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Questions & Answers about tā ài qí zìxíngchē shàngbān, wǒ ài zuò dìtiě.
Why does the sentence use 爱 instead of 喜欢? Does it mean “love” or just “like”?
- In colloquial Mandarin, 爱 can mean “like/be fond of” or “tend to,” not only romantic “love.” Example: 爱吃辣的, 爱锻炼.
- Compared with 喜欢, 爱 often sounds stronger or more habitual.
- You can also say 她喜欢骑自行车上班，我喜欢坐地铁 with almost the same meaning.
Is 爱 + verb grammatical? I thought 爱 only takes nouns like “I love you.”
Yes. 爱 + VP is very common: 爱吃饭, 爱看书, 爱旅行. With a verb phrase it often means “like to / have the habit of.”
Why is there no 去 before 上班? Shouldn’t it be 骑自行车去上班?
- 上班 already carries the idea of “go to/be at work,” so 骑自行车上班 is idiomatic.
- 骑自行车去上班 is also fine and slightly highlights the motion.
- You can also add a place: 骑车到公司上班.
Could/should I use 到 or 在 to express “to work”?
- 到 + place + 上班: 到公司上班 = “go to the company to work.”
- 在 + place + 上班: 在公司上班 = “work at a company” (location/statement of employment).
- Here, with no place specified, 上班 alone is natural.
Why does 上班 come after 自行车? What’s the word order pattern?
Chinese likes: Subject + preference + means of transport + destination/purpose.
- 她爱 + 骑自行车 + 上班
- Similar: 我喜欢坐地铁上学, 他常常走路回家.
Can I say 骑车 instead of 骑自行车?
Yes. 骑车 is common and understood as “ride a bicycle.” Regional variants: Mainland south 骑单车, Taiwan 骑脚踏车.
Is 坐地铁 the only way to say “take the subway”?
- Most colloquial (Mainland): 坐地铁.
- More formal: 乘地铁/乘坐地铁.
- Taiwan: 搭地铁/搭捷运 (system name 捷运).
Do I need a connector like 也, 而, or 但是 between the clauses?
- A comma is enough to juxtapose: 她…，我….
- To stress contrast: 而我…/但是我….
- To mean “also”: 我也爱坐地铁.
Why is there no measure word, like 一辆自行车?
For general means of transport, no classifier: 骑自行车/坐地铁/坐公交. Use a classifier only when specifying: 骑我的那辆自行车去上班.
What’s the difference between 上班 and 工作?
- 上班: “go to/be on duty” for a shift or workday; pairs naturally with commuting: 骑车上班, 上班时间.
- 工作: “to work; work/job” in general. You wouldn’t say 骑车工作 to mean “ride a bike to work.”
What tense is this? Does it imply a habit?
Yes, it reads as a general/habitual statement. Chinese doesn’t mark tense here. To make it explicit, add adverbs: 她经常骑自行车上班，我则常坐地铁.
How do I negate these?
- Preference: 她不爱/不喜欢骑自行车上班; 我不爱坐地铁.
- To negate the commute itself: 她不上班 (doesn’t go to work) or 她不去上班 (doesn’t go to work), depending on context.
Any pronunciation or tone tips?
- 爱 ài(4), 骑 qí(2), 自行车 zì(4) xíng(2) chē(1), 上班 shàng(4) bān(1), 坐 zuò(4), 地铁 dì(4) tiě(3).
- 她/他/它 are all pronounced tā.
Why isn’t there 的 after 骑自行车?
的 turns a verb phrase into a modifier/noun (e.g., 骑自行车的人 = “a person who rides a bike”). Here 骑自行车 is part of the verb chain leading to the goal 上班, so no 的 is used.
Can I say 我爱上班坐地铁?
Better keep the means right before the goal: 我爱坐地铁上班. You can also front a topic: 上班我爱坐地铁, which is natural in Chinese.
How do I say “She prefers biking, but I prefer the subway”?
- 她喜欢骑自行车上班，而我更喜欢坐地铁。
- 她爱骑自行车上班，但我更爱坐地铁。