How to Say ‘Let's set a few goals together today.’ in Simplified Chinese
咱们今天一起定几个目标吧。
zán men jīn tiān yì qǐ dìng jǐ gè mù biāo ba
[dzahn-men jeen-tyen ee-chee ding jee guh mùbiāo bah]
🇨🇳 In China: When a doctor says 咱们 and 一起, it's a deliberate choice. It presents the plan as teamwork rather than orders, which is a softer approach than many patients expect from Chinese hospitals.
Phrase Breakdown
咱们今天
zán men jīn tiān
today, we (you and I)
咱们 (zánmen, we, including the listener) + 今天 (jīntiān, today). 们 is light.
咱们今天去吃饭。
Let's go eat today.
Words in this phrase
咱们
zán men
[dzahn-men]
we; us
An inclusive way to say we, often including both speaker and listener.
咱们先把价格说清楚。
Let's first make the price clear.
今天
jīn tiān
[jeen-tyen]
today
The current day; used when talking about what is happening now.
今天有一个很重要的职业活动。
Today there is a very important career event.
一起定
yì qǐ dìng
set together
一起 (yìqǐ, together) + 定 (dìng, set). Say it as 'yìqǐ dìng'.
一起定计划。
Make a plan together.
Words in this phrase
一起
yì qǐ
[ee-chee]
together
Used to say that people do something jointly or at the same time.
希望以后能一起参加项目。
I hope we can work on a project together in the future.
定
dìng
[ding]
set
Suggests something is decided or finalized.
时间已经定了。
The time is already set.
几个目标吧。
jǐ gè mù biāo ba
a few goals, shall we
几个 (jǐ ge) + 目标 (mùbiāo) + 吧 (ba). 吧 softens the sentence into a suggestion.
定几个目标吧。
Let's set a few goals.
Words in this phrase
几
jǐ
[jee]
a few; several
Used before measure words or time words to mean an indefinite small number, like a few.
这次想待几天，再回去上班。
This time I want to stay a few days before going back to work.
个
gè
[guh]
general measure word
A very common classifier used with many nouns, like 地方 in 个地方.
我们找个安静一点的位置吧。
Let’s find a slightly quieter spot.
目标
mù biāo
[mùbiāo]
goal; target
Something one aims to achieve.
我的目标是减肥五斤。
My goal is to lose five jin.
吧
ba
[bah]
let's; suggestion particle
softens a suggestion so it sounds friendly and natural
我们去那边聊聊吧。
Let's go chat over there.
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