Series ID: EDKS-BASIC-ZH-0015 · Lesson No.015 · 零基础英语第十五课 · Pre-A1 → A1

Home and Rooms | 家与房间

There is a sofa in the living room. The keys are on the table. My bedroom is next to the bathroom.
客厅里有一张沙发。钥匙在桌上。我的卧室在浴室旁边。

A home contains rooms, objects, positions, routines and relationships. That makes it one of the best places to practise beginner English.

“家”这个主题天然包含房间、物品、位置、日常活动和人与物的关系，非常适合练基础英语结构。

This lesson connects four important systems: there is/are, be + location, have/has, and where questions. It also reuses Lesson 004 prepositions and Lesson 012 negatives.

Chinese Edition Hub · 中文版入口 · ← Lesson No.014 · Clothes and Colours

The lesson map | 本课路线

types of homes
living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom
dining area, study, balcony, hallway
furniture and household objects
there is / there are
there isn’t / there aren’t
Where is…? / Where are…?
in, on, under, next to, between, behind, in front of
have/has for possession
there is vs have
room descriptions
household routines and chores
floor-plan language
home safety vocabulary
Mandarin 有 and 在 vs English structures
reading, speaking, writing and retrieval

1. House, flat, apartment | 房子、公寓

a house
a flat
an apartment

flat is common in British English; apartment is common internationally and especially in American English.

2. Home | home 不只是 building

home often means the place where you live and feel based, not only the physical building.

I’m at home.
I go home at six.
This is my home.

Notice: standard English normally says go home, not “go to home”.

3. Living room | 客厅

sofa
chair
table
television
lamp
bookshelf

Example: There is a sofa in the living room.

4. Bedroom | 卧室

bed
pillow
blanket
wardrobe
desk
lamp

Example: My desk is next to the bed.

5. Kitchen | 厨房

fridge / refrigerator
sink
stove / cooker
oven
microwave
cupboard

Vocabulary varies by region. Learn the word you meet most often, and recognise common alternatives.

6. Bathroom | 浴室 / 卫生间

toilet
sink
shower
bath
mirror
towel

In different regions, bathroom, toilet, washroom and restroom may be used differently. Context matters.

7. Dining room / dining area | 餐厅 / 用餐区

dining table
chair
plate
cup
bowl

Many homes do not have a separate dining room. dining area is a useful flexible phrase.

8. Study / home office | 书房 / 家庭办公室

desk
computer
chair
bookshelf
printer

Example: I work in the study.

9. Balcony | 阳台

There are two chairs on the balcony.
We keep plants on the balcony.

Use on the balcony in common English usage.

10. Hallway / corridor | 走廊

The bathroom is at the end of the hallway.
The shoes are in the hallway.

11. Door, window, wall, floor, ceiling | 门窗墙地天花板

Open the door.
Close the window.
There is a picture on the wall.
The bag is on the floor.
The light is on the ceiling.

12. The first home machine: there is | 有一个……

Use there is to introduce one thing or an uncountable substance that exists in a place.

There is a sofa in the living room.
There is a lamp on the desk.
There is water in the bottle.

13. There are | 有多个……

There are two chairs in the kitchen.
There are three books on the table.
There are some shoes by the door.

Use there are with plural nouns.

14. There is vs there are | 单数与复数

One / mass	More than one
There is a chair.	There are two chairs.
There is a book.	There are five books.
There is some water.	—

15. There isn’t | 没有一个……

There isn’t a television in the bedroom.
There isn’t a table here.
There isn’t any milk in the fridge.

16. There aren’t | 没有多个……

There aren’t any chairs here.
There aren’t any clean cups.
There aren’t two bathrooms.

17. Is there…? | 有……吗？

Is there a bathroom upstairs?
Is there a lift?
Is there any water?

Short answers: Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.

18. Are there…? | 有多个……吗？

Are there any shops near your home?
Are there two bedrooms?
Are there any clean towels?

Short answers: Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.

19. The second home machine: be + location | 某物在哪里

The keys are on the table.
The phone is in the bag.
The shoes are under the chair.

there is/are introduces existence. be + location tells where a known thing is.

20. Where is…? | ……在哪里？

Where is my phone?
Where is the bathroom?
Where is the remote control?

Answers: It’s on the table. / It’s next to the kitchen.

21. Where are…? | 多个东西在哪里？

Where are my keys?
Where are the towels?
Where are the plates?

