13 Unit 4
13.1 References
13.1.1 Reference List
1. | A: | |
我想去臺南玩幾天。 | ||
I’m thinking of going to | to relax for a few days.||
2. | A: | |
坐公路局行不行? | ||
Would it be all right to take the bus? | ||
B: | ||
到臺南去坐公路局不大方便。 | ||
To go to | , it’s not very convenient to take the bus.||
3. | C: | |
是坐火車去好呢,還是坐公路局好呢? | ||
Is it better to go by train or to go by bus? | ||
D: | ||
坐火車去好。 | ||
It’s better to go by train. | ||
4. | E: | |
你説是坐火車去好呢,還是坐公路局好呢? | ||
Would you say it’s better to go by train or to go by bus? | ||
F: | ||
到臺南坐火車最方便。 | ||
To | , it’s most convenient to take the train.||
5. | A: | |
得先買票嗎? | ||
Is it necessary to buy tickets ahead of time? | ||
B: | ||
你最好兩三天以前去買票。 | ||
It would be best for you to go to buy your tickets two or three days ahead of time. | ||
6. | A: | |
坐公路局也得先買票嗎? | ||
If I take the bus, is it also necessary to buy tickets ahead of time? | ||
B: | ||
不必先買票。 | ||
It’s not necessary to buy tickets ahead of time. | ||
7. | B: | |
你要坐什麽時候的車? | ||
What train do you want to take? | ||
A: | ||
我要坐上午的車。 | ||
I want to take a morning train. | ||
8. | B: | |
對不起,上午票都賣完了。 | ||
I’m sorry, the tickets for the morning trains are all sold out. | ||
9. | ||
船 | ||
boat, ship | ||
10. | ||
地鐵 | ||
subway (abbreviation for | )||
11. | ||
地下火車 | ||
underground train, subway | ||
12. | ||
玩 (玩兒) | ||
to play, to relax, to enjoy oneself | ||
13. | ||
完 | ||
to be finished (occurs in compound verbs of result) |
13.1.2 Vocabulary
不必 | not necessary, don’t have to | |
船 | boat, ship | |
地鐵 | subway (abbreviation for | )|
地下火車 | underground train, subway | |
方便 | to be convenient | |
公路局 | Bureau of Highways (Taiwan) | |
火車 | train | |
兩三 | two or three | |
賣完了 | to be sold out | |
玩 (玩兒) | to play, to relax, to enjoy oneself | |
完 | to be finished (occurs in compound verbs of result) | |
先 | ahead of time, beforehand | |
最好 | it would be best to | |
划船 | to row a boat | |
散步 | to take a walk | |
山 | hill, mountain | |
水 | rivers, lakes (literally, "water") | |
游泳 | to swim |
13.1.3 Reference Notes
13.1.3.1 Notes on №1
1. | A: | |
我想去臺南玩幾天。 | ||
I’m thinking of going to | to relax for a few days.
The basic meaning of the verb
is “to play.” It is often best translated into English as “to relax,” “to enjoy oneself.”13.1.3.2 Notes on №2
2. | A: | |
坐公路局行不行? | ||
Would it be all right to take the bus? | ||
B: | ||
到臺南去坐公路局不大方便。 | ||
To go to | , it’s not very convenient to take the bus.
, “the Bureau of Highways” in Taiwan, is the agency which administers the island’s intercity bus system. The phrase means “to take a Bureau of Highways bus.” This phrasing is analogous to “I’m going by Greyhound.” In talking about the buses themselves, you would have to say , “the buses of the Bureau of Highways”:
|
公路局的車很舒服。 |
The buses of the Bureau of Highways are very comfortable. ( , “to be comfortable”) |
Sentences containing both
and phrases: The phrase usually comes first in a sentence with both a prepositional phrase expressing destination ( ) and a prepositional phrase expressing means of conveyance ( ). However, if the destination is being stressed, the phrase may be placed at the beginning of the sentence, in the topic position. (See the second sentence in exchange 2.)
|
他每天坐公共汽車到學校來。 |
He rides the bus to school every day. |
|
到銀行去,他不坐公共汽車。 她走路去。 |
To go to the bank, he doesn’t take the bus. He walks there, |
might also be translated as “not too,” “not so.”
13.1.3.3 Notes on №3
3. | C: | |
是坐火車去好呢,還是坐公路局好呢? | ||
Is it better to go by train or to go by bus? | ||
D: | ||
坐火車去好。 | ||
It’s better to go by train. |
: In a choice-type question, and serve to mark off the choices more clearly. Below are some of the most common ways of asking the question “Do you want the red one or the yellow one?”
