HSK 3 · Lesson 16我以为你不喜欢 I thought you didn’t like it

Opinions: 认为 “believe” and 以为 “wrongly think”; 看来, 看起来, 看上去 “seems, looks”; 一般来说 “generally”; the rhetorical 不是…吗？; 当然, 其实, 一定, 大概, 差不多, 几乎; 关于 “about”, 根据 “according to”.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

After the film

A
你觉得这个电影怎么样？
Nǐ juéde zhège diànyǐng zěnmeyàng?
What did you think of the film?
B
我认为很好看，特别是音乐，好听极了。
Wǒ rènwéi hěn hǎokàn, tèbié shì yīnyuè, hǎotīng jí le.
I thought it was great, especially the music — wonderful.
A
我以为你不喜欢这种电影。
Wǒ yǐwéi nǐ bù xǐhuan zhè zhǒng diànyǐng.
I thought you didn’t like this kind of film.
B
其实我平时比较喜欢看这种电影。
Qíshí wǒ píngshí bǐjiào xǐhuan kàn zhè zhǒng diànyǐng.
Actually, I usually quite like this kind of film.
A
看来我还不太了解你啊！
Kànlái wǒ hái bú tài liǎojiě nǐ a!
Looks like I don’t know you that well yet!
B
当然了，我们认识才一个月。
Dāngrán le, wǒmen rènshi cái yí ge yuè.
Of course — we’ve only known each other for a month.

Job hunting

A
你看上去很累。
Nǐ kàn shangqu hěn lèi.
You look very tired.
B
我在找工作，几乎每天都很忙。
Wǒ zài zhǎo gōngzuò, jīhū měi tiān dōu hěn máng.
I’m looking for a job — I’m busy almost every day.
A
一般来说，找工作要两三个月。你别着急。
Yìbān lái shuō, zhǎo gōngzuò yào liǎng sān ge yuè. Nǐ bié zháojí.
Generally it takes two or three months to find a job. Don’t rush.
B
你说得对。我相信我一定能找到。
Nǐ shuō de duì. Wǒ xiāngxìn wǒ yídìng néng zhǎodào.
You’re right. I believe I’ll definitely find one.
A
你不是会说汉语吗？这很重要！
Nǐ bú shì huì shuō Hànyǔ ma? Zhè hěn zhòngyào!
You speak Chinese, don’t you? That’s really important!

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 认为 “believe” and 以为 “thought (wrongly)”

认为 is a considered opinion: 我认为这个办法很好. 以为 means “thought”, usually wrongly: 我以为你不喜欢 “I thought you didn’t like it (but you do)”, 我以为今天是星期五. 觉得 from HSK 1 is the casual “I feel”.

我认为这个办法很好。
Wǒ rènwéi zhège bànfǎ hěn hǎo.
I think this is a good way.
我以为今天是星期五。
Wǒ yǐwéi jīntiān shì xīngqīwǔ.
I thought today was Friday.

2. 看来, 看起来, 看上去 — “it seems, looks”

看来 draws a conclusion, “it seems”: 看来他不来了. 在…看来 means “in someone’s view”: 在我看来，这很重要. 看起来 / 看上去 mean “looks”: 你看上去很累 “you look tired”, 这个菜看起来很好吃.

看来他今天不来了。
Kànlái tā jīntiān bù lái le.
It seems he isn’t coming today.
这个菜看起来很好吃。
Zhège cài kàn qilai hěn hǎochī.
This dish looks delicious.

3. 不是…吗？ — “isn’t it…?”

A rhetorical question that actually asserts: 你不是会说汉语吗？ “you speak Chinese, don’t you!”, 你不是说今天不来吗？ “didn’t you say you weren’t coming today?”. It doesn’t expect an answer.

你不是说今天不来吗？
Nǐ bú shì shuō jīntiān bù lái ma?
Didn’t you say you weren’t coming today?

