⚠️Verbs for Vehicles: In English, you "take" almost everything. In Chinese:
• 坐 (zuò - sit): Used for vehicles you sit inside as a passenger (bus, subway, train, plane).
• 骑 (qí - ride): Used for vehicles you straddle (bicycle, motorcycle, horse).
• 开 (kāi - drive): Used when YOU are the one steering the wheel (car).
🎒 Project Vocabulary: Travel & Activities
出发
chū fā
Depart
到达
dào dá
Arrive
参观
cān guān
Visit (a place)
游玩
yóu wán
Play / Tour
走路
zǒu lù
Walk
酒店
jiǔ diàn
Hotel
景点
jǐng diǎn
Attraction
门票
mén piào
Ticket (entrance)
人民币
rén mín bì
RMB (Currency)
小时
xiǎo shí
Hour
预订
yù dìng
Book / Reserve
拍照
pāi zhào
Take photos
购物
gòu wù
Shopping
Practice Time
Interactive Vocabulary Games
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Section 02
Grammar Points
1. How to go: 怎么去 vs. 怎么走
In the last topic, you learned 怎么走 (zěn me zǒu) to ask for walking directions (turn left, go straight). In this topic, we use 怎么去 (zěn me qù) to ask what type of vehicle you should take.
1.
你每天怎么去学校?
Nǐ měi tiān zěn me qù xué xiào?
How do you go to school every day? (Asking for transportation)
2. Traveling: Method before Destination
In English, you say "I go to school by bus". In Chinese, you MUST state the method of transportation before the destination. Think of it as: "I take a bus to go to school."
Subject + (坐/骑/开) + Vehicle + 去 + Place
1.
我坐地铁去机场。
Wǒ zuò dì tiě qù jī chǎng.
I take the subway to go to the airport.
2.
爸爸开车回家。
Bà ba kāi chē huí jiā.
Dad drives a car to go home.
3. Asking & Stating Duration (多久 / 多长时间)
To ask how long a trip takes, use 要多久 (yào duō jiǔ) or 要多长时间 (yào duō cháng shí jiān). The word 要 (yào) here means "to take / to require".
从 + Place A + 到 + Place B + 要多久?
1.
从你家到学校要多久?
Cóng nǐ jiā dào xué xiào yào duō jiǔ?
From your home to school takes how long?
2.
坐地铁要二十分钟。
Zuò dì tiě yào èr shí fēn zhōng.
Taking the subway requires 20 minutes.
4. Sequencing Actions: 先... 再/然后...
When taking multiple forms of transportation, you sequence them using 先 (xiān - first), 再 (zài - then), and 然后 (rán hòu - then/after that). These words always go before the verb! You can also use 可以 (kě yǐ) to say someone "can" do these steps.
Míng tiān wǒ yào qù jī chǎng. jī chǎng lí zhè lǐ hěn yuǎn. Wǒ méi yǒu chē. Péng yǒu wèn wǒ: “Nǐ zěn me qù jī chǎng?” Wǒ shuō: “wǒ xiān zuò gōng jiāo chē qù dì tiě zhàn, rán hòu zuò dì tiě qù jī chǎng. Zuò dì tiě yào wǔ shí fēn zhōng.”
Tomorrow I am going to the airport. The airport is very far from here. I don't have a car. A friend asks me: "How do you go to the airport?" I say: "You can first take the bus to the subway station, then take the subway to the airport. Taking the subway takes 50 minutes."