3 · 40 words

Travel and sightseeing

Sights, tickets and guides: what you need when visiting a place.

Visiting a sight is 参观(cānguān) when you go round a museum, a factory or a school looking carefully, and 游览(yóulǎn) when you tour a place for pleasure; in speech, 逛(guàng), to wander round, does for both. Tickets are bought at the entrance, and students and older visitors often pay 半价(bànjià), half price — so it is always worth asking.

The words

Verb (8)

参观(cānguān)to visit (a place); to look roundVerb3

明天(míngtiān)我们(wǒmen)去(qù)参观(cānguān)一(yí)个(ge)茶园(cháyuán)。Tomorrow we are going to visit a tea plantation.

For places, not people: visiting a friend is 看(kàn).

拍照(pāizhào)to take photosVerb3

请问(qǐngwèn)，里面(lǐmiàn)可以(kěyǐ)拍照(pāizhào)吗(ma)？Excuse me, can I take photos inside?

游览(yóulǎn)to tour; to go sightseeingVerb3

我们(wǒmen)坐(zuò)船(chuán)游览(yóulǎn)了(le)整个(zhěnggè)湖(hú)。We toured the whole lake by boat.

开放(kāifàng)to be open (to the public)Verb3

这(zhè)个(ge)公园(gōngyuán)晚上(wǎnshang)也(yě)开放(kāifàng)。This park is open in the evenings too.

For sites and facilities; a shop opening for the day is 开门(kāimén).

逛(guàng)to stroll around; to look roundVerb3

下午(xiàwǔ)我们(wǒmen)在(zài)老街(lǎojiē)上(shàng)逛(guàng)了(le)很(hěn)久(jiǔ)。In the afternoon we wandered round the old street for ages.

Also for shops: 逛街(guàngjiē), to go round the shops.

Practise this list

Multiple choice and gaps, drawn from exactly these 40 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.