Talking About Hobbies in Chinese: Drawing Apples & Cats 🎨

Discover how to express your interests, offer compliments, and ask for simple instructions in Chinese! In this practical, beginner-friendly dialogue, Wang Wei and Li Na discuss the hobby of drawing while using fundamental adjectives like “red” and “cute,” and even sketch Wang Wei’s pet cat, Baozi.

💬 Video Transcript

王伟: 李娜，你好！
(Wang Wei: Hello, Li Na!)

李娜: 王伟，你好！
(Li Na: Hello, Wang Wei!)

王伟: 你在做什么？
(Wang Wei: What are you doing?)

李娜: 我在画画。
(Li Na: I am drawing.)

王伟: 画画？你喜欢画画吗？
(Wang Wei: Drawing? Do you like drawing?)

李娜: 是的，我很喜欢画画。
(Li Na: Yes, I like drawing very much.)

王伟: 哇，你画得很好看。
(Wang Wei: Wow, you draw very beautifully.)

李娜: 谢谢。你想学画画吗？
(Li Na: Thank you. Do you want to learn drawing?)

王伟: 我可以学吗？画画难吗？
(Wang Wei: Can I learn? Is drawing difficult?)

李娜: 你可以学。画画不难。我教你。
(Li Na: You can learn. Drawing is not difficult. I will teach you.)

王伟: 太好了！谢谢你，李娜！
(Wang Wei: Great! Thank you, Li Na!)

李娜: 不客气。你看，我们先画一个苹果。
(Li Na: You’re welcome. Look, let’s draw an apple first.)

王伟: 苹果？好的。
(Wang Wei: An apple? Okay.)

李娜: 你看，这是一个苹果。一个红色的苹果。
(Li Na: Look, this is an apple. A red apple.)

王伟: 哦，一个红色的苹果。我喜欢红色的苹果。
(Wang Wei: Oh, a red apple. I like red apples.)

李娜: 我也喜欢。现在，你画一个苹果。
(Li Na: I like them too. Now, you draw an apple.)

王伟: 好。我画一个苹果。你看，这是我的苹果。
(Wang Wei: Good. I’ll draw an apple. Look, this is my apple.)

李娜: 你的苹果很好看！你画得很好！
(Li Na: Your apple is very pretty! You draw very well!)

王伟: 谢谢！画画很有意思。
(Wang Wei: Thank you! Drawing is very interesting.)

李娜: 我们现在画别的，好吗？
(Li Na: Let’s draw something else now, okay?)

王伟: 好！我们画什么？
(Wang Wei: Okay! What should we draw?)

李娜: 我们画一只猫。
(Li Na: Let’s draw a cat.)

王伟: 画猫？我非常喜欢猫！
(Wang Wei: Draw a cat? I like cats very much!)

李娜: 我知道。你有一只猫，叫包子。
(Li Na: I know. You have a cat named Baozi.)

王伟: 对。我的猫叫包子。
(Wang Wei: Right. My cat is named Baozi.)

李娜: 你看，我画一只猫。这是一只很可爱的猫。
(Li Na: Look, I’m drawing a cat. This is a very cute cat.)

王伟: 哇，真的很可爱！
(Wang Wei: Wow, really cute!)

李娜: 现在，你画你的猫，包子。
(Li Na: Now, you draw your cat, Baozi.)

王伟: 好。我画包子。 李娜，你看。这是我的猫。这是包子。
(Wang Wei: Okay. I’ll draw Baozi. Li Na, look. This is my cat. This is Baozi.)

李娜: 哈哈！你的猫也很好看！真的很像包子！
(Li Na: Haha! Your cat is also very pretty! It really looks like Baozi!)

王伟: 真的吗？太好了！
(Wang Wei: Really? Great!)

李娜: 是的，你很会画画！
(Li Na: Yes, you are very good at drawing!)

王伟: 谢谢你教我。我现在也喜欢画画了。
(Wang Wei: Thank you for teaching me. I like drawing now too.)

李娜: 不客气，王伟。
(Li Na: You’re welcome, Wang Wei.)

王伟: 我们下次再一起画画，好吗？
(Wang Wei: Let’s draw together again next time, okay?)

李娜: 好啊！我们下次一起画画。
(Li Na: Sure! We will draw together next time.)

📝 Essential Vocabulary

🔍 Grammar Focus

The Progressive Marker 在 (zài)

When asking about or describing an ongoing action, place 在 (zài) right before the verb. It functions similarly to the English “-ing” form.

• 我在画画。(I am drawing.)
• 你在做什么？(What are you doing?)

Degree Complement with 得 (de)

To describe how well or in what manner someone does something, place the structural particle 得 (de) immediately after the verb, followed by an adjective.

• 你画得很好看。(You draw very beautifully.)
• 你画得很好！(You draw very well!)

🌍 Cultural Tip

🃏 Flip & Learn

💡 Key Takeaways

• Use 在 before a verb to indicate that an action is currently happening (e.g., 我在画画).
• Use the structural particle 得 after an action verb to describe the quality or result of that action.
• Compliment a friend’s skills using expressions like 很好看 (very pretty/beautiful) or 很好 (very good).
• Add 的 after a color to describe a noun (e.g., 红色的苹果 - a red apple).

🎯 Practice Quiz

✍️ Fill in the Blanks

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