Talking About Hobbies in Chinese: Hobbies Dialogue & Essential Vocabulary 🎨

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask someone about their hobbies in Mandarin Chinese and how to share your own. Through a simple conversation between Wáng Wěi and Lǐ Nà, you’ll master essential phrases for talking about activities like reading books, listening to music, and watching movies.

💬 Video Transcript

王伟: 你好，李娜！
(Wang Wei: Hello, Li Na!)

李娜: 你好，王伟！
(Li Na: Hello, Wang Wei!)

王伟: 李娜，你喜欢做什么？
(Wang Wei: Li Na, what do you like to do?)

李娜: 我喜欢看书。
(Li Na: I like to read books.)

王伟: 你喜欢看书？
(Wang Wei: You like to read books?)

李娜: 是的，我喜欢看书。我还喜欢听音乐。
(Li Na: Yes, I like to read books. I also like to listen to music.)

王伟: 你也喜欢听音乐？
(Wang Wei: You also like to listen to music?)

李娜: 对。我喜欢看书，也喜欢听音乐。
(Li Na: Correct. I like to read books, and I also like to listen to music.)

王伟: 看书很好。听音乐也很好。
(Wang Wei: Reading books is good. Listening to music is also good.)

李娜: 你呢？王伟，你喜欢做什么？
(Li Na: And you? Wang Wei, what do you like to do?)

王伟: 我喜欢看电影。
(Wang Wei: I like to watch movies.)

李娜: 看电影？
(Li Na: Watch movies?)

王伟: 对，我很喜欢看电影。我也喜欢运动。
(Wang Wei: Correct, I really like to watch movies. I also like to do sports.)

李娜: 你喜欢运动？
(Li Na: You like sports?)

王伟: 是的，我喜欢运动。我喜欢看电影，也喜欢运动。
(Wang Wei: Yes, I like sports. I like to watch movies, and I also like sports.)

李娜: 王伟，我也喜欢看电影！
(Li Na: Wang Wei, I also like to watch movies!)

王伟: 你也喜欢看电影？太好了！
(Wang Wei: You also like to watch movies? That’s great!)

李娜: 是的，我也很喜欢看电影。
(Li Na: Yes, I also really like to watch movies.)

王伟: 我们都喜欢看电影。
(Wang Wei: We both like to watch movies.)

李娜: 是的，我们都喜欢看电影。
(Li Na: Yes, we both like to watch movies.)

王伟: 那，我们一起看电影，好吗？
(Wang Wei: Then, let’s watch a movie together, okay?)

李娜: 好啊！我们一起看电影。
(Li Na: Okay! Let’s watch a movie together.)

王伟: 太好了！
(Wang Wei: Great!)

李娜: 嗯，太好了。
(Li Na: Mhm, great.)

王伟: 再见，李娜！
(Wang Wei: Goodbye, Li Na!)

李娜: 再见，王伟！
(Li Na: Goodbye, Wang Wei!)

📝 Essential Vocabulary

Here are the key words and phrases you’ll need to understand the conversation about hobbies. Listen to the pronunciation to practice your speaking.

🔍 Grammar Focus

This conversation introduces two very common and important adverbs in Mandarin: 也 (yě) and 都 (dōu). Understanding how to use them will make your Chinese sound much more natural.

1. Using 也 (yě) for “Also” or “Too”

The adverb 也 (yě) is used to show that two things have something in common. It’s similar to “also” or “too” in English, but its placement in the sentence is different. In Chinese, 也 (yě) always comes before the verb.

Structure: Subject + 也 (yě) + Verb + Object

Look at these examples from the dialogue:

• 李娜: 我喜欢看书，也喜欢听音乐。 (Wǒ xǐhuān kànshū, yě xǐhuān tīng yīnyuè.)
  • (I like to read books, and also like to listen to music.)
• 王伟: 我也喜欢运动。(Wǒ yě xǐhuān yùndòng.)
  • (I also like sports.)

2. Using 都 (dōu) for “Both” or “All”

The adverb 都 (dōu) is used to summarize a group of two or more people or things, meaning “both” or “all.” Like 也 (yě), it is placed directly before the verb. It’s used when the subject is plural (like “we” or “they”) or refers to multiple items.

Structure: Plural Subject + 都 (dōu) + Verb Phrase

In the story, Wang Wei realizes he and Li Na share a common interest:

• 王伟: 我们都喜欢看电影。(Wǒmen dōu xǐhuān kàn diànyǐng.)
  • (We both like to watch movies.)

Here, 我们 (wǒmen) means “we,” which is a plural subject. 都 (dōu) emphasizes that this applies to everyone in the group (in this case, both of them).

🌍 Cultural Tip

🃏 Flip & Learn

Practice the key phrases from this lesson to build your fluency.

💡 Key Takeaways

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

• Asking about hobbies: Use the simple question 你喜欢做什么？(Nǐ xǐhuān zuò shénme?) which means “What do you like to do?”.
• Stating your hobbies: The structure is 我喜欢 (Wǒ xǐhuān) + [Hobby]. For example, 我喜欢看书 (Wǒ xǐhuān kànshū).
• Using 也 (yě) for “also”: Place 也 before the verb to indicate that you also do or like something. For example, 我也喜欢看电影 (I also like to watch movies).
• Using 都 (dōu) for “both/all”: When talking about what a group of people have in common, use 都 before the verb. For example, 我们都喜欢看电影 (We both like to watch movies).

🎯 Practice Quiz

Test your understanding of the vocabulary and grammar from the dialogue.

✍️ Fill in the Blanks

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