---
title: At the friend's home: what to say to the parents — how Mova does on the tests · Chinese street
description: Lesson 28 of the chinese street course of Mova's primary school: 1 of 11 tests right, exam 2 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# At the friend's home: what to say to the parents

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**Tests:** 1 of 11 right · **Exam:** 2 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 8 of 15 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 28 of the chinese street course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/).

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Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/).

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### Test 1 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t1}

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«didn't say hi to his parents, went straight to the PlayStation, it's fine right?» Is it fine?

- **1.** Yes, Chinese parents don't expect a greeting from kids — **← Mova's choice** · score 1
- **2.** No, not greeting the parents is the biggest mistake — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** No, you must bow three times — no support
- **4.** Yes, if you say it at the end — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 15, line 11: «kǎoshì («KAOW-SHR») means a test or exam; kǎo de zěnmeyàng? (how did the test go?) is the first thing many Chinese parents ask.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «ask» (+2); the same doer «many chinese parents» (+2). Against it: one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-3). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t1/)

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### Test 2 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t2}

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«nobody said take shoes off so I kept 'em on» What would have been better?

- **1.** Carry your shoes in with you — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Take off your socks too — no support
- **3.** Take them off anyway and wear the slippers — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Keep them on, nobody asked you, so it's totally fine — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t2/)

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### Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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Ming's mum asks once, lightly, if you want to stay for dinner, and doesn't ask again. What's the likely meaning?

- **1.** It may just be politeness — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** She's angry with you — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **3.** She wants you to cook — no support
- **4.** She means you must stay — score 4

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 4, tied with another option at 4 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 9, line 15: «wǒ mā («waw MAH») is a casual «my mum» among kids, as in «wǒ mā shuō bù xíng» (my mum says no); his mum is āyí to you.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same circumstance (+2); the same doer «mum» (+1); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t3/)

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### Test 4 · ★ · right ✓ {#t4}

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«his dad said walk slowly?? I'm not a snail» What did màn zǒu mean?

- **1.** Walk slowly, you're too noisy — score 4
- **2.** Come back again later — no support
- **3.** Take care going home — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **4.** You're being told off — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 8, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 28, line 14: «màn zǒu («MAHN DZOE», literally «walk slowly») means take care going home; it is not telling you to dawdle.», reached through what was said in the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same action «take» (+2); the same thing acted on «care» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t4/)

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### Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t5}

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You say «wǒ gāi zǒu le» and Ming's mum says «zài wánr yíhuìr ba». Do you have to stay?

- **1.** No, it's custom to ask; it's fine to go — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** No, she means hurry up — **← Mova's choice** · score 4
- **3.** Yes, or she'll be insulted for ever — no support
- **4.** Yes, it's an order from a grown-up, so you stay — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 9, line 3: ««māma!» across the flat means mum — keep it high, or it sounds like mà (scold). bàba is dad, and older kids joke about lǎobà (old dad), but only about their ow…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «mean» (+2); the same doer «māma» (+2). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t5/)

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### Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t6}

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What would happen if you said «dǎrǎo le» to Ming's parents on leaving?

- **1.** They'd think you're staying the night — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** They'd think you're ill — no support
- **3.** They'd be impressed by such good manners — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** They'd think you broke something in the flat — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t6/)

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### Test 7 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t7}

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«bié kèqi she said, so I ate the whole plate of dumplings lol» What went wrong?

- **1.** It's an invitation, but take one helping — **✓ the right answer** · score 1
- **2.** bié kèqi means don't eat any — **← Mova's choice** · score 8
- **3.** You should have eaten two plates — no support
- **4.** Nothing, that's exactly what bié kèqi means — score 8

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 8, tied with another option at 8 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 28, line 10: «bié kèqi («BYEH KUH-chee», literally «don't be polite») means make yourself at home; it is an invitation, but still take one helping, not the whole plate.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same action «mean» (+2); the same doer «bié» (+2). The right option, 1, scored 1. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t7/)

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### Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t8}

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In a cartoon a boy hands Ming's mum a gift with one hand, she says «tài kèqi le» and he takes it back. What should he have done?

