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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
Trailer: Learning Mandarin like a native speaker
16 Apr 2020
00:02:54
Nothing stands in the way of you getting fluent in Mandarin. Billions have managed it. So why does it seem so hard?
In less than three minutes, I'll explain how you can start to change learning Chinese from an insurmountable obstacle into a way to get more in touch with yourself and your ears.
New lesson released every Wednesday. Subscribe to start building your Mandarin from the ground up!
In our very first lesson, we'll get you started speaking useful Mandarin right away. You'll learn how to say whether or not you can speak Chinese, and we'll start building a good foundation for your accent, copying exactly what you hear.
~
When you're listening to the sounds of Chinese or any other language, pay close attention to the intonation. This is the first thing that infants copy in their native language, and it should be the first thing you copy when learning Mandarin.
Give yourself permission to sound a little silly or weird to yourself -- you may even feel like you're doing a caricature of the other language, but you're really not. Faithfully mimicking what you hear actually shows that you respect the language, and that you're trying to speak it on its own terms. Native speakers will appreciate the effort, and have a much easier time understanding you.
Of course, this is true about any language, but it's doubly true for Chinese, where a different intonation can radically change the meaning of what you're saying. If it helps, you can think of it like learning to sing a song, rather than learning to "say" something.
In this episode, we hear a dialogue between two people talking about what languages they speak. With enough repetitions and practice, you'll be speaking right along with them.
A note about pronunciation: The vocabulary list below includes the Chinese characters and the pinyin romanization system. The advantage of pinyin for English speakers is that it uses the familiar symbols of the Latin alphabet. The disadvantage is that English speakers are easily deceived into thinking these familiar symbols represent the same sounds they do in English. They don't. That said, pinyin can be a useful system to learn, but you must rely on your ears first, eyes second.
Don't expect to be able to pronounce anything just by reading the pinyin; the romanization is just a reference to jog your memory. the language exists primarily in its sounds, which is why daily listening and imitation practice is so important.
Episode vocabulary:
你 :: nǐ :: you
我 :: wǒ :: I/me
好 :: hǎo :: good/OK
聽 :: tīng :: to listen, to hear
說 :: shuō :: to say, to speak
會 :: huì :: to be able to
不 :: bù :: not
中文 :: zhōngwén :: Mandarin / Chinese language
嗎 :: ma :: [indicates a question]
一點 :: yīdiǎn :: a little
對 :: duì :: correct/right
吧 :: ba :: [indicates a suggestion]
英文 :: yīngwén :: English language
加油 :: jiāyóu :: Good luck! / You got this!
About learning Chinese characters Teaching Chinese characters is outside the scope of this podcast, but if you are learning Chinese characters through another course or method, you can use the transcript below to follow along.
Learning characters can be a fulfilling project, and can help you to remember and differentiate similar-sounding words. And, of course, it opens up more avenues for practicing your Mandarin, such as reading (books, children's books, comic books) and corresponding with Chinese speakers via email and other messaging apps. I highly encourage you to give it a try!
However, if the thought of memorizing all those characters now gives you a headache, rest assured: you can start speaking Mandarin without being able to read or write. Millions of preliterate children speak Mandarin fluently, and so can you! If and when you are ready to start learning the characters, already speaking some Mandarin will make it that much easier.
The bottom line is this: Don't let anything stop you or discourage you. The best method is the method you actually use, and any method you choose is better than no method at all! Find a way to move forward. You can always make adjustments later.
Dialogue transcript
M：你好
L：你好！
M：你聽我說
L：好
M：你會說中文嗎？
L：呃...
M：你不會？
L：我不會
M：你會吧！你會說一點中文，對吧！
L：對... 我會說一點點
M：對吧！
L：那，你會說英文嗎？
M：不會
L：喔...
M：加油！！！
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In this lesson, you'll learn how to talk about things that haven't happened yet.
Learning how to say familiar words in another language, it's easy to get the impression that every language is simply another way of saying the same things, but using different sounds. The truth, however, is that each language is a unique system for dividing up all the meaning and concepts that the human mind is capable of representing. There's no one-to-one mapping between languages, which is what makes translation so difficult in the first place. It's also one of the things that makes learning another language so fascinating.
While we use translation to help you understand what you're hearing, the English translation is merely a stepping stone. Your goal should be to connect the Mandarin sounds you hear to the meaningful context, not to the English sounds themselves. When you're listening to this dialogue and you hear an English translation, let it conjure a picture in your mind, and then try your best to banish the English you just heard, and hold on to that picture as you hear the Mandarin version.
Super easy? Not quite. Natural, intuitive, and effective? Why, yes!
A note about pronunciation: The vocabulary list below includes the Chinese characters and the pinyin romanization system. The advantage of pinyin for English speakers is that it uses the familiar symbols of the Latin alphabet. The disadvantage is that English speakers are easily deceived into thinking these familiar symbols represent the same sounds they do in English. They don't. That said, pinyin can be a useful system to learn, but you must rely on your ears first, eyes second.
Don't expect to be able to pronounce anything just by reading the pinyin; the romanization is just a reference to jog your memory. A language exists primarily in its sounds, which is why daily listening and imitation practice is so important.
Episode vocabulary:
今天 :: jīntiān :: today
沒 :: méi :: not
沒有 :: méiyǒu :: not have
還 :: hái :: yet, still; pretty, rather
等 :: děng :: to wait
一下 :: yīxià :: "one sec", a moment, a bit
還在 :: hái zài :: [still ongoing]
來 :: lái :: to come
漂亮 :: piàoliang :: beautiful
店 :: diàn :: a shop, a store
一個 :: yīgè :: one [of something]
要 :: yào :: to want; important; to ask for; will, going to; may, must; probably; if
About learning Chinese characters
Teaching Chinese characters is outside the scope of this podcast, but if you are learning Chinese characters with another course or method, you can use the transcript below to follow along.
Learning characters can be a fulfilling project, and can help you to remember and differentiate similar-sounding words. And, of course, it opens up more avenues for practicing your Mandarin, such as reading (books, children's books, comic books) and corresponding with Chinese speakers via email and other messaging apps. I highly encourage you to give it a try!
However, if the thought of memorizing all those characters now gives you a headache, rest assured: you can start speaking Mandarin without being able to read or write. Millions of preliterate children learn to speak Mandarin fluently, and so can you! If and when you are ready to start learning the characters, already speaking some Mandarin will also make it that much easier.
The bottom line is this: Don't let anything stop you or discourage you. The best method is the method you actually use, and any method you choose is better than no method at all! Find a way to move forward. You can always make adjustments later. And most of all, enjoy!
In this lesson, you'll learn how to identify and produce the four main tones in spoken Mandarin, and some essential COVID-19 vocabulary to help you talk about your situation -- whatever it may be -- plus how to ask why? Why??!
Let's talk about tones. For someone coming from a non-tonal language background, it's easy to imagine that tones are something extra, like some kind of garnish sprinkled on top of the language, possibly put there just to make it fancy or to make it harder to learn. This couldn't be further from the truth, of course. Tones are an essential part of communicating in Mandarin. Getting tones right means the difference between saying to someone you just met: "Excuse me, can I ask you?" and "Kiss, can I smell you?"
Of course, native Mandarin speakers can sometimes guess what others are saying even when they aren't getting the tones just right. But it can be tiring. If you've ever talked to someone who speaks English rapidly but puts the stress on the wrong syllables, you can imagine what this is like -- except in Mandarin, it's worse.
The good news is that learning tones isn't as hard as you might think. In fact, if you speak English you are most likely already familiar with all four tones, you just aren't used to thinking of them as such. In this lesson, you'll hear an example of English words that use the exact same tones as those used in Mandarin (If you speak a dialect of English that doesn't say these words the same way I use them, I apologize. But hopefully you still get the idea!)
This is why imitation -- imitating sound, intonation, and emotion, even to the point of adopting a different persona in your mind -- is such an important part of learning to speak Chinese naturally and fluently. You don't want to just copy what other people say; you want to copy the way they say it, and how they think and feel as they say it. If you do this, the tones will come automatically, because they'll be just another part of how you normally say things as a Mandarin speaker.
A note about pronunciation: The vocabulary list below includes the Chinese characters and the pinyin romanization system. The advantage of pinyin for English speakers is that it uses the familiar symbols of the Latin alphabet. The disadvantage is that English speakers are easily deceived into thinking these familiar symbols represent the same sounds they do in English. They don't. That said, pinyin can be a useful system to learn, but you must rely on your ears first, eyes second.
Don't expect to be able to pronounce anything just by reading the pinyin; the romanization is just a reference to jog your memory. A language exists primarily in its sounds, which is why daily listening and imitation practice is so important.
Words and phrases
但 :: dàn :: but
但是 :: dànshì :: but
昨天 :: zuótiān :: yesterday
不一樣 :: bù yīyàng :: different
貓咪 :: māomī :: cat
為什麼 :: wèishéme :: why
每天 :: měitiān :: every day
問 :: wèn :: to ask
可以 :: kěyǐ :: can / to be able to
去 :: qù :: to go
出 :: chū :: out
待 :: dài :: to stay
家裡 :: jiālǐ :: at home
這個 :: zhège :: this one
想 :: xiǎng :: to want / would like to
About learning Chinese characters
Teaching Chinese characters is outside the scope of this podcast, but if you are learning Chinese characters with another course or method, you can use the transcript below to follow along.
Learning characters can be a fulfilling project, and can help you to remember and differentiate similar-sounding words. And, of course, it opens up more avenues for practicing your Mandarin, such as reading (books, children's books, comic books) and corresponding with Chinese speakers via email and other messaging apps. I highly encourage you to give it a try!
However, if the thought of memorizing all those characters now gives you a headache, rest assured: you can start speaking Mandarin without being able to read or write. Millions of preliterate children learn to speak Mandarin fluently, and so can you! If and when you are ready to start learning the characters, already speaking some Mandarin will also make it that much easier.
The bottom line is this: Don't let anything stop you or discourage you. The best method is the method you actually use, and any method you choose is better than no method at all! Find a way to move forward. You can always make adjustments later. And most of all, enjoy!
