Thander Chinese, A Modular Approach, Orientation Module Unit 2, Comprehension Tape 1
In this unit, you'll learn about questions which call for a yes or no answer.
You'll learn two more questions about people's names, and you'll learn how to exchange polite greetings.
This is a comprehension tape. All you have to do is listen, but listen as actively as you can.
In the first unit, you'll learn to ask questions with who, say, and what.
Here are two live examples.
你是谁?
我是胡美玲.
你姓什么?
我姓王.
Now let's look at another kind of question.
One that can be answered yes or no.
Listen to this exchange.
Is she Mrs. Wang?
她是王太太吗?
She is Mrs. Wang.
她是王太太.
Notice that the question is exactly the same as the answer except for the syllable ma at the end.
Listen for ma.
Is she Mrs. Wang?
她是王太太吗?
She is Mrs. Wang.
她是王太太.
Any statement may be turned into a yes-no question.
That is, a question that can be answered yes or no by adding ma at the end.
Here is the exchange lot.
她是王太太吗?
她是王太太.
Again.
她是王太太吗?
她是王太太.
Here is another example of a yes-no question with ma.
Are you Mr. Wang?
你是王先生吗?
I am Wang Danian.
我是王大年.
Notice that Mr. King does not refer to himself as 王先生.
One seldom uses the title 先生和小姐 when referring to oneself.
A married woman, however, will refer to herself by her husband's name with 太太.
Here is the exchange lot.
你是王先生吗?
我是王大年.
Again.
你是王先生吗?
我是王大年.
Now let's see if you understand this live exchange.
你姓王吗?
我姓王.Again.
你姓王吗?
我姓王.
Here it is again with a pause after each line and then the English.
Use the pause to try to translate the line to yourself.
你姓王吗?
Is your surname Wang?
我姓王.
My surname is Wang.
Here is another live exchange.
你姓胡吗?
我姓胡.Again.
你姓胡吗?
我姓胡.
If the answer is no, one way to handle it is simply to give the correct information.
Listen to this exchange.
Are you Mr. Ma?
你是马先生吗?
I am Wang.
我是王大年.
Again live.
你是马先生吗?
我是王大年.
Here is another example.
他是王太太吗?
他是马太太.Again.
他是王太太吗?
他是马太太.
Another way to reply if the answer is no is with a negative sentence.
Listen carefully.
Are you Mr. Ma?
你是马先生吗?
I am not Mr. Ma.
我不是马先生.
The negative of 是 is...
不是.不是.不是.不是.
Listen for 不是 in this exchange.
Are you Mr. Ma?
你是马先生吗?
I am not Mr. Ma.
我不是马先生.
Let's compare a statement with its negative.
Listen.
I am 王大年.
我是王大年.
I am not 王大年.
我不是王大年.
Here it is live.
我是王大年.
我不是王大年.
Here's another comparison live.
我是胡美玲.
我不是胡美玲.
Again.
我是胡美玲.
我不是胡美玲.
Here's another live exchange.
Listen.
你是马先生吗?
我不是马先生.
我姓王.
Again.
你是马先生吗?
我不是马先生.
我姓王.
Try translating it.
你是马先生吗?
Are you Mr. Ma?
我不是马先生.
I am not Mr. Ma.
我姓王.
My surname is 王.
In the following exchanges, listen carefully for whether the answer is in the affirmative with 是 or in the negative with 不是.
When you've had time to decide, I'll tell you which it was, affirmative or negative.
他是马名李吗?
他是马名李.
Affirmative.
他是王太太吗?
他不是王太太.
Negative.
他是马小姐吗?
他是马小姐.
Affirmative.
他是胡先生吗?
他不是胡先生.
Negative.
The negative of 性 works the same way as the negative of 是.
Listen.
Is your surname Fang?
你姓方吗?
My surname is not Fang.
我不姓方.
Is the negative of 性.
不姓.
Listen for 不姓.
Is your surname Fang?
你姓方吗?
My surname is not Fang.
我不姓方.
Let's compare a statement with 性 and its negative with 不姓.
My surname is 王.
我姓 王.
My surname isn't 王.
我不姓 王.
Here it is live.
我姓 王.
我不姓 王.
Here is another comparison live.
我姓 胡.
我不姓 胡.
Again.
我姓 胡.
我不姓 胡.
Now listen to this live exchange.
你姓 马吗?
不姓 马.
姓 王.
Again.
你姓 马吗?
不姓 马.
姓 王.
Notice that in the question 你姓 马 马.
The word 马 is a surname while the word 马 is a yes no question marker.
Notice also that Mr. 马 doesn't bother to supply the subject for his sentences.
It's obvious from the question that the subject must be 爱.
