看电视
kàn diànshì
To watch TV in Chinese is 看电视 (kàn diànshì).
看电视 is the most common and standard phrase used to express the act of spending time viewing programs on a television set. You can make the phrase more specific to the content being viewed by saying 看电视节目, which means to watch TV programs.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 看电视 is composed of the verb 看 (kàn), meaning 'to look' or 'to watch' and the noun 电视 (diànshì), meaning 'television'.
Which one should you use?
While 看电视 is the standard way to say watch TV, 观看电视 is a more formal expression. If you want to specify that you are watching specific content, you can use 看电视节目 (watch TV programs).
How does it change in a sentence?
看电视 is a verb-object construction where the object 电视 (television) follows the verb 看 (watch).
How do you pronounce it?
kàn diànshì
Did you know?
- When people talk about the act of 'watching TV' as a hobby or habit, they might use the term 追剧 (zhuī jù), which literally means 'to chase dramas'.
- To 'turn on the TV' uses the verb 开 (kāi), which means 'to open'. To a Chinese speaker, you are 'opening' the television to let the images flow out.
- The verb 看 (kàn) used in 看电视 is the same verb used for 'to read' a book or 'to look' at a person.
Examples in context
- 我一天到晚看电视。I watch TV all day.This sentence is useful for describing the frequency of watching TV.Tatoeba #10019658 by GlossaMatik, translation #5141180 by CK
- 现在我几乎不看电视。I almost never watch TV nowadays.This sentence is useful for describing how much one watches TV nowadays.Tatoeba #7785257 by china_njlsc, translation #6663537 by CK
- 今天晚上我打算看电视。I am going to watch TV this evening.This sentence is useful for expressing an intention to watch TV.Tatoeba #1790051 by sadhen, translation #257613 by CK
- 我喜欢在晚上看电视。I like to watch TV in the evening.
- 我们一起看电视剧吧！Let's watch TV series together!
- 我经常看电视节目学习中文。I often watch TV programs to learn Chinese.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is deciding how to spend their evening at home.
- 梓涵 Zihan你想看电视吗？Nǐ xiǎng kàn diànshì ma?Do you want to watch TV?
- 伟 Wei不想，我想去跑步。Bù xiǎng, wǒ xiǎng qù pǎobù.I don't, I want to go running.
- 梓涵 Zihan那好吧，我一个人看电视。Nà hǎo ba, wǒ yīgè rén kàn diànshì.Okay then, I will watch TV alone.
- 伟 Wei很快就回来。Hěn kuài jiù huílái.I'll be back soon.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