Answers: They’re on the shelf.

22. In | 在里面

in the room
in the drawer
in the fridge
in the cupboard

Example: The milk is in the fridge.

23. On | 在表面上

on the table
on the wall
on the shelf
on the floor

English prepositions are not always translated by one fixed Chinese character. Learn them with common nouns and scenes.

24. Under | 在下面

under the bed
under the table
under the chair

25. Next to / beside | 在旁边

The lamp is next to the bed.
The bathroom is beside the bedroom.

next to is an excellent high-frequency beginner phrase.

26. Between | 在……之间

The table is between the sofa and the window.
The bathroom is between two bedrooms.

between often names two reference points.

27. Behind | 在后面

The bag is behind the door.
The garden is behind the house.

28. In front of | 在前面

The car is in front of the house.
The chair is in front of the desk.

29. Above and below | 上方 / 下方

The picture is above the sofa.
The drawer is below the desk.

above does not require physical contact; on usually implies contact with a surface.

30. The third home machine: have/has | 拥有

I have two bedrooms.
We have a small kitchen.
She has a balcony.
The flat has two bathrooms.

have/has describes possession or features of a home.

31. There is vs have | “有”不能只用一个结构

There is a sofa in the living room. — 房间里有沙发。
The living room has a sofa. — 客厅有一张沙发。
We have a sofa. — 我们有一张沙发。

Mandarin 有 can map to several English structures. Meaning and perspective decide which one is natural.

32. Describe a room | 描述一个房间

Use this sequence:

name the room
say what exists
say where key objects are
add one opinion

Example: This is my bedroom. There is a bed, a desk and a wardrobe. The desk is next to the window. My books are on the desk. The room is small but comfortable.

33. Big, small, bright, dark, quiet | 房间形容词

a big room
a small kitchen
a bright living room
a dark hallway
a quiet bedroom

Remember be + adjective: The room is bright.

34. Clean and messy | 干净与凌乱

The kitchen is clean.
My desk is messy.
The room isn’t very tidy.

messy and untidy describe disorder. Avoid using them as personal insults.

35. Open and closed | 开与关

The window is open.
The door is closed.
Is the shop door open?

These adjectives are also useful outside the home.

36. Household routine: clean | 打扫

I clean the kitchen every evening.
She cleans the bathroom on Saturday.

This reuses Lesson 008 present-simple routines.

37. Wash | 洗

wash the dishes
wash clothes
wash the floor

Different household tasks use different verbs. Learn common verb+noun chunks.

38. Cook | 做饭

I cook in the kitchen.
My father cooks dinner.

This reconnects Lesson 009 food language.

39. Make the bed | 整理床铺

I make the bed every morning.

English uses make the bed, not a direct word-for-word translation from Chinese.

40. Take out the rubbish / trash | 倒垃圾

British: take out the rubbish
American: take out the trash

Recognise both.

41. Put away | 收好

Put away your clothes.
I put the dishes away after dinner.

put away means return something to its proper storage place.

42. Turn on / turn off | 打开 / 关闭设备

Turn on the light.
Turn off the television.
Please turn off the fan.

For many devices, English uses turn on/off.

43. Open / close vs turn on / off | 门窗和设备不同

open the door
close the window
turn on the light
turn off the television

Do not use one English verb for every Chinese 开/关 context.

44. Floor | 楼层

ground floor
first floor
second floor

Floor numbering differs between countries. In many British systems, ground floor is street level and first floor is one level above. In American English, first floor is often street level. Check local usage.

45. Upstairs / downstairs | 楼上 / 楼下

The bedrooms are upstairs.
The kitchen is downstairs.
Go upstairs.
Come downstairs.

46. Floor-plan language | 平面图语言

The kitchen is next to the living room.
The bathroom is between the bedrooms.
The balcony is outside the living room.
The front door opens into the hallway.

A floor plan is a visual reading task. Use location language to describe relationships between rooms.

47. Finding something at home | 在家找东西

A: Where are my keys?
B: They’re on the table.
A: Which table?
B: The small table next to the sofa.

This combines where, which and location detail.

48. Asking permission at home | 在别人家礼貌问

Can I use the bathroom?
Can I sit here?
Can I open the window?
Can I charge my phone here?

Permission questions are useful when visiting someone else’s home.

49. Home safety vocabulary | 家居安全词汇

smoke alarm
fire extinguisher
emergency exit
first-aid kit
electric socket / outlet

This is vocabulary instruction, not safety certification. Follow local safety guidance and qualified instructions in real emergencies.

