Simplified Chinese - Hobbies

Lesson 59 of 156

Two friends talking about hobbies in Simplified Chinese — a warm scene for a Hobbies lesson.

Goal: Talk about what you do for fun — how often, how long, and how good you are

Free Simplified Chinese lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome back! In this lesson we'll chat about hobbies you like and how you practice them. Repeat the phrases out loud, try the mini-dialogue, then test yourself with quick quizzes — listen, repeat, speak.

Level A2: Lesson 59 is all about hobbies and how to describe your skill, frequency, and time spent. You'll practice phrases to say you're getting better, say you're a beginner, explain how long or how often you do things, ask if someone is interested, and give simple opinions about activities. This short lesson is CEFR-aligned and focused on speaking practice you can use right away.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • At A2, say that your hobby skills are improving and describe how often/long you practice.
  • Ask and answer whether someone is interested in a hobby (你对___感兴趣吗？).
  • Explain occasional habits (有时间我就做。) and give a short opinion (很好玩，但是有点难。).

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

我___越来越好了。

Wǒ ___ yuè lái yuè hǎo le.

I'm getting better at ___.

Meaning: I'm getting better at ___.

When to use: Use this to say your ability in a hobby is improving; put a verb phrase or activity (e.g., 弹吉他, 画画) in the blank.

Tip: 不要把'越来越'放在动词后面。正确顺序是主语 + 动词短语 + 越来越 + 好。

我弹吉他越来越好了。

Wǒ tán jítā yuè lái yuè hǎo le.

I'm getting better at playing guitar.
我画画越来越好了。

Wǒ huà huà yuè lái yuè hǎo le.

My drawing is getting better.

我在___上还是个新手。

Wǒ zài ___ shàng hái shì ge xīnshǒu.

I'm still a beginner at ___.

Meaning: I'm still a beginner at ___.

When to use: Use this to describe that you are new to a hobby; put the hobby area in the blank (e.g., 摄影, 弹吉他).

Tip: 初学者可能忘了说“上”作为领域标记：说“我在摄影上还是个新手”比只说“我还是新手”更清楚。

我在摄影上还是个新手。

Wǒ zài shèyǐng shàng hái shì ge xīnshǒu.

I'm still a beginner at photography.
我在弹吉他上还是个新手。

Wǒ zài tán jítā shàng hái shì ge xīnshǒu.

I'm still a beginner at playing guitar.

我___大概一个小时。

Wǒ ___ dàgài yí ge xiǎoshí.

I do ___ for about an hour.

Meaning: I do ___ for about an hour.

When to use: Use this to say how long you spend on a hobby; put the activity (跑步, 练琴, 画画) in the blank.

Tip: 有时学生会忘记量词“个”或把时间放错位置。自然说法是“我 + 活动 + 大概 + 一个小时”。

我练琴大概一个小时。

Wǒ liàn qín dàgài yí ge xiǎoshí.

I practice the piano for about an hour.
我跑步大概一个小时。

Wǒ pǎobù dàgài yí ge xiǎoshí.

I run for about an hour.

你对___感兴趣吗？

Nǐ duì ___ gǎn xìngqù ma?

Are you interested in ___?

Meaning: Are you interested in ___?

When to use: Use this question to ask if someone likes or is interested in a hobby or topic; put the hobby/topic in the blank.

你对摄影感兴趣吗？

Nǐ duì shèyǐng gǎn xìngqù ma?

Are you interested in photography?
你对跳舞感兴趣吗？

Nǐ duì tiàowǔ gǎn xìngqù ma?

Are you interested in dancing?

有时间我就做

Yǒu shíjiān wǒ jiù zuò.

I do it when I have time.

Meaning: I do it when I have time.

When to use: Use this to explain that you do a hobby occasionally, not every day — it's natural spoken Chinese.

有时间我就做手工。

Yǒu shíjiān wǒ jiù zuò shǒugōng.

I do crafts when I have time.
有时间我就做瑜伽。

Yǒu shíjiān wǒ jiù zuò yújiā.

I do yoga when I have time.

很好玩，但是有点难。

Hěn hǎowán, dànshì yǒudiǎn nán.

It's fun, but it's hard.

Meaning: It's fun, but it's hard.

When to use: Use this to give a simple opinion about a hobby that you enjoy but find challenging.

学吉他很好玩，但是有点难。

Xué jítā hěn hǎowán, dànshì yǒudiǎn nán.

Learning guitar is fun, but a little hard.
做陶艺很好玩，但是有点难。

Zuò táoyì hěn hǎowán, dànshì yǒudiǎn nán.

Making pottery is fun, but a bit difficult.

我每周去___一次。

Wǒ měi zhōu qù ___ yí cì.

I go ___ once a week.