In this lesson, we'll talk about the single most important thing you should be doing for your spoken Mandarin. We'll also learn how to talk about food, and how to make plans to go eat with other people.
Have you ever had the experience of studying a language for a long time, of feeling like you should be able to speak it by now, but then when the opportunity arises you get stuck, or maybe even get cold feet and make some excuse as to why you're not ready yet? If so, the question you should be asking yourself isn't why this happens, but why you didn't make it happen sooner.
Nobody speaks well on their first try, no matter how long they've spent preparing for it.
This podcast -- or any other podcast, app, or class for that matter -- is not going to singlehandedly turn you into a Mandarin speaker. The only thing that's going to do that is talking to another human being, and doing it often. It doesn't matter if it's online or offline, as long as it's a real, live person.
If this podcast is doing its job, you'll walk into those first conversations equipped to have an interesting talk. You'll be able to make educated guesses or even understand some of what the other person is saying, and you'll have some idea how to make yourself understood. But it's still not going to be pretty. You'll make mistakes, have misunderstandings, and have to abandon ship on a lot of things you thought you knew how to say. No matter what you do, remember to find ways to make it fun for yourself. That's what will keep you motivated to keep practicing.
A note about pronunciation: The vocabulary list below includes the Chinese characters and the pinyin romanization system. The advantage of pinyin for English speakers is that it uses the familiar symbols of the Latin alphabet. The disadvantage is that English speakers are easily deceived into thinking these familiar symbols represent the same sounds they do in English. They don't. That said, pinyin can be a useful system to learn, but you must rely on your ears first, eyes second.
Don't expect to be able to pronounce anything just by reading the pinyin; the romanization is just a reference to jog your memory. A language exists primarily in its sounds, which is why daily listening and imitation practice is so important.
Lesson vocabulary:
最 :: zuì :: most
吃 :: chī :: to eat
韓國 :: hánguó :: Korea
菜 :: cài :: vegetables / cuisine
拉麵 :: lāmiàn :: ramen
晚餐 :: wǎncān :: dinner ("evening meal")
要不要 :: yào bùyào :: [do you want...?]
一起 :: yīqǐ :: together
餐廳 :: cāntīng :: restaurant
久 :: jiǔ :: a long time
車 :: chē :: car
開 :: kāi :: to open
開車 :: kāichē :: to drive a car
時候 :: shíhòu :: time
什麼時候 :: shénme shíhòu :: when
他 :: tā :: [third person singular pronoun]
餓 :: è :: hungry
就 :: jiù :: [keep an eye on this word]
About learning Chinese characters
Teaching Chinese characters is outside the scope of this podcast, but if you are learning Chinese characters with another course or method, you can use the transcript below to follow along.
Learning characters can be a fulfilling project, and can help you to remember and differentiate similar-sounding words. And, of course, it opens up more avenues for practicing your Mandarin, such as reading (books, children's books, comic books) and corresponding with Chinese speakers via email and other messaging apps. I highly encourage you to give it a try!
However, if the thought of memorizing all those characters now gives you a headache, rest assured: you can start speaking Mandarin without being able to read or write. Millions of preliterate children learn to speak Mandarin fluently, and so can you! If and when you are ready to start learning the characters, already speaking some Mandarin will also make it that much easier.
The bottom line is this: Don't let anything stop you or discourage you. The best method is the method you actually use, and any method you choose is better than no method at all! Find a way to move forward. You can always make adjustments later. And most of all, enjoy!
After you've listened to Lesson 8, use this track to reinforce what you've learned with short listening and speaking practice sessions every day over the following week.
This dialogue reinforces a lot of words and phrases you already know, which just a few new ones. In this dialogue, 小李 and 阿明 are talking about going to have some food, and who is going to drive.
We learn best when we learn from context. Letting your brain try to infer the meaning and usage of a word or phrase is much more effective than having someone just tell you. Facts are forgettable, but experience lasts.
However, in order to learn the patterns of a language, it's not enough to just see a word or phrase used once. We need to hear it multiple times, in various situations. This is why, starting from lesson 9, we are going to start seeing dialogues that do more reinforcing of what you already know, and less introducing of new words. We are also going to spend less time dwelling on specific vocabulary, instead giving you the full translation of each sentence, so that you have a chance to figure out the words and usages from context. It may be confusing in the beginning, but it will be worth it.
Transcripts are available below, first with only Chinese characters, and then with pinyin and the translation.
After you've listened to Lesson 9, use this track to reinforce what you've learned with short listening and speaking practice sessions every day over the following week.
Transcripts are available below, first with only Chinese characters, and then with pinyin and the translation.
In this lesson, I talk a little about discovering the unique logic of a new language. In the dialogue, Ah-Ming (阿明) and Xiao-Li (小李) decide to break the law.
One of my favorite things about learning a new language is discovering the unique way it expresses ideas: the logic, the way of thinking that the language makes possible.
For example, take the word get in English. There are so many ways English speakers use this word, including to say "I got it!" when we have an idea or a solution to a problem. The interesting thing is that there is no equivalent word in Mandarin. So what do Chinese speakers say in a similar situation? They might say: 我知道了！(Wǒ zhīdàole) which literally is closer to "I know."
This is just one of the infinite ways that Mandarin and English differ in how they express ideas. Imagine trying to speak and think without using the words get, it, yes, a, or the, and you can start to get a sense of how different it is to think in Mandarin (none of these words has a direct equivalent in Chinese).
And of course, it goes the other way too: Chinese is full of words and expressions that Mandarin speakers rely on routinely in their speech and in their thought, which don't exist at all in English. Some of these are grammatical, like when you 把 (bǎ) something -- a way of expressing a relationship between a person and a thing that is acted upon. Some are shorthand phrases, like 怎麼辦? (Zěnme bàn?) which literally means something like "how to do" but expresses a meaning more like "What should be done?" or "What are we going to do?" often said when a seemingly intractable problem suddenly arises.
The only way to start to develop a feel for the logic of Mandarin is to hear examples in context, over and over again -- and each time you hear them, to feel or picture the meaning, connecting the meaning in your mind to the sounds, so that slowly but surely the sounds themselves are imbued with meaning. Which is what Mandarin From the Ground Up is all about.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
M：怎麼辦？我好餓。我想去吃飯！
L：喔！我知道了！我們可以開我媽的車
M：真的嗎？真的可以嗎？
L：可以啊，沒問題！
M：你不是不會開車嗎？
L：呃... 騙你啦！我只是沒有駕照。
M：沒有駕照... 這樣可以嗎？
L：還好吧，沒有人知道
M：好吧，那... 我們走吧。你知道怎麼去嗎？
L：我當然知道啊！沒問題的！
M：好！走！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation)
M：怎麼辦？我好餓。我想去吃飯！
M: Zěnme bàn? Wǒ hǎo è. Wǒ xiǎng qù chīfàn!
M: What are we gonna do? I’m so hungry. I want to go eat!
L：喔！我知道了！我們可以開我媽的車
L: Ō! Wǒ zhīdàole! Wǒmen kěyǐ kāi wǒ mā de chē
L: Oh! I got it! We can drive my mom’s car.
M：真的嗎？真的可以嗎？
M: Zhēn de ma? Zhēn de kěyǐ ma?
M: Really? Really can we?
L：可以啊，沒問題！
L: Kěyǐ a, méi wèntí!
L: Sure we can, no problem.
M：你不是不會開車嗎？
M: Nǐ bùshì bù huì kāichē ma?
M: Aren’t you unable to drive?
L：呃... 騙你啦！我只是沒有駕照。
L: È... Piàn nǐ la! Wǒ zhǐshì méiyǒu jiàzhào.
L: Uh… I was kidding! I just don’t have a license.
Learning to recognize and speak the sounds of another language is a form of exercise, and it requires repetition. By listening to -- and repeating -- the same dialogue every day, you're training new muscle memory, and signaling to your speech recognition center that "these sounds are important."
After you've listened to Lesson 1 once, use this track as your daily practice routine. At less than four minutes, I think you'll agree getting your Mandarin off the ground is really no big deal.
About learning Chinese characters Teaching Chinese characters is outside the scope of this podcast, but if you are learning Chinese characters through another course or method, you can use the transcript below to follow along.
Learning characters can be a fulfilling project, and can help you to remember and differentiate similar-sounding words. And, of course, it opens up more avenues for practicing your Mandarin, such as reading (books, children's books, comic books) and corresponding with Chinese speakers via email and other messaging apps. I highly encourage you to give it a try!
However, if the thought of memorizing all those characters now gives you a headache, rest assured: you can start speaking Mandarin without being able to read or write. Millions of preliterate children speak Mandarin fluently, and so can you! If and when you are ready to start learning the characters, already speaking some Mandarin will make it that much easier.
The bottom line is this: Don't let anything stop you or discourage you. The best method is the method you actually use, and any method you choose is better than no method at all! Find a way to move forward. You can always make adjustments later.
In this lesson, we talk about the similarities between learning a language and learning to play music. In the dialogue, Ah-Ming (阿明) and Xiao-Li (小李) get lost looking for the Korean restaurant.
Language and music have a lot in common. We learn both of them in large part because they feel good. It feels good to connect with other people; it feels good to express yourself. Sure, you might say the real reason you're learning Mandarin is to help with your career, your studies, or any number of other reasons. And that can be a great starting point. But language learning is an endurance sport, and those who don't find some way to enjoy the process are much more likely to burn out and give up.
Similarly, the vast majority of people who regularly play an instrument do so in large part because it feels good; it's meaningful; it's enjoyable. And we tend to feel sorry for the few musicians who play despite disliking it or finding no meaning in it, just because they "should." Why bother?
Not that you need to find complete enjoyment in learning Mandarin right now. Like any new thing, it takes time. So give yourself time (and space) to explore, to try various things, to follow paths of inquiry that inspire you. There's no one correct path when it comes to languages (or music).
