WEBVTT

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Standard Chinese, a modular approach, Biographical Information Module Unit 8, Comprehension Tape 1.

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This unit is set in Taipei. On this tape, you'll learn more of how to talk about what you've done and how long you did it.

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You'll also learn from expressions used in talking about military service.

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Clara Matthew, an American student at Taiwan University, is talking with another student, Chen Da-gang, on campus.

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Do you have any more classes today?

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你今天還有課嗎?

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I don't have any more classes.

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沒有課了.

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In the sentence,沒有課了.I don't have any more classes.

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The marker low indicates a new situation.This morning she had classes, now she doesn't.

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Listen to the exchange live.

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你今天還有課嗎?

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沒有課了.Again.

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你今天還有課嗎?

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沒有課了.Check your comprehension.

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你今天還有課嗎?

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你今天還有課嗎?

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沒有課了.I don't have any more classes.

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Listen as the conversation continues live.

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你呢?

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我也沒有課了.Again.

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你呢?

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我也沒有課了.Check your comprehension.

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你呢?And you?

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我也沒有課了.I don't have any more classes either.

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Since both Clara Matthews and Chen Da-gang have no more classes for the day,

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they decide to make a visit to the palace museum.

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On their way out to the museum, they talk about their studies.

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How long did you study English?

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你從天念英文念了多久?

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你從天念英文念了多久?

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I studied English for six years.

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我念英文念了六年.

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我念英文念了六年.

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When you want to talk about how long you did something,

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you first state the activity,

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then repeat the verb and tell how long you did it.

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Listen again to the exchange, lot.

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你從天念英文念了多久?

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我念英文念了六年.

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Notice that the marker low for completed action

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follows the second verb in the sentence.

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Listen to it again.

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你從天念英文念了多久?

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我念英文念了六年.

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Check your comprehension.

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你從天念英文念了多久?

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How long did you study English?

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我念英文念了六年.

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I studied English for six years.

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Now suppose Clara also knew

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that he had also studied American history.

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She might ask a question like this.

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美國歷史呢?

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我念美國歷史念了一年.

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Again.

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美國歷史呢?

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我念美國歷史念了一年.

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Check your comprehension.

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美國歷史呢?

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And American history?

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我念美國歷史念了一年.

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I studied American history for one year.

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The conversation continues.

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What are you studying now?

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你現在念什麼呢?

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I'm studying French.

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我念法文了.

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我念法文了.

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This is the word for French language.

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法文,法文,法文.

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Here's the exchange line.

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你現在念什麼呢?

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我念法文了.

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The marker is used to indicate an ongoing action.

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Listen again.

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你現在念什麼呢?

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我念法文了.

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Check your comprehension.

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你現在念什麼呢?

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What are you studying now?

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我念法文了.

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I'm studying French.

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Listen to Claire's next question.

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How long have you been studying French?

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你念法文念了多久了?

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I've been studying for one year.

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我念了一年了.

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我念了一年了.

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When you want to talk about the duration of an action which is still going on,

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you use two little markers,

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the marker lower for completed action after the second verb,

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and the marker lower for new situation at the end of the sentence.

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Here's the exchange line.

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你念法文念了多久了?

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我念了一年了.

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Notice that in the reply,

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Chan Da Gang gives a shortened answer.

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Since it's clear that they're talking about studying French,

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he doesn't restate the activity before telling how long he's been doing it.

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Listen again to the exchange line.

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你念法文念了多久了?

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我念了一年了.

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Check your comprehension.

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你念法文念了多久了?

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How long have you been studying French?

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我念了一年了.

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I've been studying for one year.

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Chan Da Gang continues lying.

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你现在念什么呢?

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我念中国历史呢.

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你念中国历史念了多久了?

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我念了三年了.

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我在美国念了两年,在这里念了一年了.

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Again.

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你现在念什么呢?

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我念中国历史了.

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你念中国历史念了多久了?

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我念了三年了.

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我在美国念了两年,在这里念了一年了.

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Check your comprehension.

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你现在念什么呢?

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What are you studying now?

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我念中国历史了.

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I'm studying Chinese history.

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你念中国历史念了多久了?

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How long have you been studying Chinese history?

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我念了三年了.

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I've been studying it for three years now.

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我在美国念了两年.

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I studied it for two years in America.

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在这里念了一年了.

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I've been studying it here for a year.

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Chan Da Gang has another question for Clara.

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Listen.

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Can you write Chinese characters?

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你会写中国字吗?

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你会写中国字吗?

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I can a little.

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会一点。会一点。

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This is the verb to write.

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写。写。写。

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This is the word for a character.

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字。字。字。

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Here's the way you say a little or some.

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一点。一点。一点。

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Here's the exchange lot.

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你会写中国字吗?

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会一点。

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Check your comprehension.

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你会写中国字吗?

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Can you write Chinese characters?

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会一点。

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I can a little.

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Clara continues.

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Last year, I couldn't yet write them.

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去年我还不会写.

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去年我还不会写.

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Now I can write a little bit.

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现在我会写一点了.

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现在我会写一点了.

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Notice that even though she's talking about last year,

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the negative marker 不 is used.

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This is because 会 is an auxiliary verb.

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Auxiliary verbs along with adjectival verbs such as 好

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to be good are state verbs.

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State verbs never take the negative marker 没.

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Listen to it again, lie.

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去年我还不会写.

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现在我会写一点了.

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In the second sentence,

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the marker love for new situations is used to signal the change.

