Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
Chinese graded readers: read with pinyin, then without it
Original Chinese study material with English explanations. Simplified Chinese with pinyin; beginner, intermediate and advanced are editorial difficulty labels.
Choose a passage where you can follow the main event. First identify who does what. Use pinyin for an unfamiliar pronunciation and the English translation to check an interpretation. Hide the support and reread. If each line needs constant lookup, try an easier passage before increasing length.
他想买书，但是书店关门了。
Tā xiǎng mǎi shū, dànshì shūdiàn guān mén le.
He wanted to buy a book, but the bookshop was closed.
所以他去了图书馆。
Suǒyǐ tā qù le túshūguǎn.
So he went to the library.
Reading with pinyin helps pronunciation but does not prove recognition of the characters. Check those separately by hiding pinyin. Use a teacher or fluent speaker when you need feedback on your own pronunciation.
Try it
Why did he go to the library in the example?
- The bookshop was closed
- The library sold cheaper books
- He forgot his name
Answer and explanation
The bookshop was closed. 但是 introduces the obstacle and 所以 introduces the resulting action. No price is given.