A conversation is a lot like a jam session. It goes well when everyone listens to everyone else; when everyone plays in the same rhythm and the same key (well, more or less, depending on the genre). Everyone takes turns sharing the spotlight; one player takes a solo, and the others hang back, make space, nod in affirmation, ask questions, play counterpoint. A good conversation can be a beautiful thing, just like a well improvised piece of music.
In his TEDx talk at Gabriola Island, musician Victor Wooten tells the story of learning to play the bass guitar as a very young child. Before he was old enough to even hold a real instrument, he would sit in on his older brothers’ jam sessions. His brothers put a plastic toy guitar in his hand so that he could feel like he was part of the band. You could say he was learning music at the same time that he was learning English.
This is an unusual way to start learning music, but it was effective: By the time Wooten was old enough to hold a real instrument, nobody needed to tell him what to do with it. He knew how to play music -- it was just a matter of teaching his fingers to channel what his mind already grasped.
Nobody ever told Victor Wooten that he wasn’t ready to play yet. Or that he wasn’t allowed to jam with his older brothers until he learned more chords and scales. So don’t let anyone -- least of all yourself -- tell you that you aren’t ready to speak Mandarin until you learn more words and phrases.
If you know what it feels like to communicate with someone, then in a crucial way you already have everything you need to start speaking Mandarin. If you’re still a beginner, then maybe you’re just like that baby Victor Wooten, sitting in the chair with the plastic guitar: You're already in the band. You're already holding the instrument. You just need to start messing around on it, and keep your eyes and ears open.
After you've listened to Lesson 11, use this track to reinforce what you've learned with short listening and speaking practice sessions every day over the following week.
In this lesson, I talk about how I went from not knowing a single word of Mandarin to starting a Mandarin learning podcast! Meanwhile, Ah-Ming (阿明) and Xiao-Li (小李) finally sit down at the restaurant to order. But there's a problem...
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
L：到了！好餓！
M：我也是，我們快一點點菜吧！
L：好，菜單呢？
M：菜單在這裡！看你想吃什麼...
L：呃...
M：怎麼了？
L：我看不懂...
M：喔！你看不懂中文字！
L：對啊，還是看不太懂
M：那我幫你，來... 這個是「飯」，這邊是「青菜」，然後這邊有「湯」，看你要哪一個
L：我不知道...
M：沒關係，還是我幫你點好了
L：好，謝謝！
M：不客氣！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation)
L：到了！好餓！
L: Dàole! Hǎo è!
L: We’re here! So hungry!
M：我也是，我們快一點點菜吧！
M: Wǒ yěshì, wǒmen kuài yīdiǎn diǎn cài ba!
M: Me too, let’s hurry up and order!
L：好，菜單呢？
L: Hǎo, càidān ne?
L: Ok, and... the menu?
M：菜單在這裡！看你想吃什麼...
M: Càidān zài zhèlǐ! Kàn nǐ xiǎng chī shénme...
M: Here’s the menu! See what you want to eat.
L：呃...
L: È...
L: Uh...
M：怎麼了？
M: Zěnmele?
M: Something wrong?
L：我看不懂...
L: Wǒ kàn bù dǒng...
L: I can’t understand this...
M：喔！你看不懂中文字！
M: Ō! Nǐ kàn bù dǒng zhōngwén zì!
M: Oh! You don’t understand Chinese characters!
L：對啊，還是看不太懂
L: Duì a, háishì kàn bù tài dǒng
L: Yeah, I still can’t really understand them.
M：那我幫你，來...
M: Nà wǒ bāng nǐ, lái...
M: Then I’ll help you, come on…
M: 這個是「飯」，這邊是「青菜」
M: Zhège shì `fàn', zhè biān shì `qīngcài'
M: This one is “rice”, this side is “vegetables,” ...
M: 然後這邊有「湯」，看你要哪一個
M: Ránhòu zhè biān yǒu `tāng', kàn nǐ yào nǎ yīgè
M: ...and then this side has “soup." Depends which one you want.
After you've listened to Lesson 12, use this track to reinforce what you've learned with short listening and speaking practice sessions every day over the following week.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
L：到了！好餓！
M：我也是，我們快一點點菜吧！
L：好，菜單呢？
M：菜單在這裡！看你想吃什麼...
L：呃...
M：怎麼了？
L：我看不懂...
M：喔！你看不懂中文字！
L：對啊，還是看不太懂
M：那我幫你，來... 這個是「飯」，這邊是「青菜」，然後這邊有「湯」，看你要哪一個
L：我不知道...
M：沒關係，還是我幫你點好了
L：好，謝謝！
M：不客氣！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation)
L：到了！好餓！
L: Dàole! Hǎo è!
L: We’re here! So hungry!
M：我也是，我們快一點點菜吧！
M: Wǒ yěshì, wǒmen kuài yīdiǎn diǎn cài ba!
M: Me too, let’s hurry up and order!
L：好，菜單呢？
L: Hǎo, càidān ne?
L: Ok, and... the menu?
M：菜單在這裡！看你想吃什麼...
M: Càidān zài zhèlǐ! Kàn nǐ xiǎng chī shénme...
M: Here’s the menu! See what you want to eat.
L：呃...
L: È...
L: Uh...
M：怎麼了？
M: Zěnmele?
M: Something wrong?
L：我看不懂...
L: Wǒ kàn bù dǒng...
L: I can’t understand this...
M：喔！你看不懂中文字！
M: Ō! Nǐ kàn bù dǒng zhōngwén zì!
M: Oh! You don’t understand Chinese characters!
L：對啊，還是看不太懂
L: Duì a, háishì kàn bù tài dǒng
L: Yeah, I still can’t really understand them.
M：那我幫你，來...
M: Nà wǒ bāng nǐ, lái...
M: Then I’ll help you, come on…
M: 這個是「飯」，這邊是「青菜」
M: Zhège shì `fàn', zhè biān shì `qīngcài'
M: This one is “rice”, this side is “vegetables,” ...
M: 然後這邊有「湯」，看你要哪一個
M: Ránhòu zhè biān yǒu `tāng', kàn nǐ yào nǎ yīgè
M: ...and then this side has “soup." Depends which one you want.
Which dialect of Mandarin should you learn? In the dialogue, Ah-Ming (阿明) and Xiao-Li (小李) order some food! How do you call the waiter in Mandarin? (Hint: it doesn't involve eye contact.)
After you've listened to Lesson 13, use this track to reinforce what you've learned with short listening and speaking practice sessions every day over the following week.
Ah-Ming (阿明) and Xiao-Li (小李) are enjoying the food they ordered, and we learn how to talk about trying things, whether or not you can handle spicy foods, and how to compare foods that look (or sound) different.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
Ah-Ming (M): 菜都上了！你快試試看！
Xiao Li (L): 好
M：好吃嗎？
L：好吃！但很辣！
M：你會怕辣嗎？
L：還好，不會，我喜歡
M：那就好，要不要喝一點茶？
L：好
M：來，我幫你倒
L：謝謝
M：鍋貼也吃看看吧
L：那是什麼？
M：美國沒有鍋貼嗎？
L：有啊，可是美國的鍋貼看起來有一點不一樣
M：我們這裡的鍋貼很好吃，你吃就知道了
L：裡面有什麼？
M：裡面有肉跟高麗菜，很好吃！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation)
Ah-Ming (M): 菜都上了！你快試試看！
Cài dōu shàngle! Nǐ kuài shì shìkàn!
The food's all here! Hurry up and try it!
Xiao Li (L): 好
Hǎo
Ok!
M：好吃嗎？
Hǎo chī ma?
Is it good?
L：好吃！但很辣！
Hǎo chī! Dàn hěn là!
It's good! But really spicy!
M：你會怕辣嗎？
Nǐ huì pà là ma?
Are you afraid of spice?
L：還好，不會，我喜歡
Hái hǎo, bù huì, wǒ xǐhuān
Not really, I'm not, I like it.
M：那就好，要不要喝一點茶？
Nà jiù hǎo, yào bùyào hè yīdiǎn chá?
That's good then. Do you want to drink some tea?
L：好
Hǎo
Sure.
M：來，我幫你倒
Lái, wǒ bāng nǐ dào
Here, I'll help you pour.
L：謝謝
Xièxiè
Thanks.
M：鍋貼也吃看看吧
Guōtiē yě chī kàn kàn ba
Also try the potstickers!
L：那是什麼？
Nà shì shénme?
What is that?
M：美國沒有鍋貼嗎？
Měiguó méiyǒu guōtiē ma?
America doesn't have potstickers?
L：有啊，可是美國的鍋貼看起來有一點不一樣
Yǒu a, kěshì měiguó de guōtiē kàn qǐlái yǒu yīdiǎn bù yīyàng
It does, but America's potstickers look a little bit not the same.
After you've listened to Lesson 14, use this track to reinforce what you've learned with short listening and speaking practice sessions every day over the following week.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
Ah-Ming (M): 菜都上了！你快試試看！
Xiao Li (L): 好
M：好吃嗎？
L：好吃！但很辣！
M：你會怕辣嗎？
L：還好，不會，我喜歡
M：那就好，要不要喝一點茶？
L：好
M：來，我幫你倒
L：謝謝
M：鍋貼也吃看看吧
L：那是什麼？
M：美國沒有鍋貼嗎？
L：有啊，可是美國的鍋貼看起來有一點不一樣
M：我們這裡的鍋貼很好吃，你吃就知道了
L：裡面有什麼？
M：裡面有肉跟高麗菜，很好吃！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation)
Ah-Ming (M): 菜都上了！你快試試看！
Cài dōu shàngle! Nǐ kuài shì shìkàn!
The food's all here! Hurry up and try it!
Xiao Li (L): 好
Hǎo
Ok!
M：好吃嗎？
Hǎo chī ma?
Is it good?
L：好吃！但很辣！
Hǎo chī! Dàn hěn là!
It's good! But really spicy!
M：你會怕辣嗎？
Nǐ huì pà là ma?
Are you afraid of spice?
L：還好，不會，我喜歡
Hái hǎo, bù huì, wǒ xǐhuān
Not really, I'm not, I like it.
