Mandarin From the Ground Up

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.

About the transcript:
The transcript of the dialogue will be available once the next lesson is published. For now, just focus on the sounds, and try to see what new words, meanings, or sounds you notice with each new listen.

View Details

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:

自己 / zìjǐ / self
1. 沒關係，我自己來！/ méiguānxì, wǒ zìjǐ lái! / It's okay, I'll do it myself!
2. 這是我自己做的 / zhè shì wǒ zìjǐ zuò de / I made this myself.
3. 你自己看吧 / nǐ zìjǐ kàn ba / See for yourself.
小心 / xiǎoxīn / careful
1. 開車要小心！/ kāichē yào xiǎoxīn! / Drive carefully!
2. 小心不要吃太多 / xiǎoxīn bùyào chī tài duō / Careful not to eat too much.
3. 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
1. 今天變熱了 / jīntiān biàn rèle / It got hot today.
2. 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!
3. 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)
1. 咖啡被我喝了！/ kāfēi bèi wǒ hēle! / The coffee was drunk by me!
2. 餅乾都被吃掉 / bǐnggān dōu bèi chī diào / The cookies were all eaten.
3. 貓咪被你嚇到 / māomī bèi nǐ xià dào / The cat was scared by you.
外 / wài / outer, exterior, foreign
1. 外國 / wàiguó / foreign country
2. 外面 / wàimiàn / outside, exterior of something
3. 外帶 / wàidài / "to go" or takeout (i.e., food)
本來 / běnlái / originally, at first
1. 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!
2. 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.
3. 你本來想說什麼？/ nǐ běnlái xiǎng shuō shénme? / What were you going to say?
需要 / xūyào / to need
1. 我需要一點時間 / wǒ xūyào yīdiǎn shíjiān / I need a little time.
2. 你需要什麼嗎？/ nǐ xūyào shénme ma? / Do you need something?
3. 我需要你的幫忙！/ wǒ xūyào nǐ de bāngmáng! / I need your help!
上班 / shàngbān / to go to work
1. 上班好累！/ shàngbān hǎo lèi! / Work is so tiring!
2. 你幾點上班？/ nǐ jǐ diǎn shàngbān? / What time do you go to work?
3. 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
1. 下班了！回家了！/ xiàbānle! huí jiāle! / Work's over! Go home!
2. 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.
3. 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?
1. 現在幾點？/ xiànzài jǐ diǎn? / What time is it now?
2. 你都幾點睡覺？/ nǐ dōu jǐ diǎn shuìjiào? / What time do you usually go to sleep?
3. 你要坐幾點的車？/ nǐ yào zuò jǐ diǎn de chē? / What time is your "car" (bus, train, etc.)?
忙 / máng / busy, to busy oneself
1. 我今天很忙 / wǒ jīntiān hěn máng / I'm really busy today.
2. 我先去忙 / wǒ xiān qù máng / I'll go busy myself (with something) now.
3. 我現在有一點忙 / wǒ xiànzài yǒu yīdiǎn máng / I'm a little busy right now.
完 / wán / complete, completion
1. 我還沒用完！/ wǒ hái méi yòng wán! / I'm not finished ("using") yet!
2. 書你看完了嗎？/ shū nǐ kàn wán le ma? / Did you finish reading the book yet?
3. 趕快把東西吃完！/ gǎnkuài bǎ dōngxī chī wán! / Hurry up and eat everything!

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Lesson Outline:

[00:21] Talking about curiosity
[04:52] Dialogue (normal speed)
[06:28] Complete translation
[12:56] Explanation of the word 乖 (guāi)
[14:07] Repeat the dialogue

Complete dialogue & translation:

康太太：這個是我兒子，他去年帶我去日本玩！
- Kāng tàitài: Zhège shì wǒ érzi, tā qùnián dài wǒ qù rìběn wán!
- Mrs. Kang: This is my son. Last year he took me to Japan (lit. 玩 wán = to play)!
小李：是哦... 你有幾個孩子？
- Xiǎo lǐ: Shì ó... Nǐ yǒu jǐ gè háizi?
- Xiao-Li: Oh... How many kids do you have?
康太太：兩個，一個兒子一個女兒
- Kāng tàitài: Liǎng gè, yīgè érzi yīgè nǚ'ér
- Mrs. Kang: Two, one son and one daughter.
小李：那...這個小朋友是誰呢？
- Xiǎo lǐ: Nà... Zhège xiǎopéngyǒu shì sheí ne?
- Xiao-Li: Then... who’s this little kid?
康太太：這是我的孫子，他每天都來我這裡吃晚餐，很乖！
- Kāng tàitài: Zhè shì wǒ de sūnzi, tā měitiān dōu lái wǒ zhèlǐ chī wǎncān, hěn guāi!
- Mrs. Kang: This is my grandson, every day he comes to my place for dinner, he’s very 乖!
小李：很乖？
- Xiǎo lǐ: Hěn guāi?
- Xiao-Li: Very 乖?
康太太：對啊，很乖！他每天吃三碗白飯！啊你絕婚了嗎？
- Kāng tàitài: Duì a, hěn guāi! Tā měitiān chī sān wǎn báifàn! A nǐ jué hūnle ma?
- Mrs. Kang: Yeah, very 乖！ Every day he eats three bowls of rice! So are you married?
小李：還沒，我才27歲
- Xiǎo lǐ: Hái méi, wǒ cái èrshíqī suì
- Xiao-Li: Not yet, I’m only 27 years old.
康太太：27歲差不多了，你趕快去找個女朋友！不然我介紹我女兒給你，她才大你幾歲而已
- Kāng tàitài: Èrshíqī suì chā bù duō le, nǐ gǎnkuài qù zhǎo gè nǚ péngyǒu! Bùrán wǒ jièshào wǒ nǚ'ér gěi nǐ, tā cái dà nǐ jǐ suì éryǐ
- Mrs. Kang: 27 is about right, hurry up and find a girlfriend! Or else I can introduce my daughter to you, she’s only a few years older than you.
小李：哦，好啊...
- Xiǎo lǐ: Ó, hǎo a...
- Xiao-Li: Oh, okay...
阿明：哈囉，我車子停好了，小李在嗎？
- Ā míng: Hā luō, wǒ chēzi tíng hǎole, xiǎo lǐ zài ma?
- A-Ming: Hello, my car is parked, is Xiao-Li here?
康太太：我們在這裡
- Kāng tàitài: Wǒmen zài zhèlǐ
- Mrs. Kang: We’re over here!
阿明：小李，你喝到水了嗎？
- Ā míng: Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ hē dào shuǐle ma?
- A-Ming: Xiao-Li, did you drink some water?
小李：還沒
- Xiǎo lǐ: Hái méi
- Xiao-Li: Not yet.
康太太：啊我都忘了！你要提醒我啦！我們一直在聊天！聊得太開心！哈哈！
- Kāng tàitài: A wǒ dōu wàngle! Nǐ yào tíxǐng wǒ la! Wǒmen yīzhí zài liáotiān! Liáo dé tài kāixīn! Hāhā!
- Mrs. Kang: Oh I totally forgot! You have to remind me! We were chatting all this time, chatting was too much fun. Haha!
阿明：沒關係，小李，我們還是去便利商店買吧，比較快
- Ā míng: Méiguānxì, xiǎo lǐ, wǒmen háishì qù biànlì shāngdiàn mǎi ba, bǐjiào kuài
- A-Ming: Never mind, Xiao-Li, let’s go to the convenience store after all, it’s faster.
康太太：不用啦，便利商店很遠
- Kāng tàitài: Bùyòng la, biànlì shāngdiàn hěn yuǎn
- Mrs. Kang: Don’t bother! The convenience store is so far away.
阿明：也還好吧...
- Ā míng: Yě hái hǎo ba...
- A-Ming: It’s not so bad...
康太太：你等一下！冰水馬上來！
- Kāng tàitài: Nǐ děng yīxià! Bīng shuǐ mǎshàng lái!
- Mrs. Kang: You wait a second! The ice water is coming right up.
阿明：那，好吧... 欸？小李，你在看什麼？
- Ā míng: Nà, hǎo ba... Ēi? Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ zài kàn shénme?
- A-Ming: Alright then... huh? Xiao-Li, what are you looking at?
小李：哦，沒有，只是，這個是... 康太太的女兒
- Xiǎo lǐ: Ó, méiyǒu, zhǐshì, zhège shì... Kāng tàitài de nǚ'ér
- Xiao-Li: Oh, nothing, just... this is... Mrs. Kang’s daughter.
阿明：是喔！很可愛。
- Ā míng: Shì ō! Hěn kě'ài.
- A-Ming: Oh! She’s cute!

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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.

About the transcript:
The transcript of the dialogue will be available once the next lesson is published. For now, just focus on the sounds, and try to see what new words, meanings, or sounds you notice with each new listen.