50. Simple safety language | 简单安全表达

Don’t touch that.
Turn off the stove.
The floor is wet.
Be careful.
There is smoke.
Please call for help.

Language should be clear and direct when the situation matters.

51. Mandarin transfer: 有 | 有 → there is/are or have/has

Chinese	Natural English
客厅里有沙发。	There is a sofa in the living room.
我家有两个卧室。	My home has two bedrooms. / We have two bedrooms.
冰箱里有牛奶吗？	Is there any milk in the fridge?

Choose existence or possession according to meaning.

52. Mandarin transfer: 在 | 在 → be + location

钥匙在桌上。 → The keys are on the table.
书在包里。 → The book is in the bag.
浴室在卧室旁边。 → The bathroom is next to the bedroom.

English usually needs be before the location phrase.

53. Mandarin transfer: 开 / 关 | 动词选择

开门 → open the door
开灯 → turn on the light
关窗 → close the window
关电视 → turn off the television

Do not translate the Chinese verb without checking the English object-verb combination.

54. Listening: there is / there are | 听 there 系统

In natural speech, there is often contracts to there’s.

There’s a sofa in the room.
There are two chairs.

Learn full forms first, but recognise common contractions.

55. Listening: where is / where are | 听 singular/plural

Where is the key?
Where are the keys?

The noun ending and the verb both signal number.

56. Reading practice A: a small flat | 阅读 A

Mei lives in a small flat. There are two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. The living room has a sofa and two chairs. There is a small table in front of the sofa. Mei’s bedroom is next to the bathroom. Her desk is beside the window, and her books are on a shelf above the desk. There isn’t a television in her bedroom.

How many bedrooms are there?
How many bathrooms?
What is in the living room?
Where is the small table?
Where is Mei’s bedroom?
Is there a television in her bedroom?

57. Reading practice B: looking for keys | 阅读 B

David cannot find his keys. He looks on the kitchen table, under the sofa and beside the front door. The keys are not there. His daughter says, “There is a small bowl on the shelf near the door. Look in the bowl.” David checks the bowl. His keys are inside.

What can’t David find?
Which places does he check first?
Where is the bowl?
Where are the keys?

58. Reading practice C: household routine | 阅读 C

Anna and her family share household jobs. Anna cooks dinner on Monday and Wednesday. Her partner washes the dishes. Their son takes out the rubbish, and their daughter puts away the clean clothes. On Saturday morning, everyone cleans one room. The work is easier because each person has one job.

When does Anna cook?
Who washes the dishes?
Who takes out the rubbish?
What does the daughter do?
When does everyone clean?

59. Writing practice: describe one room | 描述一个房间

Write six sentences:

name the room
there is
there are
one in/on/under sentence
one next to/between sentence
one opinion adjective

60. Writing practice: simple floor plan | 写平面图说明

Draw four boxes: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room. Then write where each room is relative to the others.

Example: The kitchen is next to the living room. The bathroom is between the two bedrooms.

61. Speaking practice: object hunt | 找物品口语

One person hides or chooses an object. The other asks:

Is it in the bedroom?
Is it on the table?
Is it under the chair?
Is it next to the window?

This turns prepositions into a real search task.

62. Speaking practice: home tour | 介绍房子

Give a one-minute fictional home tour:

This is the living room.
There is…
There are…
The kitchen is…
Upstairs, there are…

63. Error clinic | 常见错误诊所

Common error	Better English	What broke?
Have a sofa in the room. ✗	There is a sofa in the room. ✓	existence structure
There have two chairs. ✗	There are two chairs. ✓	there are
The keys on table. ✗	The keys are on the table. ✓	be missing
Where the bathroom? ✗	Where is the bathroom? ✓	question be
There don’t have water. ✗	There isn’t any water. ✓	negative existence
I go to home. ✗	I go home. ✓	fixed expression
Open the light. ✗	Turn on the light. ✓	verb-object collocation

64. First weak link diagnosis | 第一个卡点诊断

I use have for every 有 → existence vs possession.
I know prepositions but omit be → location sentence frame.
I mix is/are → singular/plural tracking.
I know room words but cannot describe a floor plan → relational location language.
I know household nouns but not routines → verb+noun chunks.
I translate 开/关 directly → collocation problem.
I can read home descriptions but not find objects from speech → listening for preposition + noun.