M：那就好，要不要喝一點茶？
Nà jiù hǎo, yào bùyào hè yīdiǎn chá?
That's good then. Do you want to drink some tea?
L：好
Hǎo
Sure.
M：來，我幫你倒
Lái, wǒ bāng nǐ dào
Here, I'll help you pour.
L：謝謝
Xièxiè
Thanks.
M：鍋貼也吃看看吧
Guōtiē yě chī kàn kàn ba
Also try the potstickers!
L：那是什麼？
Nà shì shénme?
What is that?
M：美國沒有鍋貼嗎？
Měiguó méiyǒu guōtiē ma?
America doesn't have potstickers?
L：有啊，可是美國的鍋貼看起來有一點不一樣
Yǒu a, kěshì měiguó de guōtiē kàn qǐlái yǒu yīdiǎn bù yīyàng
It does, but America's potstickers look a little bit not the same.
In episode 15, I talk about how you might be misunderstanding your own forgetfulness. Meanwhile, Ah-Ming (阿明) and Xiao-Li (小李) fight over who's going to pick up the check.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
Ah-Ming (M)：你吃飽了嗎？
Xiao Li (L)：吃好飽！
M：不好意思，我們要買單！
Waiter (F)：好的，這樣五百八
M：好，來
L：等一下！你要請我嗎？
M：對啊，你剛來台灣，當然要請你啊
L：不行，上次你請我，這一次換我請你啦！
M：不要啦！我請你就好，等我去美國你再請我
L：很不好意思
M：不用不好意思！你來我的地盤，當然我請你啊
L：那好吧...
M：不好意思，這裡一千，麻煩你
F：收你一千，請稍等一下... 好，找你四百二！
M：好， 謝謝！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation)
Ah-Ming (M)：你吃飽了嗎？
Nǐ chī bǎole ma?
Are you full?
Xiao Li (L)：吃好飽！
Chī hǎo bǎo!
So full!
M：不好意思，我們要買單！
Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒmen yāo mǎidān!
Excuse me, we'll take the check!
Waiter (F)：好的，這樣五百八
Hǎo de, zhèyàng wǔbǎi bā
Ok, that'll be five hundred eighty.
M：好，來
Hǎo, lái
Ok, here.
L：等一下！你要請我嗎？
Děng yīxià! Nǐ yàoqǐng wǒ ma?
Wait a sec! You're going to treat me?
M：對啊，你剛來台灣，當然要請你啊
Duì a, nǐ gāng lái táiwān, dāngrán yàoqǐng nǐ a
Yeah, you just came to Taiwan, of course I'm treating you.
It's OK to feel tired sometimes, and acknowledging it is part of staying motivated. In this episode, you'll learn how to ask and talk about feelings, especially that feeling of needing some rest.
---
Learning a language is the project of a lifetime. There's usually a starting point -- that day you decide will be your first day learning Mandarin, say -- but there's never a stopping point. From that moment forward, the language is alive with you, a part of you.
It's important to make sure the language is working for you, and not the other way around. This means finding ways of using it for things that are intrinsically rewarding, even from day one. Connecting with people is a big one. And, let's be honest, there are also few things more rewarding than talking about yourself to someone who is really listening.
In this episode you'll start to learn how to do that. You'll be able to ask another person how they're feeling, and by observing and imitating what they say, you'll add more feeling states to your vocabulary. And, yes, you'll be able to say that you're tired. That's a handy one.
A note about pronunciation: The vocabulary list below includes the Chinese characters and the pinyin romanization system. The advantage of pinyin for English speakers is that it uses the familiar symbols of the Latin alphabet. The disadvantage is that English speakers are easily deceived into thinking these familiar symbols represent the same sounds they do in English. They don't. That said, pinyin can be a useful system to learn, but you must rely on your ears first, eyes second.
Don't expect to be able to pronounce anything just by reading the pinyin; the romanization is just a reference to jog your memory. the language exists primarily in its sounds, which is why daily listening and imitation practice is so important.
Episode vocabulary:
還好 :: hái hǎo :: OK / so-so
怎麼 :: zěnme :: how
了 :: le :: [past tense, change of state, etc.]
怎麼了 :: zěnmele :: What's wrong? What's up?
怎麼說 :: zěnme shuō :: How do you say...?
累 :: lèi :: tired
也 :: yě :: also
我們 :: wǒmen :: we/us
都 :: dōu :: all
今天 :: jīntiān :: today
大家 :: dàjiā :: everybody
About learning Chinese characters Teaching Chinese characters is outside the scope of this podcast, but if you are learning Chinese characters through another course or method, you can use the transcript below to follow along.
Learning characters can be a fulfilling project, and can help you to remember and differentiate similar-sounding words. And, of course, it opens up more avenues for practicing your Mandarin, such as reading (books, children's books, comic books) and corresponding with Chinese speakers via email and other messaging apps. I highly encourage you to give it a try!
However, if the thought of memorizing all those characters now gives you a headache, rest assured: you can start speaking Mandarin without being able to read or write. Millions of preliterate children speak Mandarin fluently, and so can you! If and when you are ready to start learning the characters, already speaking some Mandarin will make it that much easier.
The bottom line is this: Don't let anything stop you or discourage you. The best method is the method you actually use, and any method you choose is better than no method at all! Find a way to move forward. You can always make adjustments later.
After you've listened to Lesson 16, use this track to reinforce what you've learned with short listening and speaking practice sessions every day over the following week.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
Ah-Ming (M)：小李，我問你喔，你有兄弟姊妹嗎？
Xiao Li (L)：我有一個姊姊
M：她做什麼工作？
L：她是醫生。你呢？你有兄弟姊妹嗎？
M：有，我有一個弟弟，還有一個妹妹
L：那，他們做什麼工作？
M：他們沒有在工作，他們還在唸書
L：還在唸書？他們幾歲？
M：我的弟弟29歲，我的妹妹27.
L：他們那麼大，還在唸書？
M：對啊，這樣不好嗎？
L：沒有不好啊...
M：唸書很重要啊
L：對啊，對啊，很重要啊
M：對啊
L：對啊
M：幹嘛
L：沒事
M：你很無聊
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation)
Ah-Ming (M)：小李，我問你喔，你有兄弟姊妹嗎？
Xiǎo lǐ, wǒ wèn nǐ ō, nǐ yǒu xiōngdì zǐmèi ma?
Xiao Li, I ask you oh, do you have any siblings?
Xiao Li (L)：我有一個姊姊
Wǒ yǒu yīgè jiě jie
I have an older sister.
M：她做什麼工作？
Tā zuò shénme gōngzuò?
She does what work?
L：她是醫生。你呢？你有兄弟姊妹嗎？
Tā shì yīshēng. Nǐ ne? Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma?
She's a doctor. And you? Do you have any siblings?
M：有，我有一個弟弟，還有一個妹妹
Yǒu, wǒ yǒu yīgè dìdì, hái yǒu yīgè mèimei
I have, I have a younger brother, I also have a younger sister.
L：那，他們做什麼工作？
Nà, tāmen zuò shénme gōngzuò?
Then, they do what work?
M：他們沒有在工作，他們還在唸書
Tāmen méiyǒu zài gōngzuò, tāmen hái zài niànshū
They aren't working, they're still studying.
L：還在唸書？他們幾歲？
Hái zài niànshū? Tāmen jǐ suì?
Still studying? How old are they?
M：我的弟弟29歲，我的妹妹27.
Wǒ de dìdì èrshíjiǔ suì, wǒ de mèimei èrshíqī.
My younger brother is 29 years old, my younger sister is 27.
We're back for another season! In this episode, Xiao-Li (小李) comes back to Taiwan.
Learning how to digest (and even to be entertained by) material that you don't completely understand is an important skill for learning a language. In this episode, we introduce a new dialogue, but don't translate it all at once like we did in Season 1. Instead, I'll introduce some of the key words and phrases, and we'll let your language intuition work to try and figure out the rest. It's ok if you don't get all or even most of it; it's the challenge of grappling with the exercise that makes us grow, not simply knowing the right answer.
Tomorrow, I will release the dialogue on its own, so that you can start to practice and master the material more and more over time. Repetition is important; each time you listen, you are reinforcing new connections in your brain, and you may notice things you didn't notice during previous repetitions.
And in the next episode, I will translate this dialogue completely, line by line, so that you can fill in whatever gaps remain in your comprehension, possibly enjoying many "Aha!" moments.
Today's Lesson Outline:
Introduction: Language is music.
Dialogue at normal speed.
Dialogue at slow speed. Listen and repeat.
Learn some vocabulary and phrases from the dialogue.
Listen to the dialogue at normal speed again. See if you pick out any of the new words or phrases you just learned.
Dialogue at slow speed again. Try to picture the scene in your mind.
As a visual cue and for reference, here are the words we learn in the lesson, and example phrases:
Chinese characters only (scroll down for pinyin and translation):
回
來
回來
還好
你還好嗎？
我還好啊
還好啦！
還是
我還是很開心
還是很謝謝你
到
回到
我們到了
我看到你
我買到了
飛機
上
飛機上
你在飛機上做什麼？
車上
路上
路上小心
都在
我都在睡
你都在吃
貼心
你好貼心
你最貼心
你真貼心
趕快
趕快吃！
趕快去！
趕快來！
趕快買！
好久不見
真的假的
With pinyin and translation:
回 / huí / return
來 / lái / to come
回來 / huílái / to come back
還好 / hái hǎo / alright, not bad
你還好嗎？/ nǐ hái hǎo ma? / Are you alright?
我還好啊 / wǒ hái hǎo a / I'm alright.
還好啦！/ hái hǎo la! / Not really, no big deal
還是 / háishì / Still..., nevertheless...
我還是很開心 / wǒ háishì hěn kāixīn / I'm still very happy
你都在吃 / nǐ dōu zài chī / You've just been eating this whole time.
貼心 / tiēxīn / Considerate, thoughtful
你好貼心 / nǐ hǎo tiēxīn / You're so considerate.
你最貼心 / nǐ zuì tiēxīn / You're the most considerate.
