Standard Chinese, A Modular Approach, Money Module, Unit 3, Comprehension Tape 1.
This unit is set in the PRC. On this tape, you'll learn to understand questions and answers expressing comparisons used in shopping.
Mr. Bauer is at the Friendship Department Store in Peking. Listen as he asks the clerk for help. Please give me that vase to look at.
请你给我看看那个花瓶。请你给我看看那个花瓶。
Here's the verb to look at.
看.看.
Chinese verbs are often doubled with a loss of tone on the second repetition. Listen to the doubled version of the word 看.看看.看看.
This doubling is called reduplication. Reduplication has the effect of suggesting that the action will be tried out several times.
We might try to capture this by translating 看看 as to look over or to take a look at.
Here's the word for vase. Literally, a flower jar.花瓶.花瓶.
You'll recognize the element 瓶 from the phrase 一瓶汽水, a bottle of soda.
Here's Mr. Bauer's request again. Live.
请你给我看看那个花瓶。 Again.
请你给我看看那个花瓶。 Check your comprehension.
请你给我看看那个花瓶。
Please give me that vase to look at.
The verb 看 can also mean to read in the sense of read to yourself in contrast to the verb 念, which means to read aloud or to study.
Let's shift the scene for a moment. Listen for the verb 看 in this live exchange.
你想看这本杂志吗?
不,我想看那本书.
Again.
你想看这本杂志吗?
不,我想看那本书.
Check your comprehension.
你想看这本杂志吗?
Are you thinking of reading this magazine?
不,我想看那本书.
No, I'm thinking of reading that book.
Mr. Bauer had asked for a vase.
Listen as the clerk replies to his request.
Which one? This blue one or this red one?
哪个这个蓝的还是这个红的?
Here's the adjectival verb to be blue.
蓝,蓝.
Here's the adjectival verb to be red.
红,红.
And here's the word for oar.
还是,还是.
The word 还是 is used to offer a choice.
You've had one way to make a choice question already.
Simply listing the two possibilities.
Listen to this live example.
他们有三个孩子.
男孩子是女孩子.
都是女孩子.
Again,他们有三个孩子.
是男孩子是女孩子.
都是女孩子.
Check your comprehension.
他们有三个孩子.
They have three children.
是男孩子是女孩子.
Are they boys or girls?
都是女孩子.
They're all girls.
When you're just listing two possibilities to choose from,
each possibility must contain a verb.
When you make an oar question with the word 还是 on the other hand,
you don't need a verb.
Listen to the clerk's reply.
哪个这个蓝的还是这个红的?
Again,哪个?
哪个这个蓝的还是这个红的?
Check your comprehension.
哪个这个蓝的还是这个红的?
Which one?
This blue one or this red one?
The conversation continues.
Give me both of them to look at, alright?
那两个都给我看看,好吗?
Certainly.
好,好.
The question 好吗?
Is that all right?
Is tacked on to the end of an imperative to turn it into a suggestion.
As you listen to the exchange,
notice that the object of the verb in the suggestion,
那两个,those two, doesn't follow the verb as you would expect,
but has been moved to the front of the sentence.
Here it is live.
那两个都给我看看,好吗?
好.
It's quite common in Chinese for the object of the verb to be moved to the front of the sentence as the topic.
We sometimes do this in English.
Fish I don't like.
I had one example of this in the sentence 美国书,我们不买.
American books, we don't sell.
This movement of the object to topic position is required when the adverb though applies to the object,
since the adverb though must come before the verb.
Here's the exchange again.
那两个都给我看看,好吗?
好.
Check your comprehension.
那两个都给我看看,好吗?
Give me both of them to look at, all right?
好.
Certainly.
Here's another sentence in which an object used with the word though occurs at the beginning of the sentence.
书,报,杂志,我都买.
Again.
书,报,杂志,我都买.
Check your comprehension.
书,报,杂志,我都买.
Books, newspapers, and magazines.
I buy all of them.
Listen as Mr. Bauer finds out how much the vase is cost, live.
这个红的多少钱?
这个红的十二块钱一个.
这个蓝的呢?
这个蓝的二十五块钱一个.
这个红的多少钱?
这个红的十二块钱一个.
这个蓝的呢?
这个红的二十五块钱一个.
Check your comprehension.
这个红的多少钱?
How much is this red kind?
这个红的十二块钱一个.
This red kind is twelve dollars for one.
这个蓝的呢?
This blue kind.
这个蓝的二十五块钱一个.
This blue kind is twenty five dollars for one.
Listen as Mr. Bauer responds to these prices.
