In this workshop you will practice a short, realistic bicycle rental exchange in Chinese. You will learn how to ask where you can rent a bicycle, how to say you want to rent one, how to ask about the daily price and rental hours, and how to understand a staff member's reply about the shop location, price, and deposit. The practice moves from a guided exchange to understanding a reply, and finally to recall with swapped roles.
Asking for a Bicycle Rental
Start with the most useful question for finding a rental place. «在哪儿可以租自行车？» means "Where can I rent a bicycle?" Use it when you are speaking generally and have not yet found a shop. If you want to state your own request instead of asking where, use «我想租一辆自行车。», which means "I want to rent a bicycle." When you are approaching a person and want to be polite first, use «请问，在哪儿可以租自行车？», which means "Excuse me, where can I rent a bicycle?" These three lines give you a clear way to begin the conversation without adding information you have not learned.
Understanding Price and Deposit
After you ask about a bicycle, you may hear a reply about the shop and the cost. «前面那个商店可以租。» means "The shop up ahead rents them." This tells you where to go. Then you can ask about the price with «一天多少钱？», which means "How much is it per day?" A staff member may answer with «一天三十块，需要押金一百块。», which means "Thirty yuan per day, and a deposit of one hundred yuan is required." Listen for the daily price and the deposit as two separate pieces of information. If you want to ask about time instead of days, use «可以租几个小时？», which means "How many hours can I rent it for?"
Keeping the Exchange in Order
A rental conversation works best when each line follows the previous one. First, greet or ask where to rent: «请问，在哪儿可以租自行车？». Next, listen for the location reply: «前面那个商店可以租。». Then ask the price: «一天多少钱？», which means "How much is it per day?" Finally, listen for the price and deposit: «一天三十块，需要押金一百块。». If you are the staff member, you answer with the location and then with the price and deposit. If you swap roles, the order of the conversation stays the same: question, reply, follow-up question, and final answer. Only who speaks each part changes.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
在哪儿可以租自行车？
Where can I rent a bicycle?
zài nǎr kěyǐ zū zìxíngchē?
我想租一辆自行车。
I want to rent a bicycle.
wǒ xiǎng zū yí liàng zìxíngchē.
一天多少钱？
How much is it per day?
yì tiān duōshao qián?
可以租几个小时？
How many hours can I rent it for?
kěyǐ zū jǐ ge xiǎoshí?
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
请问，在哪儿可以租自行车？
Excuse me, where can I rent a bicycle?前面那个商店可以租。
The shop up ahead rents them.一天多少钱？
How much is it per day?一天三十块，需要押金一百块。
Thirty yuan per day, and a deposit of one hundred yuan is required.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided Rental Exchange
You are a traveler who wants to rent a bicycle. Your partner plays the staff member. Use the recording lines in order, and keep the conversation moving from greeting to location to price to final answer.
Your task: Read your part aloud, then let your partner read the reply. Traveler: say «请问，在哪儿可以租自行车？». Staff: say «前面那个商店可以租。». Traveler: say «一天多少钱？». Staff: say «一天三十块，需要押金一百块。». After one round, swap roles and repeat the same order.
Choose the Right Reply
You hear a staff member answer your rental question. You need to choose which reply fits the question you asked. Read each question and choose the matching reply from the options.
Your task: Question 1: You say «请问，在哪儿可以租自行车？». Which reply fits? A. «前面那个商店可以租。» B. «一天三十块，需要押金一百块。». Question 2: You say «一天多少钱？». Which reply fits? A. «前面那个商店可以租。» B. «一天三十块，需要押金一百块。». Say your chosen line aloud, then check the answer key.
Recall with Swapped Roles
Now cover the lines and recall the exchange from memory. You will play both roles, but the order of the conversation must stay the same. This task checks whether you can remember who says what and when.
Your task: First, play the traveler and say the opening question from memory. Then play the staff member and give the location reply from memory. Next, play the traveler again and ask the price question from memory. Finally, play the staff member and give the price and deposit answer from memory. After one full round, swap roles and repeat the same order.
Common questions
Can I practice both roles if I am learning alone?
Yes. You can read the traveler's lines aloud, then read the staff member's lines aloud in the same order. You can also listen to the recordings and respond aloud yourself. There is no automatic assessment, so use the answer key and self-check in each exercise to confirm the order and the matching replies.
What should I listen for in the staff member's final answer?
Listen for two separate pieces of information: the daily price and the deposit. In «一天三十块，需要押金一百块。», the staff member gives the price per day and then states that a deposit is required. Keeping those two details separate helps you understand the answer without confusing the rental cost with the deposit.
Sources and further reading
- chinese: ask for a bicycle rentalChecked September 2026
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