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In CGG #127 and CGG #128, we looked at how Mandarin moves from what you observe to what you conclude.
Today’s exercises will help you pick the right word for the right moment. Some of these words stay careful, others sound bookish, and a few come straight out of everyday chat. With practice, choosing between them stops feeling like guesswork.
Let’s put these conclusion words to work!
🌱 Today’s Easy Exercises
Translate these English sentences into Mandarin:
From the look of it he isn’t coming. Let’s not wait for him.
The sky is so dark. Looks like it’s going to rain this afternoon.
The moment I walked in, it felt as if I were back home.
There’s nobody in this shop. Apparently things here aren’t cheap.
Take your time, and remember: practicing will help you sound more natural and confident in your Mandarin conversations. You’ve got this! 💫
🌱 Translation #1
From the look of it he isn’t coming. Let’s not wait for him.
You’re standing there, he’s late, nobody has heard from him, and you put the whole picture together into a judgment. That’s what 看样子 [看樣子] (kàn yàngzi) does: it points at the overall situation rather than one single detail, which is why it sits at the front of the sentence. Then there’s the second half, where you suggest dropping a plan you were already carrying out, so a plain “don’t wait” isn’t enough. For calling off something already in progress, Mandarin pairs a negative command with a final 了 (le) to mark the switch from waiting to not waiting.
📚 Structure: 看样子 [看樣子] + [Conclusion], [Subject] + 别 [別] + [Verb] + 了
Let’s break down the translation step by step:
看样子 [看樣子] (kàn yàngzi) means “from the look of things.”
看 (kàn) means “to look.”
样子 [樣子] (yàngzi) means “appearance” or “the way things look.”
It opens the sentence and covers the whole situation, not one single clue.
他 (tā) means “he.”
不 (bù) is the negative adverb.
来 [來] (lái) means “to come.”
了 (le) marks a change of situation.
不来了 [不來了] (bù lái le) means “isn’t coming after all,” implying he was expected to come.
我们 [我們] (wǒmen) means “we.”
别 [別] (bié) means “don’t.”
This is the quick, casual way of telling someone not to do something.
📖 Learn more about 别 [別] and other prohibitions in CGG #106.
等 (děng) means “to wait.”
了 (le) closes the 别...了 [別...了] pattern.
This second 了 signals stopping something already happening.
Notes
别等了 [別等了] (bié děng le) means “let’s stop waiting.” Without the final 了, 别等 [別等] sounds like a flat instruction not to wait at all.
Don’t swap in 好像 (hǎoxiàng) here. 好像 reports an impression, while 看样子 [看樣子] states a judgment you’ve reached, which is what justifies the decision in the second clause.
Mandarin drops “for him” in the second clause. 等 (děng) already carries the object from context, and adding 他 again would sound heavy.
The two clauses need no connector. The comma alone carries the “so” relationship.
📖 Learn more about linking cause and result without a connector in CGG #69.
Recap
看样子他不来了，我们别等了。
看樣子他不來了，我們別等了。
看样子 / 他 / 不 / 来 / 了 / ，/ 我们 / 别 / 等 / 了 。
kàn yàngzi tā bù lái le, wǒmen bié děng le.
From the look of it he isn’t coming. Let’s not wait for him.
from the look of things / he / not / come / (change of situation 了) / we / don’t / wait / (change of situation 了).
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🌱 Translation #2
The sky is so dark. Looks like it’s going to rain this afternoon.
