Dialogue 1

Socialising

dì yī cì the first time/for the first time jīhū almost měi every qù nián last year cānjiā to attend/to take part hūnlĭ wedding guò to celebrate/to spend chūnjié Chinese New Year (lit (“spring festival”) shuō lái huà cháng it’s a long story (lit “speak talk long”) qián ago/before tóngxué classmate yŏu yī tiān… one day…. (lit “have one day”) làngmàn to be romantic/romantic āiyō! whoops! xiàyŭ to rain/raining jìn qu to go in/to go into tán to talk/to chat diănr a little/some chá tea shuōqĭ talking about/to talk about zhī xíng the trip to…. (lit “of trip”) chénggōng to be successful/success chéngshì city huídá to answer fēngjĭng scenery měi to be beautiful/beautiful dāngdì local tánhuà to talk yóuhăo to be friendly/friendly xià cì next time Chángchéng the Great Wall (lit “long city wall”) shífēn extremely zhuàngguān to be magnificent pāi to take/to shoot zhàopiàn photograph

Xiàyŭ le.  - It’s raining.

Yùlán:         Zhè shì nĭ dì yī cì lái Táiwān ma?

Patrick:      Bú shì.  Wŏ jīhū měi nián dōu lái Táiwān.  Qù nián, wŏ lái le liăng cì.

Yùlán:         Zhēn de?  Wèishénme?

Patrick:      Dì yī cì, wŏmen lái cānjiā wŏ tàitai de mèimei de hūnlĭ. Dì èr cì, lái guò chūnjié.

Yùlán:         Zhènme shuō, nĭ tàitai shì Táiwānrén le?

Patrick:      Shì’a.

Yùlán:         Nĭmen shì zěnme rènshi de?

Patrick:      Shuō lái huà cháng.  Shí nián qián, tā qù Měiguó shàng dàxué.  Wŏmen shì tóngxué.  Yŏu yī tiān…..

Yùlán:         Zhēn làngmàn.  Aiyō! Xiàyŭ le.  Zánmen jìn qu tán ba.

Notes on Dialogue 1

Use of dì .... cì

Simply add a number between dì and cì to form expressions such as dì yī cì (the first time/for the first time), dì èr cì (the second time/for the second time), etc.  This phrase is always placed before the verb it modifies or at the beginning of the sentence.  For example:

Zhè shì wŏ dì èr cì qù Měiguó.

This is the second time I go to America.

It will be the second time that I go to America.

 

Dì yī cì, Wŏ bù zhīdao wŏ yīnggāi gàn shénme.

lit: The first time, I not know I should do what.

The first time I didn’t know what I should do.

Use of cì

If you want to say ‘once’, ‘twice’, ‘three times’, etc., addcì to the numeral.  Thus we have yī cì,liăng cì,sān cì , etc.  These phrases must be placed after the verb.  For example:

Měi ge xīngqī, wŏ qí yī cì zìxíngchē.

I ride my bike once every week.

If these phrases are used in the past tense, i.e. when le or guo is used, they can be placed either after le or guo or at the end of the sentence.  For example:

David qù guo sān cì Zhōngguó.

David qù guo Zhōngguó sān cì.

David has been to China three times.

In certain fixed verbal phrases such as dă diànhuà, you must put yī cì or liăng cì after the verb or the particle le.  For example:

Zuótiān wŏ géi wŏ māma dă le liăng cì diànhuà.

I phoned my mother twice yesterday.

If you want to turn the above sentence into a question, use the word jĭ:

Zuótiān nĭ géi nĭ māma dă le jĭ cì diànhuà?

How many times did you phone your mother yesterday?

Use of qù in qù nián.

Literally, qù nián means ‘gone year’.  Qù nián is a fixed expression for ‘last year’.  You cannot use qù with yuè (month) or xīngqī (week).

More on verbs

As prepositions (e.g. ‘at’. ‘in’, ‘on’) are not extensively used in Chinese, one of the ways to articulate an idea expressed in English with a preposition is to use verbs.  For example:

Wŏ xiáng măi yī zhāng qù Běijīng de huŏchē piào.

lit:  I want buy one go Beijing train ticket.

I’d like to buy a train ticket to Beijing.

 

Dì èr cì, wŏmen lài guò chūnjié.

lit: The second time, we come spend Spring Festival.

The second time, we came for the Spring Festival.

le indicating a guess

If you want to ask a question requiring a yes or no answer and at the same time indicate that it is your guess, put le at the end of a sentence instead of ma and use the rising tone.  Phrases such as nàme (so/in that case), zhènme shuō (in that case), etc. are often used in this case.  For example:

Nàme, nĭ bù xiăng qù le?

So, you don’t wish to go?

 

Zhènme shuō, nĭ jiù shì Wáng jīnglĭ le?

In that case, you are the manager named Wang?

