Simplified Chinese - Lesson 50 of 156: Home Life

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

我跟___一起住。

Wǒ gēn ___ yìqǐ zhù.

I live with ___.

Meaning: I live with ___.

When to use: Say who you live with (family, friends, roommate).

Tip: Some beginners say 我和…一起住; that's also correct. Be careful with word order when adding extra verbs.

我跟室友一起住。

Wǒ gēn shìyǒu yìqǐ zhù.

I live with my roommate.

我跟爸妈一起住，所以周末常常回家吃饭。

Wǒ gēn bàmā yìqǐ zhù, suǒyǐ zhōumò chángcháng huí jiā chīfàn.

I live with my parents, so I often eat at home on weekends.

我一个人住

Wǒ yí ge rén zhù.

I live alone.

Meaning: I live alone.

When to use: Say you live by yourself (no housemates).

大学毕业后我一个人住，学会自己做饭了。

Dàxué bìyè hòu wǒ yí ge rén zhù, xuéhuì zìjǐ zuò fàn le.

After graduating I lived alone and learned to cook for myself.

现在我一个人住，家里比较安静。

Xiànzài wǒ yí ge rén zhù, jiālǐ bǐjiào ānjìng.

Now I live alone; my place is fairly quiet.

你住的是独栋房子还是公寓？

Nǐ zhù de shì dúdòng fángzi háishì gōngyù?

Do you live in a house or an apartment?

Meaning: Do you live in a house or an apartment?

When to use: Ask about someone's type of home (house vs apartment).

你住的是独栋房子还是公寓？我家是公寓。

Nǐ zhù de shì dúdòng fángzi háishì gōngyù? Wǒ jiā shì gōngyù.

Do you live in a house or an apartment? I live in an apartment.

我们更喜欢独栋房子，因为有大花园。

Wǒmen gèng xǐhuān dúdòng fángzi, yīnwèi yǒu dà huāyuán.

We prefer a house because it has a big garden.

我跟___合住。

Wǒ gēn ___ hézhù.

I share a place with ___.

Meaning: I share a place with ___.

When to use: Say you share a rented place or room with someone.

我跟朋友合住，这样房租便宜一些。

Wǒ gēn péngyǒu hézhù, zhèyàng fángzū piányi yìxiē.

I share with a friend, so the rent is a bit cheaper.

现在我跟两位同事合住，一个月分摊房租。

Xiànzài wǒ gēn liǎng wèi tóngshì hézhù, yí ge yuè fēntān fángzū.

I currently share with two coworkers and split the rent each month.

我住的地方在___附近。

Wǒ zhù de dìfang zài ___ fùjìn.

My place is near ___.

Meaning: My place is near ___.

When to use: Describe what your home is close to (station, school, park).

我住的地方在地铁站附近，出门很方便。

Wǒ zhù de dìfang zài dìtiě zhàn fùjìn, chūmén hěn fāngbiàn.

My place is near the metro station, so it's very convenient to go out.

我住的地方在大学附近，周围有很多小餐馆。

Wǒ zhù de dìfang zài dàxué fùjìn, zhōuwéi yǒu hěn duō xiǎo cānguǎn.

I live near the university; there are many small restaurants around.

离这儿大概___。

Lí zhèr dàgài ___.

It's about ___ from here.

Meaning: It's about ___ from here.

When to use: Say how far or how long it takes from the current place (time or distance).

Tip: Remember you can use time (分钟) or distance (公里) after the blank.

离这儿大概十分钟，坐地铁两站就到了。

Lí zhèr dàgài shí fēnzhōng, zuò dìtiě liǎng zhàn jiù dào le.

It's about ten minutes — two metro stops away.

离这儿大概两公里，走路比较远。

Lí zhèr dàgài liǎng gōnglǐ, zǒulù bǐjiào yuǎn.

It's about two kilometers from here; walking is quite far.

有___个房间。

Yǒu ___ ge fángjiān.

There are ___ rooms.

Meaning: There are ___ rooms.

When to use: Describe how many rooms your home has (bedrooms, living rooms).

我的公寓有两间卧室和一个客厅，有三间主要房间。

Wǒ de gōngyù yǒu liǎng jiān wòshì hé yí ge kètīng, yǒu sān jiān zhǔyào fángjiān.

My apartment has two bedrooms and a living room — three main rooms.

