When you want to say “to take a bus” in Chinese, you say 坐公交车 (zuò gōng jiāo chē).
坐 (zuò) means “to sit,” but here it means “to take” or “to ride” a vehicle.
公交车 (gōng jiāo chē) means “bus.” So, literally, you are “sitting on a public transport vehicle.”
This is a very common phrase you'll use often when talking about getting around in China.
§ Don't Forget the '坐' (zuò)
Many beginners forget to use the verb '坐' (zuò) before '公交车' (gōngjiāochē). In English, we just say 'take a bus,' but in Chinese, you need that 'sit' verb. Think of it as 'sit-bus' rather than just 'bus.' If you just say '公交车,' it refers to the bus itself, not the action of taking it.
我每天坐公交车上班。
- Translation hint
- I take the bus to work every day.
A common mistake would be to say '我每天公交车上班' (Wǒ měitiān gōngjiāochē shàngbān), which is grammatically incorrect. You need that '坐' in there.
§ Using the Wrong Verb for 'Take'
Chinese has different verbs for 'take' depending on what you're taking. For example, '拿' (ná) means to take something by hand, and '带' (dài) means to bring or take along. For public transportation like a bus, train, or subway, you almost always use '坐' (zuò). Don't try to use '拿' or '带' with '公交车' unless you mean something like 'take a toy bus' which is a totally different context.
我们通常坐公交车去市中心。
- Translation hint
- We usually take the bus to the city center.
§ Mixing Up '公交车' with Other Vehicles
While '公交车' specifically means 'public bus,' sometimes learners might generalize it to mean any vehicle. Be specific. If you mean a taxi, it's '出租车' (chūzūchē). If it's a train, it's '火车' (huǒchē). While you would also use '坐' for '出租车' (坐出租车) and '火车' (坐火车), it's important to use the correct noun for the vehicle.
明天我不想坐公交车，我想打车。
- Translation hint
- Tomorrow I don't want to take the bus, I want to take a taxi.
§ Word Order in Sentences
Chinese sentence structure can be tricky. Generally, the time and manner of an action come before the verb. So, if you're saying 'I often take the bus,' 'often' (经常 jīngcháng) would go before '坐公交车.'
Correct: 我经常坐公交车去学校。 (Wǒ jīngcháng zuò gōngjiāochē qù xuéxiào.)
- Translation hint
- I often take the bus to school.
Incorrect: 我坐公交车经常去学校。 (Wǒ zuò gōngjiāochē jīngcháng qù xuéxiào.) - The 'often' is in the wrong place.
§ Overusing '是...的' Construction
The '是...的' (shì...de) construction is used to emphasize a detail (like time, place, or manner) of a past action. While it's useful, some learners overuse it. If you're just stating a simple fact about taking the bus, you probably don't need '是...的.'
For example, if you want to simply say 'I took the bus to the airport,' you can say:
我昨天坐公交车去了机场。
- Translation hint
- Yesterday I took the bus to the airport.
If you wanted to emphasize *how* you went to the airport (by bus, not taxi), then '是...的' would be appropriate:
我是坐公交车去机场的。
- Translation hint
- It was by bus that I went to the airport.
Beispiele nach Niveau
我每天早上都坐公交车去上班，这样可以避免高峰期的拥堵。
I take the bus to work every morning to avoid rush hour congestion.
坐公交车旅行是一个经济实惠的选择，你可以欣赏沿途的风景。
Taking the bus to travel is an economical choice; you can enjoy the scenery along the way.
因为下雨，我们决定坐公交车而不是步行去公园。
Because it was raining, we decided to take the bus instead of walking to the park.
在上海，坐公交车支付非常方便，可以直接刷交通卡或手机支付。
In Shanghai, paying for the bus is very convenient; you can directly swipe your transport card or use mobile payment.
他抱怨说，坐公交车上班总是迟到，因为路上总是有很多红灯。
He complained that taking the bus to work always made him late because there were always many red lights on the way.
虽然坐公交车很便宜，但有时候等车的时间会比较长。
Although taking the bus is cheap, sometimes the waiting time can be quite long.
为了环保，越来越多的人选择坐公交车出行。
For environmental protection, more and more people choose to travel by bus.
我更喜欢坐公交车，因为可以不用担心停车的问题。
I prefer to take the bus because I don't have to worry about parking.
我习惯了坐公交车上班，虽然有时会堵车，但总比自己开车省心。
I'm used to taking the bus to work; although there's traffic sometimes, it's less hassle than driving myself.
虽然...但... (suīrán...dàn...) - although...but...
为了环保，我们一家人决定以后尽量坐公交车出行，减少碳排放。
For environmental protection, our family decided to try to take the bus as much as possible for future trips, reducing carbon emissions.
尽量 (jǐnliàng) - as much as possible; 减少 (jiǎnshǎo) - to reduce
你坐公交车去火车站方便吗？还是打车比较快？
Is it convenient for you to take the bus to the train station? Or is taking a taxi faster?