你真貼心 / nǐ zhēn tiēxīn / You're truly considerate.
趕快 / gǎnkuài / hurry up, quickly
趕快吃！/ gǎnkuài chī! / Hurry up and eat!
趕快去！/ gǎnkuài qù! / Hurry up and go!
趕快來！/ gǎnkuài lái! / Hurry up and come here!
趕快買！/ gǎnkuài mǎi! / Hurry up and buy it!
好久不見 / hǎojiǔ bùjiàn / Long time no see.
真的假的 / zhēn de jiǎ de / Really?! (lit. real or fake?)
Language as collaboration
Many years ago, before I starting to learn Mandarin, I took a trip to Italy. Though I spoke basically no Italian, I found that just trying to imitate the way people there spoke went a long way towards generating good will, and seemed to make many people want to try harder to communicate with me, despite the language barrier. I began to see speaking a language as a collaborative act, almost like making music, where listening and imitating are important parts of playing in rhythm and staying in the same key.
What I take away from this is that learning to speak any language, including Mandarin, is more an attitude than a technical skill. If you're willing to listen carefully and really open yourself up to the language -- to try your best to sound like a native speaker, even if you're a total beginner -- then you can go a long way with very little. You'll have more chances to practice, and you'll form stronger connections and make friends, which is what it's really all about. And, of course, you'll actually learn the language a lot faster.
After listening to S02 Episode 1, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking four minutes a day to practice listening and speaking the dialogue. Repetition makes progress!
A transcript of the dialogue is available below. First, it is written out in only Chinese characters for those who are learning characters and want to practice reading along. Then it is written out with the translation and pinyin.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only):
阿明：小李，你回來了！
小李：阿明，好久不見！
阿明：真的好久不見。美國還好嗎？
小李：美國很好啊，但我還是很開心回到台灣
阿明：我也很開心看到你
小李：謝謝你來接我
阿明：不客氣！小事情
小李：還是很謝謝你啊
阿明：你在飛機上有吃東西嗎？
小李：沒有欸，我都在睡覺
阿明：你餓了嗎？
小李：有一點餓
阿明：你看，我買什麼給你：你最喜歡的鍋貼！
小李：哇！真的假的！阿明，你好貼心！
阿明：還好啦，趕快吃！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):
阿明：小李，你回來了！
A-Ming: Xiao Li, you came back!
Ā míng: Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ huíláile!
小李：阿明，好久不見！
Xiao Li: A-Ming, long time no see!
Xiǎo lǐ: Ā míng, hǎojiǔ bùjiàn!
阿明：真的好久不見。美國還好嗎？
Really long time no see. Was the US alright?
Zhēn de hǎojiǔ bùjiàn. Měiguó hái hǎo ma?
小李：美國很好啊，但我還是很開心回到台灣
The US was great, but I’m still really happy to be back in Taiwan.
We all acquire language in the same way, and it has nothing to do with talent or aptitude. In this lesson, we get the line-by-line translation of the dialogue and complete the picture from Lesson 01.
Lesson Outline:
Introduction: We all learn languages the same way, and talent has nothing to do with it.
Listen to the dialogue at normal speed.
Get the translation line-by-line, and try to infer the meaning of the parts you don't know yet.
Listen to the dialogue at normal speed again, and repeat during the pauses.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only):
阿明：小李，你回來了！
小李：阿明，好久不見！
阿明：真的好久不見。美國還好嗎？
小李：美國很好啊，但我還是很開心回到台灣
阿明：我也很開心看到你
小李：謝謝你來接我
阿明：不客氣！小事情
小李：還是很謝謝你啊
阿明：你在飛機上有吃東西嗎？
小李：沒有欸，我都在睡覺
阿明：你餓了嗎？
小李：有一點餓
阿明：你看，我買什麼給你：你最喜歡的鍋貼！
小李：哇！真的假的！阿明，你好貼心！
阿明：還好啦，趕快吃！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):
阿明：小李，你回來了！
A-Ming: Xiao Li, you came back!
Ā míng: Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ huíláile!
小李：阿明，好久不見！
Xiao Li: A-Ming, long time no see!
Xiǎo lǐ: Ā míng, hǎojiǔ bùjiàn!
阿明：真的好久不見。美國還好嗎？
Really long time no see. Was the US alright?
Zhēn de hǎojiǔ bùjiàn. Měiguó hái hǎo ma?
小李：美國很好啊，但我還是很開心回到台灣
The US was great, but I’m still really happy to be back in Taiwan.
But I think I have to see and feel (them) to be sure.
阿明：也是... 送茶葉呢？
yěshì... Sòng cháyè ne?
True... what about giving tea?
小李：他們不太懂喝茶
Tāmen bú tài dǒng hē chá
They don't really appreciate tea (lit. don't understand how to drink tea).
阿明：那... 鳳梨酥呢？
nà... Fènglí sū ne?
Then... how about pineapple cake?
小李：已經送過太多次了
Yǐjīng sòngguò tài duō cìle
I've already given it too many times.
阿明：是哦... 買禮物真的很不簡單！
shì o... Mǎi lǐwù zhēn de hěn bù jiǎndān!
Oh... buying presents really isn't easy!
小李：你看我買的貼紙！
Nǐ kàn wǒ mǎi de tiēzhǐ!
Look at the stickers I bought!
阿明：狗狗的貼紙好可愛！
Gǒu gǒu de tiēzhǐ hǎo kě'ài!
The dog stickers are so cute!
小李：還有這個貼紙
Hái yǒu zhège tiēzhǐ
There's also this sticker.
阿明：禁止吸煙？
jìnzhǐ xīyān?
Smoking prohibited?
Note about Pinyin transliteration: Pinyin can be a helpful system for comprehending and recording the pronunciation of Chinese. However, keep in mind that it's only an approximation of the way people actually speak. Tones, like many other things, are affected by the tones and sounds that occur before and after them, by the context, and pronunciation also varies by region. As a result, there will necessarily be some discrepancy between the written tones and what you actually hear a person say.
(Examples from this dialogue: 狗狗 gǒu gǒu is much more commonly pronounced in Taiwan as "gǒu góu", and 買什麼 mǎi shénme is usually pronounced "mái shěnme", even though the "correct" dictionary pronunciation is that used in the original Pinyin.)
The moral of all this is: Trust your ears and imitate what you hear. Written language and phonetic systems are imperfect attempts at representing language on paper, but a spoken language actually exists when people open their mouths and speak.
That said, if you have a question about any details from a lesson, feel free to drop me a line!
After listening to S02 Episode 03, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking two minutes a day to practice listening and imitating the dialogue. Repetition makes progress!
If you want to practice reading along in Chinese, here is the dialogue written out in Chinese characters only (you can find the translation and pinyin below that):
What makes a good language parent, and how do you find one? In this episode I share some tips based on my own language learning experience. In the dialogue, 小李 is finally home after a long absence, and 阿明 notices that he seems a little nervous.
Q: Who are the best language teachers in the world? A: Parents.
Whether they do it consciously or not, parents (and parental figures) are the people who teach us how to speak our first language, from the time we're born, until we start going to school, and beyond. All parents have their failings (some more than others), but passing their language on to their children seems to be one thing that almost every parent succeeds at with flying colors.
We may not be able to revert to childhood in order to learn another language, but nor do we have to. The same quality of language learning experience is available to adults too, and with only a fraction of the tears. That's what finding your "language parent" is all about. In the introduction of this episode, I talk about what makes an effective language parent, and then give you a few tips about how to find one so that you can start your "Mandarin childhood."
Lesson Outline:
[00:20] What makes a good language parent?
[06:00] Finding your language parents
[08:03] Introduction to the dialogue
[08:55] Dialogue (normal speed)
[09:41] Slow version (and repeat)
[11:42] Useful vocabulary and phrases from the dialogue
[15:24] Dialogue again (normal speed)
[16:26] Slow version again (and repeat)
Words and phrases from the dialogue, with examples (Chinese characters only):
緊張
我好緊張
你為什麼緊張？
你在緊張什麼？
擔心
我很擔心
我很愛擔心
不要擔心
乾淨
我的家很乾淨
我很愛乾淨
這是乾淨的嗎？
應該
應該是吧
這應該是乾淨的
你不應該這樣說
先
我先走了！
你先吃吧！
那我先回家
拿
我拿，好不好？
這個給你拿
不要拿走
麻煩你了
怎麼了？
怎麼辦？
Words and phrases from the dialogue, with examples (w/ pinyin and translation):
緊張 / jǐnzhāng / Nervous
我好緊張 / wǒ hǎo jǐnzhāng / I’m so nervous.
你為什麼緊張？/ nǐ wèishéme jǐnzhāng? / Why are you nervous?
你在緊張什麼？/ nǐ zài jǐnzhāng shénme? / What are you nervous about?
擔心 / dānxīn / To worry, worried.
我很擔心 / wǒ hěn dānxīn / I’m really worried.
我很愛擔心 / wǒ hěn ài dānxīn / I’m a person who loves to worry.
不要擔心 / búyào dānxīn / Don’t worry.
乾淨 / gānjìng / Clean
我的家很乾淨 / wǒ de jiā hěn gānjìng / My home is really clean.
我很愛乾淨 / wǒ hěn ài gānjìng / I love cleanliness, or I’m a neat freak.
這是乾淨的嗎？/ zhè shì gānjìng de ma? / Is this clean?
應該 / yīnggāi / Should
應該是吧 / yīnggāi shì ba / That should be, that should be the case.
這應該是乾淨的 / zhè yīnggāi shì gānjìng de / This should be clean.
你不應該這樣說 / nǐ bù yìng gāi zhèyàng shuō / You shouldn’t say that.
先 / xiān / First, or often “right away” (“I’m gonna go do this thing right now…”)
我先走了！/ wǒ xiān zǒule! / I’m leaving now.
你先吃吧！/ nǐ xiān chī ba! / You start eating!
那我先回家 / nà wǒ xiān huí jiā / Then I’ll go home now.
The first time, there will be a short pause after each line. During the pause, try to repeat aloud exactly what you hear.