(PREFERRED FORMS) |
你要紅的,還是要黃的? |
|
你是要紅的,還是要黃的? |
(FAMILIAR, VERY COLLOQUIAL; NO PAUSE AT COMMA) |
你要紅的,黃的? |
(LEAST PREFERRED; UNSTRESSED HERE) |
你是要紅的,是要黃的? |
The marker
clarifies the choices in a choice-type question. Ne may be placed after one or the other choice or after both choices.
|
你今天去呢,還是明天去? |
Are yǒu going today or tomorrow? |
|
你今天去,還是明天去呢? |
|
你今天去呢,是明天去呢? |
: Here a whole phrase, which could also be a sentence, is used as the subject of the sentence.
|
坐 火車 去 好。 |
ride train go good |
is translated here as “better,” not as “good.” Adjectival verbs used alone (i.e., not modified by words such as and ) usually express comparison.
|
哪個學生好? |
Which student is better? |
|
誰快? |
Who is faster? |
13.1.3.4 Notes on №4
4. | E: | |
你説是坐火車去好呢,還是坐公路局好呢? | ||
Would you say it’s better to go by train or to go by bus? | ||
F: | ||
到臺南坐火車最方便。 | ||
To | , it’s most convenient to take the train.
When
begins a question, the phrase is translated as “would you say” or “do you think.”13.1.3.5 Notes on №5
5. | A: | |
得先買票嗎? | ||
Is it necessary to buy tickets ahead of time? | ||
B: | ||
你最好兩三天以前去買票。 | ||
It would be best for you to go to buy your tickets two or three days ahead of time. |
The adverb
may sometimes be translated as “ahead of time,” “beforehand.”, “best,” acts as an adverb in exchange 5, coming after the subject in the second sentence. is used to offer advice politely, not to warn a person that he had “better” or “best” do something.
: When approximate amounts, such as “two or three,” are given in Chinese, the numbers are read together, with no equivalent of “or.” This system is also used when two words are combined to indicate an approximate date.
|
四五個人 |
four or five people |
|
明後天 |
tomorrow or the day after |
七八月 |
July or August |
: For “ahead of time,” “in advance,” is used (instead of ) when the amount of time is stated. follows the word indicating the amount of time.
|
你得先去買票。 |
You have to go ahead of time to buy tickets. |
|
你得兩三天以前去買票。 |
You have to go two or three days ahead of time to buy tickets. |
13.1.3.6 Notes on №6
6. | A: | |
坐公路局也得先買票嗎? | ||
If I take the bus, is it also necessary to buy tickets ahead of time? | ||
B: | ||
不必先買票。 | ||
It’s not necessary to buy tickets ahead of time. |
, “if I take the bus”: The beginning of the first sentence in exchange 6 is translated with an “if” in English. Literally, the Chinese sentence is “Take the bus, also have to beforehand buy tickets?” In a sense the “if” part of the sentence is a kind of topic in Chinese, providing the setting for the second part of the sentence. In Chinese, the setting or condition can often be put in the topic position. In English, a particular word must be used to clarify the relationship of the first part of the sentence to the second part.
|
If I take the bus,.... |
When one takes the bus,.... |
|
For taking the bus,.... |
|
To take the bus,.... |
13.1.3.7 Notes on №7
7. | B: | |
你要坐什麽時候的車? | ||
What train do you want to take? | ||
A: | ||
我要坐上午的車。 | ||
I want to take a morning train. |
has been translated simply as “what train.” More literally, the phrase means “a train (arriving at) what time.”
13.1.3.8 Notes on №8
8. | B: | |
對不起,上午票都賣完了。 | ||
I’m sorry, the tickets for the morning trains are all sold out. |
, “to end,” ”to be over,” cannot take a direct object.
|
完了嗎? |
Is it over? |
|
玩了沒有? |
Is it over yet? |
|
還沒完呢? |
It isn’t over yet. |
By itself, the expression
means “That’s all,” “There’s no more,” or “That’s it!” People often end speeches and recordings with, “to be sold out,” literally “sell finished”: Here is another example of a compound verb of result.
In DIR, Unit U, you learned
, “to see,” literally “look-perceive.”All examples which have been presented in this and previous modules occur with completion le.
When -
is used as an ending, it indicates finishing, as in , “I haven’t finished speaking yet,” or depletion, as in , “sold out,” and , “used up.” In English, you might Just say “finished,” without indicating what you have finished doing. In Chinese, the action which has been finished is usually mentioned.
|
我吃完了。 |
I have finished eating. |
|
我畫完了。 |
I have finished drawing. |
|
我看完了。 |
I have finished reading. |
|
我還沒説完呢。 |
I have not finished talking yet. |
|
他還沒做完呢。 |
He has not finished (doing something) yet. |