthday Treat (Presentational)
星期六是李明的生日。他要请朋友一起吃午饭。他们想吃美国菜。朋友问：“我们什么时候吃？在哪里吃？” 李明说：“我们在学校吃。星期六中午十二点，怎么样？” 朋友说：“太好了！星期六见！”
Saturday is Li Ming's birthday. He is going to invite friends to eat lunch together. They want to eat American food. His friends ask: "When do we eat? Where do we eat?" Li Ming says: "We eat at school. Saturday noon 12:00, how about it?" His friends say: "Great! See you Saturday!"
Ready to test yourself?
Practice Reading — Comprehension Quiz
Answer multiple-choice questions on both passages · Instant feedback
Section 04
Listening Practice in Context
Listen to the audio, then click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.
吃中国菜
吗
想
你
去
一起
我们
打篮球
在学校
Select a context below and practice listening to invitations.
Inviting Friends
Listen to someone ask about weekend availability
Speed:
Suggesting a Time & Place
Listen carefully to the meal, location, and time suggested
Speed:
Ready to test yourself?
Practice Listening — Interactive Mode
Full listening player · Comprehension questions after each track