My name is Sophia Baez, and I am a First-year student! I am from Fairfax, Virginia (NOVA). I am planning on majoring in Economics or Politics. 

Over winter break I traveled to New York City. I spent a lot of time with my family and friends at home. 

My favorite fast food restaurant is Cook Out. I drive a lime green Jeep Wrangler. I love T.V. and movies. My favorite shows are Community and New Girl. 

This week I arrived on grounds early to participate in sorority rush and have been unenthusiastically dealing with the cold weather.  

I am interested in learning more about the Chinese language and culture, so I am looking forward to taking this class. See you soon! 

I spend most of my time making art either for classes or personal work, so I’m usually hanging around the art hall in the middle of the night. A fun fact is that I have some tattoos that I designed on my arm. My favorite show at the moment is Alice in Borderland, but it changes pretty often. I tend to work a lot outside of class, so you might see me in the wild at work.

I hope we all have a fun semester!

1. the pinyin chart on Yabla
2. the App "Hi Chinese"/嗨中文
3. post your take-aways of the video on how to get good pronunciation.
4. Remaining questions or challenges

- Practice tone pairs

- Vocal warm up before talking

- Mimic speaking frequently 

- Speaking and shadowing practice (repeat someone reading)

- Tongue twisters

- Watch peoples mouths (keep muscles relaxed)

- Speak a little slower to sound clearer

- Learn a lot of words

- Write (and read) a lot of words

Personal Reflection
The 2nd tone is the hardest for me to say

Please take advantage of this weekend to reach out to your 中国朋友, ask to learn how to pronounce their Chinese name, invite them to correct your tones (they'll be too polite to do it if you don't invite them to correct you.)

Since you can't hold a conversation yet, for this time, you can show them your tone chart, the numbers, the radicals and ask them to quiz you and again to fine tune your tones.

By class time on Monday, post a selfie of you and your 中国朋友 on Padlet and write a paragraph introducing him/her name in pinyin, and tell 老师lǎoshī and 同学tóngxué about what you practiced and how it went. 

If you need help finding a 中国朋友，you can come to Friday's Chinese new year event, 老师 will pair you up with someone. You can also sign up for a tutorial spot. (see below for the sign up form).

4. I went to Richmond this weekend so I got to practice with my brother in person and it went pretty well. I still need to work on my pronunciation. I usually practice by writing the characters a bunch of times along with the pinyin and meanings until I memorize them.

她姓贾。我姓萨。她叫贾茗悦。我叫凯凯。她家有三口人。爸爸，妈妈， 和她。我家有六口人。爸爸，妈妈，大姐，两个哥哥，和我。她爸爸和妈妈都是电脑工程师。她是大学生。我也是大学生。我爸爸和妈妈都是医生。我大姐和二哥都是工程师。我小哥是商人。她是中国人。我是美国人。她住在北京。我住在弗吉尼亚州。

英文：
I have really liked working with Cynthia. It is super helpful being around a native speaker. It allows me to actually practice speaking in a different setting than the classroom. It takes away some of the anxieties about speaking, and even if I make mistakes, I am not worried. 

I practiced the class material with my brother this weekend. We went over the characters and grammar, but mostly practiced speaking. I think I’m fine with sentence structures and vocabulary, but I still need to practice more in general to become more familiar with the content.

这是我的中国朋友的家人。 他们(的)姓(是)华。我的中国朋友叫Eva。她是弗吉尼亚{大学的}学生。 她是中国人。，她也是美国人。 她妈妈和爸爸是中国人。她是弗吉尼亚人。 她的家（人）有四口人。她->他是她爸爸。 她->他叫Richard。 他（是）五十二岁（生）。他是厨师（工作）。她是她妈妈。 她叫Kayla。 她（是）五十岁（生）。她也是厨师（工作）。 他是她弟弟。 他叫Henry。他（是）{七十->十七}岁生。他是学生。 她父母{是都->都是}厨师(工作)。 我和我妹妹都是学生。我妈妈和爸爸{不都?}是商人（工作）。 我和我的中国朋友{不都->都没}有一个弟弟。

二）I’m pretty happy with my progress in Chinese so far but I feel like I could do more studying on my own time. I think my strengths are in listening and writing because that is mainly how I study, by writing the character, pinyin, and meanings while listening to them. My weakness is in reading because I feel like my brain doesn’t process what I’m reading fast enough. Also, I’m bad at test-taking so often make mistakes on things I know Also, I have a hard time seeing in class, adding to the reading weakness, because of my bad vision. I want to self-study reading and watching more to improve on my weaker areas.

三）College isn’t that bad but I’m tired and sick often because I work a lot. In that aspect, my time management is kinda bad. Last semester I passed out from fatigue because I was working two jobs. So, my advice for underclassmen would be to not do that and try to have more free time.