View Details

Lesson Outline:

[00:21] Introduction to the dialogue
[00:53] Dialogue (normal speed)
[03:46] Slow version
[06:30] Useful vocabulary and phrases from the dialogue

Words and phrases from the dialogue, with examples:

孩子, 小朋友 / háizi, xiǎopéngyǒu / child or children
1. 我有三個孩子 / wǒ yǒusān gè háizi / I have three kids.
2. 我不喜歡孩子 / wǒ bù xǐhuān háizi / I don't like kids.
3. 小朋友好可愛 / xiǎopéngyǒu hǎo kě'ài / (The) little kid (or kids) is so cute!
孫子, 孫女 / sūnzi, sūnnǚ / grandson, granddaughter
1. 這是你的孫女嗎？/ zhè shì nǐ de sūnnǚ ma? / Is this your granddaughter?
2. 你有孫子孫女嗎？/ nǐ yǒu sūn zǐ sūnnǚ ma? / Do you have any grandchildren?
3. 你的孫子幾歲？/ nǐ de sūnzi jǐ suì? / How old is your grandson?
結婚 / jiéhūn / to marry, to get married
1. 你結婚了嗎？/ nǐ jiéhūnle ma? / Are you married?
2. 我們五月要結婚 / wǒmen wǔ yuè yào jiéhūn / We're getting married in May.
3. 你結婚多久了？/ nǐ jiéhūn duōjiǔle? / How long have you been married?
男朋友, 女朋友 / nán péngyǒu, nǚ péngyǒu / boyfriend, girlfriend
1. 你有男朋友嗎？/ nǐ yǒu nán péngyǒu ma? / Do you have a boyfriend?
2. 這是我的男朋友 / zhè shì wǒ de nán péngyǒu / This is my boyfriend.
3. 你的女朋友在哪？/ nǐ de nǚ péngyǒu zài nǎ? / Where's your girlfriend?
找 / zhǎo / to search, to look for
1. 去找女朋友 / qù zhǎo nǚ péngyǒu / Go find a girlfriend.
2. 我找不到 / wǒ zhǎo bù dào / I can't find (it)!
3. 找到了！終於找到了！/ zhǎodàole! zhōngyú zhǎodàole! / I found (it)! I finally found (it)!
介紹 / jièshào / to introduce
1. 讓我介紹一下 / ràng wǒ jièshào yīxià / Let me introduce (it/them) for a second.
2. 讓我來自我介紹 / ràng wǒ láizì wǒ jièshào / Let me introduce myself.
3. 我想把我的朋友介紹給你 / wǒ xiǎng bǎ wǒ de péngyǒu jièshào gěi nǐ / I want to introduce my friend to you.
聊天 / liáotiān / to chat
1. 跟你聊天好開心 / gēn nǐ liáotiān hǎo kāixīn / I'm so happy chatting with you.
2. 你們聊好久！/ nǐmen liáo hǎojiǔ! / You guys are chatting for such a long time!
3. 你要不要跟我聊天？/ nǐ yào bùyào gēn wǒ liáotiān? / Do you want to talk with me?
遠 / yuǎn / far
1. 要走很遠嗎？/ yào zǒu hěn yuǎn ma? / Do we need to walk far?
2. 還好，不會太遠 / hái hǎo, bù huì tài yuǎn / Not really, it's not too far.
3. 我家離我辦公室很遠 / wǒjiā lí wǒ bàngōngshì hěn yuǎn / My home is far away from my office.
馬上 / mǎshàng / right away (lit. "on a horse")
1. 馬上好！/ mǎshàng hǎo! / (it will be ready) right away!
2. 你的晚餐馬上來了！/ nǐ de wǎncān mǎshàng láile! / Your dinner is coming right away!
3. 好，我馬上過去 / hǎo, wǒ mǎshàng guòqù / Okay, I'll go there right away.
提醒 / tíxǐng / to remind
1. 謝謝你提醒我！/ xièxiè nǐ tíxǐng wǒ! / Thanks for reminding me!
2. 我常常要提醒他 / wǒ chángcháng yào tíxǐng tā / I often have to remind him.
3. 如果我忘記，你可以提醒我嗎 / rúguǒ wǒ wàngjì, nǐ kěyǐ tíxǐng wǒ ma / If I forget, can you remind me?

View Details

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)

Complete dialogue & 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!
阿明：差不多五分鐘，很近！
- Ā míng: Chàbùduō wǔ fēnzhōng, hěn jìn!
- Around five minutes, it’s close!
小李：好，走吧！
- Xiǎo lǐ: Hǎo, zǒu ba!
- Okay, let’s go!
康太太：不好意思，不好意思
- Kāng tàitài: Bù hǎoyìsi, bù hǎoyìsi
- Excuse me, sorry...
阿明：欸？我們嗎？
- Ā míng: Éi? Wǒmen ma?
- Huh? You mean us?
康太太：不好意思，我是你的鄰居！我姓康。
- Kāng tàitài: Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ shì nǐ de línjū! Wǒ xìng kāng.
- Excuse me, I’m your neighbor! My last name is Kang.
阿明：康太太你好，我叫阿明，這個是小李，小李才是你的鄰居
- Ā míng: Kāng tàitài nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào ā míng, zhège shì xiǎo lǐ, xiǎo lǐ cái shì nǐ de línjū
- Hello Mrs. Kang, I’m A-Ming, and this is Xiao-Li, Xiao-Li is actually your neighbor.
康太太：啊你是他的朋友！
- Kāng tàitài: A nǐ shì tā de péngyǒu!
- Oh you’re his friend!
阿明：對
- Ā míng: Duì
- Right.
康太太：這麼好！
- kāng tàitài: Zhème hǎo!
- That’s so great!
阿明：對，然後我們正要去...
- Ā míng: Duì, ránhòu wǒmen zhèng yào qù...
- Right, and we’re just about to go...
康太太：你知道嗎齁*，這裡不能停車！
- Kāng tàitài: Nǐ zhīdào ma hou, zhèlǐ bùnéng tíngchē!
- You know, you can’t park here!
阿明：是喔...
- Ā míng: Shì ō...
- Oh really...
康太太：是的！你要趕快開去對面的停車場才對
- Kāng tàitài: Shì de! Nǐ yào gǎnkuài kāi qù duìmiàn de tíngchēchǎng cái duì
- Really! You’ve gotta hurry up and drive across to the parking lot!
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！
- Ā míng: Kěshì wǒmen zhèng yào qù mǎi yīdiǎn dōngxī, ránhòu wǒ jiù yào zǒule, hěn kuài, shí fēnzhōng jiù hǎo!
- But we’re just about to go buy something, and then I’m going to leave, it’ll be fast, just ten minutes!
康太太：不行，這裡常常會有警察來看
- Kāng tàitài: Bùxíng, zhèlǐ chángcháng huì yǒu jǐngchá lái kàn
- No way, police often come by here to check.
小李：阿明，怎麼辦？
- Xiǎo lǐ: Ā míng, zěnme bàn?
- A-Ming, what are we going to do?
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！
- Ā míng: Nà... Qǐngwèn, kāng tàitài, wǒ rúguǒ bǎ chēzi xiān kāi dào duìmiàn qù, nǐ kěyǐ gěi xiǎo lǐ yībēi bīng shuǐ hē ma? Tā juédé hěn rè!
- 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?"