Is there a word translation using not or 不?
You are surnamed 马 question mark.
你姓 马吗?
Not am surnamed 马.
不姓 马.
Am surnamed 王.
姓 王.
Now let's see if you can follow this live conversation.
Listen carefully.
你是方小姐吗?
我不姓方姓胡.
我是胡美玲.
Again.
你是方小姐吗?
我不姓方姓胡.
我是胡美玲.
Try translating it.
你是方小姐吗?
Are you Ms. Fang?
我不姓方.
My surname isn't Fang.
姓胡.
It's 胡.
我是胡美玲.
I'm 胡美玲.
So far you've learned one way to ask someone's surname.
你姓什么?
This is a straightforward way to ask someone's surname.
But it's considered somewhat blunt.
Even in an official setting, you're quite likely to be asked your surname in a more respectful way.
The way that would be quiet in a more social situation.
Listen to this polite exchange.
Your surname?
您归姓.
My surname is Wang.
我姓王.
Here's the polite word for you.
您.
Let's compare the polite word for you.
您.
With the plain word for you.
你.
There are two differences in pronunciation.
First, the polite word has a final end sound.
您.
While the plain word doesn't.
你.
Second, the polite word is in the rising tone.
您.
While the plain word is in the low tone.
你.
Listen to the polite and plain words for you.
您.
你.
Again.
您.
你.
Here's the polite word for surname.
Literally honorable surname.
归姓.
You'll recognize the element 姓.
which you've already had as a verb to be surname.
Here it's the noun surname.
归 by itself means precious or expensive and hence honorable.
Listen for the polite words 您.
你 and 归姓 surname in the exchange.
You're surname 您归姓.
您归姓.
My surname's 王.
我姓 王.
Literally then 您归姓 is something like you surname with both words being special polite forms.
Notice by the way that this polite question is answered in just the same way as the plain question.
你姓什么.
Here's the exchange live.
您归姓.
我姓 王.
Again 您归姓.
我姓 王.
Try translating it.
您归姓.
Your surname.
我姓 王.
My surname's 王.
Like the question 你姓什么.
The question 你是谁 is also felt to be straight forward to the point of being blunt.
If someone wants to know your full name, he's only likely to hint at it by asking your surname.
If you catch the hint, you can supply your full name.
Listen to this live exchange.
您归姓.
我姓 王.
Again 您归姓.
我姓 王.
Try translating it.
您归姓.
Your surname.
我姓 王.
I'm 王.
On these tapes, when you're asked 您归姓.
Take the question in its literal sense and answer with surname alone.
That's how we'll confirm it.
But you should be aware that it's common and sometimes even more appropriate to answer with the full name.
Don't be surprised if you hear the fuller answer in some of the dialogues.
After you've said your surname, you might be asked for your given name alone.
Listen to the following exchange.
What's your given name?
你叫什么?
My given name's Danyan.
我叫 Danyan.
The verb 叫 means to be called.
In this context, we might say that it means to be given named.
Listen to the verb to be called or to be given named.
叫.
Now listen to the exchange again.
What's your given name?
你叫什么?
My given name's Danyan.
我叫 Danyan.
Here it is live.
你叫什么?
我叫 Danyan.
Again.
你叫什么?
我叫 Danyan.
Try translating it.
你叫什么?
What's your given name?
我叫 Danyan.
My given name's Danyan.
You may have noticed the parallel between 性 to be surnamed and 叫 to be given named.
They function just the same way in the sentence.
Here's a similar exchange, live.
你叫什么?
我叫美玲.
Again.
你叫什么?
我叫美玲.
Try translating it.
你叫什么?
What's your given name?
我叫美玲.
My given name's Meiling.
Let's review the various ways we've covered of asking for the full name, surname alone, or given name alone.
In the following exchanges, use the pause between question and answer to predict to yourself whether the answer will contain the full name, 王大年,
the surname alone, Wang, or the given name, Danyan alone.
你是谁?
我是王大年.
你姓什么?
我姓王.
你叫什么?
我叫大年.
您归姓?
我姓王.
你叫什么?
我叫大年.
您归姓?
我姓王.
你姓什么?
我姓王.
你叫什么?
我叫大年.
你是谁?
我是王大年.
你叫什么?
我叫大年.
Now let's take a look at greetings. Listen to Miss Hu ask Mr. King how he is.
How are you?
你好啊.
I'm fine.
我好.我好.
You already know me, you, and war, I.
But here they seem to be in the rising tone instead of the low tone.
Here's the exchange slide. Listen for the rising tones on me and war.
你好啊.我好.
This is one of the few exceptions in the system of tones.
A low tone changes into a rising tone before another low tone.