方便吗？ (fāngbiàn ma?) - Is it convenient?; 还是...比较... (háishi...bǐjiào...) - or is...more...
他因为没有驾照，所以日常通勤主要靠坐公交车和地铁。
Because he doesn't have a driver's license, his daily commute mainly relies on taking the bus and subway.
因为...所以... (yīnwèi...suǒyǐ...) - because...therefore...
下雨天坐公交车真是个挑战，车上人挤人，还容易弄湿衣服。
Taking the bus on a rainy day is really a challenge; the bus is crowded, and it's easy to get your clothes wet.
真是个挑战 (zhēn shì gè tiǎozhàn) - truly a challenge; 挤人 (jǐrén) - crowded
要是周末去郊外玩，坐公交车可能要转好几趟车，有点麻烦。
If we go out to the suburbs on the weekend, taking the bus might require several transfers, which is a bit troublesome.
要是 (yàoshi) - if; 转车 (zhuǎnchē) - to transfer (buses/trains)
自从共享单车普及后，我很少坐公交车了，短途出行更喜欢骑车。
Since shared bicycles became popular, I rarely take the bus; for short trips, I prefer cycling.
自从...后 (zìcóng...hòu) - ever since...; 普及 (pǔjí) - to become popular
她告诉我坐公交车去那个博物馆可以直接到，不用走太多路。
She told me that taking the bus to that museum is a direct route, so there's no need to walk too much.
可以直接到 (kěyǐ zhíjiē dào) - can arrive directly; 不用 (búyòng) - no need
Häufige Kollokationen
Häufige Phrasen
我每天坐公交车上班。
I take the bus to work every day.
你喜欢坐公交车吗？
Do you like taking the bus?
我们坐公交车去公园。
We'll take the bus to the park.
他经常坐公交车回家。
He often takes the bus home.
坐公交车很方便。
Taking the bus is very convenient.
现在坐公交车的人很多。
There are many people taking the bus now.
坐公交车比开车便宜。
Taking the bus is cheaper than driving.
我有时候坐公交车，有时候骑自行车。
Sometimes I take the bus, sometimes I ride a bicycle.
坐公交车去市中心要多久？
How long does it take to get to the city center by bus?
对不起，我不太喜欢坐公交车。
Sorry, I don't really like taking the bus.
Teste dich selbst 12 Fragen
她每天早上都___去上班。(Tā měitiān zǎoshang dōu ___ qù shàngbān.) (She takes the bus to work every morning.)
The sentence is about daily commute to work, and '坐公交车' (to take a bus) is the most common and fitting option among the choices.
如果我们要去市中心，___是最方便的方式。(Rúguǒ wǒmen yào qù shì zhōngxīn, ___ shì zuì fāngbiàn de fāngshì.) (If we want to go to the city center, taking the bus is the most convenient way.)
The sentence asks for the most convenient way to go to the city center. Given the options, '坐公交车' (taking the bus) is a common and convenient public transport method.
周末的时候，很多学生喜欢___去郊游。(Zhōumò de shíhòu, hěnduō xuéshēng xǐhuān ___ qù jiāoyóu.) (On weekends, many students like to take the bus for outings.)
The sentence describes students going for outings on weekends. '坐公交车' (taking the bus) is a common and affordable way for students to travel for leisure.
对不起，我来晚了，因为路上堵车，我只好___。(Duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎnle, yīnwèi lùshang dǔchē, wǒ zhǐhǎo ___.) (Sorry I'm late, because of traffic, I had to take the bus.)
The context is being late due to traffic. '坐公交车' (taking the bus) is a common alternative when personal transport or other options are affected by traffic.
小王决定为了环保，以后上下班都___。(Xiǎo Wáng juédìng wèile huánbǎo, yǐhòu shàng xiàbān dōu ___.) (Xiao Wang decided to take the bus to and from work from now on for environmental protection.)
The sentence states Xiao Wang's decision for environmental protection. '坐公交车' (taking the bus) is a public transport option that aligns with reducing individual carbon footprint.
从这里到火车站，___大约需要半个小时。(Cóng zhèlǐ dào huǒchēzhàn, ___ dàyuē xūyào bàn gè xiǎoshí.) (From here to the train station, taking the bus takes about half an hour.)
The sentence describes the time it takes to get to the train station. '坐公交车' (taking the bus) is a common mode of transport for such a journey, and the time given (half an hour) is reasonable for a bus ride.
Despite the crowded bus during rush hour, I still insist on taking the bus for environmental protection.
The city government is studying how to encourage more citizens to take the bus to alleviate urban traffic pressure.
He complained that although taking the bus is cheap, it takes too long, especially when encountering traffic jams.
Read this aloud:
你认为在未来，坐公交车是否会成为城市出行的主要方式？
Focus: 你认为
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
请描述一次你坐公交车的难忘经历，可以是愉快的，也可以是令人沮丧的。
Focus: 难忘经历
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
为了提高人们坐公交车的意愿，你觉得政府可以采取哪些措施？
Focus: 采取哪些措施
Du hast gesagt:
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/ 12 correct
Perfect score!