4. 当然, 其实, 一定, 大概, 差不多, 几乎

当然 “of course”, 其实 “actually, in fact”, 一定 “certainly, definitely”, 大概 “probably, about” (大概十点 “around ten”), 差不多 “almost, about the same”, 几乎 “nearly”: 几乎每天. They usually go before the verb. 一般来说 means “generally speaking”; 平时 “usually, on ordinary days”.

他大概十点到。
Tā dàgài shí diǎn dào.
He’ll arrive around ten.
其实这个问题很简单。
Qíshí zhège wèntí hěn jiǎndān.
Actually, this is a simple question.

5. 关于 “about” and 根据 “according to”

关于 marks a topic: 关于中国历史的书 “a book about Chinese history”, 关于这件事，我同意你 “on this point I agree with you”. 根据 marks a basis: 根据天气，我们决定… “depending on the weather, we’ll decide…”. 有关 means “related to”: 和工作有关的问题.

我在看一本关于中国历史的书。
Wǒ zài kàn yì běn guānyú Zhōngguó lìshǐ de shū.
I’m reading a book about Chinese history.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    我以为今天是星期五。 Wǒ yǐwéi jīntiān shì xīngqīwǔ. — I thought today was Friday.

  2. Answer
    你看上去很累。 Nǐ kàn shangqu hěn lèi. — You look tired.

  3. Answer
    他大概十点到。 Tā dàgài shí diǎn dào. — He’ll arrive around ten.

  4. Answer
    你不是说今天不来吗？ Nǐ bú shì shuō jīntiān bù lái ma? — Didn’t you say you weren’t coming today?

2. Choose the correct option

  1. “I thought you’d already left (but you’re here)”: 我___你已经走了。

    Answer
    以为
  2. “This dish looks tasty”: 这个菜看___很好吃。

    Answer
    起来
  3. “A book about Chinese history”: ___中国历史的书

    Answer
    关于
  4. “You speak Chinese, don’t you!”

    Answer
    你不是会说汉语吗？

3. Build the sentence

  1. I think this is a good way.

    Answer
    我认为这个办法很好。 Wǒ rènwéi zhège bànfǎ hěn hǎo.
  2. It seems he isn’t coming today.

    Answer
    看来他今天不来了。 Kànlái tā jīntiān bù lái le.
  3. Actually, this is a simple question.

    Answer
    其实这个问题很简单。 Qíshí zhège wèntí hěn jiǎndān.
  4. Generally it takes two or three months to find a job.

    Answer
    一般来说，找工作要两三个月。 Yìbān lái shuō, zhǎo gōngzuò yào liǎng sān ge yuè.

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

You are speaker B. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.

A
你觉得这本书怎么样？
Nǐ juéde zhè běn shū zěnmeyàng?
What do you think of this book?
B
我认为很有意思。
Wǒ rènwéi hěn yǒu yìsi.
I think it’s very interesting.
A
是吗？我以为你不喜欢历史。
Shì ma? Wǒ yǐwéi nǐ bù xǐhuan lìshǐ.
Really? I thought you didn’t like history.
B
其实我对历史很感兴趣。
Qíshí wǒ duì lìshǐ hěn gǎn xìngqù.
Actually, I’m very interested in history.
A
那你一定看过很多这种书吧？
Nà nǐ yídìng kànguo hěn duō zhè zhǒng shū ba?
Then you must have read lots of books like this?
B
当然，差不多有一百本了。
Dāngrán, chàbuduō yǒu yìbǎi běn le.
Of course — nearly a hundred.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. I thought you were Chinese.
    Answer
    我以为你是中国人。
  2. It looks like it’s going to rain.
    Answer
    看来要下雨了。
  3. He’ll come around eight.
    Answer
    他大概八点来。

💡 Did you know?: “Near enough” — 差不多

China knows the story “Mr Near Enough”, 差不多先生传 (1919), by the writer Hu Shi 胡适 — about a man who did everything “roughly”: mixed up 十 and 千, and missed the train “by only two minutes”. It mocks carelessness, and 差不多先生 has become a common expression.

Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).