down to Chinese, a modular approach.
biographic information module unit 6, production tape 1.
on the comprehension tape in this unit, you learn to understand questions and answers about the duration of a visit.
before you go on to learn how to say these things, check your comprehension of them.
put the following sentences into English.
number 1
你做多久?
how long are you staying?
我住一年
I'm staying one year.
number 2
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 3
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 4
你来了多久了?
how long have you been here?
我来了两个星期了.
I've been here two weeks.
number 5
你从前来过吗?
Have you ever been here before?
我从前没来过.
I haven't been here before.
If you had any problems with these sentences, rerun the tape and work on them some more.
If you understood them all, you should begin working on how to ask these questions and how to answer them.
Listen to this exchange.
你做多久?
我住一年.
repeat how long?
多久?
The phrase 多久?
how long is similar to the phrase 多大?
how old?
in which 多 is a question word asking how much.
repeat how long are you staying?
你住多久?
You'll notice here that the verb to stay is a single verb 住.
What we've been referring to as the verb 住在 to stay at is actually this verb 住 plus the verb 在.
How do you say how long are you staying?
你住多久?
Try asking the question, how long are you staying again?
This time you'll get a confirmation and a reply.
你住多久?
我住一年.
again.
你住多久?
我住一年.
Unlike most nouns in Chinese, the word for year 年
doesn't need a measure word when used with numbers.
repeat one year.
一年.
How would you say four years?
四年.
In English, when someone asks how long, you usually answer with the word for as in I'm staying for a week.
In Chinese, the phrase telling how long follows the verb just as in English, but no extra word like for is needed.
repeat I'm staying for one year.
我住一年.
You'll remember that what we've been calling time phrases such as 明天 tomorrow come before the verb.
他明天来, he's coming tomorrow.
Now you see that what we will call duration phrases such as 一年 one year come after the verb.
我住一年.I'm staying for one year.
It's the difference between when and how long.
When comes before the verb and how long comes after the verb.
How do you say I'm staying one year?
我住一年.
Try answering the question yourself.
Say that you're staying one year.
你住多久?
我住一年.
Again,你住多久?
我住一年.
Mr. King is visiting Hong Kong.
Listen to Mr. King answer a question about it.
你太太住多久?
她住两天.
The word for day, 天, like the word for year, 年, doesn't need a measure word
when used with numbers.
Repeat two days.
两天.
Repeat she's staying two days.
她住两天.
Now let's suppose that your wife is visiting Hong Kong.
She's staying there two days.
Try answering the next question.
你太太住多久?
她住两天.
Again,你太太住多久?
她住两天.
What's the word for day?
天.
What's the word for year?
年.
Mr. King could have been asked about his wife's trip to Hong Kong in a more detailed way.
Listen.
你太太在香港住多久?
我想她住两天.
Repeat the word for Hong Kong.
香港.
In the question, how long is your wife staying in Hong Kong?
你太太在香港住多久?
The place phrase,在香港, is put before the verb 住.
We can't put both the place and the duration after the verb.
Repeat, how long is your wife staying in Hong Kong?
你太太在香港住多久?
Try asking, how long is your wife staying in Hong Kong?
Ahead of the speaker.
你太太在香港住多久?
Try asking the question again.
This time you'll get a confirmation and a reply.
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.
Repeat the verb to think.
想.
Repeat, I think she's staying two days.
我想她住两天.
Try answering the question yourself.
Suppose your wife is visiting Hong Kong.
You're not sure how long she's staying.
It might be two days.
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.
The next exchange talks about Mr. King's plans for staying in Taiwan.
Listen.
你想住多久?
我想住一年.
The verb想 can mean to think that.
When used directly in front of another verb,
it can also mean to be thinking of that is to plan to or to intend to.
Repeat, I'm thinking of staying one year.
我想住一年.
Try responding to the question yourself now.
Assume that you're in Taiwan and you intend to stay one year.
你想住多久?
我想住一年.
Again.
你想住多久?
我想住一年.
Listen as another visitor is asked how long he's staying.
你想在台湾住多久?
我想住八个月.
Repeat the word for month.
月.
You'll notice that the word for month.
月 does take a counter.
哥,repeat eight months.
八个月.
Repeat, I'm thinking of staying eight months.
我想住八个月.
Try answering the question yourself.
Assume that you're staying in Taiwan eight months.
你想在台湾住多久?
我想住八个月.
Again.
你想在台湾住多久?
我想住八个月.
Now you're asked about a friend who's come to Taiwan just for a visit.
Listen.
你朋友想住多久?
他想住两个星期.
Repeat the word for week.
星期.
Repeat, he's thinking of staying two weeks.
他想住两个星期.
Try saying he's thinking of staying two weeks ahead of the speaker.
他想住两个星期.
Try responding to the question now.
Your friend is staying two weeks.
你朋友想住多久?
他想住两个星期.
Again.
你朋友想住多久?
他想住两个星期.
Here's a piece of a conversation.
Listen.
你想在台湾住多久?
我想住三个星期.
在香港呢?
我想住十天.
Now you try.
You're being asked some questions about a trip of yours.
You're thinking of staying three weeks in Taipei and ten days in Hong Kong.
你想在台湾住多久?
我想住三个星期.
在香港呢?
我想住十天.
Try it again.
你想在台湾住多久?
我想住三个星期.
在香港呢?
我想住十天.
So far you've expressed how long with future activities only.
But what if you want to express how long something has taken so far?
How long it's going to be going on?
你来了多久了?
我来了三天了.
