Technology in Everyday Life
Talk about technology in Chinese. Learn the characters for the things you use, like a computer and a mobile phone, and the things you do online, like going online and chatting, each shown with its English meaning.
Practise it before the paper, not after
Free, interactive practice on the words and structures the examiner keeps asking for.
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Technology in Chinese
This module builds your Chinese vocabulary for technology: the things you use, like a computer and a mobile phone, and the things you do online, like going online and chatting. Each word is written in Chinese characters, called Hanzi, with its English meaning beside it. Meet each word, then practise until you know them.
The things you use
Start with four things you use every day. Each Chinese word is shown with its English meaning.
A thing, or something you do?
It helps to sort the words into things you use and actions you do online.
Match the Chinese to the English
- 电脑
- 手机
- 网站
- 电子邮件
- A computer
- A mobile phone
- A website
- An email
The Chinese word for a mobile phone
Which Chinese word means a mobile phone?
- 手机
- 电脑
- 网站
- 电子邮件
More things you can do
There is more you can do with technology. 上网 means going onto the internet, and 打电话 means phoning somebody. When you message a friend, 发 is the word for sending and 收 the word for getting something back.
Match the action to the English
- 上网
- 打电话
- 发
- 收
- To go online
- To make a telephone call
- To send
- To receive
Which two are things you do?
Select the TWO words that are actions you do, rather than things you use.
- 聊天
- 打字
- 电脑
- 手机
Send an email
Put these steps of sending an email in order.
- Go online: 上网
- Type your message: 打字
- Send it: 发
Fill each gap with a character
A computer is _____. A mobile phone is _____. To go online is _____. An email is _____. To chat is _____.
Technology words in Chinese
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- 电脑 means a computer.
- 手机 means a mobile phone.
- 上网 means an email.
- 聊天 means to send.
What do you do?
For each situation, choose the correct Chinese word for what you do.
- You want to look something up on the internet. What do you do?
- You want to speak to your friend on the phone. What do you do?
- You want to send a chat message to a friend. What do you do?
Your turn: write in Chinese
Write the Chinese for two things you use and two things you do online, then use the pattern below. Write in characters, because this module teaches the characters themselves, so they are what counts.
- Two things you use: 电脑 (a computer), 手机 (a mobile phone) or 网站 (a website)
- Two actions you do: 上网 (to go online), 聊天 (to chat), 打字 (to type) or 发 (to send)
- Write a whole sentence, for example 我有手机 (wo you shou ji, meaning I have a mobile phone), then write your own the same way
- Say one good point with 好处 (an advantage) or one bad point with 坏处 (a disadvantage)