Verbs

• 8 Verbs

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  Original teaching practice. Read one pattern, cover its model and try the questions before checking the separate answer section. Examples adapted from Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning, CC BY-NC-SA) retain the course-reference provenance.

  to show understanding谅liàng (I bet / I'll wager …)

  I bet he won't dare

  • Your friend boasts he'll jump into the freezing lake. You doubt it.
  • to show understanding谅liànghe / him他tāalso也yě不敢bù gǎn。 — "I bet he wouldn't dare."

  to show understanding谅liàng + person + also也yě / not不bù … = I'm sure, I bet

  • to show understanding谅liàng (liàng) expresses a confident, often dismissive guess about what someone can or will do, usually negative: to show understanding谅liànghe / him他tā不敢bù gǎn, to show understanding谅liàngyou你nǐalso也yěto make做zuònot to arrive不到bú dào.
  • It is literary and old-fashioned but still heard in set phrases.

  I bet谅liàngyou你nǐ(even)也yěcan't do it做不到zuò bu dào。

  

  Confident predictions

  • day天tiān这么晚zhè me wǎn(completed / change)了le，to show understanding谅liànghe / him他tāimprobable不会bú huìto come来lái(completed / change)了le。 — "It's this late; I'm sure he won't come now."
  • to show understanding谅liànghe / him他tā一个yí gèperson人rénalso也yěto move (i.e. relocate…搬bānmotionless不动bù dòng。 — "I'll wager he can't move it on his own."

  it天tiānso这么zhè melate晚wǎn了le，I'm sure谅liànghe他tāwon't不会bú huìcome来lái了le。

  Mostly negative, literary

  • to show understanding谅liàng usually predicts what someone can't or won't do; positive uses are rare.
  • In modern speech, I / me我wǒto see看kàn / I / me我wǒto guess猜cāi / to be certain肯定kěn dìng are more natural: I / me我wǒto see看kànhe / him他tā不敢bù gǎn.

  to show understanding谅liàng the verb: forgive

  • to show understanding谅liàng also appears in to excuse原谅yuán liàng (forgive) and to understand谅解liàng jiě (understand, make allowance): 请原谅qǐng yuán liàngI / me我wǒ.
  • Do not confuse the guess to show understanding谅liàng with these verbs.

  please请qǐngforgive原谅yuán liàngme我wǒ。

  Recap

  • to show understanding谅liàng + person + also也yě / not不bù … = I bet / I'm sure (a confident, often dismissive negative guess).
  • Literary; modern I / me我wǒto see看kàn…; to excuse原谅yuán liàng = forgive.

  Practise this pattern step by step.

  Practice without the models

  to show understanding谅liàng (I bet / I'll wager …)

  0801.1 Complete: “I bet he wouldn't dare.” …………he / him他tāalso也yě不敢bù gǎn。

  0801.2 Which is the modern spoken equivalent of to show understanding谅liànghe / him他tā不敢bù gǎn?

  • A. 他谅tā liàng不敢bù gǎn。
  • B. to understand谅解liàng jiěhe / him他tā不敢bù gǎn。
  • C. to excuse原谅yuán liànghe / him他tā不敢bù gǎn。
  • D. I / me我wǒto see看kànhe / him他tā不敢bù gǎn。

  0801.3 Build: “It's so late; I'm sure he won't come.”

  Arrange all chunks: to show understanding谅liànghe / him他tā / ， / day天tiān这么晚zhè me wǎn(completed / change)了le / improbable不会bú huìto come来lái(completed / change)了le。

  0801.4 In 请原谅qǐng yuán liàngI / me我wǒ, to show understanding谅liàng means “I bet”.

  True or false? Explain or repair the statement.

  0801.5 Your friend boasts he'll jump into the freezing lake. You doubt it. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.

  Write or say your own response before reading the key.

  Answers and explanations

  to show understanding谅liàng (I bet / I'll wager …)

  0801.1 to show understanding谅liàng

  to show understanding谅liàng + person + not不bù / also也yě….

  0801.2 D. I / me我wǒto see看kànhe / him他tā不敢bù gǎn。

  I / me我wǒto see看kàn… is the everyday guess.

  0801.3 day天tiān这么晚zhè me wǎn(completed / change)了le，to show understanding谅liànghe / him他tāimprobable不会bú huìto come来lái(completed / change)了le。

  Situation, then to show understanding谅liàng + person + negative.

  0801.4 False.

  False. In to excuse原谅yuán liàng to show understanding谅liàng is part of the verb “forgive”. The sense “I expect, surely” appears only in written patterns like to show understanding谅liànghe / him他tā不敢bù gǎn.

  0801.5 One possible response: to show understanding谅liànghe / him他tāalso也yě不敢bù gǎn。

  Check meaning and form:

  • My response conveys a message that fits the opening situation.
  • I can explain the meaning of the pattern, rather than only naming it.
  • to show understanding谅liàng usually predicts what someone can't or won't do; positive uses are rare.
  • In modern speech, I / me我wǒto see看kàn / I / me我wǒto guess猜cāi / to be certain肯定kěn dìng are more natural: I / me我wǒto see看kànhe / him他tā不敢bù gǎn.
  • I tried a second response with a name, time, place, or description changed.

  This is supported productive practice. Compare meaning and structure; your answer need not copy the model. A partner or teacher must hear the spoken response to comment on pronunciation.

All topics · HSK 6 Grammar