他们的新房子有四个房间，孩子们每人一个房间。

Tāmen de xīn fángzi yǒu sì gè fángjiān, háizi men měi rén yí gè fángjiān.

Their new house has four rooms; each child has a room.

在___楼

Zài ___ lóu.

It's on the ___ floor.

Meaning: It's on the ___ floor.

When to use: Say which floor the home or apartment is located on (use numbers).

Tip: Don't add extra particles; say 在三楼 (zài sān lóu), not 在三楼上 in most cases.

我住在三楼，爬楼梯比较累但房租便宜。

Wǒ zhù zài sān lóu, pá lóutī bǐjiào lèi dàn fángzū piányi.

I live on the third floor; climbing is tiring but rent is cheaper.

商店在地下室，我的公寓在五楼。

Shāngdiàn zài dìxiàshì, wǒ de gōngyù zài wǔ lóu.

The shop is in the basement; my apartment is on the fifth floor.

我是___前搬到这儿的。

Wǒ shì ___ qián bān dào zhèr de.

I moved here ___ ago.

Meaning: I moved here ___ ago.

When to use: Tell when you started living at your current place (months, years).

我是两年前搬到这儿的，那时工作刚开始。

Wǒ shì liǎng nián qián bān dào zhèr de, nà shí gōngzuò gāng kāishǐ.

I moved here two years ago when I just started working.

我是三个月前搬到这儿的，还在收拾家里的东西。

Wǒ shì sān ge yuè qián bān dào zhèr de, hái zài shōushí jiālǐ de dōngxi.

I moved here three months ago and am still unpacking.

我租的是___。

Wǒ zū de shì ___.

I rent ___.

Meaning: I rent ___.

When to use: Say what kind of place you rent (apartment type, number of rooms).

我租的是一居室，客厅不大但很明亮。

Wǒ zū de shì yì jū shì, kètīng bù dà dàn hěn míngliàng.

I rent a one-bedroom; the living room is small but bright.

我租的是公寓，在市中心，离公司近。

Wǒ zū de shì gōngyù, zài shì zhōngxīn, lí gōngsī jìn.

I rent an apartment in the city center, close to work.

我的___是自己的。

Wǒ de ___ shì zìjǐ de.

I own my ___.

Meaning: I own my ___.

When to use: Say that a part of your home or the whole home belongs to you (house, apartment).

我的房子是自己的，不是租的。

Wǒ de fángzi shì zìjǐ de, bù shì zū de.

My house is my own, not rented.

我的车库是自己的，我们不会搬走它。

Wǒ de chēkù shì zìjǐ de, wǒmen bù huì bān zǒu tā.

My garage is mine; we won't move it.

我现在暂时住在___家。

Wǒ xiànzài zànshí zhù zài ___ jiā.

I'm staying with ___ for now.

Meaning: I'm staying with ___ for now.

When to use: Tell someone your living arrangement is temporary and name the person you stay with.

我现在暂时住在朋友家，找房子还没找到。

Wǒ xiànzài zànshí zhù zài péngyǒu jiā, zhǎo fángzi hái méi zhǎodào.

I'm temporarily staying at a friend's house while I look for a place.

出差期间我现在暂时住在同事家里。

Chūchāi qíjiān wǒ xiànzài zànshí zhù zài tóngshì jiā lǐ.

During the business trip I'm temporarily staying at a colleague's place.

我家___

Wǒ jiā ___.

My place is ___.

Meaning: My place is ___.

When to use: Give a simple description of your home (small, convenient, old).

我家挺方便的，附近有超市和公园。

Wǒ jiā tǐng fāngbiàn de, fùjìn yǒu chāoshì hé gōngyuán.

My place is pretty convenient; there's a supermarket and park nearby.

我家有点旧，但很温暖。

Wǒ jiā yǒu diǎn jiù, dàn hěn wēnnuǎn.

My home is a bit old but very cozy.

Simplified Chinese - Home Life

1. Reading + Listening Practice

2. Conversational Listening Practice

3. Guided Practice

What does '我一个人住。' mean?

How could you answer: 你住的是独栋房子还是公寓？

Which is a good way to answer '离这儿大概___' if it takes 15 minutes?

How do you say 'It's on the fifth floor.' in Chinese?

I rent an apartment.

I'm temporarily staying at my parents' house.

Our home has three rooms.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice