Unit 3

1.A:Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?你是美国人吗?Are you American?
 B:Wǒ shì Měiguó rén.我是美国人。I'm American.
     
2.A:Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?你是中国人吗?Are you Chinese?
 B:Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.我是中国人。I'm Chinese.
     
3.A:Wáng xiānsheng, nǐ shì Yīngguó rén ma?王先生,你是英国人吗 ?Mr. Wáng, are you English?
 B:Wǒ bú shì Yīngguó rén.我不是英国人。I'm not English.
     
4.A:Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?你是中国人吗?Are you Chinese?
 B:Bú shì.不是。No.
 A:Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?你是美国人吗?Are you American?
 B:Shì.是。Yes, I'm.
     
5.A:Mǎ xiǎojiě shì Měiguo rén ma?马小姐是美国人吗?Is Miss an American?
 B:Bú shì, tā bú shì Měiguó rén.不是,他不是美国人。No, she is not an American.
 A:Tá shì Zhōngguó rén ma?他是中国人吗?Is she Chinese?
 B:Shì, tā shì Zhōngguó rén.是, 他是中国人。Yes, she is Chinese.
     
6.A:Nǐ shì něiguó rén?你是哪国人?What is your nationality?
 B:Wǒ shì Měiguó rén.我是美国人。I'm American.
     
7.A:Tā shì něiguó rén?他是哪国人?What is his nationality?
 B:Tā shì Yīngguó rén.他是英国人。He is English.
     
8.A:Nǐ shì nǎrde rén?他是哪儿的人?Where are you from?
 B:Wǒ shì Shànghǎi rén.我是上海人。I'm from Shànghǎi.
     
9.A:Tā shì Fāng Bǎolánde xiānsheng.他是方宝兰的先生。He is Fāng Bǎolán's husband.
     
10.A:Tā shì nǎrde rén?他是哪儿的人?Where is he from?
 B:Tā shì Shāndōng rén.他是山东人。He's from Shāndōng.
     
11.A:Nǐ shì nǎrde rén?你是哪儿的人?Where are you from?
 B:Wǒ shì Jiāzhōu rén.我是加州人。I'm Californian.
     
12.A:Nǐ shǐ Měiguó rén ma?你是美国人吗?Are you an American?
 B:Nǐ shì něiguó rén?你是哪国人?What's your nationality?
 A:Nǐ shì nǎrde rén?你是哪儿的人?Where are you from?
Èguó Éguó德国Russia
-depossessive marker
Déguó德国Germany
Fàguó Fǎguó法国France
Jiāzhōu加州California
Měiguó美国America, United States
nǎr哪儿where?
něi-which?
něiguó哪国which country?
rénperson
Rìběn日本Japan
Shāndōng山东a province name
Shànghǎi上海a city name
Yīngguó英国England
Zhōngguó中国China

1.A:Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?你是美国人吗?Are you American?
 B:Wǒ shì Měiguó rén.我是美国人。I'm American.
     
2.A:Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?你是中国人吗?Are you Chinese?
 B:Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.我是中国人。I'm Chinese.
     
3.A:Wáng xiānsheng, nǐ shì Yīngguó rén ma?王先生,你是英国人吗 ?Mr. Wáng, are you English?
 B:Wǒ bú shì Yīngguó rén.我不是英国人。I'm not English.

Rén is a noun, "person" or ''persons"; so Měiguó rén is a noun phrase, literally "American person." Sometimes, however, it is preferable or necessary to translate expressions of this sort as adjectives or prepositional phrases.

Tā shi Meǐguó rén .他是美国人。He is an American (noun phrase)
Tā shi Zhōngguó rén.他是中国人。He is Chinese (adjective)
Tā shi Shāndōng rén.他是山东人。Hi is from Shāndōng. (prepositional phrase)

Although Měiguó rén is translated here as "an American," in other contexts it may be translated as "the American," "American," or "the Americans." Later you will learn the various ways to indicate in Chinese whether a noun is definite or indefinite, singular or plural.

The syllable -guó usually loses its tone in expressions like Měiguó rén. (some speakers drop the tone when the word stands alone: Měiguo.)

4.A:Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?你是中国人吗?Are you Chinese?
 B:Bú shì.不是。No.
 A:Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?你是美国人吗?Are you American?
 B:Shì.是。Yes, I'm.
     
