Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

talkiNG aBoUt moVemeNt, direCtioNS, aNd meaNS oF traNSPortatioN

48.5

or

拐 (direction)

guǎi (direction)

拐北。

Guǎi běi.

Turn north.

C14.2.4

48.3 Talking about crossing

过一条街。

過一條街。

Guò yī tiáo jiē.

Cross one street or go one block.

过两个红绿灯。

過兩個紅綠燈。

Guò liǎng gè hóng lǜ dēng.

Pass two traffic lights.

过一个路口。

過一個路口。

Guò yī gè lùkǒu.

Cross one intersection.

48.4 Talking about arriving

The verb 到 dào means ‘to arrive.’

我们到了。

我們到了。

Wǒmen dào le.

We’ve arrived (at our destination).

你到了奶奶家请给我打电话。

你到了奶奶家請給我打電話。

Nǐ dào le nǎinai jiā qǐng gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.

After you arrive at (get to) grandma’s house, please call me.

这个包裹，今天寄，什么时候到？

這個包裹，今天寄，甚麼時候到？

Zhège bāoguǒ, jīntiān jì, shénme shíhòu dào?

This package, if I mail it today, when will it arrive?

48.5 Talking about means of transportation

48.5.1 describing means of transportation

Means of transportation include locomotion: 走 zǒu ‘to walk,’ 跑 pǎo ‘to run,’ 跳 tiào ‘to hop/

to jump,’ 游 yóu ‘to swim,’ 飞/飛 fēi ‘to fly’; or transportation by a vehicle: 车/車 chē ‘car,’

出租车/出租車 chūzū chē ‘taxi cab,’ 火车/火車 huǒchē ‘train,’ 地铁/地鐵 dìtiě ‘subway,’

公共汽车/公共汽車 gōnggòng qìchē ‘public bus,’ 飞机/飛機 fēijī ‘plane,’ 摩托车/摩托車

mótuōchē ‘motorcycle,’ or 自行车/自行車 zìxíngchē (in Taiwan: 脚踏车/腳踏車 jiǎotàchē)

‘bicycle.’