✈️
Section 01

Vocabulary: Vehicles & Travel

坐
zuò
To take / sit
骑
qí
To ride (straddle)
开
kāi
To drive
火车
huǒ chē
Train
地铁
dì tiě
Subway
飞机
fēi jī
Airplane
船
chuán
Boat / Ship
公交车
gōng jiāo chē
Bus
出租车
chū zū chē
Taxi
车
chē
Car / Vehicle
自行车
zì xíng chē
Bicycle
摩托车
mó tuō chē
Motorcycle
电动车
diàn dòng chē
E-bike / Scooter
站
zhàn
Station / Stop
火车站
huǒ chē zhàn
Train station
地铁站
dì tiě zhàn
Subway station
机场
jī chǎng
Airport
每天
měi tiān
Every day
多久
duō jiǔ
How long?
多长时间
duō cháng shí jiān
How long?
分钟
fēn zhōng
Minute(s)
可以
kě yǐ
Can / May
怎么去
zěn me qù
How to go
怎么来
zěn me lái
How to come
回家
huí jiā
Go home
先
xiān
First
再
zài
Then / Again
然后
rán hòu
After that / Then
⚠️ 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).
Practice Time

Interactive Vocabulary Games

✏️
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.
先 + Action 1 + 然后 + Action 2
1.
我先坐公交车，然后坐地铁。
Wǒ xiān zuò gōng jiāo chē, rán hòu zuò dì tiě.
I first take the bus, then take the subway.
2.
你可以先骑自行车，再去火车站。
Nǐ kě yǐ xiān qí zì xíng chē, zài qù huǒ chē zhàn.
You can first ride a bike, then go to the train station.
📖
Section 03

Reading Practice in Context

Choose a context below to see how people travel and sequence their trips.

你每天怎么去学校？
How do you go to school? (Dialogue)
A
李明，你每天怎么去学校？
Lǐ Míng, nǐ měi tiān zěn me qù xué xiào?
Li Ming, how do you go to school every day?
B
我每天坐地铁去学校。
Wǒ měi tiān zuò dì tiě qù xué xiào.
I take the subway to school every day.
A
从你家到学校要多长时间？
Cóng nǐ jiā dào xué xiào yào duō cháng shí jiān?
From your home to school takes how long?
B
不远，坐地铁要二十分钟。你呢？你怎么去学校？
Bù yuǎn, zuò dì tiě yào èr shí fēn zhōng. Nǐ ne? Nǐ zěn me qù xué xiào?
Not far, taking the subway requires 20 minutes. And you? How do you go to school?
A
学校离我家很近。我每天骑自行车去学校。
Xué xiào lí wǒ jiā hěn jìn. Wǒ měi tiān qí zì xíng chē qù xué xiào.
The school is very close to my home. I ride a bicycle to school every day.
去机场
Going to the Airport (Presentational)

明天我要去机场。机场离这里很远。我没有车。朋友问我：“你怎么去机场？” 我说：“我先坐公交车去地铁站，然后坐地铁去机场。坐地铁要五十分钟。”

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."

📖
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.

去学校 我 每天 坐地铁
然后 坐公交车 先 坐地铁 你可以
二十分钟 要 坐地铁

Select a context below and practice listening to travel plans.

1
Daily Commute Duration
Listen for the vehicle and how many minutes it takes
Speed:
2
Sequencing (先...然后)
Listen to the steps taken to arrive at the train station
Speed:
🎧
Ready to test yourself?
Practice Listening — Interactive Mode
Full listening player · Comprehension questions after each track