ElementaryReading 03 / 036 sentences

A rainy Saturday

Rain changes a plan to visit the park. Practise giving a reason and putting actions in order.

Begin reading
雨yǔ

Pinyin and English translations.
Vocabulary and a practice question.

Show

01 / READRead the story

Try reading the Chinese before opening the English translations.

星期六,我们本来想去公园。

Xīngqīliù, wǒmen běnlái xiǎng qù gōngyuán.

On Saturday, we had originally planned to go to the park.

可是早上一直在下雨。

Kěshì zǎoshang yìzhí zài xià yǔ.

But it kept raining that morning.

因为雨很大,所以我们决定去博物馆。

Yīnwèi yǔ hěn dà, suǒyǐ wǒmen juédìng qù bówùguǎn.

Because the rain was heavy, we decided to go to a museum.

我们先在家吃早饭,再坐地铁过去。

Wǒmen xiān zài jiā chī zǎofàn, zài zuò dìtiě guòqù.

We had breakfast at home first, then took the subway there.

朋友说:“我以前没来过这里。”

Péngyou shuō: “Wǒ yǐqián méi lái guo zhèlǐ.”

My friend said, “I've never been here before.”

虽然外面在下雨,但是我们玩得很开心。

Suīrán wàimiàn zài xià yǔ, dànshì wǒmen wán de hěn kāixīn.

Although it was raining outside, we had a lovely time.

Written for this website. You may use the downloaded text for your own study.

02 / UNDERSTANDA reason, then a result

因为 introduces the reason; 所以 introduces what follows from it. Chinese can use both in one sentence: 因为雨很大,所以我们决定去博物馆. In natural English, you will usually translate this with either ‘because’ or ‘so’. The following sentence uses 先…再… to put breakfast before the subway ride.

Read the grammar lesson

03 / PRACTISEWhat did you read?

他们为什么去博物馆?

Why did they go to the museum?

04 / VOCABULARYStory vocabulary

ChinesePinyinMeaning here
本来běnláioriginally
公园gōngyuánpark
决定juédìngto decide
博物馆bówùguǎnmuseum
地铁dìtiěsubway
开心kāixīnhappy; having a good time
Practice these words

Choose a Chinese word for dictionary definitions, examples and stroke order. The meanings above are specific to this lesson.

What is in the download?

The TSV contains Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Import instructions are below.

Read this text in the app

Save the Chinese TXT to Files. In Laowai, open Library → Your texts and import it. You can then look up and save words as you read.

Reading and import guide ↗

04 / VOCABULARY

Download vocabulary for the app

From “A rainy Saturday”: 6 words with pinyin and the meanings used here.

  • 本来běnláioriginally
  • 公园gōngyuánpark
  • 决定juédìngto decide
Download 6 words · TSV
  1. Save the vocabulary file to Files.
  2. In Laowai, open Learn → + (New list) → Import from file.
  3. Select the file, check the recognised words and tap Import.

Downloads contain vocabulary, not website answers or progress. Dictionary search stays free. Unlimited practice and iCloud sync are part of optional Laowai Pro.

Continue in the app

Download Laowai on the App StoreOpen Learn in Laowai

This link opens Learn in the installed app.

Vocabulary practice guide ↗

Use this reading in class.

Print the student activity and keep the answer key separate.

Student worksheet ↗ · Teacher notes and answers