星期六，我和朋友去商店买东西。
On Saturday, my friend and I went to the store to buy some things.
我看见一本书，说：“我要买一个书。”
I saw a book and said, "I want to buy this book."
服务员笑了，说：“书应该说一本，不是一个。”
The clerk smiled and said, "For books you should say 'yì běn,' not 'yí gè.'"
后来，我买了一杯咖啡和一块蛋糕。
This time, I bought a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.
朋友说：“你现在会了！”
My friend said, "Now you've got it!"
我还想买一件衣服，可是钱不多了。
I still wanted to buy a piece of clothing, but I was running low on money.
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Key words 生词
本běn(measure word for books)
杯bēi(measure word for cups)
块kuài(measure word for chunks/pieces)
件jiàn(measure word for clothes)
个gè(general measure word)
东西dōngxithings
Grammar note 语法点
measure word + noun（量词 + 名词）
A number needs a specific measure word before the noun — not just 个 for everything: 一本书 (a book), 一杯咖啡 (a cup of coffee), 一块蛋糕 (a piece of cake), 一件衣服 (a piece of clothing).
我要买一本书，不是一个书。 — I want to buy a book, not "yí gè shū."
一 changes tone before a measure word
一 is yì before a 1st/2nd/3rd-tone measure word (like 本, 杯) and yí before a 4th-tone one (like 个, 件, 块).
一杯咖啡 (yì bēi)、一个人 (yí gè).
会 + 了（now you can do it）
会 means 'know how to'; adding 了 shows a change — you couldn't before, but now you can.
你现在会了！ — Now you've got it!
Check yourself 小测验
1. What mistake does the narrator make with the book?
2. What does the narrator buy correctly the second time?
3. Why doesn't the narrator buy the clothing?
After this reading
Reading is the easy part. Speaking is where you get stuck.
I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.
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