Meaning: I go ___ once a week.

When to use: Use this to say how often you do an activity that requires going somewhere (游泳, 健身, 跳舞) by inserting the place/activity in the blank.

我每周去游泳一次。

Wǒ měi zhōu qù yóuyǒng yí cì.

I go swimming once a week.
我每周去健身一次。

Wǒ měi zhōu qù jiànshēn yí cì.

I go to the gym once a week.

我喜欢这个，因为它很___。

Wǒ xǐhuan zhège, yīnwèi tā hěn ___.

I like it because it's ___.

Meaning: I like it because it's ___.

When to use: Use this to explain why you enjoy a hobby; put an adjective in the blank (有意思, 放松, 有挑战性).

Tip: 不要把形容词和‘因为’分开放在句子末尾。自然顺序是“我喜欢这个，因为它很 + 形容词”。

我喜欢这个，因为它很放松。

Wǒ xǐhuan zhège, yīnwèi tā hěn fàngsōng.

I like it because it's relaxing.
我喜欢这个，因为它很有意思。

Wǒ xǐhuan zhège, yīnwèi tā hěn yǒu yìsi.

I like it because it's interesting.

我尽量每周___。

Wǒ jǐnliàng měi zhōu ___.

I try to ___ every week.

Meaning: I try to ___ every week.

When to use: Use this to say you attempt to do an activity weekly; put the activity verb (拍照, 练琴, 跳舞) in the blank.

我尽量每周拍照。

Wǒ jǐnliàng měi zhōu pāi zhào.

I try to take photos every week.
我尽量每周练琴。

Wǒ jǐnliàng měi zhōu liàn qín.

I try to practice my instrument every week.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Two friends talk about photography practice.

Anna and David talking about being a beginner and practicing more, illustrated for the Hobbies lesson in Simplified Chinese.

Who says they are still a beginner?

Portrait of Anna in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

Anna

你对摄影感兴趣吗？

Nǐ duì shèyǐng gǎn xìngqù ma?

Are you interested in photography?

Portrait of David in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

David

有一点，我在摄影上还是个新手。

Yǒu yìdiǎn, wǒ zài shèyǐng shàng hái shì ge xīnshǒu.

A little — I'm still a beginner at photography.

Portrait of Anna in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

Anna

别担心，我拍得越来越好了。

Bié dānxīn, wǒ pāi dé yuè lái yuè hǎo le.

Don't worry — my photos have been getting better.

Portrait of David in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

David

真的吗？你拍照大概一个小时吗？

Zhēn de ma? Nǐ pāi zhào dàgài yí ge xiǎoshí ma?

Really? Do you take photos for about an hour?

Portrait of Anna in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

Anna

有时候我拍一个小时，有时间我就做。

Yǒu shíhou wǒ pāi yí ge xiǎoshí, yǒu shíjiān wǒ jiù zuò.

Sometimes I shoot for an hour — I do it when I have time.

Portrait of David in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

David

听起来很好玩，但是有点难。

Tīng qǐlái hěn hǎowán, dànshì yǒudiǎn nán.

Sounds fun, but a little hard.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which phrase means “I do it when I have time.”?

Which phrase asks 'Are you interested in ___?'

Which phrase means 'It's fun, but it's hard.'?

Which sentence says 'I go ___ once a week.'?

Lately I often play guitar; I think I'm getting better at playing guitar.

最近我常常弹吉他，我觉得我___越来越好了。

Photography is interesting, but I'm still a beginner at photography.

摄影很有意思，但我___上还是个新手。

During holiday I often draw; usually I draw for about an hour.

放假时我常常画画，通常我___大概一个小时。

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

我___越来越好了。

Wǒ ___ yuè lái yuè hǎo le.

I'm getting better at ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

我在___上还是个新手。

Wǒ zài ___ shàng hái shì ge xīnshǒu.

I'm still a beginner at ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

我___大概一个小时。

Wǒ ___ dàgài yí ge xiǎoshí.

I do ___ for about an hour.

Say this phrase out loud:

你对___感兴趣吗？

Nǐ duì ___ gǎn xìngqù ma?

Are you interested in ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

有时间我就做

Yǒu shíjiān wǒ jiù zuò.

I do it when I have time.

Say this phrase out loud:

很好玩，但是有点难。

Hěn hǎowán, dànshì yǒudiǎn nán.

It's fun, but it's hard.

Say this phrase out loud:

我每周去___一次。

Wǒ měi zhōu qù ___ yí cì.

I go ___ once a week.

Say this phrase out loud:

我喜欢这个，因为它很___。

Wǒ xǐhuan zhège, yīnwèi tā hěn ___.

I like it because it's ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

我尽量每周___。

Wǒ jǐnliàng měi zhōu ___.

I try to ___ every week.