2. 她明天不会很忙。

3. 她星期二很忙。星期三她不太忙。

6. 她有很多朋友。

8. 她最喜欢弗大的大学。

9. 她不喜欢弗大的大学的饭。
10. 弗大的大学有中国菜，可是弗大的大学有很不好吃。
11. 她喜欢中国菜。
12. 她家有三口人，爸爸、妈妈、和她。她没有兄弟姐妹。
13. 她家人都不是美国人。
14. 她是一个好孩子。
15. 她爸爸和妈妈都是好朋友。

21. 她爸爸的生日是七月五号。她妈妈的生日是三月十四号。
22. 她爸爸妈妈都做电脑工程师。

24. 她爸爸妈妈喜欢他们的工作。
25. 她没有工作。

28. 她今年没有中文课，可是她有英语课、物理课、和生物课。
29. 她很喜欢他的同学们。
30. 她有很多的同学，因为她的课有很大。
31. 她老师都是美国人。

35. 她认识十个中国朋友。
40. 现在下午两点四十三分。
41. 她今天晚上六点一刻会去吃晚饭。

2。我明天不忙。

3。我星期天很忙。我星期三不太忙。

4。弗吉尼亚大学生都很忙。

5。我不是大一学生。我是高中生。

6。我没有很多朋友。

7。我不是弗吉尼亚人。我是{得->德}州人。

8。我喜欢弗吉尼亚大学因为它（是）很漂亮。

9。我不喜欢弗吉尼亚大学的饭。

10。我不知道。

11。我喜欢美国菜。我妈妈和爸爸喜欢中国菜。

12。我家有五口人。我有一个哥哥和一个姐姐。

13。我家人都是美国人。

14。我是一个好孩子。

15。我的爸爸妈妈也是我的好朋友。

16。我没有弟弟，

17。我姐姐没有孩子。

18。我没有弟弟。

19。我不是哥哥。

20。我没有妹妹。

21。我妈妈的生日是六月十八号。我爸爸的生日是九月十二号。

22。 我爸爸是老师。我妈妈也是老师。

23。我爸爸妈妈不太忙。

24。我爸爸妈妈都喜欢他们的工作。

25。我有工作。我是老师。

26。我有一个工作。

27。我不喜欢我的工作。

28。我今年没有中文课。

29。我喜欢我的同学们。

30。我有很多同学。我不知道。

31。我的老师是美国人。

32。他叫 Williams 先生。

33。我不喜欢他。我也不喜欢他的学生。

因为、所以、可是、觉得、很有意思/没有意思、只、都、常常/不常、有时候、还、想 

这也是L3-4Quiz的Essay Question. Post early to receive 老师的feedback early. 

​

Something to be careful is the use of ，and 、Only use the Chinese comma 、for listing. For other regular contexts, still use the regular comma ，Different from 英文，中文常常use an ，before using 因为、所以、可是 if those conjunctions are used at the beginning of the second clause. 

 

 

我是弗吉尼亚的大学生。我的大学很贵，所以我是很（broke->穷的qióngde，很穷的）大学生。我的大学有很好{的}运动，也很漂亮。我的大学没有好吃的饭菜。可是我最喜欢我的大学，因为弗大的大学有非常好的学生，还有最好的老师。我今年学中文一零一零。我不太忙，可是中文课有很多工作。可是我和我的同学都喜欢我们的老师。中文课{很}有意思，{还是->可是}不容易。

 

 

The conversation went well. I am getting better at speaking back and forth instead of just reiterating the sentences that we have been practicing. I am also getting less afraid to make mistakes when speaking which I think is a good thing because then I am trying out new sentences and structures with the vocab we have been practicing.

谢谢大家！

We practiced asking each other for drinks and entering each other’s homes. 

2. Describe 这张照片 including: when什么时候，where在哪儿，who有谁，what你们做什么了，喝什么了。

3. Words to be included: 一下、一点儿、在、了/没有、才。

Your oral quiz script can be a nice base for this post. Remember to correct any errors on your script based on 老师的feedback.

上个周末太好了！上个周末我跟朋友们一起去背包旅行了（bèi bāo lǚ xíng）。我非常高兴（了），但是背包旅行很难的。我们星期五一点去背包旅行，可是我们星期六五点才回家，所以我有很多作业（了）。这个星期我很忙。我要一个考中文，我的中文朋友帮我准备一下。

 

（二）

王老师你好！

 

因为我们有一个中文考试，所以我想问您几个问题。我{问->请}我的中国朋友帮我准备，但是她这个星期很忙。你可以跟我练习说中文{见面->吗}？要是您方便，三点半以后我到您的办公室去。

 

谢谢！

凯凯

星期六晚上八点我跟我的朋友去{在->看} 戏剧表演（Xìjù biǎoyǎn）跟我的朋友。  戏剧表演 有很多音乐。 我觉得{人->歌}很好听。 我们晚上十点去在才回家（才晚上十点）。 这个周末我很{高心->高兴}。这个星期我太忙了。这个星期我有两个考试。 我得考中文和经济（jing ji xueECON。我要（练时）跟我的同学一起练习。{四点晚上以后才我有空。->下午四点以后我才有空} 