Use of měi

When měi (every) is used before a noun which requires a measure word, the measure word must be used after měi and before the noun.  For example:

měi ge rén

every person/everyone

 

měi jiān fángjiān

every room

 

měi ge xīngqī

every week

As measure words are not used before tiān (day), nián (year), jiā (family), fēnzhōng (minute), etc., you can simply put měi before them on its own.  For example:

měi tiān

every day

 

měi nián

every year

If you want to say ‘every morning/evening’ you must say ‘every day morning/evening’.  For example:

měi tiān zăoshàng

every morning

 

měi tiān wănshàng

every evening

More on the emphatic word dōu

Earlier we learnt the use of dōu with suóyŏude (all).  Dōu is also frequently used with měi (every).  Simply put dōu before the verb but after the phrase with měi . For example:

Wó měi ge yuè dōu huí jiā kàn wŏ fùmŭ,

Every month, I go home to see my parents.

 

Tā měi fēnzhōng dōu zài xiăng shàng dàxué.

He is thinking about going to university every minute.

Note that zài in the above sentence indicates the continuous state of the verb xiăng (to think).

More on the verb lái guo

You must use the verb lái guo, meaning ‘to have been to’, if you are currently in the place to which you refer. For example:

(The speaker is currently at her home)

Xiáo Lĭ lái guo wŏ jiā sān cì.

Xiao Li has been to my home three times.

 

(The speaker is currently ain Taiwan)

Wŏ lái guo liăng cì Táiwān.

I’ve been here to Taiwan twice.

If you are in one place and talk about some other place you have been to, use the verb qù:

Wŏ qù guo sān cì Shànghăi.

I’ve been to Shanghai three times.

More on the omission of de

The sentence sounds awkward if there are more than two ocurrences of  – try to omit those that can be omitted.  For example, the de inwŏde can be omitted from

wŏde tàitai de mèimei de hūnlĭ   to give us

wŏ tàitai de mèimei de hūnlĭ  

my wife’s younger sister’s wedding

Use of qián

The word qián (ago/before) is always placed after a time expression, a verbal clause or a sentence. For example:

Tā shì nián qián lái Yīngguó de.

It was two years ago that he came to Britain.

 

Shàng dàxué qián, Liú Xiăohóng shì dăoyóu.

Before going to university, Liu Xiaohong was a tourist guide.

 

Wŏ lái Yīngguó qián, méi chī guo xī cān.

I hadn’t had western food before I came to Britain.

 

Qù Běijīng Dàxué qián, xiān chácha dìtú.

Check the map before going to Beijing University.

Note that in the third sentence above, since wŏ, the subject, appears in the first part of the sentence, it must not be  repeated in the second part of the sentence.

le used to indicate a change of state

When le is used in sentences that describe a present event, it indicates that a new situation has appeared.  It also implies that something is happening gradually which was not the case previously. It is usually put after a verb-adjective or at the end of a sentence.  It can be translated by the ‘to be + doing’ pattern.  For example:

Wó lăo le.

I’m getting old (I was not old before)

 

Xiàyŭ le.

It’s raining (previously it was not)

jìn qu versus jìn lai

Literally, jìn qu means ‘enter go’ and jìn lai means ‘enter come’.  If you are outside a house and want to go in, use jìn qu . If you are inside a house and want someone else to come in, use jìn lai.  Here again, qu and lai are directional words as we saw before and they are toneless.  For example:

Xiàyŭ le. Zánmen jìn qu tán, hăo ma?

It’s raining.  Shall we go inside to talk?

 

Wàimian hén lěng, Nĭmen wèishénme bù jìn lai?

It;s cold outside. Why don’t you come in?

You can negate jìn qu or jìn lai with bù.  When bù is placed before jìn qu or jìn lai, it means ‘do not go in’ or ‘do not come in’.  When bù is placed between jìn and qu or lai, it means ‘cannot go in’ or ‘cannot come in’, in which case qù and lái keep their tones as bu becomes a neutral tone.  For example:

Xiáo Lĭ lìn bu qù tāde bàngōngshì.

Xiao Li cannot go into his office.

 

Wŏ bù zhīdao tā wèishénme jìn bu lái.

I don’t know why she cannot come in.

Dialogue 2

Nĭ zuì xĭhuān nă ge dìfang?  -  Which place do you like most?

Aìlín:                 Ní hăo, Graham.  Zhēn gāoxìng jiàndào nĭ.  Kuài jìn lai.  Zuò, zuò.

Graham:          Hăo de.  Ní hăo ma, Aìlín?

Aìlín:                 Bú cuò.  Xièxie.  Ní xiăng hē diănr shénme?

Graham:          Zhōngguó chá, xièxie.

Aìlín:                 Shuōqĭ Zhōngguó, nĭde Zhōngguó zhī xíng zěnme yang?

Graham:          Hěn chénggōng.

Aìlín:                 Nĭ qù le ná jĭ ge chéngshì?

Graham:          Běijīng, Shànghăi, Xī’ān, Guìlín hé Guăngzhōu.

Aìlín:                 Nĭ zuì xĭhuān nă ge dìfang.

