My friend asked, “What do you want for dinner?” I said,“Whatever you want, I’ll eat that too.” Let’s learn how to say “whatever / anything goes” in Chinese.

什么……就什么…… (shénme… jiù shénme…)

Hello，大家好，我是Janine。
Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.

昨天我和朋友聊天，他问我：
Zuótiān wǒ hé péngyou liáotiān, tā wèn wǒ:Yesterday I was chatting with a friend, and he asked me:

“晚饭吃什么？”
“Wǎnfàn chī shénme?”“What do you want for dinner?”

我说：“你想吃什么，我就吃什么。”
Wǒ shuō: “Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme, wǒ jiù chī shénme.”I said, “Whatever you want to eat, I’ll eat that too.”

结果他笑了，说：“那就火锅吧！”
Jiéguǒ tā xiào le, shuō: “Nà jiù huǒguō ba!”He laughed and said, “Then let’s have hotpot!”

This morning I saw the weather was beautiful and thought “Since it’s so nice out, I’ll just walk to work!” Let’s learn how to say “since / now that / given that” in Chinese.

既然 (jì rán)

Hello，大家好，我是Janine。
Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.

今天早上出门的时候，我看到天气特别好。
Jīntiān zǎoshang chūmén de shíhou, wǒ kàn dào tiānqì tèbié hǎo.This morning when I went out, the weather was amazing.

我心想：既然这么好，就别坐地铁了，走路去公司吧。
Wǒ xīn xiǎng: jì rán zhème hǎo, jiù bié zuò dìtiě le, zǒulù qù gōngsī ba.I thought, “Since the weather’s so nice, I might as well walk to work.”

结果走了二十分钟，整个人都醒了，心情也更好了。
Jiéguǒ zǒu le èrshí fēnzhōng, zhěng gè rén dōu xǐng le, xīnqíng yě gèng hǎo le.After a 20-minute walk, I felt completely awake and in a great mood.

My friend asked if I wanted to see a new movie. I said, “Of course! I’m definitely going!” Let’s learn how to say “absolutely / definitely / for sure” in Chinese.

绝对 (jué duì)

Hello，大家好，我是Janine。
Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.

昨天朋友问我：“你想不想去看那部新电影？”
Zuótiān péngyou wèn wǒ: “Nǐ xiǎng bù xiǎng qù kàn nà bù xīn diànyǐng?”Yesterday my friend asked me, “Do you want to see that new movie?”

我马上说：“当然想！我绝对要去！”
Wǒ mǎshàng shuō: “Dāngrán xiǎng! Wǒ jué duì yào qù!”I said right away, “Of course! I’m definitely going!”

因为那是我最喜欢的电影。
Yīnwèi nà shì wǒ zuì xǐhuan de diànyǐng.Because it’s my favorite kind of movie.

我觉得，这次一定也很好看。
Wǒ juéde, zhè cì yídìng yě hěn hǎokàn.I think this one will definitely be good too.

I heard it’s going to rain this weekend, so I’m planning to stay home and watch a movie. Let’s learn how to say “I heard / people say” in Chinese.

听说 （tīng shuō)

Hello，大家好，我是Janine。
Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.

听说这周末要下雨。
Tīng shuō zhè zhōumò yào xià yǔ.I heard it’s going to rain this weekend.

所以我打算在家休息，看一部新电影。
Suǒyǐ wǒ dǎsuàn zài jiā xiūxi, kàn yí bù xīn diànyǐng.So I’m planning to stay home and watch a new movie.

朋友告诉我，那部电影很好笑。
Péngyou gàosu wǒ, nà bù diànyǐng hěn hǎo xiào.My friend told me it’s really funny.

我想，既然外面下雨，笑一笑也不错。
Wǒ xiǎng, jìrán wàimiàn xià yǔ, xiào yí xiào yě bú cuò.I thought, since it’s raining outside, having a laugh isn’t bad at all.

We went to a restaurant last night, but there were too many people, so I said, “How about we go somewhere else?”Let’s learn how to say “how about / otherwise / why not” in Chinese.

要不 （yào bù)

Hello，大家好，我是Janine。
Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.

