Category: Teaching & Examination

Lesson 045 Let’s Enjoy Chinese Food.

 M: Dajia hao. Huan ying dao Xianzai Xue Hanyu. Wo shi ML.
S: Nimen hao, wo shi S. Now to study, hao hao xue xi. Repeat everything.
M: Stuart, what lesson do we learn today? 今天我们学第几课, jin tian women xue di ji ke?
S: Jin tian women xue di si shi wu ke, di si shi wu ke.
M: 没错, not wrong, mei cuo! Lesson 45, di si shi wu ke.
S: Now, now repeat everything, new words and all. Try to pick out the new words. I’m very hungry. 我非常饿, wo feichang e.
M: 好，我们吃饭去, women chi fan qu.
S: 好主意, good idea, hao zhuyi.
M: Which restaurant? 我们去哪个餐馆, women qu nei ge canguan?
S: You say. 你说, ni shuo.
M: Do you like Chinese food? 你喜欢中餐吗, ni xihuan zhongcan ma?
S: Chinese food, western food, I like everything. 中餐，西餐，我都喜欢, zhongcan, xican, wo dou xihuan.
M: 我们吃中餐，好不好, women chi zhongcan, hao bu hao?

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Lesson 041 Where Are You From?

 M: Pengyoumen, huanying dao Xianzai Xue Hanyu. Wo shi ML
S: Wo shi Stuart. We’re in the bar with Mary and Li xiansheng. Mary is a teacher, laoshi, and some of her foreign students are joining us. I wonder where they’re from? Try to pick out 学生 XUE SHENG, xuesheng, which means ‘student’.
MARY: My students are here! 我的学生来了, wo de xuesheng lai le.
FOREIGNERS: Hi Mary, hi guys. Ni men hao!
MARY: They’re all learning Putonghua. 他们都在学普通话，tamen dou zai xue putonghua. Hey guys, let me introduce Zhao Manli and Stuart. 让我介绍赵曼丽和Stuart, rang wo jieshao Zhao Manli he Stuart. You know Mr. Li. 你们认识李先生, nimen renshi Li xiansheng.
S/ML: Nimen hao!
M: We want to ask Mali de xuesheng what nationality they are.
S: One way of asking this is, 你是哪国人?
M: 哪国人. Na, NA, na, which. Na guo, which country. Ren REN ren, ren, is person. So ‘Ni shi na guo ren?’ You are which country person? Ni shi na guo ren. Say it, everybody. Ni shi na guo ren?
S: Hen hao. By the way, some people say NEI instead of Na. Nei is more colloquial. Now, try to pick out the words for Canadian, American and British.
MARY: This is Bill. 这是Bill, zhe shi Bill.

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Lesson 042 What’s Your Nationality?

 M: Pengyoumen, huanying dao Xianzai Xue Hanyu. Wo shi ML
S: Wo shi Stuart. Let’s not waste time, wo men bu yao langfei shijian.
M: yi er san, kaishi!
S: And we kaishi with the your homework, nimen de gongke.
M: Yes, you should have been speaking loudly to yourself in Chinese for at least 15 minutes.
S: Now, we’ll ask you, 他, or 他们，是哪国人? Ta, or tamen, shi nei guo ren?
M: And you answer, ‘American’. 准备，get ready, zhunbai. Kaishi.
S: Ta shi ne guo ren?
M: Dui le! Ta shi meiguo ren. Ta shi meiguo ren.
S: Now answer, New Zealanders. Tamen shi nei guo ren?
M: Hen hao! Tamen shi Xinxilan ren. Tamen shi Xinxilan ren.
S: Now, British. Ta shi nei guo ren?
M: Dui le! Ta shi Yingguo ren. Ta shi Yingguo ren.
S: Now, Aussies. Tamen shi nei guo ren?
M: Tamen shi Aodaliya ren. Tamen shi Aodaliya ren.
S: Too easy, 太容易, tai rong yi. So try this. Three are Irish, two are Canadians. Tamen shi neiguo ren?
M: Dui le, tai hao le! 三个是爱尔兰人，两个是加拿大人. San ge shi Aierlan ren. Liang ge shi Jianada ren.
S: Refreshed after that long break, here we go again. If you want to use a classifier for people that is a bit formal, you can use 位，wei WEI wei, instead of ge. Let’s try it, again, three Irish, two Canadians. Tamen shi nei guo ren?
M: 三位是爱尔兰人，两位是加拿大人. San wei shi Aierlan ren. Liang wei shi Jianada ren.
S: Pretty good! Try using wei again, but this time it’s ‘two New Zealanders, four Americans’. Tamen shi nei guo ren?
M: 两位是新西兰人，四位是美国人. Liang wei shi Xinxilan ren, si wei shi Meiguo ren.
S: 再来一次，once again, zai lai yi ci. This time all on your own, then ML will say it with you. Tamen shi nei guo ren?
M: ….两位是新西兰人，四位是美国人. Liang wei shi Xinxilan ren, si wei shi Meiguo ren.
S: Tai hao le! You’re all so clever. 你们都这么聪明, nimen dou zheme congming! Agree ML? 你同意吗?

