Talking About the Seasons in Chinese: Weather Vocabulary & Dialogue 🍂

In this beginner-friendly Chinese lesson, you’ll listen to a conversation between two friends, Wáng Wěi and Lǐ Nà, as they discuss their favorite seasons. You will learn the words for all four seasons, how to describe the weather, and how to express your preferences using “like” and “dislike.”

💬 Video Transcript

王伟: 李娜，你好！
(Wang Wei: Li Na, hello!)

李娜: 你好，王伟！
(Li Na: Hello, Wang Wei!)

王伟: 今天天气很好。
(Wang Wei: The weather is very good today.)

李娜: 是的，今天天气很好。不冷，也不热。
(Li Na: Yes, the weather is very good today. Not cold, and not hot.)

王伟: 我喜欢今天的天气。李娜，你喜欢春天吗？
(Wang Wei: I like today’s weather. Li Na, do you like spring?)

李娜: 我很喜欢春天。
(Li Na: I like spring very much.)

王伟: 为什么？
(Wang Wei: Why?)

李娜: 因为春天不冷，也不热。天气很好。
(Li Na: Because spring is not cold, and not hot. The weather is very good.)

王伟: 嗯，春天的天气很好。
(Wang Wei: Mmm, the weather in spring is very good.)

李娜: 王伟，你喜欢夏天吗？
(Li Na: Wang Wei, do you like summer?)

王伟: 我非常喜欢夏天！
(Wang Wei: I really like summer!)

李娜: 为什么你喜欢夏天？
(Li Na: Why do you like summer?)

王伟: 因为夏天我可以吃冰淇淋。我爱吃冰淇淋。
(Wang Wei: Because in summer I can eat ice cream. I love to eat ice cream.)

李娜: 我不喜欢夏天。
(Li Na: I don’t like summer.)

王伟: 为什么？
(Wang Wei: Why?)

李娜: 因为夏天太热了。
(Li Na: Because summer is too hot.)

王伟: 是吗？那你喜欢秋天吗？
(Wang Wei: Is that so? Then do you like autumn?)

李娜: 我也喜欢秋天。
(Li Na: I also like autumn.)

王伟: 为什么？
(Wang Wei: Why?)

李娜: 因为秋天也不冷，也不热。天气很好。
(Li Na: Because autumn is also not cold, and not hot. The weather is very good.)

王伟: 对，秋天也很好。
(Wang Wei: Right, autumn is also very good.)

李娜: 你喜欢冬天吗，王伟？
(Li Na: Do you like winter, Wang Wei?)

王伟: 我不喜欢冬天。
(Wang Wei: I don’t like winter.)

李娜: 为什么？
(Wang Wei: Why?)

王伟: 因为冬天太冷了。非常冷。你呢？你喜欢冬天吗？
(Wang Wei: Because winter is too cold. Very cold. And you? Do you like winter?)

李娜: 我也不喜欢冬天。冬天太冷了。
(Li Na: I also don’t like winter. Winter is too cold.)

王伟: 所以，你喜欢春天和秋天。
(Wang Wei: So, you like spring and autumn.)

李娜: 是的。我喜欢春天和秋天。你喜欢夏天。
(Li Na: Yes. I like spring and autumn. You like summer.)

王伟: 对。我们都不喜欢冬天。
(Wang Wei: Right. We both don’t like winter.)

李娜: 是的，我们都不喜欢冬天。
(Li Na: Yes, we both don’t like winter.)

王伟: 今天天气这么好，我们去喝东西，好吗？
(Wang Wei: Since the weather is so good today, shall we go get something to drink?)

李娜: 好啊！我们去喝茶吧。
(Li Na: Okay! Let’s go for tea.)

王伟: 好！我们走吧。
(Wang Wei: Okay! Let’s go.)

📝 Essential Vocabulary

Here are some key words and phrases from the video that you’ll need to know. Practice saying them out loud to improve your pronunciation.

🔍 Grammar Focus

Let’s break down two important grammar patterns from the conversation.

1. Expressing Likes and Dislikes

In Chinese, you use the verb 喜欢 (xǐhuān) to say you “like” something. To say you “don’t like” something, you place the negative marker 不 (bù) before it.

• 我喜欢今天的天气。 (Wǒ xǐhuān jīntiān de tiānqì.) - I like today’s weather.
• 我不喜欢冬天。 (Wǒ bù xǐhuān dōngtiān.) - I don’t like winter.

To add emphasis, you can use adverbs like 很 (hěn) for “very” or 非常 (fēicháng) for “extremely” or “really.”

• 我很喜欢春天。 (Wǒ hěn xǐhuān chūntiān.) - I like spring very much.
• 我非常喜欢夏天！ (Wǒ fēicháng xǐhuān xiàtiān!) - I really like summer!

2. Asking “Why” and Answering “Because”

This is a fundamental question-and-answer pattern in any language. In Chinese, you use 为什么 (wèishéme) to ask “why” and start your answer with 因为 (yīnwèi) for “because.”

Notice how this structure is used repeatedly in the dialogue:

• 王伟: 为什么？ (Wáng Wěi: Why?)
• 李娜: 因为春天不冷，也不热。 (Lǐ Nà: Because spring is not cold, and not hot.)

And again:

• 李娜: 为什么你喜欢夏天？ (Lǐ Nà: Why do you like summer?)
• 王伟: 因为夏天我可以吃冰淇淋。 (Wáng Wěi: Because in summer I can eat ice cream.)

🌍 Cultural Tip

🃏 Flip & Learn

Use these flashcards to test your memory of the key vocabulary.

💡 Key Takeaways

Here are the most important points to remember from this lesson:

• The four seasons in Mandarin are: 春天 (chūntiān) - Spring, 夏天 (xiàtiān) - Summer, 秋天 (qiūtiān) - Autumn, and 冬天 (dōngtiān) - Winter.
• To express your preference, use 我喜欢… (Wǒ xǐhuān…) for “I like…” and 我不喜欢… (Wǒ bù xǐhuān…) for “I don’t like…”.
• The question word for “Why?” is 为什么 (wèishéme).
• To give a reason or explain why, start your sentence with 因为 (yīnwèi), which means “because.”
• You can describe moderate weather using the pattern 不冷，也不热 (bù lěng, yě bù rè), meaning “not cold, and also not hot.”

🎯 Practice Quiz

Test your understanding of the dialogue and vocabulary with these questions.

✍️ Fill in the Blanks

Let’s test your spelling and memory! Fill in the missing words below. Use correct spelling.