Interview with A-Ming (阿明)：

Q：你家住在什麼路口？
- Q: Nǐ jiā zhù zài shénme lùkǒu?
- What intersection do you live at?
阿明：我住在中山北路跟民族東路附近。
- Ā míng: Wǒ zhù zài zhōngshān běi lù gēn mínzú dōnglù fùjìn.
- I live near Zhongshan North Road and Minzu East Road.
Q：你很常去便利商店嗎？
- Q: Nǐ hěn cháng qù biànlì shāngdiàn ma?
- Do you often go to convenience stores?
阿明：對，幾乎每天都會去。
- Ā míng: Duì, jīhū měitiān dūhuì qù.
- Yeah, I go almost every day.
Q：你去便利商店你會買什麼？
- Q: Nǐ qù biànlì shāngdiàn nǐ huì mǎi shénme?
- When you go to a convenience store, what do you buy?
阿明：有時候買水，有時候買咖啡，有時候也會買啤酒。
- Ā míng: Yǒu shíhòu mǎi shuǐ, yǒu shíhòu mǎi kāfēi, yǒu shíhòu yě huì mǎi píjiǔ.
- Sometimes I buy water, sometimes I buy coffee, and sometimes I buy beer.
Q：你比較怕熱嗎？還是比較怕冷？
- Q: Nǐ bǐjiào pà rè ma? Háishì bǐjiào pà lěng?
- Are you relatively afraid of heat? Or relatively afraid of the cold?
阿明：我比較怕冷！我不太會怕熱。
- Ā míng: Wǒ bǐjiào pà lěng! Wǒ bù tài huì pà rè.
- I'm more afraid of the cold! I don't really mind heat.
Q：你夏天都喝什麼？
- Q: Nǐ xiàtiān dū hē shénme?
- What do you drink in the summer?
阿明：我夏天最喜歡喝冰拿鐵。
- Ā míng: Wǒ xiàtiān zuì xǐhuān hē bīng ná tiě.
- In the summer I most like drinking iced lattes.
Q：你會開車嗎？你喜歡停車嗎？
- Q: Nǐ huì kāichē ma? Nǐ xǐhuān tíngchē ma?
- Can you drive? Do you like parking?
阿明：我會開車啊！但我覺得停車很麻煩。
- Ā míng: Wǒ huì kāichē a! Dàn wǒ juédé tíngchē hěn máfan.
- I can drive! But I feel that parking is a nuisance.
Q：你有認識警察嗎？
- Q: Nǐ yǒu rènshí jǐngchá ma?
- Do you know any police?
阿明：有！我姊姊就是警察！
- Ā míng: Yǒu! Wǒ jiě jie jiùshì jǐngchá!
- I do! My older sister is a police!
Q：你認識你的鄰居嗎？
- Q: Nǐ rènshí nǐ de línjū ma?
- Do you know your neighbors?
阿明：我認識他們啊，我家對面的鄰居人都很好。
- Ā míng: Wǒ rènshí tāmen a, wǒjiā duìmiàn de línjū rén dōu hěn hǎo.
- I know them. The neighbors across from my home are all really nice.
Q：你的鄰居來過你家嗎？
- Q: Nǐ de línjū láiguò nǐ jiā ma?
- Have your neighbors come over to your house before?
阿明：他們好像沒有來過欸～
- Ā míng: Tāmen hǎoxiàng méiyǒu láiguò āi ~
- It seems they haven't been over before!
Q：你去過鄰居的家嗎？
- Q: Nǐ qùguò línjū de jiā ma?
- Have you been to your neighbors' house before?
阿明：我去過幾次，上個月我去他們家唱歌！
- Ā míng: Wǒ qùguò jǐ cì, shàng gè yuè wǒ qù tāmen jiā chànggē!
- I've been several times. Last month I went there to sing karaoke!

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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.

About the transcript:
The transcript of the dialogue will be available once the next lesson is published. For now, just focus on the sounds, and try to see what new words, meanings, or sounds you notice with each new listen.

View Details

Lesson Outline:

[00:21] Introduction to the dialogue
[01:35] Dialogue (normal speed)
[03:12] Slow version (and repeat)
[07:40] Useful vocabulary and phrases from the dialogue
[14:12] Dialogue again (normal speed)

Words and phrases from the dialogue, with examples:

路口 / lùkǒu / intersection
1. 這是什麼路口？/ zhè shì shénme lùkǒu? / What intersection is this?
2. 到路口左轉 / Dào lùkǒu zuǒ zhuǎn / At the intersection, turn left.
3. 你去前面路口等我 / Nǐ qù qiánmiàn lùkǒu děng wǒ / Go to the intersection up ahead and wait for me.
分鐘 / fēnzhōng / minutes
1. 等我五分鐘！/ děng wǒ wǔ fēnzhōng! / Wait for me for five minutes!
2. 十分鐘就好！/ Shí fēnzhōng jiù hǎo! / It'll just be ten minutes!
3. 可以給我五分鐘嗎？/ Kěyǐ gěi wǒ wǔ fēnzhōng ma? / Could you give me five minutes?
差不多 / chàbùduō / more or less
1. 差不多五分鐘 / chàbùduō wǔ fēnzhōng / Five minutes, more or less.
2. 我差不多要走了 / Wǒ chàbùduō yào zǒule / I'm about ready to leave.
3. 差不多了 / chàbùduōle / Just about finished.
正要 / zhèng yào / Just about to
1. 我正要走 / wǒ zhèng yào zǒu / I'm just about to leave.
2. 我正要吃飯 / Wǒ zhèng yào chīfàn / I'm just about to eat.
3. 我們正要開始吃了 / Wǒmen zhèng yào kāishǐ chīle / We're just about to start eating.
對面 / duìmiàn / Across, opposite
1. 這裡不能走，你要去對面 / zhèlǐ bùnéng zǒu, nǐ yào qù duìmiàn / You can't walk here, you have to go to the other side.
2. 你看對面的樹 / Nǐ kàn duìmiàn de shù / Look at the tree across (from here).
3. 我想坐在你對面 / wǒ xiǎng zuò zài nǐ duìmiàn / I want to sit across from you.
場 / chǎng / A character that shows up in a lot of words involving wide spaces.
1. 停車場 / tíngchēchǎng / parking lot
2. 機場 / jīchǎng / airport
3. 廣場 / guǎngchǎng / plaza, square
4. 市場 / shìchǎng / market
一杯 / yībēi / A measure word for cups
1. 一杯茶 / Yībēi chá / A cup of tea.
2. 一杯綠茶 / Yībēi lǜchá / A cup of green tea.
3. 兩杯咖啡 / Liǎng bēi kāfēi / Two cups of coffee.
4. 七杯冰水 / Qī bēi bīng shuǐ / Seven cups of ice water.
進來 / jìnlái / come in
1. 趕快進來！/ Gǎnkuài jìnlái! / Hurry up and come inside!
2. 我在忙，不要進來！/ Wǒ zài máng, bùyào jìnlái! / I'm busy, don't come in!

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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:

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.
阿明：美國沒有冷氣嗎？
- Měiguó méiyǒu lěngqì ma?
- The US doesn't have AC?
小李：我住的地方沒有，只有暖氣
- Wǒ zhù dì dìfāng méiyǒu, zhǐyǒu nuǎnqì
- Where I live there isn't, there's only heating.
阿明：哇！那邊一定很冷！
- Wa! Nà biān yīdìng hěn lěng!
- Wow! It must be so cold there!
小李：其實還好，只是很常下雨。欸？冰箱是空的！
- Qíshí hái hǎo, zhǐshì hěn cháng xià yǔ. Āi? Bīngxiāng shì kōng de!
- Actually not really, it just rains a lot. Huh? The fridge is empty!
阿明：當然是空的啊！你才剛剛回來而已！
- Dāngrán shì kōng de a! Nǐ cái gānggāng huílái éryǐ!
- Of course it's empty! You only just got back!
小李：對耶，我真的太渴了，沒辦法思考
- Duì yé, wǒ zhēn de tài kěle, méi bànfǎ sīkǎo
- Oh right, I'm really too thirsty. I can't think.
阿明：那，我們趕快去便利商店買一瓶冰水吧！
- Nà, wǒmen gǎnkuài qù biànlì shāngdiàn mǎi yī píng bīng shuǐ ba!
- Then, let's hurry up and go to a convenience store to buy a bottle of ice water.
小李：好，那我把冷氣關掉
- Hǎo, nà wǒ bǎ lěngqì guān diào
- Ok, then I'll turn off the AC.

Interview with Xiao-Li (小李)：

Q：你的家在哪裡？
- Nǐ de jiā zài nǎlǐ?
- Where is your home?
小李：我的家在西雅圖，但我現在住在台北
- Wǒ de jiā zài xīyǎtú, dàn wǒ xiànzài zhù zài táiběi
- My home is in Seattle, but now I live in Taipei.
Q：西雅圖很熱嗎？
- Xīyǎtú hěn rè ma?
- Is Seattle very hot?
小李：不會，不會很熱
- Bù huì, bù huì hěn rè
- It's not, it's not very hot.
Q：你的家有冷氣嗎？
- Nǐ de jiā yǒu lěngqì ma?
- Does your home have AC?
小李：沒有冷氣！西雅圖不熱，所以不需要冷氣！
- Méiyǒu lěngqì! Xīyǎtú bù rè, suǒyǐ bù xūyào lěngqì!
- There's no AC! Seattle isn't hot, so there's no need for AC.
Q：你住的地方有暖氣嗎？
- Nǐ zhù dì dìfāng yǒu nuǎnqì ma?
- Does where you live have heating?
小李：有！冬天很冷，所以我的家有暖氣
- Yǒu! Dōngtiān hěn lěng, suǒyǐ wǒ de jiā yǒu nuǎnqì
- It does! The winter is very cold, so my home has heating.
Q：那邊很常下雨嗎？
- Nà biān hěn cháng xià yǔ ma?
- Does it rain often over there?
小李：對啊！每天都下雨！
- Duì a! Měitiān dū xià yǔ!
- Yes! Every day it rains.
Q：你很渴的時候，你喜歡喝什麼？
- Nǐ hěn kě de shíhòu, nǐ xǐhuān hē shénme?
- When you're really thirsty, what do you like to drink?
小李：我喜歡喝水啊，但我也喜歡喝茶
- Wǒ xǐhuān hē shuǐ a, dàn wǒ yě xǐhuān hē chá
- I like to drink water, but I also like to drink tea.
Q：你家有冰箱嗎？
- Nǐ jiā yǒu bīngxiāng ma?
- Does your home have a refrigerator?
小李：有啊！
- Yǒu a!
- Sure!
Q：你的冰箱是空的嗎？
- Nǐ de bīngxiāng shì kōng de ma?
- Is your refrigerator empty?
小李：對啊，是空的！我剛剛回來！
- Duì a, shì kōng de! Wǒ gānggāng huílái!
- Yeah, it's empty. I just got back!
Q：你的冰箱裡面有什麼？
- Nǐ de bīngxiāng lǐmiàn yǒu shé me?
- What's in your refrigerator?
小李：我剛剛跟你說，是空的！裡面沒有東西啊！
- Wǒ gānggāng gēn nǐ shuō, shì kōng de! Lǐmiàn méiyǒu dōngxī a!
- I just told you, it's empty! There's nothing inside!

