Standard Chinese, a modular approach.
Orientation Module Unit 4.
Production Tape 1.
On the comprehension tape in this unit, you learn to understand a number of questions and answers about where someone is from,
where someone is now, and where something is located.
Before you learn how to say these things, let's review your comprehension of them.
Give an English equivalent for each of the sentences in the following exchanges.
1.
请问你是哪的人?
2.
Where are you from?
我是德州人。
I'm from Texas.
安德森夫人是哪的人?
Where is Mrs. Anderson from?
她也是德州人。
She's from Texas too.
2.
请问你老家在哪?
May I ask, where is your family from?
我老家在山东。
My family is from Shandong.
3.
她爱人现在在哪?
Where is his wife now?
她爱人现在在加拿大。
His wife is in Canada now.
4.
赵同志在这吗?
Is Kamar Zhao here?
赵同志不在这。
Kamar Zhao isn't here.
If you had any problems with those sentences, rewind the tape and work on them some more.
If you understood them all and were able to give equivalents, you should begin learning how to say them.
Listen to this first exchange.
Kamar Liu is talking with Mr. Anderson.
请问你是哪的人?
我是德州人。
You'll notice that this exchange is polite in flavor.
The word 请问, may I ask, is a polite way of starting off when you're asking for information.
Repeat, may I ask?
请问。
The word 请问 is always used at the beginning of the sentence.
Repeat, may I ask, where are you from?
请问你是哪的人?
The answer to this polite question is the same as it would be for the plain question, where are you from?
Listen。
我是德州人。
Repeat the name for Texas.
德州。
Repeat the reply, I'm from Texas.
我是德州人。
Take the part of the American MP King.
You're at an official reception for foreign visitors.
Kamar Liu is asking you a question.
Say that you're from Texas.
请问你是哪的人?
我是德州人。
Again.
请问你是哪的人?
我是德州人。
What's the word for Texas?
德州。
How do you say, may I ask, where are you from?
请问你是哪的人?
Let's continue the conversation.
This time you ask Kamar Liu where she's from.
You'll get a confirmation to your answer as well as an answer.
请问你是哪的人?
我是上海人。
The conversation continues.
Kamar Liu is asking about your wife.
Listen。
请问安德森夫人是哪的人?
她也是德州人。
Mrs. Anderson is a Texan too.
Repeat the word for also or too.
也。
It's important to remember that the adverb 也 goes before the verb.
Repeat, she's from Texas too.
她也是德州人。
How do you say, I'm from Texas too?
我也是德州人。
Try answering Kamar Liu's question about Mrs. Anderson.
Say that she's from Texas too.
安德森夫人是哪的人?
她也是德州人。
Again。
安德森夫人是哪的人?
她也是德州人。
What's the word for California?
加州。
How do you say, he's from California?
她是加州人。
What's the word for also or too?
也。
How do you say, she's from California too?
她也是加州人。
You may have noticed that Mrs. Anderson was not called 安太太 in the question as you might have expected.
Listen again.
安德森夫人是哪的人?
她也是德州人。
In the People's Republic of China, the word 夫人 is used as a title for married women.
Unlike the word 太太, the word 夫人 does not double as the word for wife.
Repeat the word for Mrs. or Madam.
夫人。
For the remainder of this tape, assume that we're in Peking.
This means that whenever you hear the title Mrs., the appropriate equivalent is 夫人。
Repeat Mrs. Anderson.
安德森夫人。
Another point to make note of is that in the PRC, foreign surnames are given multi-syllabic equivalents instead of the monosyllabic surnames the Chinese themselves have.
How do you say, Mrs. Anderson is also a Texan?
安德森夫人也是德州人。
Just as 太太 is no longer used in the PRC to mean Mrs., neither is it used to mean wife.
By the same token,先生 is no longer used to mean husband.
The word that is now used 爱人 can be neither husband or wife.
Listen.
她是英国人吗?
不是。
她不是英国人。
她爱人呢?
她爱人也不是英国人。
The word for spouse 爱人 is the verb to love.
I with a falling tone followed by the word for person.
Repeat the word for wife or husband.