65. Retrieval lab | 提取练习

客厅里有一张沙发。 → ______
厨房里有两把椅子。 → ______
钥匙在桌上。 → ______
书在包里。 → ______
浴室在卧室旁边。 → ______
这里没有水。 → ______
有浴室吗？ → ______
我的钥匙在哪里？ → ______
打开灯。 → ______
关上窗。 → ______

Suggested answers: There is a sofa in the living room. / There are two chairs in the kitchen. / The keys are on the table. / The book is in the bag. / The bathroom is next to the bedroom. / There isn’t any water here. / Is there a bathroom? / Where are my keys? / Turn on the light. / Close the window.

66. Ten-minute daily practice | 每天十分钟

2 min	rooms	房间
2 min	furniture	家具
2 min	there is/are	存在
2 min	location prepositions	位置
2 min	one home-tour speech	口语

67. Seven-day training cycle | 七天训练

Day 1	room names	房间
Day 2	furniture and objects	家具物品
Day 3	there is/are	存在
Day 4	in/on/under/next to	位置
Day 5	have vs there is	有
Day 6	chores and home verbs	家务
Day 7	one-minute home tour	综合输出

68. Self-test: 30 questions | 30 题自测

Translate: 客厅。
Translate: 卧室。
Translate: 厨房。
Translate: 浴室。
Translate: 客厅里有一张沙发。
Translate: 房间里有两把椅子。
Translate: 桌上没有水。
Ask: 有浴室吗？
Ask: 有椅子吗？
Ask: 钥匙在哪里？
Translate: 钥匙在桌上。
Translate: 鞋在床下面。
Translate: 灯在床旁边。
Translate: 浴室在两个卧室之间。
Translate: 花园在房子后面。
Translate: 我家有两个卧室。
Explain there is vs have.
Translate: 打开门。
Translate: 打开灯。
Translate: 关窗。
Translate: 关电视。
Correct: There have two chairs.
Correct: The keys on table.
Correct: Where the bathroom?
Correct: There don’t have water.
Correct: I go to home.
Name three chores.
Give one there isn’t sentence.
Describe one room in four sentences.
Give one simple home-safety instruction.

Answer key | 答案

1 living room; 2 bedroom; 3 kitchen; 4 bathroom; 5 There is a sofa in the living room; 6 There are two chairs in the room; 7 There isn’t any water on the table; 8 Is there a bathroom?; 9 Are there any chairs?; 10 Where are the keys?; 11 The keys are on the table; 12 The shoes are under the bed; 13 The lamp is next to the bed; 14 The bathroom is between the two bedrooms; 15 The garden is behind the house; 16 Our home has two bedrooms / We have two bedrooms; 17 existence vs possession/feature; 18 Open the door; 19 Turn on the light; 20 Close the window; 21 Turn off the television; 22 There are two chairs; 23 The keys are on the table; 24 Where is the bathroom?; 25 There isn’t any water; 26 I go home; 27–30 answers vary.

69. For parents and teachers | 给家长和老师

Use the learner’s real environment when appropriate. Ask them to point, locate, count and describe. The home gives immediate feedback because objects are physically present.

For Mandarin speakers, teach three different “有/在” decisions explicitly: there is/are for existence, have/has for possession/features, and be + location for where a known object is.

Use floor plans and object hunts to turn prepositions into spatial reasoning rather than translation drills.

Keep home privacy in mind. Learners do not need to reveal their real address, household finances or private family arrangements. Fictional homes work perfectly well for language practice.

70. Final real-world challenge | 最终真实任务

Name eight rooms/areas.
Name twenty household objects.
Use there is/are correctly.
Use there isn’t/aren’t correctly.
Ask where five objects are.
Use six location prepositions.
Explain there is vs have.
Describe a simple floor plan.
Give three household routine sentences.
Give a one-minute home tour.

If you can do this, your home has become a complete beginner English practice environment.

Next: Lesson No.016 | 下一课

Home and clothing prepare you for a larger real-world system: shopping, prices, cash, cards, change, receipts, quantity, comparing prices and completing a purchase.

Lesson No.016 · Shopping and Money · 购物与金钱

Reference floor: British Council A1 Elementary · British Council A1–A2 Vocabulary · Cambridge English Vocabulary in Use: Elementary.

Small Group Tutorials

How to Learn Basic English (Chinese Edition) | Lesson No.015 | Home and Rooms | 家与房间