View Details

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.

About the transcript:
The transcript of the dialogue will be available once the next lesson is published. For now, just focus on the sounds, and try to see what new words, meanings, or sounds you notice with each new listen.

View Details

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.

As promised, here are a couple of my favorite 王菲 songs:

我願意
百年孤獨

Lesson Outline:

[00:21] How can learning Mandarin help you explore an undiscovered new side of yourself?
[07:17] Introduction to the dialogue
[07:45] Dialogue (normal speed)
[08:47] Slow version (and repeat)
[11:37] Useful vocabulary and phrases from the dialogue
[18:03] Dialogue again (normal speed)

Words and phrases from the dialogue, with examples:

終於 / zhōngyú / finally
1. 終於到了！/ zhōngyú dàole! / (We've) finally arrived!
2. 終於看到你了！/ zhōngyú kàn dào nǐle! / I finally saw you / found you!
3. 你終於來了！/ nǐ zhōngyú láile! / You finally came!
整理 / zhěnglǐ / to organize, to pack, to tidy up
1. 我要整理行李 / wǒ yào zhěnglǐ háng lǐ / I want to organize my luggage
2. 麻煩你整理一下 / máfan nǐ zhěnglǐ yīxià / Please tidy up a bit
3. 你可以幫我整理嗎？/ nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ zhěnglǐ ma? / Can you help me tidy up?
而且 / érqiě / moreover, but also
1. 這家餐廳很好吃，而且很便宜！/ zhè jiā cāntīng hěn hào chī, érqiě hěn piányí! / This restaurant isn't just delicious, it's also cheap!
2. 今天下雨，而且很冷 / jīntiān xià yǔ, érqiě hěn lěng / It didn't just rain today, it's also really cold.
3. 美國的火車很貴，而且很慢！/ měiguó de huǒchē hěn guì, érqiě hěn màn! / American trains aren't just expensive, they're also slow!
出汗 / chū hàn / to sweat
1. 我出了很多汗 / wǒ chūle hěnduō hàn / I sweat a lot (at a specific time)
2. 我很愛出汗 / wǒ hěn ài chū hàn / I sweat a lot (in general)
記得 / jìdé / to remember
1. 記得多喝水哦！/ jìdé duō hē shuǐ ó! / Remember to drink lots of water!
2. 記得練習中文！/ jìdé liànxí zhōngwén! / Remember to practice Chinese!
3. 你要記得我！/ Nǐ yào jìdé wǒ! / You must remember me!
4. 我不記得了 / Wǒ bù jìdéle / I don't remember
其實 / qíshí / actually
1. 其實，我不知道 / qíshí, wǒ bù zhīdào / Actually, I don't know
2. 其實，我覺得還不錯 / qíshí, wǒ juédé hái bùcuò / Actually, I feel it's not bad
3. 其實，我都可以 / qíshí, wǒ dū kěyǐ / Actually, I'm OK with whatever
常、常常、很常 / cháng, chángcháng, hěn cháng / often
1. 台北常常下雨 / táiběi chángcháng xià yǔ / Taipei often rains
2. 你常常遲到 / nǐ chángcháng chídào / You often arrive late
3. 你常常問我這個問題 / nǐ chángcháng wèn wǒ zhège wèntí / You often ask me this question
剛剛 / gānggāng / just now
1. 我剛剛在想... / wǒ gānggāng zài xiǎng... / I was just thinking...
2. 我剛剛看到他！/ wǒ gānggāng kàn dào tā! / I just saw him!
3. 你剛剛說什麼？/ Nǐ gānggāng shuō shénme? / What did you just say?
而已 / éryǐ / only, merely
1. 一百塊而已！很便宜！/ yībǎi kuài éryǐ! Hěn piányí! / Only 100 dollars! So cheap!
2. 你剛剛來而已！/ nǐ gānggāng lái éryǐ! / You just got here!
3. 其實，我要你記得我，這樣而已 / qíshí, wǒ yào nǐ jìdé wǒ, zhèyàng éryǐ / Actually, I want you to remember me, that's all.
一瓶 / yī píng / one bottle (measure word)
1. 一瓶水 / yī píng shuǐ / One bottle of water
2. 一瓶冰水 / yī píng bīng shuǐ / A bottle of ice water
3. 一瓶冰茶 / yī píng bīng chá / A bottle of iced tea
4. 兩瓶冰水 / liǎng píng bīng shuǐ / Two bottles of ice water
5. 四瓶咖啡 / sì píng kāfēi / Four bottles of coffee
關掉 / guān diào / To close, to turn off
1. 電視要關掉 / diànshì yào guān diào / Turn off the TV
2. 記得關燈 / jìdé guān dēng / Remember to turn off the light
3. 音樂可以關掉 / yīnyuè kěyǐ guān diào / You can turn off the music

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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)

Complete dialogue & 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.
好，麻煩你了
- hǎo, máfan nǐle
- Ok, sorry to trouble you.
不會，你先去開門
- bù huì, nǐ xiān qù kāimén
- No problem, go open the door first.
天哪！
- tiān nǎ!
- Oh God!
怎麼了？
- Zěnmele?
- What’s wrong?
好多蟑螂！怎麼辦？
- Hǎoduō zhāngláng! Zěnme bàn?
- So many cockroaches! What are we gonna do?

View Details

README: How to use this recording

You'll hear the dialogue from Lesson 04 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.

About the transcript:
The transcript of the dialogue will be available once the next lesson is published. For now, just focus on the sounds, and try to see what new words, meanings, or sounds you notice with each new listen.

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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:

緊張 / jǐnzhāng / Nervous
1. 我好緊張 / wǒ hǎo jǐnzhāng / I’m so nervous.
2. 你為什麼緊張？/ nǐ wèishéme jǐnzhāng? / Why are you nervous?
3. 你在緊張什麼？/ nǐ zài jǐnzhāng shénme? / What are you nervous about?
擔心 / dānxīn / To worry, worried.
1. 我很擔心 / wǒ hěn dānxīn / I’m really worried.
2. 我很愛擔心 / wǒ hěn ài dānxīn / I’m a person who loves to worry.
3. 不要擔心 / búyào dānxīn / Don’t worry.
乾淨 / gānjìng / Clean
1. 我的家很乾淨 / wǒ de jiā hěn gānjìng / My home is really clean.
2. 我很愛乾淨 / wǒ hěn ài gānjìng / I love cleanliness, or I’m a neat freak.
3. 這是乾淨的嗎？/ zhè shì gānjìng de ma? / Is this clean?
應該 / yīnggāi / Should
1. 應該是吧 / yīnggāi shì ba / That should be, that should be the case.
2. 這應該是乾淨的 / zhè yīnggāi shì gānjìng de / This should be clean.
3. 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…”)
1. 我先走了！/ wǒ xiān zǒule! / I’m leaving now.
2. 你先吃吧！/ nǐ xiān chī ba! / You start eating!
3. 那我先回家 / nà wǒ xiān huí jiā / Then I’ll go home now.
拿 / ná / To hold, to pick up
1. 我拿，好不好？/ wǒ ná, hǎobù hǎo? / I’ll hold it, OK?
2. 這個給你拿 / zhège gěi nǐ ná / You hold this.
3. 不要拿走 / búyào ná zǒu / Don’t take this away.
麻煩你了 / Máfan nǐle / Sorry to trouble you
怎麼了？ / zěnmele? / What’s wrong?
怎麼辦？/ Zěnme bàn? / What should we do?