Graham:          Zhè ge wèntí hěn nán huídá.  Wŏ hén xĭhuān Guìlín.  Nàlĭ fēngjĭng hén měi.  Dāngdì rén yé hěn yóuhăo.  Tóng tāmen tánhuà hén yŏu yìsi.

Aìlín:                 Wŏ méi qù guo Guìlín.  Xià cì yídìng qù.  Nĭ juéde Guăngzhōu zěnme yang?

Graham:          Wŏ bú tài xĭhuān Guăngzhōu.  Rēn tài duō, yě tài rè.

Aìlín:                 Wó yě bù xĭhuān Guăngzhōu.  Tīngshuō Chángchéng hěn xióngwěi.  Shì ma?

Graham:          Shì de/  Shífēn zhuàngguān.  Wŏ pāi le xŭduō zhàopiàn….

Notes to Dialogue 2

Lack of qĭng in many expressions

In Chinese, the word qĭng (please) is seldom used among friends and on informal occasions.  The omission of qĭng does not suggest any lack of politeness or warmth in expressions such as Kuài jìn lai, Zuò, etc. These expressions are often repeated to make the guest feel that he/she is very welcome.  For example:

Chī, chī. Bié kèqi.

Eat, eat. Don’t be polite.

Help yourself. Don’t be polite.

 

Jìn lai, jìn lai

Come in, come in.

 

Hē chá, hē chá.

Drink tea, drink tea.

Do have some tea.

Use of zuò

In English, phrases such as ‘to call in’, ‘to come around’, ‘to go to see’, etc. are used to talk about informal visits.  In Chinese, the literal translation of similar expressions is ‘to go someone’s home sit sit’ or ‘sit for a while’.  For example:

Wŏ kéyi dào nĭ jiā zuòzuo ma?

Could I come around to see you?

 

Zuówăn, Guāngmèn lái zuò le yíhuìr.

Guangmen caled in for a while last night.

Use of retroflex ending r

The sound r, is often added to phrases such as yìdiăn,yŏu yìdiăn,yíhuì (a while), etc.  In such cases, yī is usually omitted.  For example:

Ní xiăng hē diănr shénme?

What would you like to drink?

 

Wŏ yóu diănr è

I’m a bit hungry.

 

Děng huír

Wait a second

Note that when r is added to diăn, the nasal sound n gets dropped off.

Use of zhī xíng

Although this is very much a written expression, it is often used in colloquial speech to refer to a particular trip.  Simply put the place name before zhī xíng.  For example:

Tīngshuō nĭde Zhōngguó zhī xíng hěn chénggōng.

I’ve heard that your trip to China was very successful.

Use of ná jĭ....

Literally, ná jĭ + a measure word means ‘which several’.  It can be used to ask about either places or people when the questioner assumes that only a few people or places will be named in the reply.  For example:

Nĭ qù guo Yīngguó ná jĭ ge chéngshì?

Which cities in Britain have you been to?

 

Nĭ zài ná jĭ jiā gōngsī gōngzuò guo?

For which companies have you worked?

More on topic structure

The topic or theme of a sentence always occurs at the beginning of a sentence.  In English, for example, you say ‘It is dificult to answer this question’; but in Chinese, you must say ‘This question is difficult to answer’ or ‘Answering this question is difficult’.  For example:

Tāde Yīngwén hěn nán dŏng.

His English very difficult understand.

It is very difficult to understand his English.

 

Zài Zhōngguó, mái huŏchē piào hěn nán.

In China, buy train tickets very be difficult.

Getting train tickets in China is very difficult.

Nĭ juéde... zěnme yàng?

This question can be translated as ‘What do you think of...?’.  For example:

Nĭ juéde Zhāng Hóng zěnme yàng

What do you think of Zhang Hong?

 

Nĭ juéde Měiguó zěnme yàng

What do you think of America?

rén tài duō

The complete sentence should be Guăngzhōu de rén tài duō (lit: Guangzhou’s people too many).  The reason that Guăngzhōu de is omitted is that it can be elicited from the context.  Whenever you wish to say ‘There are too many .... in .....’ use the construct something + tài duō.  For example:

Běijīng de zìxíngchē tài duō.

There are too many bikes in Beijing.

 

A:  Táiwān zěnme yàng?

      How is/was Taiwan?

B:  Hěn yŏu yìsi.  Dànshì, rén tái duō.

      Very interesting. But too many people.

Negative sentences with yē

In English, ‘also’ is used in positive sentences whilst ‘either’ or ‘neither’ are used in negative sentences; in Chinese, the adverb yě (also) is used in both sentence types. When the sentence with yě is negated, the negation word bù, méi yŏu or méi is placed after yě.  Let us compare yě used in both positive and negative sentences:

Wŏmen yé xiăng qù cānjiā Xīn Hăi de hūnlĭ.

We would like to attend Xin Hai’s wedding too.

 

Tā yě bù xĭhuān Zhōngguó fàn.

She doesn’t like Chinese food either.

 

Láo Lĭ zuótiān méi lái. Xiăo Wáng yě méi lái.

Lao Li didn’t come yesterday and Xiao Wang didn’t come either.

Select a topic: