Personal and social life: people, home and leisure
Describe family, friends, home, clothes and leisure choices, then support a preference with a concrete reason.
Exam scope and assessment notes
This is an original StudyForA starter sequence, not the approximately 130 guided learning hours Cambridge uses as a planning guide. A qualified Mandarin teacher still needs to check every Chinese sentence, character form, vocabulary choice, register and pronunciation cue. The complete 2025–2027 and 2028–2030 vocabulary lists have not yet been reconciled word by word. Browser speech synthesis is variable practice audio, not Cambridge recordings. Speaking rehearsal and written self-checks do not award Cambridge marks; the centre conducts, marks and records Paper 3 and Cambridge moderates it. No full-length timed mock papers are included. All Chinese examples and practice prompts are original StudyForA material, not copied Cambridge assessment content.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which sentence states both a preference and a reason?
What you will learn
- Area B: self, family and friends
- Area B: rooms, furniture, furnishings, garden and household appliances
- Area B: colours, clothes and accessories
- Area B: leisure time, hobbies, sport and holidays
- Express opinions and feelings about familiar relationships and activities
Describe the person or place precisely
A simple frame such as «我家有……» (my home has…) introduces a room or item; «我最喜欢……，因为……» (I like … best because …) connects a preference and reason.
Chinese often places a describing phrase before the noun: «一件蓝色的外套» (a blue coat). Use a measure word where the noun needs one, for example «一件衣服» or «两本书».
Keep opinions separate from facts
«我觉得……» (I think…) marks an opinion. A detail such as a time or shared activity supports it: «我喜欢和姐姐打羽毛球，因为我们每周三一起练习。»
Do not assume that a family member likes the same activity or that a description of a home tells you its cost or location.
Sources for this lesson
- Cambridge IGCSE Mandarin Chinese Foreign Language 0547 subject page
- 0547 syllabus for exams in 2025–2027
- 0547 syllabus, version 2, for exams in 2028–2030
- 0547 2028–2030 syllabus update
- 0547 vocabulary list for 2028
- 0547 specimen Paper 1 mark scheme for exams from 2028
- Cambridge guidance on simplified and traditional responses
Pause and explain
«她有两只猫，最喜欢黑色的那只。» What is her preference?
Worked example
«我家有一个小花园。周末我常常和弟弟在那里打球，不过下雨的时候我们在客厅看电影。» Where does the speaker play, and what changes on rainy days?
Show the worked solution
- Find the place associated with «打球».
- Notice «不过» (however) and «下雨的时候» (when it rains).
- Report only the stated alternative.
Answer The speaker often plays ball with a younger brother in the small garden at weekends. When it rains, they watch a film in the living room instead.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Describe a room in a home, name two objects in it and say which one you use most.
Give me a hint
Use «房间里有……» and a measure word for each object.
Compare my reasoning
- Name the room.
- Add two objects with suitable measure words.
- Use «我常常……» or «我最喜欢……» to explain your choice.
Example: «我的卧室里有一张桌子和两把椅子。我最常用桌子，因为我在那里做作业。» It names the room, two objects and a reason for using the desk.
Look for these in your work
- Names a room
- Uses measure words
- Supports a preference with a reason
Read «小美本来想去打网球，可是她的朋友生病了，所以她在家看书。» What was planned, and what happened instead?
Give me a hint
Track the change signalled by «可是» and «所以».
Compare my reasoning
- Identify the original plan.
- Find the contrast.
- State the replacement activity.
Xiaomei had planned to play tennis, but her friend became ill, so she read at home. The sentence does not say that she dislikes tennis.
Look for these in your work
- States the original plan
- Explains the change
- Avoids inferring a new preference
Write a short message inviting a classmate to a weekend activity. Include a time, activity, place and a polite question about their preference.
Give me a hint
Use «你想不想……？» or «你觉得……怎么样？».
Compare my reasoning
- Make a clear invitation.
- Add time and place.
- Ask a relevant question so the friend can respond.
Example: «星期六下午两点我们在公园打羽毛球，你想来吗？如果你更喜欢骑自行车，我们也可以一起骑车。» The invitation gives a time, place and activity and offers a genuine choice.
Look for these in your work
- Gives the practical details
- Uses an appropriate invitation
- Keeps the choice open
Common mistakes
- Using «很» as if it automatically means 'very' in every context
- Forgetting measure words before countable nouns
- Turning one person's preference into a general cultural claim
What can you explain now?
Which phrase gives a reason for liking an activity?
Compare with the explanation
因为我可以和朋友一起练习
«因为» introduces the reason; the rest gives a concrete explanation.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Before leaving personal and social life: people, home and leisure, explain one idea from memory, answer the checkpoint and name one syllabus detail you still need to practise.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.