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阿明：你現在要去哪？
1. Nǐ xiànzài yào qù nǎ?
2. Where are you going now?
小李：我要去買禮物
1. Wǒ yào qù mǎi lǐwù
2. I'm going to buy presents.
阿明：送給女朋友嗎？
1. sòng gěi nǚ péngyǒu ma?
2. To give to your girlfriend?
小李：不是，要送給我的家人
1. Búshì, yào sòng gěi wǒ de jiārén
2. No, to give to my family.
阿明：是哦！你要買什麼？
1. shì o! Nǐ yào mǎi shénme?
2. Oh! What are you going to buy?
小李：我還不知道，現在很多店都關了！
1. Wǒ hái bù zhīdào, xiànzài hěnduō diàn dōu guānle!
2. I don't know yet, a lot of shops are closed now.
阿明：線上買呢？
1. Xiànshàng mǎi ne?
2. What about buying online?
小李：可是我覺得我要看到、摸到才能確定
1. Kěshì wǒ juéde wǒ yào kàn dào, mō dào cáinéng quèdìng
2. But I think I have to see and feel (them) to be sure.
阿明：也是... 送茶葉呢？
1. yěshì... Sòng cháyè ne?
2. True... what about giving tea?
小李：他們不太懂喝茶
1. Tāmen bú tài dǒng hē chá
2. They don't really appreciate tea (lit. don't understand how to drink tea).
阿明：那... 鳳梨酥呢？
1. nà... Fènglí sū ne?
2. Then... how about pineapple cake?
小李：已經送過太多次了
1. Yǐjīng sòngguò tài duō cìle
2. I've already given it too many times.
阿明：是哦... 買禮物真的很不簡單！
1. shì o... Mǎi lǐwù zhēn de hěn bù jiǎndān!
2. Oh... buying presents really isn't easy!
小李：你看我買的貼紙！
1. Nǐ kàn wǒ mǎi de tiēzhǐ!
2. Look at the stickers I bought!
阿明：狗狗的貼紙好可愛！
1. Gǒu gǒu de tiēzhǐ hǎo kě'ài!
2. The dog stickers are so cute!
小李：還有這個貼紙
1. Hái yǒu zhège tiēzhǐ
2. There's also this sticker.
阿明：禁止吸煙？
1. jìnzhǐ xīyān?
2. Smoking prohibited?

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Lesson Outline:

INTRO: I'll mention a few words that will appear in the dialogue.
DIALOGUE: Listen to the dialogue at normal speed.
SLOW: Listen to the slow version and repeat.
TRANSLATION: Get the translation line-by-line, and try to infer the meaning of the parts you don't know yet.
SLOW: Listen to the slow version again and repeat, trying to connect the sound to the meaning.

Complete dialogue:

阿明：你現在要去哪？
1. Nǐ xiànzài yào qù nǎ?
2. Where are you going now?
小李：我要去買禮物
1. Wǒ yào qù mǎi lǐwù
2. I'm going to buy presents.
阿明：送給女朋友嗎？
1. sòng gěi nǚ péngyǒu ma?
2. To give to your girlfriend?
小李：不是，要送給我的家人
1. Búshì, yào sòng gěi wǒ de jiārén
2. No, to give to my family.
阿明：是哦！你要買什麼？
1. shì o! Nǐ yào mǎi shénme?
2. Oh! What are you going to buy?
小李：我還不知道，現在很多店都關了！
1. Wǒ hái bù zhīdào, xiànzài hěnduō diàn dōu guānle!
2. I don't know yet, a lot of shops are closed now.
阿明：線上買呢？
1. Xiànshàng mǎi ne?
2. What about buying online?
小李：可是我覺得我要看到、摸到才能確定
1. Kěshì wǒ juéde wǒ yào kàn dào, mō dào cáinéng quèdìng
2. But I think I have to see and feel (them) to be sure.
阿明：也是... 送茶葉呢？
1. yěshì... Sòng cháyè ne?
2. True... what about giving tea?
小李：他們不太懂喝茶
1. Tāmen bú tài dǒng hē chá
2. They don't really appreciate tea (lit. don't understand how to drink tea).
阿明：那... 鳳梨酥呢？
1. nà... Fènglí sū ne?
2. Then... how about pineapple cake?
小李：已經送過太多次了
1. Yǐjīng sòngguò tài duō cìle
2. I've already given it too many times.
阿明：是哦... 買禮物真的很不簡單！
1. shì o... Mǎi lǐwù zhēn de hěn bù jiǎndān!
2. Oh... buying presents really isn't easy!
小李：你看我買的貼紙！
1. Nǐ kàn wǒ mǎi de tiēzhǐ!
2. Look at the stickers I bought!
阿明：狗狗的貼紙好可愛！
1. Gǒu gǒu de tiēzhǐ hǎo kě'ài!
2. The dog stickers are so cute!
小李：還有這個貼紙
1. Hái yǒu zhège tiēzhǐ
2. There's also this sticker.
阿明：禁止吸煙？
1. jìnzhǐ xīyān?
2. 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 spot an error or have a question about any details from a lesson, feel free to drop me a line :)

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Lesson Outline:

INTRO: Introduction: We all learn languages the same way, and talent has nothing to do with it.
DIALOGUE: Listen to the dialogue at normal speed.
TRANSLATION: Get the translation line-by-line, and try to infer the meaning of the parts you don't know yet.
LISTEN & REPEAT: Listen to the dialogue at normal speed again, and repeat during the pauses.

Complete dialogue:

阿明：小李，你回來了！
1. A-Ming: Xiao Li, you came back!
2. Ā míng: Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ huíláile!
小李：阿明，好久不見！
1. Xiao Li: A-Ming, long time no see!
2. Xiǎo lǐ: Ā míng, hǎojiǔ bùjiàn!
阿明：真的好久不見。美國還好嗎？
1. Really long time no see. Was the US alright?
2. 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
1. The US was great, but I’m still really happy to be back in Taiwan.
2. Měiguó hěn hǎo a, dàn wǒ háishì hěn kāixīn huí dào táiwān
阿明：我也很開心看到你
1. I’m also really happy to see you.
2. Wǒ yě hěn kāixīn kàn dào nǐ
小李：謝謝你來接我
1. Thanks for coming to get me.
2. Xièxiè nǐ lái jiē wǒ
阿明：不客氣！小事情
1. Don’t be so polite! It’s no biggie.
2. Bù kèqì! Xiǎo shìqíng
小李：還是很謝謝你啊
1. Still, really, thank you.
2. Háishì hěn xièxiè nǐ a
阿明：你在飛機上有吃東西嗎？
1. Did you eat anything on the plane?
2. Nǐ zài fēijī shàng yǒu chī dōngxī ma?
小李：沒有欸，我都在睡覺
1. I didn’t! I slept the whole time.
2. Méiyǒu ēi, wǒ dōu zài shuìjiào
阿明：你餓了嗎？
1. Are you hungry?
2. Nǐ èle ma?
小李：有一點餓
1. I’m a litte hungry.
2. Yǒu yīdiǎn è
阿明：你看，我買什麼給你：你最喜歡的鍋貼！
1. Look what I bought you. Your favorite potstickers!
2. Nǐ kàn, wǒ mǎi shénme gěi nǐ: nǐ zuì xǐhuān de guōtiē!
小李：哇！真的假的！阿明，你好貼心！
1. Wow! For real? A-Ming, you’re so considerate!
2. Wa! Zhēn de jiǎ de! Ā míng, nǐ hǎo tiēxīn!
阿明：還好啦，趕快吃！
1. Nah, come on, hurry up and eat!
2. Hái hǎo la, gǎnkuài chī!

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The transcript of the dialogue will be available once the next lesson is published. For now, just focus on the sounds, and try to see what new words, meanings, or sounds you notice with each new listen.

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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 try to give you just enough words and phrases that you can figure out (some of) the rest of it by yourself.

Tomorrow, I will release the dialogue on its own, so that you can start to practice and master the material. 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:

INTRO: Introduction: Language is music.
DIALOGUE: Listen to the dialogue at normal speed.
SLOW: Listen to the slow version and repeat.
VOCAB: Learn some vocabulary and phrases.
DIALOGUE (2): Listen to the dialogue at normal speed again. See if you notice any of the new words or phrases.
SLOW (2): Listen to and repeat the slow version again, and 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:

回 / huí / return
來 / lái / to come
1. 回來 / huílái / to come back
還好 / hái hǎo / alright, not bad
1. 你還好嗎？/ nǐ hái hǎo ma? / Are you alright?
2. 我還好啊 / wǒ hái hǎo a / I'm alright.
3. 還好啦！/ hái hǎo la! / Not really, no big deal
還是 / háishì / Still..., nevertheless...
1. 我還是很開心 / wǒ háishì hěn kāixīn / I'm still very happy
2. 還是很謝謝你 / háishì hěn xièxiè nǐ / Still, thank you; I'm still thankful.
到 / dào / arrive; completion
1. 回到 / huí dào / to arrive back, to return
2. 我們到了/ wǒmen dàole / We have arrived.
3. 我看到你 / wǒ kàn dào nǐ / I see you (I successfully completed the action).
4. 我買到了 / wǒ mǎi dàole / I (successfully) bought it.
飛機 / fēijī / airplane
上 / shàng / on, above, previous
1. 飛機上 / fēijī shàng / on the plane
2. 你在飛機上做什麼？/ nǐ zài fēijī shàng zuò shénme? / What did you do on the plane?
3. 車上 / chē shàng / in the car
4. 路上 / lùshàng / on the road, en route
5. 路上小心 / lùshàng xiǎoxīn / Be careful en route (often said when someone is departing).
都在 / dōu zài / continuously, incessantly doing something
1. 我都在睡 / wǒ dū zài shuì / I slept the whole time.
2. 你都在吃 / nǐ dōu zài chī / You've just been eating this whole time.
貼心 / tiēxīn / Considerate, thoughtful
1. 你好貼心 / nǐ hǎo tiēxīn / You're so considerate.
2. 你最貼心 / nǐ zuì tiēxīn / You're the most considerate.
3. 你真貼心 / nǐ zhēn tiēxīn / You're truly considerate.
趕快 / gǎnkuài / hurry up, quickly
1. 趕快吃！/ gǎnkuài chī! / Hurry up and eat!
2. 趕快去！/ gǎnkuài qù! / Hurry up and go!
3. 趕快來！/ gǎnkuài lái! / Hurry up and come here!
4. 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?)

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.

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Ah-Ming (M)：小李，我問你喔，你有兄弟姊妹嗎？
Ah-Ming (M)：Xiǎo lǐ, wǒ wèn nǐ ō, nǐ yǒu xiōngdì zǐmèi ma?
Ah-Ming (M)：Xiao Li, I ask you oh, do you have any siblings?

Xiao Li (L)：我有一個姊姊
Xiao Li (L)：Wǒ yǒu yīgè jiě jie
Xiao Li (L)：I have an older sister.

M：她做什麼工作？
M: Tā zuò shénme gōngzuò?
M: She does what work?

L：她是醫生。你呢？你有兄弟姊妹嗎？

L: Tā shì yīshēng. Nǐ ne? Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì zǐmèi ma?
L: 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
M: Yǒu, wǒ yǒu yīgè dìdì, hái yǒu yīgè mèimei
M: I have, I have a younger brother, I also have a younger sister.

L：那，他們做什麼工作？

L: Nà, tāmen zuò shénme gōngzuò?
L: Then, they do what work?

M：他們沒有在工作，他們還在唸書
M: Tāmen méiyǒu zài gōngzuò, tāmen hái zài niànshū
M: They aren't working, they're still studying.

L：還在唸書？他們幾歲？
L: Hái zài niànshū? Tāmen jǐ suì?
L: Still studying? How old are they?

M：我的弟弟29歲，我的妹妹27.

M: Wǒ de dìdì 29 suì, wǒ de mèimei 27.
M: My younger brother is 29 years old, my younger sister is 27.

L：他們那麼大，還在唸書？
L: Tāmen nàme dà, hái zài niànshū?
L: They're that big, still studying?

M：對啊，這樣不好嗎？

M: Duì a, zhèyàng bù hǎo ma?
M: Yeah, is this way bad?

L：沒有不好啊...
L: Méiyǒu bù hǎo a...
L: Nothing bad ah...

M：唸書很重要啊
M: Niànshū hěn zhòngyào a
M: Studying is really important ah.

L：對啊，對啊，很重要啊
L: Duì a, duì a, hěn zhòngyào a
L: Yeah, yeah, really important ah.

M：對啊

M: Duì a
M: Yeah!

L：對啊

L: Duì a
L: Totally.

M：幹嘛

M: Gàn ma
M: WTF?

L：沒事

L: Méishì
L: Never mind.

M：你很無聊

M: Nǐ hěn wúliáo
M: You're really boring.

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

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Ah-Ming (M)：小李，我問你喔，你有兄弟姊妹嗎？
Ah-Ming (M)：Xiǎo lǐ, wǒ wèn nǐ ō, nǐ yǒu xiōngdì zǐmèi ma?
Ah-Ming (M)：Xiao Li, I ask you oh, do you have any siblings?

Xiao Li (L)：我有一個姊姊
Xiao Li (L)：Wǒ yǒu yīgè jiě jie
Xiao Li (L)：I have an older sister.

M：她做什麼工作？
M: Tā zuò shénme gōngzuò?
M: She does what work?

L：她是醫生。你呢？你有兄弟姊妹嗎？

L: Tā shì yīshēng. Nǐ ne? Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì zǐmèi ma?
L: 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
M: Yǒu, wǒ yǒu yīgè dìdì, hái yǒu yīgè mèimei
M: I have, I have a younger brother, I also have a younger sister.

L：那，他們做什麼工作？

L: Nà, tāmen zuò shénme gōngzuò?
L: Then, they do what work?

M：他們沒有在工作，他們還在唸書
M: Tāmen méiyǒu zài gōngzuò, tāmen hái zài niànshū
M: They aren't working, they're still studying.

L：還在唸書？他們幾歲？
L: Hái zài niànshū? Tāmen jǐ suì?
L: Still studying? How old are they?

M：我的弟弟29歲，我的妹妹27.

M: Wǒ de dìdì 29 suì, wǒ de mèimei 27.
M: My younger brother is 29 years old, my younger sister is 27.

L：他們那麼大，還在唸書？
L: Tāmen nàme dà, hái zài niànshū?
L: They're that big, still studying?

M：對啊，這樣不好嗎？

M: Duì a, zhèyàng bù hǎo ma?
M: Yeah, is this way bad?

L：沒有不好啊...
L: Méiyǒu bù hǎo a...
L: Nothing bad ah...

M：唸書很重要啊
M: Niànshū hěn zhòngyào a
M: Studying is really important ah.

L：對啊，對啊，很重要啊
L: Duì a, duì a, hěn zhòngyào a
L: Yeah, yeah, really important ah.

M：對啊

M: Duì a
M: Yeah!

L：對啊

L: Duì a
L: Totally.

M：幹嘛

M: Gàn ma
M: WTF?

L：沒事

L: Méishì
L: Never mind.

M：你很無聊

M: Nǐ hěn wúliáo
M: You're really boring.

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

Ah-Ming (M)：你吃飽了嗎？
Ah-Ming (M): Nǐ chī bǎole ma?
Ah-Ming (M): Are you full?

Xiao Li (L)：吃好飽！
Xiao Li (L)：Chī hǎo bǎo!
Xiao Li (L)：So full!

M：不好意思，我們要買單！
M: Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒmen yāo mǎidān!
M: Excuse me, we'll take the check!

Waiter (F)：好的，這樣五百八
Waiter (F)： Hǎo de, zhèyàng wǔbǎi bā
Waiter (F)：Ok, that'll be five hundred eighty.

M：好，來
M: Hǎo, lái
M: Ok, here.

L：等一下！你要請我嗎？
L: Děng yīxià! Nǐ yàoqǐng wǒ ma?
L: Wait a sec! You're going to treat me?

M：對啊，你剛來台灣，當然要請你啊
M: Duì a, nǐ gāng lái táiwān, dāngrán yàoqǐng nǐ a
M: Yeah, you just came to Taiwan, of course I'm treating you.

L：不行，上次你請我，這一次換我請你啦！
L: Bùxíng, shàng cì nǐ qǐng wǒ, zhè yīcì huàn wǒ qǐng nǐ la!
L: No way, you treated me last time, this time it's my turn to treat you!

M：不要啦！我請你就好，等我去美國你再請我
M: Bùyào la! Wǒ qǐng nǐ jiù hǎo, děng wǒ qù měiguó nǐ zài qǐng wǒ
M: Nah! I'll treat you and that's it. Wait till I go to the US, then you can treat me.

L：很不好意思
L: Hěn bù hǎoyìsi
L: I feel really bad.

M：不用不好意思！你來我的地盤，當然我請你啊
M: Bùyòng bù hǎoyìsi! Nǐ lái wǒ dì dìpán, dāngrán wǒ qǐng nǐ a.
M: Don't feel bad! You come to my turf, of course I'm gonna treat you.

L：那好吧...
L: Nà hǎo ba...
L: Well, alright...

M：不好意思，這裡一千，麻煩你
M: Bù hǎoyìsi, zhèlǐ yīqiān, máfan nǐ
M: Excuse me, here's a thousand, sorry to trouble you.

F：收你一千，請稍等一下... 好，找你四百二！
F: Shōu nǐ yīqiān, qǐng shāo děng yīxià... Hǎo, zhǎo nǐ sìbǎi èr!
F: Receive your thousand, please wait a moment... Ok, your change: four hundred twenty.

M：好，謝謝！
M: Hǎo, xièxiè!
M: Ok, thanks!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

Ah-Ming (M)：你吃飽了嗎？
Ah-Ming (M): Nǐ chī bǎole ma?
Ah-Ming (M): Are you full?

Xiao Li (L)：吃好飽！
Xiao Li (L)：Chī hǎo bǎo!
Xiao Li (L)：So full!

M：不好意思，我們要買單！
M: Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒmen yāo mǎidān!
M: Excuse me, we'll take the check!

Waiter (F)：好的，這樣五百八
Waiter (F)： Hǎo de, zhèyàng wǔbǎi bā
Waiter (F)：Ok, that'll be five hundred eighty.

M：好，來
M: Hǎo, lái
M: Ok, here.

L：等一下！你要請我嗎？
L: Děng yīxià! Nǐ yàoqǐng wǒ ma?
L: Wait a sec! You're going to treat me?

M：對啊，你剛來台灣，當然要請你啊
M: Duì a, nǐ gāng lái táiwān, dāngrán yàoqǐng nǐ a
M: Yeah, you just came to Taiwan, of course I'm treating you.

L：不行，上次你請我，這一次換我請你啦！
L: Bùxíng, shàng cì nǐ qǐng wǒ, zhè yīcì huàn wǒ qǐng nǐ la!
L: No way, you treated me last time, this time it's my turn to treat you!

M：不要啦！我請你就好，等我去美國你再請我
M: Bùyào la! Wǒ qǐng nǐ jiù hǎo, děng wǒ qù měiguó nǐ zài qǐng wǒ
M: Nah! I'll treat you and that's it. Wait till I go to the US, then you can treat me.

L：很不好意思
L: Hěn bù hǎoyìsi
L: I feel really bad.

M：不用不好意思！你來我的地盤，當然我請你啊
M: Bùyòng bù hǎoyìsi! Nǐ lái wǒ dì dìpán, dāngrán wǒ qǐng nǐ a.
M: Don't feel bad! You come to my turf, of course I'm gonna treat you.

L：那好吧...
L: Nà hǎo ba...
L: Well, alright...

M：不好意思，這裡一千，麻煩你
M: Bù hǎoyìsi, zhèlǐ yīqiān, máfan nǐ
M: Excuse me, here's a thousand, sorry to trouble you.

F：收你一千，請稍等一下... 好，找你四百二！
F: Shōu nǐ yīqiān, qǐng shāo děng yīxià... Hǎo, zhǎo nǐ sìbǎi èr!
F: Receive your thousand, please wait a moment... Ok, your change: four hundred twenty.

M：好，謝謝！
M: Hǎo, xièxiè!
M: Ok, thanks!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

Dialogue

A-Ming (M): 菜都上了！你快試試看！
A-Ming (M): Cài dōu shàngle! Nǐ kuài shì shìkàn!
A-Ming (M): The food's all here! Hurry up and try it!

Xiao Li (L): 好

Xiao Li (L): Hǎo
Xiao Li (L): Ok!

M：好吃嗎？
M: Hào chī ma?
M: Is it good?

L：好吃！但很辣！
L: Hào chī! Dàn hěn là!
L: It's good! But really spicy!

M：你會怕辣嗎？
M: Nǐ huì pà là ma?
M: Are you afraid of spice?

L：還好，不會，我喜歡
L: Hái hǎo, bù huì, wǒ xǐhuān
L: Not really, I'm not, I like it.

M：那就好，要不要喝一點茶？
M: Nà jiù hǎo, yào bùyào hè yīdiǎn chá?
M: That's good then. Do you want to drink some tea?

L：好
L: Hǎo
L: Sure.

M：來，我幫你倒
M: Lái, wǒ bāng nǐ dào
M: Here, I'll help you pour.

L：謝謝
L: Xièxiè
L: Thanks.

M：鍋貼也吃看看吧
M: Guōtiē yě chī kàn kàn ba
M: Also try the potstickers!

L：那是什麼？
L: Nà shì shénme?
L: What is that?

M：美國沒有鍋貼嗎？
M: Měiguó méiyǒu guōtiē ma?
M: America doesn't have potstickers?

L：有啊，可是美國的鍋貼看起來有一點不一樣
L: Yǒu a, kěshì měiguó de guōtiē kàn qǐlái yǒu yīdiǎn bù yīyàng
L: It has, but America's potstickers look a little bit not the same.

M：我們這裡的鍋貼很好吃，你吃就知道了
M: Wǒmen zhèlǐ de guōtiē hěn hào chī, nǐ chī jiù zhīdàole
M: Our potstickers here are really good, when you try them you'll know.

L：裡面有什麼？
L: Lǐmiàn yǒu shé me?
L: What's inside?

M：裡面有肉跟高麗菜，很好吃！
M: Lǐmiàn yǒu ròu gēn gāolí cài, hěn hào chī!
M: Inside there's meat and cabbage, it's really good!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

Dialogue

Ah-Ming (M): 菜都上了！你快試試看！
Ah-Ming (M): Cài dōu shàngle! Nǐ kuài shì shìkàn!
Ah-Ming (M): The food's all here! Hurry up and try it!

Xiao Li (L): 好

Xiao Li (L): Hǎo
Xiao Li (L): Ok!

M：好吃嗎？
M: Hào chī ma?
M: Is it good?

L：好吃！但很辣！
L: Hào chī! Dàn hěn là!
L: It's good! But really spicy!

M：你會怕辣嗎？
M: Nǐ huì pà là ma?
M: Are you afraid of spice?

L：還好，不會，我喜歡
L: Hái hǎo, bù huì, wǒ xǐhuān
L: Not really, I'm not, I like it.

M：那就好，要不要喝一點茶？
M: Nà jiù hǎo, yào bùyào hè yīdiǎn chá?
M: That's good then. Do you want to drink some tea?

L：好
L: Hǎo
L: Sure.

M：來，我幫你倒
M: Lái, wǒ bāng nǐ dào
M: Here, I'll help you pour.

L：謝謝
L: Xièxiè
L: Thanks.

M：鍋貼也吃看看吧
M: Guōtiē yě chī kàn kàn ba
M: Also try the potstickers!

L：那是什麼？
L: Nà shì shénme?
L: What is that?

M：美國沒有鍋貼嗎？
M: Měiguó méiyǒu guōtiē ma?
M: America doesn't have potstickers?

L：有啊，可是美國的鍋貼看起來有一點不一樣
L: Yǒu a, kěshì měiguó de guōtiē kàn qǐlái yǒu yīdiǎn bù yīyàng
L: It has, but America's potstickers look a little bit not the same.

M：我們這裡的鍋貼很好吃，你吃就知道了
M: Wǒmen zhèlǐ de guōtiē hěn hào chī, nǐ chī jiù zhīdàole
M: Our potstickers here are really good, when you try them you'll know.

L：裡面有什麼？
L: Lǐmiàn yǒu shé me?
L: What's inside?

M：裡面有肉跟高麗菜，很好吃！
M: Lǐmiàn yǒu ròu gēn gāolí cài, hěn hào chī!
M: Inside there's meat and cabbage, it's really good!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

Dialogue

A-Ming (M): 不好意思，可以點餐了！
A-Ming (M): Bù hǎoyìsi, kěyǐ diǎn cānle!
A-Ming (M): Excuse me, we can order!

Waiter (F): 好，你要點什麼呢？

Waiter (F): Hǎo, nǐ yàodiǎn shénme ne?
Waiter (F): Ok, what do you want to order?

M: 一個宮保雞丁，一份鍋貼，還有一個炒青菜
M: Yīgè gōngbǎo jī dīng, yī fèn guōtiē, hái yǒu yīgè chǎo qīngcài
M: One 宮保雞丁, one portion of potstickers, and also one stir-fried green vegetable.

F: 要白飯嗎？

F: Yào báifàn ma?
F: Do you want white rice?

M: 要！誒，小李，你要吃飯嗎？

M: Yào! Éi, xiǎo lǐ, nǐ yào chīfàn ma?
M: Want! Oh, Xiao Li, do you want to eat rice?

Xiao Li (L): 好啊

Xiao Li (L): Hǎo a
Xiao Li (L): Ok!

M: 那我們要兩碗白飯

M: Nà wǒmen yào liǎng wǎn báifàn
M: Then we want two bowls of white rice.

F: 這樣就好了嗎？

F: Zhèyàng jiù hǎole ma?
F: Is that it?

M: 對，這樣就好

M: Duì, zhèyàng jiù hǎo
M: Yep, that's it.

F: 好的，請稍等

F: Hǎo de, qǐng shāo děng
F: Ok, please wait a moment.

M: 他們的鍋貼超好吃！對了，你要不要喝啤酒？

M: Tāmen de guōtiē chāo hào chī! Duìle, nǐ yào bùyào hē píjiǔ?
M: Their potstickers are super delicious! Oh right, do you want to drink beer?

L：我不能喝酒，等一下還要開車啊

L: Wǒ bùnéng hējiǔ, děng yīxià hái yào kāichē a
L: I can't drink alcohol, I have to drive in a second!

M：對齁，那... 我們喝茶吧！

M: Duì hōu, nà... Wǒmen hē chá bā!
M: Oh right, then... let's drink tea!

L：好
L: Hǎo
L: OK.

M：好，我去拿

M: Hǎo, wǒ qù ná
M: Ok, I'll go get it.

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

Dialogue

A-Ming (M): 不好意思，可以點餐了！
A-Ming (M): Bù hǎoyìsi, kěyǐ diǎn cānle!
A-Ming (M): Excuse me, we can order!

Waiter (F): 好，你要點什麼呢？

Waiter (F): Hǎo, nǐ yàodiǎn shénme ne?
Waiter (F): Ok, what do you want to order?

