1.I used to help her in the kitchen whenever I had the chance.
Meaning:
I helped her in the kitchen regularly in the past whenever there was an opportunity.
中文：
我过去常常在厨房帮她，只要有机会我都会这样做。
Key expressions:
1. used to do
= something happened regularly in the past but may not happen now
过去常常做某事
例如：
- I used to play basketball when I was young.
我小时候经常打篮球。
注意：
used to + 动词原形
✅ used to help
❌ used to helped
2. help someone (to) do something
= help someone do something
帮助某人做某事
例如：
- I helped my friend study English.
我帮助朋友学习英语。
这里：
help her in the kitchen
= 帮她做厨房里的事情（比如做饭、洗菜等）
3. whenever
= every time that; any time when
每当；无论什么时候
例如：
- Whenever I feel tired, I take a short break.
每当我感觉累的时候，我都会休息一下。
4. have the chance
= have an opportunity
有机会
例如：
- I want to travel abroad whenever I have the chance.
我想有机会的时候去国外旅行。
Common collocations:
- used to do something — 过去常常做某事
- have the chance to do something — 有机会做某事
- whenever possible — 只要可能
- help someone with something — 帮助某人做某事
- work in the kitchen — 在厨房工作
My sentence:
I used to study economics whenever I had the chance because I wanted to understand how businesses work.
过去只要有机会，我就会学习经济学，因为我想理解企业是如何运作的。
Sentence structure:
整个句子：
I used to help her in the kitchen whenever I had the chance.
主句：
I used to help her in the kitchen
我过去常常在厨房帮助她
时间状语：
whenever I had the chance
每当我有机会的时候
可以理解为：
只要有机会，我过去就会帮她。
这里的 whenever 比 when 更强调“每一次”。
比较：
-
When I had the chance
当我有机会时（可能某一次） -
Whenever I had the chance
每当我有机会时（反复发生）✅
2.I also took a couple of cooking classes to learn how to do other kinds of cooking.
Meaning:
I also attended two or a few cooking classes to learn different types of cooking skills.
中文：
我还参加了几节烹饪课，学习如何做其他类型的菜。
Key expressions:
1. take a class / take classes
= attend a class
参加课程；上课
例如：
-
take an English class
上英语课 -
take a finance class
上金融课
注意：
这里的 take 不是“拿”，而是“参加”。
2. a couple of
= two or a small number of
两个；几个；少量
这里：
a couple of cooking classes
= 几节烹饪课 / 两三节烹饪课
3. to learn how to do…
= in order to learn the way to do something
为了学习如何做……
例如：
- I study Python to learn how to analyze data.
我学习 Python 是为了学习如何分析数据。
4. other kinds of cooking
= other types of cooking
其他类型的烹饪方式
例如：
-
different kinds of food
不同种类的食物 -
other kinds of skills
其他类型的技能
Common collocations:
- take a class — 上课
- take a cooking class — 上烹饪课
- learn how to do something — 学习如何做某事
- different kinds of skills — 不同类型的技能
- improve cooking skills — 提升厨艺
My sentence:
I took a couple of finance classes to learn how to analyze financial statements.
我参加了几门金融课程，学习如何分析财务报表。
Sentence structure:
这个句子的核心：
I took a couple of cooking classes to learn how to do other kinds of cooking.
结构：
主句 + to do（目的）
也就是：
我参加烹饪课，目的是学习其他烹饪方法。
类似：
-
I study AI to learn how to build intelligent systems.
我学习 AI 是为了学习如何构建智能系统。 -
I read financial reports to learn how companies create value.
我阅读财报是为了学习企业如何创造价值。
小提醒：
这里的 how to do other kinds of cooking 有一点口语化。
更自然的表达：
learn how to cook different kinds of dishes
= 学习如何做不同种类的菜
因为 cooking 本身已经表示“烹饪”，所以 do cooking 不如 cook dishes 常见。