Repeating aloud is important, partly because you'll be training your speech muscles to make the sounds of Mandarin, and partly because you'll be getting feedback about how you sound (if you're listening with earbuds, I recommend practicing with one earbud out and one in, or else with both partially in, so that you can hear yourself better).
The second time, there won't be any pauses -- try to "shadow" the sounds simultaneously as they are spoken, again aloud.
This will help you practice stringing the sounds together and further reinforce the muscle memory speech patterns of Mandarin. If it feels way too fast, you can try shadowing only one of the two characters (A-Ming or Xiao-Li) each time you listen. However, even then, don't expect to be able to keep up with everything at first. It takes regular daily practice to start training your ears to have a more nuanced perception of the sounds, and to train your speech muscles to speak at natural speed.
A transcript of the dialogue is available below. First, it is written out in only Chinese characters for those who are learning characters and want to practice reading along. Then it is written out with the translation and pinyin.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only):
阿明：我們到了！
小李：我真的好久沒有回家
阿明：你會緊張嗎？
小李：有一點
阿明：你在擔心什麼？
小李：我擔心我家裡有很多蟑螂！
阿明：是哦。。。你家不是很乾淨嗎？
小李：是啊，蠻乾淨的，可是。。。
阿明：那應該沒問題吧
小李：也是，可是。。。
阿明：那我們先進去吧，我幫你拿行李
小李：好，麻煩你了
阿明：不會，你先去開門
小李：天哪！
阿明：怎麼了？
小李：好多蟑螂！怎麼辦？
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):
阿明：我們到了！
Wǒmen dàole!
We’ve arrived!
小李：我真的好久沒有回家。
Wǒ zhēn de hǎojiǔ méiyǒu huí jiā.
I really haven’t been home in a long time.
阿明：你會緊張嗎？
Nǐ huì jǐnzhāng ma?
Are you nervous?
小李：有一點
Yǒu yīdiǎn
A little.
阿明：你在擔心什麼？
nǐ zài dānxīn shénme?
What are you worried about?
小李：我擔心我家裡有很多蟑螂！
Wǒ dānxīn wǒ jiālǐ yǒu hěnduō zhāngláng!
I’m worried my home has a lot of cockroaches!
阿明：是哦。。。你家不是很乾淨嗎？
Shì ó... Nǐ jiā bùshì hěn gānjìng ma?
Oh… isn’t your house really clean?
小李：是啊，蠻乾淨的，可是。。。
Shì a, mán gānjìng de, kěshì...
It is, it’s pretty clean, but...
阿明：那應該沒問題吧
Nà yīnggāi méi wèntí ba
Then it shouldn’t be a problem.
小李：也是，可是。。。
yěshì, kěshì...
That’s true, but…
阿明：那我們先進去吧，我幫你拿行李
Nà wǒmen xiān jìnqù ba, wǒ bāng nǐ ná xínglǐ
Well let’s go in first, I’ll help you carry your luggage.
About learning Chinese characters Teaching Chinese characters is outside the scope of this podcast, but if you are learning Chinese characters through another course or method, you can use the transcript below to follow along.
Learning characters can be a fulfilling project, and can help you to remember and differentiate similar-sounding words. And, of course, it opens up more avenues for practicing your Mandarin, such as reading (books, children's books, comic books) and corresponding with Chinese speakers via email and other messaging apps. I highly encourage you to give it a try!
However, if the thought of memorizing all those characters now gives you a headache, rest assured: you can start speaking Mandarin without being able to read or write. Millions of preliterate children speak Mandarin fluently, and so can you! If and when you are ready to start learning the characters, already speaking some Mandarin will make it that much easier.
The bottom line is this: Don't let anything stop you or discourage you. The best method is the method you actually use, and any method you choose is better than no method at all! Find a way to move forward. You can always make adjustments later.
One fun, engaging way you can give your Mandarin learning a boost is by conducting interviews with your Mandarin-speaking language parents, friends, or teachers. In this lesson, I offer some advice about how to turn the interview into a powerful language-learning tool. Then, we'll hear a line-by-line translation of the dialogue from Lesson 04.
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] How do you conduct an interview in Mandarin?
[03:49] The three biggest reasons to do an interview in Mandarin
[07:00] Dialogue (normal speed)
[07:45] Complete translation
[10:37] Dialogue with pauses for echoing (normal speed)
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only):
阿明：我們到了！
小李：我真的好久沒有回家。
你會緊張嗎？
有一點
你在擔心什麼？
我擔心我家裡有很多蟑螂！
是哦。。。你家不是很乾淨嗎？
是啊，蠻乾淨的，可是。。。
那應該沒問題吧
也是，可是。。。
那我們先進去吧，我幫你拿行李
好，麻煩你了
不會，你先去開門
天哪！
怎麼了？
好多蟑螂！怎麼辦？
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):
阿明：我們到了！
Wǒmen dàole!
We’ve arrived!
小李：我真的好久沒有回家。
Wǒ zhēn de hǎojiǔ méiyǒu huí jiā.
I really haven’t been home in a long time.
你會緊張嗎？
Nǐ huì jǐnzhāng ma?
Are you nervous?
有一點
Yǒu yīdiǎn
A little.
你在擔心什麼？
nǐ zài dānxīn shénme?
What are you worried about?
我擔心我家裡有很多蟑螂！
Wǒ dānxīn wǒ jiālǐ yǒu hěnduō zhāngláng!
I’m worried my home has a lot of cockroaches!
是哦。。。你家不是很乾淨嗎？
Shì ó... Nǐ jiā bùshì hěn gānjìng ma?
Oh… isn’t your house really clean?
是啊，蠻乾淨的，可是。。。
Shì a, mán gānjìng de, kěshì...
It is, it’s pretty clean, but...
那應該沒問題吧
Nà yīnggāi méi wèntí ba
Then it shouldn’t be a problem.
也是，可是。。。
yěshì, kěshì...
That’s true, but…
那我們先進去吧，我幫你拿行李
Nà wǒmen xiān jìnqù ba, wǒ bāng nǐ ná xínglǐ
Well let’s go in first, I’ll help you carry your luggage.
Learning a new language can become a gateway to exploring an undiscovered side of yourself. Find out how in this lesson. In the dialogue, Xiao-Li (小李) and A-Ming (阿明) realize there's nothing to drink in Xiao-Li's apartment.
Whether we like it or not, a lot of things happen in life just by accident. Some talents, skills, or passions may lie dormant, just because we never had the opportunity to uncover them. Learning a new language can be a second chance to explore what intrigues you, and to do so from an entirely different angle -- and in an entirely different language!
In this episode, I talk about how learning Mandarin broadened my taste in music, and taught me the joy of singing.
After listening to S02 Lesson 6, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking three minutes a day to practice listening and imitating the dialogue. Repetition makes progress!
README: How to use this recording
You'll hear the dialogue from Lesson 06 twice.
The first time, there will be a short pause after each line. During the pause, try to repeat aloud exactly what you hear.
Repeating aloud is important, partly because you'll be training your speech muscles to make the sounds of Mandarin, and partly because you'll be getting feedback about how you sound (if you're listening with earbuds, I recommend practicing with one earbud out and one in, or else with both partially in, so that you can hear yourself better).
The second time, there won't be any pauses -- try to "shadow" the sounds simultaneously as they are spoken, again aloud.
This will help you practice stringing the sounds together and further reinforce the muscle memory speech patterns of Mandarin. If it feels way too fast, you can try shadowing only one of the two characters each time you listen. However, even then, don't expect to be able to keep up with everything at first. It takes regular daily practice to start training your ears to have a more nuanced perception of the sounds, and to train your speech muscles to speak at natural speed.
A transcript of the dialogue is available below. First, it is written out in only Chinese characters for those who are learning characters and want to practice reading along. Then it is written out with the translation and pinyin.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only):
阿明：終於把行李都整理好了
小李：對，我好累，而且我出了很多汗
阿明：你要記得喝水哦
小李：這裡好熱！
阿明：哈哈！這就是台灣！很熱吧。
小李：我都忘記台灣夏天有這麼熱
阿明：那你怎麼不開冷氣呢？
小李：哦對耶！我都忘記有冷氣了！這樣好多了！
阿明：美國沒有冷氣嗎？
小李：我住的地方沒有，只有暖氣
阿明：哇！那邊一定很冷！
小李：其實還好，只是很常下雨。欸？冰箱是空的！
阿明：當然是空的啊！你才剛剛回來而已！
小李：對耶，我真的太渴了，沒辦法思考
阿明：那，我們趕快去便利商店買一瓶冰水吧！
小李：好，那我把冷氣關掉
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):
阿明：終於把行李都整理好了
Zhōngyú bǎ xínglǐ dōu zhěnglǐ hǎole
We finally finished unpacking all the luggage!
小李：對，我好累，而且我出了很多汗
Duì, wǒ hǎo lèi, érqiě wǒ chūle hěnduō hàn
Yeah, I'm so tired. And I sweat a lot!
阿明：你要記得喝水哦
Nǐ yào jìdé hē shuǐ ó
You gotta remember to drink water.
小李：這裡好熱！
Zhèlǐ hǎo rè!
It's so hot here!
阿明：哈哈！這就是台灣！很熱吧。
Hāhā! Zhè jiùshì táiwān! Hěn rè ba.
Haha! This is Taiwan! It's hot, huh?
小李：我都忘記台灣夏天有這麼熱
Wǒ dū wàngjì táiwān xiàtiān yǒu zhème rè
I totally forgot Taiwan's summers were so hot.
阿明：那你怎麼不開冷氣呢？
Nà nǐ zěnme bù kāi lěngqì ne?
So why don't you turn on the AC?
小李：哦對耶！我都忘記有冷氣了！這樣好多了！
Ó duì yé! Wǒ dū wàngjì yǒu lěngqìle! Zhèyàng hǎoduōle!
Oh right! I totally forgot there's AC! This is much better.
We'll hear the line-by-line translation of the dialogue from S02 Episode 06, and then we'll further reinforce the vocabulary and practice answering some questions with a mock interview.