Listen again and notice that both me and war are followed by a low tone.
你好啊.我好.
Here's the word we translated as am fine in the answer.
好.好.好.
Listen for how am fine in the answer.
你好啊.我好.
Notice that there are three words in the English sentence, I am fine,
but only two in the Chinese sentence,我好.
Since war is I,好 is the equivalent to, I am fine.
Although the English sentence contains the verb to be,
the Chinese sentence does not contain the verb 是.
Listen to the answer again.
你好啊.我好.
If我好 means I am fine,
你好 must mean you are fine.
The unstressed syllable 啊 is added as a carrier of a rising tone which signals a question.
You might consider the high pitched syllable 啊 as a spoken question mark.
Now listen to the exchange with word for word translation.
You are fine question mark.
你好啊.你好啊.
I am fine.我好.我好.
The best idiomatic equivalent for 你好啊.
What you would probably say in English in the same situation is how are you.
Although as you can see the Chinese is literally something like you are fine.
Besides meaning to be fine or to be well,
the word 好 can also mean to be good or to be okay.
Try translating the exchange.你好啊.
How are you?我好.
I am fine.
We mentioned that the added syllable 啊 could carry a rising intonation to signal a question.
A question formed in this way is felt to be somewhat softer than one formed with the yes, no, marker or mark.
In our dialogues you'll hear this added syllable 啊 used to carry a variety of different intonation contours
which subtly modulate the message in different ways.
Now let's complete the exchange of greetings. Listen.
How are you?你好啊.你好啊.
I am fine.我好.我好.
And you?你呢?你呢?
Fine, thank you.好,謝謝.好,謝謝.
Instead of repeating the full question 你好啊,Mr. King just asks and you?你呢?
Adding the syllable 呢 turns the single word 你 into a question.And you?
How about you? Here's the conversation line. Listen for the marker 呢.你好啊.我好,你呢?
好,謝謝.Now here's the word for thank you.謝謝.謝謝.謝謝.
Listen for 謝謝.Thank you.你好啊.我好,你呢?好,謝謝.
Now try translating it.你好啊.How are you?我好.我好.
I'm fine.你呢?And you?好,謝謝.
Fine, thank you. Now let's review what we've covered on this tape. Listen to the following live conversation.
Miss Hu and Mr. King have not yet met. She has been sent to his hotel to act as his guide.
She approaches the only American in the lobby. Listen.
您是王先生吗?是,我是王大年,您貴姓.我姓胡,叫美玲.胡小姐,你好啊.
Are you Mr. Wang?是,我是王大年,您貴姓.我姓胡,叫美玲.胡小姐,您好啊.好,謝謝.你呢?我好.
Try translating it line by line.您是王先生嗎?Are you Mr. Wang?是,我是王大年,您貴姓.
那您是王先生吗?我姓胡,叫美玲.
我的名字是梅琳
胡小姐,您好啊
梅琳,您好
好,谢谢,你呢?
好,谢谢,安朱
我好
接下来,梅琳先生的电话,
听到他们的谈话,
是胡梅琳小姐吗?
是啊,您是谁?
我是王大年
啊,您是黄先生
不是,我不姓黄,姓王啊
哦,王先生,您好啊
Again
是胡梅琳小姐吗?
是啊,您是谁?
我是王大年
啊,您是黄先生
不是,我不姓黄,姓王啊
哦,王先生,您好啊
好,谢谢
您好啊
我好,谢谢
您好
您好,我叫胡梅琳小姐
是的,我叫黄先生
好,谢谢
您好,我叫黄先生
您好,我是王先生
您好,我是黄先生
改了,您好
您好,我叫黄先生
不是, 我不姓黄, 姓王啊。
No, my surname isn't 黄, it's 王。
Oh, 王先生,您好啊。
Oh, Mr. Wang, how are you?
Now try giving the English for the following random sentences.
您归姓。
Your surname?
你姓王吗?
It's your surname, 王。
他不是马先生。
He isn't Mr. 马。
我叫大年。
My given name is 大年。
您好啊。
How are you?
我不姓马。
My surname isn't 马。
是, 我是王大年。
Yes, I'm 王大年。
我好, 你呢?
I'm fine, isn't you?
他不叫大年。
His given name isn't 大年。
你是胡玫琳小姐吗?
Are you Miss 胡玫琳?
好,谢谢。
Fine, thank you.
你叫什么?
What's your given name?
不是, 他不是马名李太太。
No, she isn't Miss 马名李太太。
No, she isn't Mrs. 马名李。
方同志叫宝兰吗?
It's comrade Fang's given name 宝兰。
This is the end of orientation module unit 2.
Comprehension Tape 1.