The first look coming right after the verb indicates completion of action.
I have come.
And the second look coming at the end of the sentence indicates the change up to the present.
It's three days now.
Repeat.
I've been here for three days.
我来了三天了.
The double look construction is used when you're talking about an action started in the past and still going on.
How do you say I've been here three days?
我来了三天了.
Try responding to the question.
How long have you been here?
Say that you've been here for three days.
你来了多久了?
我来了三天了.
你来了多久了?
我来了三天了.
Let's review a bit.
Duration phrases go after the verb.
To talk about the duration of something still going on, use two laws.
One right after the verb and one at the end of the sentence.
Try putting the following English sentences into Chinese.
I've been here three months.
我来了三个月了.
I'm staying one year.
我住一年.
I've been here a week.
我来了一个星期了.
She's been here two days.
她来了两天了.
She's staying two days.
她住两天.
I'm thinking of staying four months.
我想住四个月.
I've been here for three weeks.
我来了三个星期了.
If you want to talk about how long something lasted in the past,
that is the duration of something completed,
you use a different pattern.
Listen as Mr. King talks about his wife staying in Hong Kong.
She's back in Taiwan now.
你太太在香港住了多久?
她住了两天.
There's only one marker Lu in this sentence.
We're talking about completed action here.
The activity is no longer happening.
There's no need for the new situation Lu at the end of the sentence.
Repeat, she stayed two days.
她住了两天.
To indicate that you're talking about the duration of something that is over,
no longer happening,
place the marker Lu directly after the verb.
How do you say she stayed two days?
她住了两天.
I'm responding to a question about your wife staying in Hong Kong.
Say she stayed two days.
你太太在香港住了多久?
她住了两天.
Again,
你太太在香港住了多久?
她住了两天.
In this next exchange someone is talking about his trip
and how long he stayed in each place.
Listen.
你在台北住了多久?
我住了三个星期.
在香港呢?
我住了十天.
Now you try it.
Say that you stayed in Taipei for three weeks
and in Hong Kong for ten days.
你在台北住了多久?
我住了三个星期.
在香港呢?
我住了十天.
Try it again.
你在台北住了多久?
我住了三个星期.
在香港呢?
我住了十天.
Now two of you said this which talk about how long
either for future events or events which are still taking place
or events which are completely in the past.
I'll give you some English sentences
and you put them into Chinese.
Let's start.
I'm staying one year.
我住一年.
I stayed one year.
我住了一年.
I've been here one year.
我来了一年了.
She stayed one week.
她住了一个星期.
He's staying two days.
他住两天.
He stayed three months.
他住了三个月.
He's been here for three months.
他来了三个月.
Here's a familiar exchange.
Listen.
他来了吗?
来了.他来了.
Earlier in this module,
we said 他来了.
means she's come.
Where the marker 喽 is interpreted as both the completed action marker
and the new situation marker.
But there's another way to interpret this sentence.
And that's with only one 喽.
the completed action marker.
In this case,the sentence 他来了 is interpreted as
she did come the action being over.
Let's say that you had a party at your place a week ago.
Now a friend who couldn't make it is asking who did come.
The person she's asking about did come.
Answer the question 他来了吗?
来了.他来了.
Now she asks about someone who didn't come.
林小姐来了吗?
没来.她没来.
As you remember,the advert May negates actions in the past.
Repeat,no,she didn't come.
没来.她没来.
Try answering the question yourself.
Miss Lin didn't come.
林小姐来了吗?
没来.她没来.
Again.林小姐来了吗?
没来.她没来.
Now let's turn to another topic.
Listen.你从前来过吗?
我从前没来过.
Repeat the word for formerly or before.
从前.从前.
从前.
As with other adverbs telling when,
the word从前 goes before the verb.
Repeat,have you ever been here before?
你从前来过吗?
The marker 过 after the verb lie carries the meaning of having ever had the experience of.
It directly follows the verb.
Repeat,have you ever been here before?
你从前来过吗?
Try asking the question yourself.
You get a confirmation and a reply.
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.
Notice that negating a sentence with 过 adds 没 before the verb and keeps the 过.
While,as you remember,the negation of a sentence with 了 adds 没 before the verb and drops the 了.
Repeat,I've never been here before.
我从前没来过.
Try responding to the question yourself.
Say that you've never been here before.
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.
Listen to this exchange as Mr. King talks about being in Taiwan.
王先生,你来了多久了?
我来了一个月了.
你从前来过吗?
我从前没来过.
你想住多久?
我想住一年.
Now you try it. Take the part of Mr. King.
You've been in Taiwan for a month now.
You've never been there before.
And you're thinking of staying one year.
王先生,你来了多久了?
我来了一个月了.
你从前来过吗?
我从前没来过.
你想住多久?
我想住一年.Try it again.
王先生,你来了多久了?
我来了一个月了.
你从前来过吗?
我从前没来过.
你想住多久?
我想住一年.
Now let's review what we've covered on this tape.
I'll give you some sentences in English and you put them into Chinese.
Number one.
Have you ever been here before?
你从前来过吗?
I haven't been here before.
我从前没来过.
Number two.
I'm thinking of staying in Taiwan.
你想在台湾住多久?
I'm thinking of staying eight months.
我想住八个月.
Number three.
How long have you been here?
你来了多久了?
I've been here three weeks.
我来了三个星期了.
Number four.
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.
How long are you staying?
你住多久?
I'm staying one year.
我住一年.
This is the end of the tape.
This is the end of the biographic information module unit six production tape one.