M: 一個宮保雞丁，一份鍋貼，還有一個炒青菜
M: Yīgè gōngbǎo jī dīng, yī fèn guōtiē, hái yǒu yīgè chǎo qīngcài
M: One 宮保雞丁, one portion of potstickers, and also one stir-fried green vegetable.

F: 要白飯嗎？

F: Yào báifàn ma?
F: Do you want white rice?

M: 要！誒，小李，你要吃飯嗎？

M: Yào! Éi, xiǎo lǐ, nǐ yào chīfàn ma?
M: Want! Oh, Xiao Li, do you want to eat rice?

Xiao Li (L): 好啊

Xiao Li (L): Hǎo a
Xiao Li (L): Ok!

M: 那我們要兩碗白飯

M: Nà wǒmen yào liǎng wǎn báifàn
M: Then we want two bowls of white rice.

F: 這樣就好了嗎？

F: Zhèyàng jiù hǎole ma?
F: Is that it?

M: 對，這樣就好

M: Duì, zhèyàng jiù hǎo
M: Yep, that's it.

F: 好的，請稍等

F: Hǎo de, qǐng shāo děng
F: Ok, please wait a moment.

M: 他們的鍋貼超好吃！對了，你要不要喝啤酒？

M: Tāmen de guōtiē chāo hào chī! Duìle, nǐ yào bùyào hē píjiǔ?
M: Their potstickers are super delicious! Oh right, do you want to drink beer?

L：我不能喝酒，等一下還要開車啊

L: Wǒ bùnéng hējiǔ, děng yīxià hái yào kāichē a
L: I can't drink alcohol, I have to drive in a second!

M：對齁，那... 我們喝茶吧！

M: Duì hōu, nà... Wǒmen hē chá bā!
M: Oh right, then... let's drink tea!

L：好
L: Hǎo
L: OK.

M：好，我去拿

M: Hǎo, wǒ qù ná
M: Ok, I'll go get it.

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

Dialogue

L：到了！好餓！
L: Dàole! Hǎo è!

L: We’re there! 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 shìqīngcài'
M: This one is “rice”, this side is “vegetables,” ...

M: ...and then this side has “soup." Depends which one you want.
M: Ránhòu zhè biān yǒu `tāng', kàn nǐ yào nǎ yīgè
M: 然後這邊有「湯」，看你要哪一個

L：我不知道...
L: Wǒ bù zhīdào...

L: I don’t know...

M：沒關係，還是我幫你點好了
M: Méiguānxì, háishì wǒ bāng nǐ diǎn hǎole

M: No problem, how about I just help you order.

L：好，謝謝！
L: Hǎo, xièxiè!

L: Ok, thanks!

M：不客氣！
M: Bù kèqì!

M: Don’t mention it!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

Dialogue

L：到了！好餓！
L: Dàole! Hǎo è!

L: We’re there! 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 shìqīngcài'
M: This one is “rice”, this side is “vegetables,” ...

M: ...and then this side has “soup." Depends which one you want.
M: Ránhòu zhè biān yǒu `tāng', kàn nǐ yào nǎ yīgè
M: 然後這邊有「湯」，看你要哪一個

L：我不知道...
L: Wǒ bù zhīdào...

L: I don’t know...

M：沒關係，還是我幫你點好了
M: Méiguānxì, háishì wǒ bāng nǐ diǎn hǎole

M: No problem, how about I just help you order.

L：好，謝謝！
L: Hǎo, xièxiè!

L: Ok, thanks!

M：不客氣！
M: Bù kèqì!

M: Don’t mention it!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

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L：欸？餐廳在哪裡...
L: Éi? Cāntīng zài nǎlǐ...

L: Huh? Where’s the restaurant…

M：你不知道怎麼去？

M: Nǐ bù zhīdào zěnme qù?
M: You don’t know how to go?

L：我忘記了...

L: Wǒ wàngjìle...
L: I forgot…

M: 你忘記怎麼去！要不要我幫你看Google Maps?
M: Nǐ wàngjì zěnme qù! Yào bùyào wǒ bāng nǐ kàn Google Maps?

M: You forgot how to go?! Do you want me to help you look at Google Maps?

L：不用了，我可以的
L: Bùyòngle, wǒ kěyǐ de

L: Don’t bother (literally: don't use), I can do it.

M：你看左邊！是那家嗎？

M: Nǐ kàn zuǒbiān! Shì nà jiā ma?
M: Look to the left! Is it that one?

L：喔？不是。不是那家

L: Ō? Bùshì. Bùshì nà jiā
L: Oh? No, it’s not. It’s not that one.

M：好吧... 欸？等一下！是左邊那家很大的餐廳嗎？

M: Hǎo ba... Éi? Děng yīxià! Shì zuǒbiān nà jiā hěn dà de cāntīng ma?
M: Alright… Oh? Wait a sec! Is it that really big restaurant on the left?

L：在哪裡啊？

L: Zài nǎlǐ a?
L: Where?!

M：在那裡啊！

M: Zài nàlǐ a!
M: There!

L：喔！對！就是那家！我的眼睛有問題了

L: Ō! Duì! Jiùshì nà jiā! Wǒ de yǎnjīng yǒu wèntíle
L: Oh! Yeah! That’s the one! My eyes have a problem.

M：沒關係，趕快停車！

M: Méiguānxì, gǎnkuài tíngchē!
M: It’s fine, hurry up and park!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

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. 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 about 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. 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’re a beginner, then maybe you’re just like that baby Victor Wooten, sitting in the chair with the plastic guitar. If you know what it feels like to communicate with someone, then you already know how to speak Mandarin. You just need time to figure out where to put your fingers.

Dialogue

L：欸？餐廳在哪裡...
L: Éi? Cāntīng zài nǎlǐ...

L: Huh? Where’s the restaurant…

M：你不知道怎麼去？

M: Nǐ bù zhīdào zěnme qù?
M: You don’t know how to go?

L：我忘記了...

L: Wǒ wàngjìle...
L: I forgot…

M: 你忘記怎麼去！要不要我幫你看Google Maps?
M: Nǐ wàngjì zěnme qù! Yào bùyào wǒ bāng nǐ kàn Google Maps?

M: You forgot how to go?! Do you want me to help you look at Google Maps?

L：不用了，我可以的
L: Bùyòngle, wǒ kěyǐ de

L: Don’t bother (literally: don't use), I can do it.

M：你看左邊！是那家嗎？

M: Nǐ kàn zuǒbiān! Shì nà jiā ma?
M: Look to the left! Is it that one?

L：喔？不是。不是那家

L: Ō? Bùshì. Bùshì nà jiā
L: Oh? No, it’s not. It’s not that one.

M：好吧... 欸？等一下！是左邊那家很大的餐廳嗎？

M: Hǎo ba... Éi? Děng yīxià! Shì zuǒbiān nà jiā hěn dà de cāntīng ma?
M: Alright… Oh? Wait a sec! Is it that really big restaurant on the left?

L：在哪裡啊？

L: Zài nǎlǐ a?
L: Where?!

M：在那裡啊！

M: Zài nàlǐ a!
M: There!

L：喔！對！就是那家！我的眼睛有問題了

L: Ō! Duì! Jiùshì nà jiā! Wǒ de yǎnjīng yǒu wèntíle
L: Oh! Yeah! That’s the one! My eyes have a problem.

M：沒關係，趕快停車！

M: Méiguānxì, gǎnkuài tíngchē!
M: It’s fine, hurry up and park!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

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.

M：沒有駕照... 這樣可以嗎？
M: Méiyǒu jiàzhào... Zhèyàng kěyǐ ma?
M: You don’t have a license… is that OK?
Literal: No license... this way can?

L：還好吧，沒有人知道
L: Hái hǎo ba, méiyǒu rén zhīdào
L: It’s alright (suggestion), nobody knows.

M：好吧，那... 我們走吧。你知道怎麼去嗎？
M: Hǎo ba, nà... Wǒmen zǒu ba. Nǐ zhīdào zěnme qù ma?
M: Fine… so, let’s go. Do you know how to go there?

L：我當然知道啊！沒問題的！
L: Wǒ dāngrán zhīdào a! Méi wèntí de!
L: Of course I know! No problem!

M：好！走！
M: Hǎo! Zǒu!
M: Ok! Let’s go!
Literal: Good! Walk!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. 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.

View Details

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 go a day without using the words get, it, yes, a, or the, and you can start to get a sense of what it's like to think in Mandarin.

And before you start to think that Mandarin is just an expressively impoverished language, I should point out that it works the other way too: Mandarin is full of words and expressions that Mandarin speakers take for granted, but that don't exist in English. Some of these are grammatical, like when you 把 (bǎ) something in order to do something to it. Some are shorthand phrases, like 怎麼辦? (Zěnme bàn?) which literally is close to "how to do" but means something more like "What should be done?" or "What are we going to do?"

Of course, the only way to start to develop a feel for the logic of Mandarin is to hear examples in context. Which is what Mandarin From the Ground Up is all about.

Translation