爱人。
Notice that in the word 爱人,the second syllable has the neutral tone.
Repeat the phrase that can mean either his wife or her husband.
她爱人。
Notice that 她,which can mean he or she, is used here to mean his or hers, without anything changed or added to it.
Now repeat the sentence, his wife is in English either.
她爱人也不是英国人。
You'll notice that the adverb 也 also still goes before the verb, although not directly.
The negative adverb 不, intervenes.
How do you say his wife is in English either?
她爱人也不是英国人。
How do you say I'm not a Texan?
我不是德州人。
How do you say I'm not a Texan either?
我也不是德州人。
What's the word for husband or wife in the PRC?
爱人。
How do you say his wife is in English either?
她爱人也不是英国人。
Now you take the part of Mr. Anderson in Peking.
You're at a reception talking with Cameron Huang, who is interested in England.
You're being asked about some fellow visitors, but you know they're not from England.
他是英国人吗?
不是,他不是英国人。
他爱人呢?
他爱人也不是英国人。
Try it again.
他是英国人吗?
不是,他不是英国人。
他爱人呢?
他爱人也不是英国人。
Now let's eavesdrop as Mr. Martin, the Canadian representative talks with Cameron Zhao at the same reception.
赵同志,你是哪儿的人?
我是青岛人。
青岛在哪儿?
青岛在山东。
青岛 is a beautifully situated city, as well as one of the best seaports in China.
Repeat,青岛。
青岛。
Let's listen to the last two lines again.
青岛在哪儿?
青岛在山东。
The word,哪儿, with a low tone means where.
Repeat,where?
哪儿。
Since we're interested in location here, the verb,在, to be at, in or on is used.
Try repeating it.
在。
As with the question words, who or what?
The question word,哪儿, follows the verb at the end of the sentence.
Repeat,where is Qingdao?
青岛在哪儿?
In the answer to the question, the question word,哪儿, is replaced with new information.
Repeat,青岛 is in Shandong.
青岛在山东。
What's the word for where?
哪儿。
How do you say,where is Qingdao?
青岛在哪儿?
How do you say,青岛 is in Shandong?
青岛在山东。
Listen to a similar exchange.
Mr. Martin could have phrased his question like this.
请问,你老家在哪儿?
我老家在山东。
Repeat the word for original home.
老家。
The sentence,你老家在哪儿?
is translated as,where is your family from?
Literally,it would be something like,where is your original home?
Repeat,may I ask,where is your family from?
请问,你老家在哪儿?
Try it again,ask,may I ask,where is your family from?
This time you get a reply,as well as a confirmation.
请问,你老家在哪儿?
我老家在山东。
Repeat,my family comes from Shandong?
我老家在山东。
How do you say,my family is from Texas?
我老家在德州。
What's the word for also?
也。
How do you say,my family is from Texas too?
我老家也在德州。
At the reception now,Mr.Anderson is talking with Ka Rai Huang.
Listen.
请问,你老家在哪儿?
我老家在德州。
你爱人呢?他老家在哪儿?
他老家也在德州。
Now you try it.
Answer Ka Rai Huang's questions.
Tell her that your family comes from Texas,as does your spouse's.
请问,你老家在哪儿?
我老家在德州。
你爱人呢?他老家在哪儿?
他老家也在德州。
Later,comrade Zhao is talking with another foreign visitor.
Listen.
赵同志,你老家在河北吗?
我老家不在河北。
我老家在山东。
Repeat,不在。
Remember that the tone of 不 changes to rising before the falling tone of 在。
不在。
Repeat, my family doesn't come from 河北。
我老家不在河北。
How do you say California?
加州。
How do you say my family doesn't come from California?
我老家不在加州。
Answer the following question.
Tell your friend that your family doesn't come from California.
They come from Texas.
你老家在加州吗?
我老家不在加州。
我老家在德州。
Again,你老家在加州吗?
我老家不在加州。
我老家在德州。
Now that you've learned to ask where a place is, let's move on to talking about where a nearby person or thing is located.
Back at the reception, Mr. Martin is looking for someone. Listen.
陈同志在哪儿?
他在哪儿。
The word 哪儿 with a falling tone means there.