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Here it is again, lie.

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去年我还不会写.

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现在我会写一点了.

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Check your comprehension.

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去年我还不会写.

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Last year, I couldn't yet write them.

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现在我会写一点了.

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Now I can write a little bit.

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The conversation continues, lie.

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哦,你会写中国字,你是在哪里学的?

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我是在这里学的.

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Again.

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哦,你会写中国字,你是在哪里学的?

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我是在这里学的.

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Check your comprehension.

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哦,你会写中国字,你是在哪里学的?

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Oh, you can write Chinese characters.

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Where did you study?

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我是在这里学的.

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I studied here.

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A little later in the conversation, Claire asks,

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Is your father a military man?

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你父亲是军人吗?

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你父亲是军人吗?

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Yes, he's a naval officer.

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是,他是海军军官.

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是,他是海军军官.

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Here's the word for military man.

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军人,军人,军人.

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Here's the word for navy.

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海军,海军,海军.

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Here's the word for officer.

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军官,军官,军官.

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Here's the exchange line.

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你父亲是军人吗?

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是,他是海军军官.

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Again.

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你父亲是军人吗?

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是,他是海军军官.

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Check your comprehension.

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你父亲是军人吗?

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Is your father a military man?

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是,他是海军军官.

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Yes, he's a naval officer.

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Several days later,

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陈大刚 calls Claire to say that he won't be in class.

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I'm not coming today.

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我今天不来了.

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我今天不来了.

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I'm sick.

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我病了.我病了.

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Here's the verb to get sick.

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病,病,病.

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Notice that the verb 病 is translated to get sick, not to be sick.

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The verb 病 is not a state verb, but a process verb.

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The process verb describes a change from one state to another.

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In this case, from being healthy to being ill.

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In other words, getting sick.

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Listen to it again, live.

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我今天不来了.我病了.

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Notice that the sentence we translated as I'm sick ends with the marker 了.

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This marker signals the completion of the process.

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Up until now, we've called this the marker for completed action.

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But as you see, it's also the marker for completed process.

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A better translation for this sentence might be, I've become sick.

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Listen to it again, live.

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我今天不来了.我病了.

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Notice that the sentence 我今天不来了.

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I'm not coming today, also ends with the marker 了.

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This is the marker 了 for new situations.

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Contrary to what he did yesterday and contrary to what he expected to do today,

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he's not coming to school.

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To signal this change in the situation,

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he uses the marker 了 at the end of the sentence.

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Check your comprehension.

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我今天不来了.

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I'm not coming today.

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我病了.

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I'm sick.

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A couple of days later,

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程大刚 is back in class.

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Are you better today?

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今天好了没有?

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今天好了没有?

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I'm all right today.

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今天好了.

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今天好了.

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Notice that the verb 好 to be good or well

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is used here to talk about getting well,

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or as we translated it in the sentence to get better.

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There's an explanation for these different usages.

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The verb 好 can be either a state verb or a process verb.

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As a state verb 好 means to be good or well.

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As a process verb, it means to get well.

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Listen to the exchange line.

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今天好了没有?

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今天好了.

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The process verb 好 to get well occurs here with combined 了.

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That is the marker 了,which indicates a completed action and a new situation.

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Check the reference notes for more about process verb.

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Notice also that the question,

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are you better today?

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你今天好了没有?

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is not formed with the question mark or mark.

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Here it's formed with 没有.

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This can be done in sentences in which the verb is marked for a completed action.

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Here's the exchange again, live.

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今天好了没有?

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今天好了.

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Check your comprehension.

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今天好了没有?

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Are you better today?

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今天好了.

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I'm all right today.

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Here's another conversation between two classmates.

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Listen to them lie.

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李德芬上个星期没来啊.

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这个星期还没来?

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他病了吗?

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他没病,他母亲病了.

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Again.

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李德芬上个星期没来啊.

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这个星期还没来?

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他病了吗?

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他没病,他母亲病了.

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Check your comprehension.

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李德芬上个星期没来啊.

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李德芬 didn't come last week.

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这个星期还没来?

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And this week she still hasn't come.

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她病了吗?

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Is she sick?

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她没病,她母亲病了.

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She's not sick, her mother's sick.

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As a final review of what we've covered so far,

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try translating each of the following sentences from the target list.

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Number one.

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你今天还有课吗?

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Do you have any more classes today?

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没有课了.

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I don't have any more classes.

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Number two.

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你从前念英文念了多久?

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How long did you study English?

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我念英文念了六年.

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I studied English for six years.

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Number three.

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你念法文念了多久了?

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How long have you been studying French?

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我念了一年了.

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I've been studying it for a year.

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Number four.

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去年我还不会写中国字.

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Last year I couldn't write Chinese characters.

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现在我会写一点了.

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Now I can write a little bit.

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Number five.

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你父亲是军人吗?

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Is your father in the military?

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是,他是海军军官.

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Yes, he's a naval officer.

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Number six.

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你现在念什么呢?

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What are you studying now?

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我念法文呢.

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I'm studying French.

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Number seven.

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我今天不来了.

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I'm not coming today.

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我病了.

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I'm sick.

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Number eight.

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你今天好了没有?

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Are you better today?

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今天好了.

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I'm all right today.

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You may want to rewind and listen to this part of the tape again.

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If you feel you're ready, go on to the P1 tape.

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This is the end of the tape.

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And of biographic information unit eight comprehension tape one.