5.A:Mǎ xiǎojiě shì Měiguo rén ma?马小姐是美国人吗?Is Miss an American?
 B:Bú shì, tā bú shì Měiguó rén.不是,他不是美国人。No, she is not an American.
 A:Tá shì Zhōngguó rén ma?他是中国人吗?Is she Chinese?
 B:Shì, tā shì Zhōngguó rén.是, 他是中国人。Yes, she is Chinese.

The short "yes" answer shì is really the verb "am" of the longer, more complete answer. The short "no" answer bú shì is really the "am not" of the longer answer.

It is possible to reduce a "no" answer to (note the Falling tone), but polite usage requires that you follow it up with a more complete answer. Both the short answers shì and bú shì are commonly followed by complete answers.

6.A:Nǐ shì něiguó rén?你是哪国人?What is your nationality?
 B:Wǒ shì Měiguó rén.我是美国人。I'm American.
     
7.A:Tā shì něiguó rén?他是哪国人?What is his nationality?
 B:Tā shì Yīngguó rén.他是英国人。He is English.

Něi- is the question word "which." It is a bound word —a word which cannot stand alone— not a free word.

něi-guo rén
whichcountryperson

Notice that the syllable -guó, "country," in the phrase něiguó rén may lose its rising tone.

8.A:Nǐ shì nǎrde rén?他是哪儿的人?Where are you from?
 B:Wǒ shì Shànghǎi rén.我是上海人。I'm from Shànghǎi.
     
9.A:Tā shì Fāng Bǎolánde xiānsheng.他是方宝兰的先生?He is Fāng Bǎolán's husband.
     
10.A:Tā shì nǎrde rén?他是哪儿的人?Where is he from?
 B:Tā shì Shāndōng rén.他是山东人。He's from Shāndōng.
     
11.A:Nǐ shì nǎrde rén?你是哪儿的人?Where are you from?
 B:Wǒ shì Jiāzhōu rén.我是加州人。I'm Californian.

nǎr is the question word " where." The syllable de is the possessive marker; it functions like the English possessive ending -'s.

nǎr-de rén
where 'sperson

By reversing the word order, a slightly more idiomatic translation is possible: "a person of where." The closest English equivalent is "a person from where." To clarify the role of -de in this expression, the tape gives the following example of -de functioning like the English possessive ending -'s:

Fāng Bǎolán-de xiānsheng
Fāng Bǎolán'shusband
12.A:Nǐ shǐ Měiguó rén ma?你是美国人吗?Are you an American?
 B:Nǐ shì něiguó rén?你是哪国人?What's your nationality?
 A:Nǐ shì nǎrde rén?你是哪儿的人?Where are you from?

Table 1.15. Answer according to the model.

Statement Cue Answer
1.

Tā shì Jiānádà rén ma?

他是加拿大人吗?

Is he Canadian?

 

Yīngguó

England

英国

 

Tā bú shì Jiānádà rén. Shì Yīngguó rén.

他不是加拿大人。他是英国人。

He s not Canadian. He is English.

      
2.

Tā shì Rìběn rén ma?

他是日本人吗?

Is he Japanese?

 

Zhōngguó

China

中国

 

Tā bú shì Rìběn rén. Shì Zhōngguó rén.

他不是日本人。他是中国人。

He s not Japanese. He is Chinese.

      
3.

Tā shì Yīngguó rén ma?

他是英国人吗?

Is he English?

 

Měiguó

America

美国

 

Tā bú shì Yīngguó rén. Shì Měiguó ren.

他不是英国人。他是美国人。

He s not English. He is American.

      
4.

Tā shì Měiguó rén ma?

他是美国人吗?

Is he American?

 

Jiānádà

Canada

加拿大

 

Tā bú shì Měiguó rén, Shì Jiānádà rén.

他不是美国人。他是加拿大人。

He is not American. He is Canadian.

      
5.

Tā shì èguó rén ma?

他是俄国人吗?

Is he Russian?

 

Déguó

Germany

德国

 

Tā bú shì èguó rén. Shì Déguó rén.

他不是俄国人。他是德国人。

He s not Russian. He is German .

      
6.

Tā shì Yuènán rén ma?

他是越南人吗?

Is he Vietnamese?

 

Zhōngguó

China

中国

 

Tā bú shì Yuènán rén. Shì Zhōngguó rén.

他不是越南人。他是中国人。

He s not Vietnamese. He is Chinese.

      
7.

Tā shì Fàguó rén ma?

他是法国人吗?

Is he French?

 

Yīngguó

England

英国

 

Tā bú shì Fàguó rén. Shì Yīngguó ren.

他不是法国人。他是英国人。

He s not French. He is English.