二

您好王老师！

我请跟你约时间去你的办公室问问题。{你跟我什么时候有时间见面？-》你什么时候有空？}星期一五点以后{要是-〉您}方便吗？因为 我想{很多练时->多练习}中文。{我想遇到跟你->我想跟您见面}。 我请你帮我{和练时->练习liànxí}吗？我(有)很忙但是我想{练时->练习liànxí}。我可以(你)在你的(见面)办公室见面吗？

再见， 

苏菲

我想跟你见面因为我要请你帮我练习说中文。我得准备中文考试。要是我们见面，在你的办公室（最）方便吗？{我不可以见这个周末因为我去纽约->这个周末我得去纽约所以不可以见面}。但是，我可以见面下星期一下课以后我可以跟你见面。我常常晚上两点{帮->半}才睡觉所以我也可以很晚见面（很晚）。

谢谢，

{吗->马}博威

•他们说中文说得怎么样？

•他们想吃水饺还是想睡觉？

•中国人觉得他们想吃水饺还是想睡觉？
要是你想学唱这首歌，这是一个有歌词的：https://youtu.be/nVuF7F9GNdY

 

馨月这个周末想打网球，可是她星期一有物理考试。因为她星期一有物理课，所以她这个周末复习物理。这个周末我想看大学篮球（三月Madness），可是有很多作业。星期六我看大学篮球，还做作业。我常常看大学篮球和做我的作业。这个周末我也想玩LEGO。因为我觉得LEGO非常有意思。因为我的中国朋友非常忙，我要新中国朋友

我们一起练习说中文。我的朋友给我出了一些问题，我用中文回答。我很开心能用中文表达自己的想法。
我们还一起练习听中文。这对我来说是一个挑战，因为有些问题的语速有点快。但是通过不断地练习，我能更好的回答这些问题了。
我们也一起准备了考试和期末的小电影。
今天的练习对我来说非常有帮助。我非常感谢我的中国朋友的帮助。

2.我的学期通常非常忙，我有很多课程和作业要完成。但是我很享受这样的生活，因为我还可以交到朋友。我和我的同学们一起上课，一起讨论问题，这让我很开心。

3.我开始学习中文是因为我喜欢中国文化和语言。在我这个学期之前，我已经学习过一些中文，我了解了一些汉字、拼音和语法。现在，我的阅读和听力都变得更好了，这样我就可以更好地说中文和别人聊天。我还参加了一些中国文化的活动，比如中文角。但我还有很多需要学习的。我还想学习更多有关中国现代文化和历史的知识。我希望在弗大毕业之后能继续深学习中文和中国文化。

Please use my account below to log in.

帳號：waprilng@gmail.com；密碼： Password2022

This is also a time to celebrate what we have achieved together. Just looking at what you have written and produced for your final project! Compared to where you started in January, you should be proud! You have learned SO MUCH within only 15 weeks. Laoshi can't be more proud of your great work ethics, the support and grace you've shown toward one another, and what you have achieved. 

Please share with your classmates your personal proudest moment of this journey. Is it how you bounced back from a setback? Is it a “Chinese moment” when you understood a phrase while watching a Chinese movie? Is it a moment that you did something that had warmed someone's heart or put a smile on someone's face? Or is it when you realized learning Chinese had indeed started opening doors and introducing new opportunities and experiences for you? Have you started dreaming in Chinese or  blunted 谢谢 when you meant to say "Thank you"？: )

There are so many reasons to be grateful. While the end of the semester is upon us, let us use this 中文歌 to thank all who have helped us. 你想谢谢谁？为什么？

And of course as always, include anything else that is meaningful for you. And as always, tell a few of your classmates what you think about their reflections before/after you post your own. 

In conclusion, this journey of learning Chinese has been a transformative experience for me, and I look forward to continuing to grow and learn in the future. Thank you all for an amazing semester!

I would like to express my gratitude to my teacher and classmates for their support and encouragement throughout this journey. The classroom environment was always positive, and we were all motivated to learn and improve together. I am grateful for the friendships I have made and the memories we have shared. Each one of you has inspired me in different ways, and I have learned from your unique experiences and perspectives. 

Lastly, I want to thank my family and friends who have supported me in my language learning journey. They have been patient and understanding. Their support has been invaluable and has motivated me to keep going.

这个学期很难。因为上星期的mass shooting，所以最近我的{脑health->心理状态}很不好。我常常看我的医生。这个学期除了{脑health->心理状态}很不好。以外，还有四节课，所以我很忙。  

开始学期我说中文说{得}很慢。 因为我高中的时候上中文课，所以我最喜欢这个中文课。我有时候觉得中文的语法有一点难，可是王老师教得很好。这个学期以后，我希望上中文课。上中文的时候我很高兴。