Simplified Chinese course

Lesson 68 of 240

New here? This is lesson 68 of a free 240-lesson Simplified Chinese course.

Homework and tests in Simplified Chinese

Maya arrives late to Mandarin class with work still unfinished. She needs to explain that she missed yesterday's lesson and ask whether she can hand in the work tomorrow.

Learn a useful chunk for a forgotten textbook, a natural question about a test, and a polite request for someone to check your work.

A yak sticker on the borrowed book catches Maya's eye. The fortune slip remains unexplained.

By the end of this lesson

Explain a missed class, ask to hand work in later, ask how a test went, and request help checking it.

  • 我可以明天交吗?Can I hand it in tomorrow?
  • 我昨天没去上课I didn't go to class yesterday.
  • 我把课本忘在家里了I left my textbook at home.
  • 这次考试你考得怎么样?How did the test go for you?
  • 我拿到九十分I got ninety points.
  • 可以帮我检查一下吗?Can you check it for me?

Scene — a late arrival

At a community classroom in Da'an, Maya arrives late and realizes her textbook is still at home. The teacher lends her a copy with a small yak sticker.

After class, Maya talks with Yi-Jun about the test and asks for help checking her work. A-Li is nearby with his unfinished drink; nobody explains the old fortune slip.

Maya arrives late at a community classroom in Da'an and realizes she left her textbook at home as the teacher lends her a copy with a small yak sticker.

Learn — classroom questions

These six lines help you explain a missed class, ask for a later deadline, and discuss a test. Notice that the first 把 sentence is a fixed chunk.

  1. Maya asks the teacher if she can hand in her work tomorrow.

    我可以明天交吗?

    Can I hand it in tomorrow?

    When to use it: Ask politely for one more day to submit an assignment or other work.

  2. Maya tells the teacher that she did not attend class yesterday.

    我昨天没去上课

    I didn't go to class yesterday.

    When to use it: Explain that you did not attend class the day before.

  3. Maya explains that she left her textbook at home while the borrowed copy with a small yak sticker is on her desk.

    我把课本忘在家里了

    I left my textbook at home.

    When to use it: Explain that you accidentally left your textbook at home.

    Learn this 把 sentence as one fixed chunk; it says you left the book at home.

  4. Yi-Jun asks Maya how her test went while Ali sits nearby with an unfinished drink.

    这次考试你考得怎么样?

    How did the test go for you?

    When to use it: Ask someone how they did on a particular test.

    得 links 考 to the result question; learn this whole question as a chunk.

    Say it: 得 is neutral here; listen for its light tone between 考 and 怎么样.

  5. Maya tells Yi-Jun she received a high test score, with her test paper showing no legible marks.

    我拿到九十分

    I got ninety points.

    When to use it: Say this when sharing a score of ninety points.

  6. Maya asks Yi-Jun to check her work while Ali stays nearby with his unfinished drink.

    可以帮我检查一下吗?

    Can you check it for me?

    When to use it: Politely ask someone to check your work.

Story — a borrowed textbook

Maya arrives late to class and explains why she missed the previous lesson. The teacher lends her a textbook with a yak sticker.

After class, Yi-Jun asks about Maya's test. A-Li is nearby, and his soy milk is still unfinished.

  1. Teacher早安,玛雅。Good morning, Maya.
  2. Maya对不起,我迟到了。Sorry, I'm late.
  3. Teacher你昨天有去上课吗?Did you go to class yesterday?
  4. Maya我昨天没去上课。I didn't go to class yesterday.
  5. Maya我把课本忘在家里了。I left my textbook at home.
  6. Teacher没关系,我借你一本。It's okay. I'll lend you one.
  7. Maya老师,谢谢你。Teacher, thank you.
  8. Maya书上有阿犛贴纸欸。There's an A-Li sticker on the book.
  9. Maya我可以明天交吗?Can I hand it in tomorrow?
  10. Teacher可以,明天交。Sure, hand it in tomorrow.
  11. Yi-Jun这次考试你考得怎么样?How did the test go for you?
  12. Maya我拿到九十分。I got ninety points.
  13. Maya可以帮我检查一下吗?Can you check it for me?
  14. Yi-Jun好,我看一下。Sure, I'll take a look.
  15. A-Li豆浆还没喝完。The soy milk still isn't finished.

Practice — talk about class

Use the clues to choose classroom phrases, rebuild a sentence, and answer naturally. The final items also revisit a late arrival and the word for teacher.

0 of 10 done

  1. What does it mean?

    What does it mean?

    我可以明天交吗?

  2. What do you say?

    What do you say?

    Tell your teacher that you did not attend class the day before.

  3. Build the line

    Build the line

    I left my textbook at home.

    Tap the words in order.

  4. Fill the gap

    Fill the gap

    How did the test go for you?

    这次考试你考____怎么样?

  5. What did you hear?

    What did you hear?

  6. Pick the reply

    Yi-Jun says:

    Pick the reply

    这次考试你考得怎么样?

    How did the test go for you?

    And you reply with:

  7. What do you say?

    What do you say?

    You have a paper ready and want to politely ask someone to check it.

  8. Match the pairs

    Simplified Chinese

    我可以明天交吗?Drop the English here
    我昨天没去上课Drop the English here
    这次考试你考得怎么样?Drop the English here
    可以帮我检查一下吗?Drop the English here

    English

  9. Build the line

    Build the line

    I'm late.

    Tap the words in order.

  10. What do you say?

    What do you say?

    Politely address the person leading your class before thanking them.

Say it — ask for more time

You play Maya and speak with your teacher and Yi-Jun. Listen to each cue, then say the matching classroom phrase aloud.

Ask for a little more time, answer a question about your test, and finish by asking someone to check your work.

  1. Maya explains why she does not have her textbook.
  2. Maya (you)Explain that you left your textbook at home.

    Explain that you left your textbook at home.

    我把课本忘在家里了

    I left my textbook at home.

0 of 4 said

Recap — what you can say now

Every line from this lesson
Simplified ChineseEnglishPlay
我可以明天交吗?Can I hand it in tomorrow?
我昨天没去上课I didn't go to class yesterday.
我把课本忘在家里了I left my textbook at home.
这次考试你考得怎么样?How did the test go for you?
我拿到九十分I got ninety points.
可以帮我检查一下吗?Can you check it for me?
Next: lesson 69Asking your teacher

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Review today's classroom phrases in Yak Cards.

Practice asking for more time and talking about a test score until the phrases feel natural.

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