昨天晚上我和朋友约好出去吃饭。
Zuótiān wǎnshang wǒ hé péngyou yuē hǎo chūqù chī fàn.Last night, my friend and I planned to go out for dinner.

可到餐厅的时候，人太多了，要等一个小时。
Kě dào cāntīng de shíhou, rén tài duō le, yào děng yí gè xiǎoshí.But when we got to the restaurant, it was packed — we had to wait an hour.

我看了看朋友，说：要不我们换一家吧？
Wǒ kàn le kàn péngyou, shuō: yào bù wǒmen huàn yì jiā ba?I looked at my friend and said, “How about we go somewhere else?”

结果我们找到了一家新的餐厅，味道还挺不错。
Jiéguǒ wǒmen zhǎo dào le yì jiā xīn de cāntīng, wèidào hái tǐng bú cuò.We ended up finding a new place, and the food was actually really good!

I love autumn — especially that cool feeling in the morning air, and the sound of golden leaves under my feet. Let’s learn how to say “especially / in particular” in Chinese.

特别是 （tè bié shì)

Hello，大家好，我是Janine。
Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.

我很喜欢秋天，
Wǒ hěn xǐhuan qiūtiān,I really like autumn,

特别是早上空气凉凉的那种感觉。
tèbié shì zǎoshang kōngqì liáng liáng de nà zhǒng gǎnjué.especially that cool feeling in the morning air.

街上的树叶变成金黄色，踩上去沙沙地响。
Jiē shàng de shùyè biàn chéng jīn huángsè, cǎi shàng qù shā shā de xiǎng.The leaves on the street turn golden and make a soft sound under your feet.

我总觉得秋天让人安静下来，也更容易想事情。
Wǒ zǒng juéde qiūtiān ràng rén ānjìng xiàlái, yě gèng róngyì xiǎng shìqing.I always feel autumn makes people calmer and more thoughtful.

Everyone has their own way to relax. Take my friend for example — she likes hiking, while I prefer staying home with coffee and a book. Let’s learn how to say “take … for example” in Chinese.

拿……来说 （ná … lái shuō)

Hello，大家好，我是Janine。
Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.

最近我发现，很多人都有自己的放松方式。
Zuìjìn wǒ fāxiàn, hěn duō rén dōu yǒu zìjǐ de fàngsōng fāngshì.Recently, I’ve noticed that everyone has their own way to relax.

拿我朋友来说，她喜欢周末去爬山。
Ná wǒ péngyou lái shuō, tā xǐhuan zhōumò qù páshān.Take my friend for example — she likes hiking on weekends.

而我呢，我更喜欢在家看书、喝咖啡。
Ér wǒ ne, wǒ gèng xǐhuan zài jiā kàn shū, hē kāfēi.As for me, I prefer staying home, reading, and drinking coffee.

不管做什么，只要能放松，就很好。
Bùguǎn zuò shénme, zhǐyào néng fàngsōng, jiù hěn hǎo.No matter what you do, as long as it helps you relax, it’s great.

This morning I thought it was a bit cold, so I decided to wear one more layer — but then the sun came out! Let’s learn how to say “a little bit / slightly” in Chinese.

稍微 (shāo wēi)

Hello，大家好，我是Janine。
Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.

今天早上我出门的时候，天气有点儿凉。
Jīntiān zǎoshang wǒ chūmén de shíhou, tiānqì yǒu diǎnr liáng.This morning when I went out, it felt a bit cool.

我想了想，决定稍微多穿一件外套。
Wǒ xiǎng le xiǎng, juédìng shāo wēi duō chuān yí jiàn wàitào.I thought for a second and decided to wear one more layer.

结果出门走了几步，太阳出来了！
Jiéguǒ chūmén zǒu le jǐ bù, tàiyáng chū lái le!But after walking just a few steps, the sun came out!

我笑了笑：哎，稍微多穿一点也不错。
Wǒ xiào le xiào: āi, shāo wēi duō chuān yì diǎn yě bú cuò.I smiled and thought, “Well, wearing a little extra isn’t so bad.”