Lesson Outline:
[01:19] Dialogue (normal speed)
[02:21] Complete translation
[07:05] Dialogue again (normal speed)
[08:08] Mock interview (reinforcement and speaking practice)
[11:06] Reference interview with Xiao-Li (小李)
Complete dialogue & translation (中文 only):
阿明：終於把行李都整理好了
小李：對，我好累，而且我出了很多汗
阿明：你要記得喝水哦
小李：這裡好熱！
阿明：哈哈！這就是台灣！很熱吧。
小李：我都忘記台灣夏天有這麼熱
阿明：那你怎麼不開冷氣呢？
小李：哦對耶！我都忘記有冷氣了！這樣好多了！
阿明：美國沒有冷氣嗎？
小李：我住的地方沒有，只有暖氣
阿明：哇！那邊一定很冷！
小李：其實還好，只是很常下雨。欸？冰箱是空的！
阿明：當然是空的啊！你才剛剛回來而已！
小李：對耶，我真的太渴了，沒辦法思考
阿明：那，我們趕快去便利商店買一瓶冰水吧！
小李：好，那我把冷氣關掉
Complete dialogue & translation (w/ pinyin and translation):
阿明：終於把行李都整理好了
Zhōngyú bǎ xínglǐ dōu zhěnglǐ hǎole
We finally finished unpacking all the luggage!
小李：對，我好累，而且我出了很多汗
Duì, wǒ hǎo lèi, érqiě wǒ chūle hěnduō hàn
Yeah, I'm so tired. And I sweat a lot!
阿明：你要記得喝水哦
Nǐ yào jìdé hē shuǐ ó
You gotta remember to drink water.
小李：這裡好熱！
Zhèlǐ hǎo rè!
It's so hot here!
阿明：哈哈！這就是台灣！很熱吧。
Hāhā! Zhè jiùshì táiwān! Hěn rè ba.
Haha! This is Taiwan! It's hot, huh?
小李：我都忘記台灣夏天有這麼熱
Wǒ dū wàngjì táiwān xiàtiān yǒu zhème rè
I totally forgot Taiwan's summers were so hot.
阿明：那你怎麼不開冷氣呢？
Nà nǐ zěnme bù kāi lěngqì ne?
So why don't you turn on the AC?
小李：哦對耶！我都忘記有冷氣了！這樣好多了！
Ó duì yé! Wǒ dū wàngjì yǒu lěngqìle! Zhèyàng hǎoduōle!
Oh right! I totally forgot there's AC! This is much better.
After listening to S02 Lesson 08, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking four minutes a day to practice listening and imitating the dialogue. Repetition makes progress!
README: How to use this recording
You'll hear the dialogue from Lesson 08 twice.
The first time, there will be a short pause after each line. During the pause, try to repeat aloud exactly what you hear.
Repeating aloud is important, partly because you'll be training your speech muscles to make the sounds of Mandarin, and partly because you'll be getting feedback about how you sound (if you're listening with earbuds, I recommend practicing with one earbud out and one in, or else with both partially in, so that you can hear yourself better).
The second time, there won't be any pauses -- try to "shadow" the sounds simultaneously as they are spoken, again aloud.
This will help you practice stringing the sounds together and further reinforce the muscle memory speech patterns of Mandarin. If it feels way too fast, you can try shadowing only one of the characters each time you listen. However, even then, don't expect to be able to keep up with everything at first. It takes regular daily practice to start training your ears to have a more nuanced perception of the sounds, and to train your speech muscles to speak at natural speed.
A transcript of the dialogue is available below. First, it is written out in only Chinese characters for those who are learning characters and want to practice reading along. Then it is written out with the translation and pinyin.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only):
小李：便利商店在哪裡？
阿明：那裡的路口有一家，我帶你去
小李：好，要走多久？我快熱死了！
阿明：差不多五分鐘，很近！
小李：好，走吧！
康太太：不好意思，不好意思
阿明：欸？我們嗎？
康太太：不好意思，我是你的鄰居！我姓康。
阿明：康太太你好，我叫阿明，這個是小李，小李才是你的鄰居
康太太：啊你是他的朋友！
阿明：對
康太太：這麼好！
阿明：對，然後我們正要去...
康太太：你知道嗎齁*，這裡不能停車！
阿明：是喔...
康太太：是的！你要趕快開去對面的停車場才對
阿明：可是我們正要去買一點東西，然後我就要走了，很快，十分鐘就好！
康太太：不行，這裡常常會有警察來看
小李：阿明，怎麼辦？
阿明：那... 請問，康太太，我如果把車子先開到對面去，你可以給小李一杯冰水喝嗎？他覺得很熱！
康太太：沒問題，來我們家坐一下！
阿明：太感謝了！
小李：真的嗎？謝謝你！
康太太：不客氣，趕快進來坐！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):
小李：便利商店在哪裡？
Xiǎo lǐ: Biànlì shāngdiàn zài nǎlǐ?
Where’s the convenience store?
阿明：那裡的路口有一家，我帶你去
Ā míng: Nàlǐ de lùkǒu yǒu yījiā, wǒ dài nǐ qù
The intersection over there has one, I’ll take you there.
小李：好，要走多久？我快熱死了！
Xiǎo lǐ: Hǎo, yào zǒu duōjiǔ? Wǒ kuài rè sǐle!
Okay, how long of a walk is it? This heat is killing me!
We'll hear the line-by-line translation of the dialogue from S02 Episode 8, and then we'll further reinforce the vocabulary and practice answering some questions with a mock interview.
Lesson Outline:
[01:53] Dialogue (normal speed)
[03:19] Complete translation
[10:00] Explanation of 才對 and 我如果把車子先開到對面去
[12:35] Mock interview (reinforcement and speaking practice)
[14:40] Reference interview with A-Ming (阿明)
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only):
小李：便利商店在哪裡？
阿明：那裡的路口有一家，我帶你去
小李：好，要走多久？我快熱死了！
阿明：差不多五分鐘，很近！
小李：好，走吧！
康太太：不好意思，不好意思
阿明：欸？我們嗎？
康太太：不好意思，我是你的鄰居！我姓康。
阿明：康太太你好，我叫阿明，這個是小李，小李才是你的鄰居
康太太：啊你是他的朋友！
阿明：對
康太太：這麼好！
阿明：對，然後我們正要去...
康太太：你知道嗎齁，這裡不能停車！
阿明：是喔...
康太太：是的！你要趕快開去對面的停車場才對
阿明：可是我們正要去買一點東西，然後我就要走了，很快，十分鐘就好！
康太太：不行，這裡常常會有警察來看
小李：阿明，怎麼辦？
阿明：那... 請問，康太太，我如果把車子先開到對面去，你可以給小李一杯冰水喝嗎？他覺得很熱！
康太太：沒問題，來我們家坐一下！
阿明：太感謝了！
小李：真的嗎？謝謝你！
康太太：不客氣，趕快進來坐！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):
小李：便利商店在哪裡？
Xiǎo lǐ: Biànlì shāngdiàn zài nǎlǐ?
Where’s the convenience store?
阿明：那裡的路口有一家，我帶你去
Ā míng: Nàlǐ de lùkǒu yǒu yījiā, wǒ dài nǐ qù
The intersection over there has one, I’ll take you there.
小李：好，要走多久？我快熱死了！
Xiǎo lǐ: Hǎo, yào zǒu duōjiǔ? Wǒ kuài rè sǐle!
Okay, how long of a walk is it? This heat is killing me!
Well then... excuse me, Mrs. Kang, if I take my car across the way right now, can you give Xiao-Li a cup of ice water to drink? He feels really hot!
康太太：沒問題，來我們家坐一下！
Kāng tàitài: Méi wèntí, lái wǒmen jiā zuò yīxià!
No problem, come inside and sit down for a bit!
阿明：太感謝了！
Ā míng: Tài gǎnxièle!
Thank you so much!
小李：真的嗎？謝謝你！
Xiǎo lǐ: Zhēn de ma? Xièxiè nǐ!
Really? Thank you!
康太太：不客氣，趕快進來坐！
Kāng tàitài: Bù kèqì, gǎnkuài jìnlái zuò!
Don’t mention it, hurry up and come inside!
* 齁 (hou) is a particularly Taiwanese auxiliary word, said with a nasal sound. In this case when Mrs. Kang uses it, it's sort of to emphasize or reaffirm the feeling of "you know, right?"
After listening to S02 Lesson 10, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking five minutes a day to practice listening and imitating the dialogue. Repetition makes it stick.
README: How to use this recording
You'll hear the dialogue from Lesson 10 twice.
The first time, there will be a short pause after each line. During the pause, try to repeat aloud exactly what you hear.
Repeating aloud is important, partly because you'll be training your speech muscles to make the sounds of Mandarin, and partly because you'll be getting feedback about how you sound (if you're listening with earbuds, I recommend practicing with one earbud out and one in, or else with both partially in, so that you can hear yourself better).
The second time, there won't be any pauses -- try to "shadow" the sounds simultaneously as they are spoken, again aloud.
This will help you practice stringing the sounds together and further reinforce the muscle memory speech patterns of Mandarin. If it feels way too fast, you can try shadowing only one of the characters each time you listen. However, even then, don't expect to be able to keep up with everything at first. It takes regular daily practice to start training your ears to have a more nuanced perception of the sounds, and to train your speech muscles to speak at natural speed.
A transcript of the dialogue is available below. First, it is written out in only Chinese characters for those who are learning characters and want to practice reading along. Then it is written out with the translation and pinyin.
A big part of being able to speak naturally and fluently is being able to convince yourself on some level that you're actually from the same place as other native speakers. It’s one thing to learn a bunch of words and phrases. But to be able to use them like a native speaker requires being able to think like one. In this episode, you'll learn how to tell people where you are, and where you're from.
If you were from, say, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, or China, what would that version of you be like? You can start to get a sense by paying close attention to the expressions native speakers use, especially to the feeling behind them. Imitating them, you might find yourself saying things whose equivalent you would never say in the same situation in your native language. And that’s one of the amazing things about learning a new language -- it lets you develop another side of yourself.
