Standard Chinese, a modular approach.
Biographic Information Module Unit 6, comprehension, Tape 1.
This unit is set in the ROC.
In the last two units, we took up questions of when.
On this tape, you'll learn to understand questions and answers about how long.
Let's listen in as Mrs. Ooyang asks Mr. King, the Foreign Service Officer, about his plans.
How long will you stay?
你住多久?
I'm staying one year.
我住一年.
Here's the verb to stay or to live.
住.
You've had the verb 住 followed by 再 as a place word.
In these sentences, it's followed by a duration phrase.
Here's how you say how long.
多久?
You'll recognize the word 多, meaning how, as in 多大, how old?
The word 久 means long in the sense of duration.
Word for word, then, the question 你住多久 is, you stay how long?
Listen to the answer again.
I'm staying one year.
我住一年.
Here's how you say one year.
一年,一年,一年.
When telling how many years, no counter is used.
Notice that the tone on one becomes flowing before the rising tone of 年.
一年.
Here's the exchange again.
How long are you staying?
你住多久?
I'm staying one year.
我住一年.
Notice that 多久, how long, and the duration expressions that answer it, like 一年, one year, come after the verb.
You'll remember that when 什么时候, and the time expressions which answer it, come before the verb.
Listen to the exchange again.
You're alive. 你住多久?我住一年.
Again, 你住多久?我住一年.
Check your comprehension. 你住多久?
How long are you staying?我住一年.
I'm staying for one year.
On their way to Taiwan, the king stopped in Hong Kong.
The king had to leave for Taiwan the next day, but Mrs. King stayed a little longer.
Here's a question Mr. King might have been asked while he was still in Hong Kong.
How long was your wife staying?你太太住多久?
She's staying two days. 她住两天.
Listen to the speaker count from one day to five days.
一天,两天,三天,四天,五天.
Notice that the tone on the number one also becomes sprawling before the high tone of the word 天.
一天.
In telling how many days, just as in telling how many years, no counter is used.
You'll remember that in a phrase telling how many, the number two has the special form 两.
Now listen to the exchange again. Live. 你太太住多久?
她住两天.
Again. 你太太住多久?
她住两天.
Suppose Mr. King was not definite about his wife's plans. Listen.
How long is your wife staying in Hong Kong? 你太太在香港住多久?
I think she's staying two days. 我想她住两天.
Here's the verb to think or to believe. 想,想,想.
Notice that when a place and a duration are mentioned in the same sentence, the place goes before the verb and the duration goes after the verb.
Here's the exchange life. 你太太在香港住多久?
我想她住两天.Again. 你太太在香港住多久?
我想她住两天.Check your comprehension. 你太太在香港住多久?
How long is your wife staying in Hong Kong? 我想她住两天.
I think she's staying two days.
The verb 想 can also be used for a different meaning. Listen to this exchange.
How long are you thinking of staying? 你想住多久?
I'm thinking of staying one year. 我想住一年.
When the verb 想 is followed by a whole sentence, as in 我想她住两天, it means to think that such and such is the case.
I think that she's staying two days. When it's followed by just a predicate, it acts as an auxiliary verb meaning to be thinking of doing something or to plan or intend to do something.
我想住一年.I'm thinking of staying one year. Here's the exchange life. 你想住多久?
我想住一年.Again. 你想住多久?
我想住一年.Check your comprehension. 你想住多久?
How long are you thinking of staying? 我想住一年.
I'm thinking of staying one year. So far, we haven't had a duration expressed in months.
When telling how many months, you do use a counter, the general counter, 个.
One year is 一年,but one month is 一个月.
Listen to the speaker count up to five months. 一个月,两个月,三个月,四个月,五个月.
Listen to the duration in months in the following exchange. 听到的 duration in months in the following exchange.
How long are you thinking of staying in Taiwan?
你想在台湾住多久? 你想在台湾住多久?
I'm thinking of staying six months. 我想住六个月.
Here's the exchange life. 你想在台湾住多久?
我想住六个月.Again. 你想在台湾住多久?
我想住六个月.
An auxiliary verb, like 想, comes not just before the main verb of a sentence, but also before any prepositional verb.
Listen to the following sentence within without the auxiliary verb 想.
I work in Taipei. 我在台北工作.
I'm thinking of working in Taipei. 我想在台北工作.
I work in Taipei. 我想在台北工作.
The auxiliary verb qualifies the meaning of the entire verb phrase, not just the main verb. 幼西云語的意思是整个 verb phrase, not just the main verb.
What you're thinking of doing is working in Taipei, not simply working. 想做的是在台北工作, not simply working. 想做的是在台北工作, not simply working.
A duration can also be expressed in weeks. 一个阶段可以 also be expressed in weeks. 一个阶段可以 also be expressed in weeks.
Here's the word for week. 听齐,听齐,听齐。
You'll probably remember it from the names of the days of the week. 您会 probably remember it from the names of the days of the week.
For instance,星期四,Thursday. 星期四,Thursday.
Here's a duration expressed in weeks. Listen. 你朋友想住多久?
他想住两个星期. 你会发现星期两天,但两个星期两天。
Here's the exchange again. 你朋友想住多久?
他想住两个星期. 看证证的,你朋友想住多久?
他想住两个星期。 他想住两个星期。
To review these expressions of duration, try translating the following sentences. You'll hear each one twice. 我想住两年。
I'm thinking of staying two years. 我在台中住九个月。
I'm staying in Taiwan for nine months. 我想在台北住两个月。
I'm thinking of staying in Taiwan for two months. 我在台南住一个星期。
I'm staying in Taiwan for a week. 我住三年。
I'm staying three years. 我想在香港住十天。
I'm thinking of staying in Hong Kong ten days. 你想住多久?
How long are you thinking of staying? 你想住多久?
Questions about how many days, weeks, months, or years use the question word 几, how many, which takes the place of the number in the duration phrase.
Try translating the following duration questions. You'll hear each one twice. 你想住几年?
How many years are you thinking of staying? 你想住几天?
How many days are you thinking of staying? 你想住几个月?
How many months are you thinking of staying? 你想住几个星期?
How many weeks are you thinking of staying? 你想住几个星期?
How long have you been here? 你来了多久了?
I've been here three days. 我来了三天了。
Notice that these sentences have two low markers. The low marker after the verb marks completed action. The low marker after the duration phrase marks a new situation.
In the plain sentence, pa la la, these come. The two low markers are combined into one.
But when there's a duration expression after the verb, each of the two meanings is expressed by a separate marker. Listen to the exchange again.
How long have you been here? 你来了多久了?
I've been here three days. 我来了三天了。
When you're talking about the present, the new situation marker le can be translated as of now.
In duration sentences however, a better equivalent is the expression so far, as in, I've been here three days so far.
The so far translation suggests that whatever has been going on for the amount of time you mention will keep going on.
Here's the exchange again. Live. 你来了多久了?
我来了三天了。
Again. 你来了多久了?
我来了三天了。
Check your comprehension. 你来了多久了?
How long have you been here? 我来了三天了。
I've been here three days. 我来了三天了。
You may have noticed that in English we talk about the situation. 我来了三天了。
I've been here for three days. 我来了三天了。
While in Chinese, you talk about the action that brought the situation about. 我来了三天了。
The function of a new situation le marker can best be understood if we consider a situation in which it would not be used.
Listen to this continuation of the conversation, which is taking place after Mr. and Mrs. King have both arrived in Taiwan.
How long did your wife stay in Hong Kong? 你太太在香港住了多久?
She stayed two days. 她住了两天。
Since Mrs. King is no longer in Hong Kong, Mr. King can't say that she has been there two days now.
He has to say she was there for two days, so the new situation marker le is not used.
Listen to the exchange live. 你太太在香港住了多久?
Again. 你太太在香港住了多久?
Check your comprehension. 你太太在香港住了多久?
How long did your wife stay in Hong Kong? 你太太在香港住了多久?
How long did your wife stay in Hong Kong? 她住了两天。
She stayed two days. 她住了两天。
Let's compare sentences with and without the new situation marker le. 让我们 compare sentences with and without the new situation marker le.
How long did she stay there? 她住了多久?
How long has she been here? 她住了多久了?
The first sentence with one more marker after the verb only asks about how long the activity took place.
How long did she say? The second sentence with two more markers asks about how long the activity has been taking place as of now.
Let's go back to an earlier sentence.
You'll remember that we said that in the sentence 她住了两天。
She's come. 她住了两天。
The le marker had two meanings. 她住了两天。
Completed action and new situation. 她住了两天。
Now listen to the same sentence set under different circumstances.
Mr. King is being asked whether someone came to a party he gave the previous week.
Did he come? 她住了两天。
Yes, he came. 她住了两天。
She's come. 她住了两天。
In this context, since the man could not be still at a party that took place a week before,
the syllable le after the verb lie is taken to be the completed action le alone,
and is translated with the English past tense.
Here's the exchange lie. 她住了两天。
She's come. 她住了两天。
Again. 她住了两天。
She's come. 她住了两天。
Check your comprehension. 她住了两天。
She's come. 她住了两天。
Did he come? 她住了两天。
She's come. 她住了两天。
Yes, he came. 她住了两天。
Now listen to how Mr. King would have answered if the person hadn't come to his party.
