LessonsHSK 1 · Lesson 12
HSK 1 · Lesson 12 of 15
Work and phone calls
Work, being busy and phone calls — and how to say what someone is doing right now. 21 words and 2 grammar points; tap the characters to hear them.
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📚 Words
- Hán-Việt công tác To work, to have a job; as a noun, a job or one's work.
- Hán-Việt thượng ban To work a day's shift: to go to your job, or to be there working.
- Hán-Việt hạ ban To leave work at the end of the working day.
- Hán-Việt công ty A company: a business that people work for; also its office as a workplace.
- Hán-Việt y sinh A doctor: someone trained in medicine who examines and treats the sick.
- Hán-Việt y viện A hospital, where the sick are treated.
- Hán-Việt mang Busy: having a lot to do and little free time.
- Hán-Việt trảo To search for a person or thing, hoping to find it.
- Hán-Việt sự A piece of business: something that happens, or something you have to do.
- Hán-Việt tố To do (a task, a job); to make (a thing).
- Hán-Việt chính tại Marks an action as going on right now, like English 'is doing'.
- Hán-Việt đả điện thoại To ring someone up, to call them on the phone.
- Hán-Việt điện thoại A telephone; also a phone call.
- Hán-Việt thủ cơ A mobile phone, including a smartphone.
- Hán-Việt điện não A computer, desktop or laptop.
- Hán-Việt điện thị Television: the set in the room, and also TV as a medium, with its channels and programmes.
- Hán-Việt vấn To put a question to someone, or to ask about something.
- Hán-Việt vấn đề A question that someone asks; also a problem, something wrong or difficult.
- Hán-Việt thuyết To say; to speak, to talk.
- Hán-Việt thuyết thoại To talk: to use your voice to say things, or to have a conversation.
- Hán-Việt cấp To give, to hand something to someone.
🧩 Grammar
在 / 正在 + verb: happening now
在 or 正在 before a verb says the action is going on right now; 呢 at the end of the sentence often goes with it: 他在打电话 "He's on the phone", 妈妈正在做饭呢 "Mum is cooking". The negative is 没在: 我没在看电视 "I'm not watching TV".
- He's on the phone.
- Mum is cooking.
Two objects: 给 and 问
给 "to give" takes two objects, the person first and then the thing: 老师给我一本书 "The teacher gave me a book". 问 "to ask" works the same way: 我问你一个问题 "Let me ask you a question". Before another verb, 给 means "for, to": 给妈妈打电话 "call Mum".
- Here, an apple for you.
- I'll call you tonight.
- Let me ask you a question.
🎯 Practice
The drill below uses only this lesson’s words. Switch the kind of drill:
Context clues Match the meaning Listen & type Fill the blank Put in order Hán-Việt bridge
Open the full practice page → · All 300 HSK 1 words