Topics · Primary Chinese · Dialogue Completion (完成对话)
完成对话: filling in what someone said
A conversation with one side missing. The answer is not free — it is fixed by what comes after it, because the next line is the reply to the line you are writing.
- 142 exam papers analysed
- appears in 75% of P6 Chinese papers
- ~2 min read
01 The line after the gap is the answer key
A dialogue gap sits between two lines, and the one after it constrains you far more than the one before.
If the reply is 好的，我八点到, then the gap was a question about a time. If the reply is 不客气, the gap was a thank-you.
Read both sides of the gap before writing anything. Writing something sensible that the next line does not answer is the commonest way to lose this mark.
02 Match the register to the speakers
Who is talking to whom decides the words as much as the content does.
| Pupil to teacher | Friend to friend | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 老师，您好 | 小华，你好 |
| Asking | 请问…可以吗？ | …好不好？ |
| Agreeing | 好的，谢谢老师 | 行，没问题 |
| Refusing | 对不起，我恐怕不行 | 不行啦，我有事 |
03 Writing the turn
Keep it to one or two sentences. A dialogue turn is short, and a paragraph in the gap reads wrong however good the Chinese is.
Match the punctuation to the kind of turn. A question ends 吗？or 呢？or uses a question word — and it needs the question mark.
Use the vocabulary already in the dialogue. The words around the gap are safe to reuse and are certainly on topic.
Keep the topic. The whole conversation is about one thing. A turn that changes the subject breaks it, even if it fits the line before.
Do not leave it blank. Something short and safe that fits the reply is worth more than nothing.
04 How to say them
These are words most children have never said out loud, and a word you cannot say is a word you avoid using. The respelling is Hanyu Pinyin, with the tone marked over the vowel. Tap the speaker to hear it.
- 完成对话saywán chéng duì huà
Dialogue completion — supplying the missing turns in a conversation.
- 对话sayduì huà
A conversation between two speakers, each turn labelled with a name.
- 请问sayqǐng wèn
May I ask — how a polite question to a teacher or a stranger begins.
- 不客气saybú kè qi
You're welcome. If it is the reply, the gap before it was a thank-you.
- 语气sayyǔ qì
Tone or register — how formal the words are. It follows from who is speaking to whom.
05 What each level is tested on
The same topic, asked differently as it goes up. The percentage is the share of papers at that level in which it appears.
- P4
Short dialogues with one turn missing, and the reply making the answer clear.
Practise P4 Higher Chinese Dialogue Completion (完成对话) — 8 questions →20% of P4 Higher Chinese papers
- P5
Longer conversations, more than one gap, and matching the register to the speakers.
Practise P5 Chinese Dialogue Completion (完成对话) — 8 questions →57% of P5 Chinese papers
- P6
Dialogues where the gap has to carry specific information the rest of the conversation depends on.
Practise P6 Chinese Dialogue Completion (完成对话) — 8 questions →75% of P6 Chinese papers
06 Mistakes worth knowing about
Each of these is wrong. Decide why before you open it.
“I only read the line before the gap.”
The line after it is the reply to what you are writing, and it constrains you far more.
“I wrote a long, detailed turn.”
A dialogue turn is one or two sentences. A paragraph reads wrong whatever it says.
“I wrote a question but forgot the question mark.”
The punctuation is part of the answer. A question needs ？, and 吗 or 呢 at the end.
“I used 你 speaking to the teacher.”
您 to a teacher. The names at the start of the lines tell you the register.
“I changed the subject to something I could write.”
The conversation is about one thing throughout. A turn that leaves the topic breaks the dialogue.
Now try it
24 questions across 3 levels, marked as you go with the working shown.