- **1.** Thrown it to her — no support
- **2.** Kept offering it with both hands — **✓ the right answer** · score 6
- **3.** Taken it back, she said no, so that's that — **← Mova's choice** · score 12
- **4.** Given it to Ming instead, quietly — score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what is done. It chose option 3 with score 12, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 10, line 4: «At New Year all the qīnqi (relatives) come, including people nobody can quite explain, and Ming's mum whispers the right title to say.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same doer «mum» (+4); the same action «say» (+3). The right option, 2, scored 6. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t8/)

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### Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t9}

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«it's freezing out, ming's mum gave me WARM water, weird??» What's going on?

- **1.** She forgot to cool it down in the fridge first — **← Mova's choice** · score 8
- **2.** It's a punishment — no support
- **3.** Warm water means it's time to go home — no support
- **4.** Warm water or tea is normal in Chinese homes — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 28, line 16: «zhè shì wǒ māma ràng wǒ dài de («JUH SHR waw MAH-ma RAHNG waw DIGH duh») means this is from my mum, said handing over a small gift like fruit on a first visit;…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «mum» (+2); the same property (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t9/)

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### Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t10}

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The parents say «xià cì zài lái wánr!» and you answer in silence. What's a lovely reply?

- **1.** bié kèqi — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** hǎo, xièxie shūshu āyí! — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** qǐng jìn — no support
- **4.** wǒ gāi zǒu le — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t10/)

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### Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t11}

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«can you stay for tea?» «dunno, gotta check» — how do you say «I'll ask my mum» at Ming's?

- **1.** wǒ gāi zǒu le, xièxie — **← Mova's choice** · score 6
- **2.** màn zǒu — no support
- **3.** wǒ wèn yíxià wǒ māma — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** dǎrǎo le, āyí, zàijiàn — score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 1 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 28, line 4: «Leaving has its own dance: you say wǒ gāi zǒu le, they ask you to stay a bit longer, you thank them, and at the door you hear màn zǒu — «walk slowly», which re…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «say» (+3); the same circumstance (+3). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/t11/)

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### Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e1}

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Identify the greeting customarily addressed by a visiting child to the parents of a friend.

- **1.** dǎrǎo le — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** shūshu hǎo, āyí hǎo — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** liú xiàlái chī fàn ba — no support
- **4.** màn zǒu — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/e1/)

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### Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓ {#e2}

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Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning footwear in a Chinese household.

- **1.** Outdoor shoes are removed and the slippers provided are worn — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Shoes are removed only in the presence of grandparents — no support
- **3.** Outdoor shoes are customarily retained throughout the entire visit — no support
- **4.** Guests are expected to bring their own slippers — no support

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**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/e2/)

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### Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e3}

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Ascertain the signification of the valediction màn zǒu, as uttered by a host.

- **1.** An instruction to the guest to proceed at reduced speed — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** A reproach for the guest's tardiness — no support
- **3.** A wish for the guest's safe journey home — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** A request that the guest remain for dinner — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/e3/)

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### Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓ {#e4}

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Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the expression dǎrǎo le, as uttered by a departing child?

- **1.** A courteous apology for the disturbance, akin to «thank you for having me» — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** It is an admission of having damaged property belonging to the host family — no support
- **3.** It is a greeting upon arrival — no support
- **4.** It is a request for further refreshment — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/chinese-street/28-at-the-friends-home-what-to-say-to-the-parents/e4/)

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- ← previous: [27. Lanterns, dragon boats, mooncakes and birthdays](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/chinese-street/27-lanterns-dragon-boats-mooncakes-birthdays/)
- next →: [29. Talking to the friend's grandparents](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/chinese-street/29-talking-to-the-friends-grandparents/)
- ↑ back to [Chinese street](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/chinese-street/)