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Lesson 043 I’m Hungry.

 M: Pengyoumen, huanying dao Xianzai Xue Hanyu. Wo shi ML
S: Wo shi Stuart. Repeat everything. Women mashang, immediately, mashang kaishi, start. Women bu yao langfei shijian.
M: 为什么，wei shenme?
S: 因为我饿了, yinwei wo e le.
M: 哦, 你饿了，ni e le!
S: 是的，非常饿, feichang e.
M: 好，我们吃饭去, women chi fan qu.
S: Hao zhuyi.
M: And what did that all mean?
S: Let’s dissect what we said. 我们马上开始。
M: Women mashang kaishi. Women kaishi, we know means ‘we start’. Mashang MA SHANG mashang. Hear the tones? Dui le, mashang, 3rd, 4th. Mashang means ‘immediately’, ‘at once’.
S: It literally means, ‘horse’, ma, the type you ride, and ‘on’, shang. If you jump on a nervous horse, it immediately gallops off, maybe that’s the origin of ma shang. Ok, now try to say, ‘we start immediately’.
M: Dui le, Women mashang kaishi. Women mashang kaishi.
S: Now try, ‘we go at once’.
M: Hen hao. 我们马上去, women mashang qu.
S: Did any of you say, ‘我们马上走, women mashang zou’? Both are ok.
M: But zou and qu, remember, have slightly different meanings. If you say, Wo zou, it means you might or might not have a specific place or purpose in mind. But if you say, wo qu, then you do have a specific place or purpose in mind.
S: For example, if you’re angry, and just want to get away, you might say, Hao ba, wo zou!
M: But if someone asks, ‘who’ll go to rescue Mother from those dangerous criminals?’ you could say,

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Lesson 044 Revision of Nationalities

 S: Dajia hao. Huan ying dao Xianzai Xue Hanyu. Wo shi Stuart.
M: Nimen hao, wo shi ML.
S: ML, would you believe it, this is our 44th lesson! ‘Lesson’ in Putonghua is ke KE ke 4th tone, ke. I wonder how many of our listeners can say ‘lesson 44’, or, as it goes in Chinese, ‘44th lesson’.
M: Well, some lessons back we learnt to say 1st di yi ge, like in ‘1st question’ di yi ge wenti. And 2nd di er ge, as in di er ge wenti, and so on. So now you can say “44th lesson’ ‘lesson 44. Try it. Dui le! 第四十四课, di si shi si ke.
S: Now say, ‘today is lesson 44’.
M: dui le. 今天是第四十四课, jin tian shi di si shi si ke.
M: Di si shi si ke shi yi ge fuxi ke. What does that mean?
S: Dui le. Lesson 44 is a revision lesson. Fuxi ke, fuxi ke. So now try to say, ‘today we have a revision lesson’.
M: Hen hao, nimen dou hen congming. ‘Today we have a revision lesson’ is 今天我们有一个复习课, jin tian women you yi ge fuxi ke.
S: Revision, with a few new things.
S: Remember 第四十一课， lesson 41, di si shi yi ke. In the jiuba with Mary and Li xiansheng. Mali shi ge laoshi, Mary’s a teacher. Her foreign students came. 她的外国学生来了.
Hear the word for ‘foreign’? Listen again.
M: Ta de waiguo xuesheng lai le.
S: Duile. Waiguo wai WAI wai, 4th tone, here means ‘outside’. Guo GUO guo, as in Zhongguo, means ‘country’. Waiguo, foreign.
M: Foreign student, or students. 外国学生, waiguo xuesheng.
S: Two countries we’ve learnt. We say the English, you say the Chinese on your own, then with us. Ready?
M: Australia. Aodaliya.
S: New Zealand. Xinxilan
M: Now on your own say, ‘what nationality is he?’ And answer, “he is a Canadian.” Dui le. Ta shi nei guo ren? Ta shi Jia’nadaren.
S: Now say she is American. Ta shi Meiguoren.
M: Hen hao.
M: And in 第四十三课, lesson 43, di si shi san ke, we learnt.
S: 我饿了, I’m hungry, wo e le, wo feichang e.
M: So we’ll immediately go and eat. 我们马上去吃饭， women mashang qu chi fan.
S: Now, try to answer this question, and tell us you are not hungry. No help from us. Well, just a little help. First listen to this Q & A.
M: Stuart, 你累吗, ni lei ma?
S: 我不累, wo bu lei.
M: Now your question. 你饿, ni e ma?
S: Dui le. 我不饿, wo bu e.
M: But I am, so we have to finish now.
S: Ok, I’ll go for a snack. See you next lesson. Zaijian.

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