Did he come? 她住了两天。
She's come. 她住了两天。
No, he didn't. 她住了两天。
May lie. 她 may lie. 她 may lie.
Notice that since there is no new situation le in the affirmative sentence,
there is no high yet in the negative sentence.
Compare a sentence which negates just completed action le to a sentence which negates combined le.
He didn't come. 她 may lie. 她 may lie.
He hasn't come, or he hasn't come yet. 她还没来。
Here's the exchange lie. 她来了吗?
没来,她没来。
Again, 她来了吗? 没来,她没来。
Check your comprehension. 她来了吗?
Did he come? 没来,她没来。
No, he didn't. No, he didn't.
To review what you've had so far, listen to the following dialogue,
which takes place shortly after Mr. Perez,
a Foreign Service Officer, has arrived at the American Embassy
Chinese Language School in Taichung for Language Training.
白先生,你来了几天了?
我来了四天了。
你在香港住了多久?
我住了一个月。
我想住两年。
白先生,你来了几天了?
我来了四天了。
你在香港住了多久?
我住了一个月。
你想在这里住多久?
我想住两年。
If you understood the conversation,
白先生,你来了几天了?
Mr. Perez, how many days have you been here?
我来了四天了。
I've been here four days.
你在香港住了多久?
How long did you stay in Hong Kong?
我住了一个月。
I stayed one month.
你想在这里住多久?
How long are you thinking of staying here?
我想住两年。
I'm thinking of staying two years.
Now listen to Mr. Perez if he has been in Taiwan before.
Have you ever been here before?
你从前来过吗?
I've never been here before.
我从前没来过。
I've never been here before.
我从前没来过。
Here's the word for formally or before.
从前,从前,从前。
We've translated the marker 过 of 来过
with the word ever in the affirmative and never in the negative.
This marker is used to talk about whether someone has ever experienced a certain kind of event.
The completed action marker 乐 on the other hand is used to talk about a particular single event.
Listen to the exchange again.
Have you ever been here before?
你从前来过吗?
I've never been here before.
我从前没来过。
Notice that the marker 过 like the completed action marker 乐 is negated with 没 rather than 不.
But while the marker 乐 drops out in a negative sentence, the marker 过 stays.
Here's the exchange live.
你从前来过吗?
我从前没来过。
Again,你从前来过吗?
我从前没来过。
Check your comprehension.
你从前来过吗?
Have you ever been here before?
我从前没来过。
I've never been here before.
Now listen to a slightly expanded version of this exchange live.
你从前来过吗?
我从前没来过。
我太太来过。
Again,你从前来过吗?
我从前没来过。
我太太来过。
Check your comprehension.
你从前来过吗?
Have you ever been here before?
我从前没来过。
I've never been here before.
我太太来过。
My wife's been here.
Here's a live conversation for review.
Mr. Huang has just arrived in Washington.
On his way from Taiwan, he stopped off in California to do some sightseeing.
Listen.
Mr. Huang,你在加州住了多久?
我住了一个星期,加州很好。
请问你在美国住多久?
我住三年。
你从前来过吗?
我从前没来过。
Again, Mr. Huang,你在加州住了多久?
Mr. Huang, how long did you stay in California?
我住了一个星期。
I stay in California for a week.
Mr. Huang,你在加州住了多久?
I stay in California for a week.
Mr. Huang,你在加州住了多久?
我住了一个星期。
I stayed one week.
加州很好。
California is very nice.
请问你在美国住多久?
May I ask, how long are you staying in America?
我住三年。
I'm staying three years.
你从前来过吗?
Have you ever been here before?
我从前没来过。
I've never been here before.
As a final review, try translating the following sentences and exchanges from the target list.
Number one.
你来了多久了?
How long have you been here?
Number two.
你太太在香港住多久?
How long is your wife staying in Hong Kong?
我想她住两天。
I think she's staying two days.
Number three.
李太太没来。
This is leaving come.
Number four.
你从前来过吗?
Have you ever been here before?
我从前没来过。
I've never been here before.
我太太来过。
My wife's been here.
Number five.我住一年。
I'm staying one year.
Number six.你想在台湾住多久?
How long are you thinking of staying in Taiwan?
我想住六个月。
I'm thinking of staying six months.
Number seven.
我来了两个星期了。
I've been here three weeks.
Number eight.你太太在香港住了多久?
How long did your wife stay in Hong Kong?
她住了两天。
Number nine.我住一年。
I'm staying one year.
You may want to rewind and listen to this last part of the tape again.
If you think you're ready, go on to the P1 tape.
This is the end of the tape.
And the biographic information module unit six comprehension tape one.