As with the words for which and that, naga naga.
The only difference between the word for where 哪儿 and there 哪儿 is the tone.
Notice that both question words which and where 哪儿 have the low tone, while that and there 哪儿 have the falling tone. Repeat there.
哪儿。
When Comrade Zhao says 他在哪儿,she means he's right over there and she's probably pointing at him. Repeat, he's over there.
他在哪儿。
What is the word for where? 哪儿。
How do you ask where is he? 他在哪儿?
How do you say he's over there? 他在哪儿?
Now you're back at the reception. Comrade Chen, with whom you were just talking, is now on the other side of the room. Try answering the next question.
陈世民同志在哪儿?
他在哪儿。
Try it again. try it again. 陈世民同志在哪儿?
他在哪儿。
What's the word for where? 哪儿。
What's the word for there? 哪儿。
At the reception, Mr. Martin is still discussing Qing Dao. Now he and Comrade Zhao are looking at a map. Listen. 青岛在哪儿?
青岛在这儿。 The word for here, 这儿, has a falling tone like the word 哪儿. Repeat here. 这儿。
Imagine that you're pointing to the map. Repeat, 青岛 is here. 青岛在这儿。
青岛在这儿。 Try answering the question yourself. Point out where Qing Dao is. 青岛在哪儿?
青岛在这儿。 Again. 青岛在哪儿?
青岛在这儿。 Now let's listen as Mr. Anderson joins Mr. Martin and Comrade Zhao at the map. 现在我们听听Mr. Anderson joins Mr. Martin and Comrade Zhao at the map.
Mr. Anderson is talking to Comrade Zhao. 诶,赵同志,你老家在这儿吗?
我老家不在这儿,我老家在那儿,在山东。 你爱人?
他老家不在山东,他老家在河北。 Now you take the part of Mr. Anderson in the conversation. Pointing on the map, ask Comrade Zhao if her family comes from here. Then ask about her husband's family. 现在你拿到Mr. Anderson in the conversation.
诶,赵同志,你老家在这儿吗? 我老家不在这儿,我老家在那儿,在山东。
诶,赵同志,你老家在这儿吗? 我老家不在这儿,我老家在那儿,在山东。 你爱人呢?
诶,赵同志,你老家在这儿吗? 我老家不在这儿,我老家在那儿,在山东。
诶,你爱人呢? 他老家不在山东,他老家在河北。
Now let's talk about people again. Since people move and travel a lot, you ask where someone is now. Listen.
你爱人现在在哪儿?
我爱人现在在加拿大
repeat the word for now
现在
notice that in this sentence
现在
goes before the verb
behaving like other averages you had
such as yeah, also
listen to the sentence
my spouse is in Canada now
我爱人现在在加拿大
unlike other country names you've learned
the word for Canada does not have a shortened form
repeat the name Canada
加拿大
repeat the sentence
my spouse is in Canada now
我爱人现在在加拿大
what's the word for now?
现在
how do you say
my spouse is in Canada now?
我爱人现在在加拿大
try answering the next question
say that your spouse is in Canada now
你爱人现在在哪儿?
我爱人现在在加拿大
again
你爱人现在在哪儿?
我爱人现在在加拿大
加拿大
now let's review what we've covered on this tape
I'll say an English sentence
and you put it into Chinese
the sentences are arranged in exchanges
let's go
number one
where is Mrs.Anderson from?
Anderson 夫人是哪个人?
she's from Texas
她是德州人
but I ask where are you from?
请问你是哪个人?
I'm from Texas too
我也是德州人
number two
is he English?
她是英国人吗?
no he's not English
不是
她不是英国人
and his wife?
她爱人呢?
she's not English either
她爱人也不是英国人
where's his wife now?
她爱人现在在哪儿?
she's in Canada now
她现在在加拿大
number three
where is Qingdao?
Chingdao在哪儿?
Chingdao is in Shandong
Chingdao在 Shandong
number four
my family comes from Texas
我老家在德州
his family comes from Texas too
他老家也在德州
number five
is Karma Chen here?
陈同志在这儿吗?
he's here
他在这儿
this is the end of the tape
end of orientation module unit four
production tape one