A note about pronunciation: The vocabulary list below includes the Chinese characters and the pinyin romanization system. The advantage of pinyin for English speakers is that it uses the familiar symbols of the Latin alphabet. The disadvantage is that English speakers are easily deceived into thinking these familiar symbols represent the same sounds they do in English. They don't. That said, pinyin can be a useful system to learn, but you must rely on your ears first, eyes second.
Don't expect to be able to pronounce anything just by reading the pinyin; the romanization is just a reference to jog your memory. the language exists primarily in its sounds, which is why daily listening and imitation practice is so important.
Episode vocabulary:
哪裡 :: nǎlǐ :: where
在 :: zài :: at/in
台灣 :: táiwān :: Taiwan
台北 :: táiběi :: Taipei
美國 :: měiguó :: USA
西雅圖 :: xīyǎtú :: Seattle
請 :: qǐng :: please
再 :: zài :: again
一次 :: yīcì :: one time
人 :: rén :: person
是 :: shì :: to be (am/are/is)
以為 :: yǐwéi :: to have mistakenly thought
真的 :: zhēn de :: really, truly
About learning Chinese characters Teaching Chinese characters is outside the scope of this podcast, but if you are learning Chinese characters through another course or method, you can use the transcript below to follow along.
Learning characters can be a fulfilling project, and can help you to remember and differentiate similar-sounding words. And, of course, it opens up more avenues for practicing your Mandarin, such as reading (books, children's books, comic books) and corresponding with Chinese speakers via email and other messaging apps. I highly encourage you to give it a try!
However, if the thought of memorizing all those characters now gives you a headache, rest assured: you can start speaking Mandarin without being able to read or write. Millions of preliterate children speak Mandarin fluently, and so can you! If and when you are ready to start learning the characters, already speaking some Mandarin will make it that much easier.
The bottom line is this: Don't let anything stop you or discourage you. The best method is the method you actually use, and any method you choose is better than no method at all! Find a way to move forward. You can always make adjustments later.
In this new dialogue, Mrs. Kang (康太太) arrives with the water and something else that Xiao-Li (小李) hasn't seen before. And she receives a surprise phone call...
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction
[01:14] Dialogue (normal speed)
[03:55] Useful vocabulary and phrases from the dialogue
[15:45] Dialogue again (normal speed)
Words and phrases from the dialogue, with examples (Chinese characters only):
自己
沒關係，我自己來！
這是我自己做的
你自己看吧
小心
開車要小心！
小心不要吃太多
路上小心
變，變成 or 變得
今天變熱了
他看到你變得很開心！
他太累了，變成我開車
被
咖啡被我喝了！
餅乾都被吃掉
貓咪被你嚇到
外
外國
外面
外帶
本來
我本來以為你是他的妹妹！
我本來還想吃蛋糕，可是蛋糕已經沒了
你本來想說什麼？
需要
我需要一點時間
你需要什麼嗎？
我需要你的幫忙！
上班
上班好累！
你幾點上班？
我明天需要上班
下班
下班了！回家了！
我今天需要早一點下班
你下班要做什麼？
幾點
現在幾點？
你都幾點睡覺？
你要坐幾點的車？
忙
我今天很忙
我先去忙
我現在有一點忙
完
我還沒用完！
書你看完了嗎？
趕快把東西吃完！
Words and phrases from the dialogue, with examples (w/ pinyin and translation):
自己 / zìjǐ / self
沒關係，我自己來！/ méiguānxì, wǒ zìjǐ lái! / It's okay, I'll do it myself!
這是我自己做的 / zhè shì wǒ zìjǐ zuò de / I made this myself.
你自己看吧 / nǐ zìjǐ kàn ba / See for yourself.
小心 / xiǎoxīn / careful
開車要小心！/ kāichē yào xiǎoxīn! / Drive carefully!
小心不要吃太多 / xiǎoxīn bùyào chī tài duō / Careful not to eat too much.
路上小心 / lùshàng xiǎoxīn / Careful on the road (said when someone is leaving).
變，變成 or 變得 / biàn, biànchéng or biànde / to become, to change into
今天變熱了 / jīntiān biàn rèle / It got hot today.
他看到你變得很開心！/ tā kàn dào nǐ biàn dé hěn kāixīn! / He became so happy when he saw you!
他太累了，變成我開車 / tā tài lèile, biànchéng wǒ kāichē / He was too tired, so it became that I drove.
被 / bèi / (indicates passive voice)
咖啡被我喝了！/ kāfēi bèi wǒ hēle! / The coffee was drunk by me!
餅乾都被吃掉 / bǐnggān dōu bèi chī diào / The cookies were all eaten.
貓咪被你嚇到 / māomī bèi nǐ xià dào / The cat was scared by you.
外 / wài / outer, exterior, foreign
外國 / wàiguó / foreign country
外面 / wàimiàn / outside, exterior of something
外帶 / wàidài / "to go" or takeout (i.e., food)
本來 / běnlái / originally, at first
我本來以為你是他的妹妹！/ wǒ běnlái yǐwéi nǐ shì tā de mèimei! / I originally thought you were her younger sister!
我本來還想吃蛋糕，可是蛋糕已經沒了 / Wǒ běnlái hái xiǎng chī dàngāo, kěshì dàngāo yǐjīng méi le / I originally still wanted to eat cake, but the cake is already gone.
你本來想說什麼？/ nǐ běnlái xiǎng shuō shénme? / What were you going to say?
需要 / xūyào / to need
我需要一點時間 / wǒ xūyào yīdiǎn shíjiān / I need a little time.
你需要什麼嗎？/ nǐ xūyào shénme ma? / Do you need something?
我需要你的幫忙！/ wǒ xūyào nǐ de bāngmáng! / I need your help!
上班 / shàngbān / to go to work
上班好累！/ shàngbān hǎo lèi! / Work is so tiring!
你幾點上班？/ nǐ jǐ diǎn shàngbān? / What time do you go to work?
我明天需要上班 / wǒ míngtiān xūyào shàngbān / I need to go to work tomorrow.
下班 / xiàbān / to get off work, to leave work
下班了！回家了！/ xiàbānle! huí jiāle! / Work's over! Go home!
我今天需要早一點下班 / wǒ jīntiān xūyào zǎo yīdiǎn xiàbān / Today I need to leave work a little early.
你下班要做什麼？/ nǐ xiàbān yào zuò shénme? / What are you going to do after work?
幾點 / jǐ diǎn / what time?
現在幾點？/ xiànzài jǐ diǎn? / What time is it now?
你都幾點睡覺？/ nǐ dōu jǐ diǎn shuìjiào? / What time do you usually go to sleep?
你要坐幾點的車？/ nǐ yào zuò jǐ diǎn de chē? / What time is your "car" (bus, train, etc.)?
After listening to S02 Lesson 12, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking five minutes a day to practice listening and imitating the dialogue. Repetition makes it stick.
README: How to use this recording
You'll hear the dialogue from Lesson 12 twice.
The first time, there will be a short pause after each line. During the pause, try to repeat aloud exactly what you hear.
Repeating aloud is important, partly because you'll be training your speech muscles to make the sounds of Mandarin, and partly because you'll be getting feedback about how you sound (if you're listening with earbuds, I recommend practicing with one earbud out and one in, or else with both partially in, so that you can hear yourself better).
The second time, there won't be any pauses -- try to "shadow" the sounds simultaneously as they are spoken, again aloud.
This will help you practice stringing the sounds together and further reinforce the muscle memory speech patterns of Mandarin. If it feels way too fast, you can try shadowing only one of the characters each time you listen. However, even then, don't expect to be able to keep up with everything at first. It takes regular daily practice to start training your ears to have a more nuanced perception of the sounds, and to train your speech muscles to speak at natural speed.
A transcript of the dialogue is available below. First, it is written out in only Chinese characters for those who are learning characters and want to practice reading along. Then it is written out with the translation and pinyin.
Just a sec! Hello? Oh, daughter! You’re coming over to eat today! Great! I want to introduce you to a foreign friend. Uh huh… you’ll find out when you come.
Welcome back! After a long, unplanned break, we're back to finish out Season 2 once and for all. Let's finally find out what happens to Xiao Li (L) and A-Ming (M) during their impromptu visit to Mrs. Kang's (K) house.
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction
[02:34] Dialogue (normal speed)
[04:20] Line-by-line translation
[14:17] Talking about 就 vs. 才 and auxiliary particles
Just a sec! Hello? Oh, daughter! You’re coming over to eat today! Great! I want to introduce you to a foreign friend. Uh huh… you’ll find out when you come.
新年快樂！Happy Lunar New Year! In honor of the new year, this dialogue involves lots and lots and lots of food, prepared by Mrs. Kang (康太太). Can you guess what else is happening?
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction
[01:26] Dialogue
[03:08] Useful vocabulary and phrases from the dialogue
[14:28] Dialogue again
Words and phrases from the dialogue, with examples (Chinese characters only): (scroll down for pinyin and the translation)
計程車
那裡有計程車！
你要不要坐計程車？
因為我找不到計程車，所以我遲到了
隔壁
我住在隔壁
隔壁有一間餐廳
不要吵到隔壁的人！
約會（約）
不好意思，今天我有約
你的約會怎麼樣？
我們太久沒有約會了！
講話
你會講中文嗎？
我妹妹不想跟你講話
亂講（亂）
不要亂講！
我弟弟很愛亂講
不好意思，我家很亂
講話不能亂講！
直接
你講話太直接
我現在要直接去了
我今天不跟你約，我要直接回家
辛苦
謝謝！辛苦了！
下班了！辛苦了大家！
我的工作太辛苦
跟這個人講話好辛苦
煮
煮飯
你喜歡煮飯嗎？
煮水
煮湯
邀請（請）
今天我請你！
謝謝你的邀請
我想請你來我家
準備
你準備好了嗎？
趕快準備！
等一下，我還沒準備好！
Words and phrases from the dialogue, with examples (w/ pinyin and translation):