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Chinese grammar - 'To spend time' and 'money' - verb 花 (huā)

'To spend time' and 'money' - verb 花 (huā)

The verb (huā) in Chinese is commonly used to mean "to spend" in the context of time or money.

It implies the expenditure of a resource, whether it be time, money, or effort.

Note that (huā) as a noun means 'flower'.

Examples:
他花了很多时间学习。
tā huā le hěn#duō shíjiān xuéxí.
He spent a lot of time studying.
我们花了一千块钱买这台电脑。
wǒmen huā le yìqiān kuài#qián mǎi zhè tái diànnǎo.
We spent 1,000 yuan buying this computer.
我花了两小时完成作业。
wǒ huā le liǎng xiǎoshí wánchéng zuòyè.
I spent two hours finishing my homework.
他花了很多钱买那辆车。
tā huā le hěn#duō qián mǎi nà liàng chē.
He spent a lot of money buying that car.
她每天花一个小时锻炼身体。
tā měitiān huā yí ge xiǎoshí duànliàn shēntǐ.
She spends an hour exercising every day.

身体 (shēntǐ) means 'body'

我们将花一整天去参观博物馆。
wǒmen jiāng huā yì zhěng tiān qù cānguān bówùguǎn.
We will spend the whole day visiting the museum.

(jiāng) means 'will'

(zhěng) means 'whole'

你花了多少钱买这本书?
nǐ huā le duō shǎo qián mǎi zhè běn shū?
How much money did you spend on this book?
我今天要花几个小时整理房间。
wǒ jīntiān yào huā jǐ ge xiǎoshí zhénglǐ fángjiān.
I will spend a few hours tidying up the room today.

整理 (zhénglǐ) means 'to tidy up'

他们打算花两周去旅游。
tāmen dǎsuàn huā liǎng zhōu qù lǚyóu.
They plan to spend two weeks traveling.

打算 (dǎsuàn) means 'to plan'

你每天花多少时间学习?
nǐ měitiān huā duō shǎo shíjiān xuéxí?
How much time do you spend studying every day?
她昨天花了五百块买衣服。
tā zuótiān huā le wǔ#bǎi kuài mǎi yīfu.
She spent 500 yuan on clothes yesterday.
我不想花太多时间做这个任务。
wǒ bù xiǎng huā tài duō shíjiān zuò zhè ge rènwù.
I don't want to spend too much time on this task.
我经常花很多时间学习中文。
wǒ jīngcháng huā hěn#duō shíjiān xuéxí zhōngwén.
I often spend a lot of time studying Chinese.
他花了三天时间修理电脑。
tā huā le sān#tiān shíjiān xiūlǐ diànnǎo.
He spent three days repairing the computer.

三天 (tiān) means 'daysky'

修理 (xiūlǐ) means 'to repair' or 'to fix'

她在这次旅行中花了很多钱。
tā zài zhè#cì lǚxíng zhōng huā le hěn#duō qián.
She spent a lot of money during this trip.

这次 (zhècì) means 'this time'

(zhōng) means 'middle'

我们花了一小时讨论这个问题。
wǒmen huā le yì xiǎoshí tǎolùn zhège wèntí.
We spent an hour discussing this issue.
他每天花两个小时锻炼身体。
tā měitiān huā liǎng ge xiǎoshí duànliàn shēntǐ.
He spends two hours every day exercising.
你花这么多时间学习,有没有效果?
nǐ huā zhème#duō shíjiān xuéxí,#yǒuméiyǒu xiàoguǒ?
You spend so much time studying, is there any result?

这么多 (zhème duō) means 'so much' or 'this much'

效果 (xiàoguǒ) means 'effect' or 'result'

他们在这个项目上花了太多钱。
tāmen zài zhège xiàngmù shàng huā le tài#duō qián.
They spent too much money on this project.
她总是花时间帮助别人。
tā zǒngshì huā shíjiān bāngzhù biérén.
She always spends time helping others.

帮助 (bāngzhù) means 'to help'

我们花了整个周末整理房子。
wǒmen huā le zhěnggè zhōumò zhénglǐ fángzi.
We spent the whole weekend organizing the house.

整个 (zhěnggè) means 'whole'

他为了通过考试花了很多钱买资料。
tā wèile tōngguò kǎoshì huā le hěn#duō qián mǎi zīliào.
He spent a lot of money buying materials to pass the exam.

为了 (le) means 'a particle indicating a completed action'

通过 (tōngguò) means 'to pass'

资料 (zīliào) means 'materials'