The blue kind is too expensive.
蓝的太贵了.
Here's the word for two in the sense of excessive.
太.
And here's the word for expensive.
贵.
Notice that the exclamation太贵了.
That's too expensive.
Uses the new situation marker 了.
This 了 is often used to reinforce the message that something is excessive.
We might translate this sentence as
That's getting to be too expensive.
Here's the exchange live.
蓝的太贵了.
Again.
蓝的太贵了.
Check your comprehension.
蓝的太贵了.
The blue kind is too expensive.
Mr. Bauer continues talking to himself about the prices.
I'll buy the red kind I guess.
我买红的吧.
I'll buy the red one.
The red kind is cheaper.
红的便宜.
The red kind is cheaper.
红的便宜.
Notice the use of the marker 吧 to soften the statement
I'll buy the red one too.
I'll buy the red one I guess.
Here's the word for cheap.
便宜.
Notice that in English we say
The red one is cheaper.
With the ending ER added to indicate comparison.
In Chinese you say simply 红的便宜.
With nothing added to the basic form 便宜.
Cheap.
Here's the exchange live.
我买红的吧.红的便宜.
红的便宜.
Again.
我买红的吧.红的便宜.
红的便宜.
Check your comprehension.
我买红的吧.
All by the red kind I guess.
红的便宜.
The red kind is cheaper.
红的便宜.
The red kind is cheaper.
When an adverb is added to an adjectival verb,
the adjectival verb loses its comparative meaning
and is interpreted as a straight description.
For instance, the sentence 这个贵 means
this is more expensive.
While 这个也贵 means
this is expensive too.
The negative adverb 不 works the same way.
For instance, 这个不贵 is a straight description.
This is not expensive.
When no other adverb is appropriate,
a statement with an adjectival verb
may be made non-comparative
by the addition of an unstressed 横 very.
In the following exchange,
Mr. Bauer is admiring a friend's vases
and the friend is replying modestly.
Listen to the live exchange.
这个花瓶很好.很贵吧.
不贵很便宜.
那个呢?
那个也不贵.
Since unstressed 横 is used simply
to make the adjectival verb non-comparative,
it doesn't have the emphatic sense
of the English word very.
Here's the exchange again.
这个花瓶很好.很贵吧.
不贵很便宜.
那个呢?
那个也不贵.
Check your comprehension.
这个花瓶很好.很贵吧.
This vase is nice.
It must be expensive.
不贵很便宜.
It's not expensive.It's cheap.
那个呢?
How about that one?
那个也不贵.
That one isn't expensive either.
When the word 横 is stressed,
it is emphatic.
Compare.
This vase is very expensive.
这个花瓶很贵.
This vase is very expensive.
这个花瓶很贵.
Let's change the scene for a moment.
Here's another example of the basic comparative meaning
of adjectival verbs.
Which of these two students is better?
这两个学生哪个好?
司马信 is better.
司马信好.
Notice that in the first sentence,
这两个学生哪个好?
The things being compared are put up front
in topic position.
Here's the exchange live.
这两个学生哪个好?
司马信好.
Again,
这两个学生哪个好?
司马信好.
Check your comprehension.
这两个学生哪个好?
Which of these two students is better?
司马信好.
司马信 is better.
Let's go back to Mr. Bauer.
You'll remember that he had decided on a red vase.
Listen as Mr. Bauer continues the conversation.
Do you have a little larger one?
也有大一点的吗?
Yes, what do you think of this one?
有,您看这个怎么样?
Since the verb 看 means to look at,
we could translate the phrase 你看 as in your view.
Usually however,
a translation with the word think is more idiomatic.
The interrogative for adjectival verbs is 怎么样,
which we may translate to be how.
It is used like the English word how plus the verb to be
in the sentence,
how would such and such be?
Here's the word how.
怎么样?
Literally the phrase 大一点
means bigger by a little bit.
The word 一点 often follows adjectival verbs
used in comparisons.
Notice that in the phrase 大一点的,
a little larger one,
the marker 得 goes at the end of the whole phrase.
Here's the exchange live.
也有大一点的吗?
有,您看这个怎么样?
Again,也有大一点的吗?
有,您看这个怎么样?
Check your comprehension.
也有大一点的吗?
Do you have a little larger one?
有,您看这个怎么样?
Yes, what do you think of this one?
The expression 你看 is also used literally
for the exclamation look.
Listen for it in this live exchange.
民族饭店在哪儿?
您看,就在那儿.Again.
民族饭店在哪儿?
您看,就在那儿.Check your comprehension.
民族饭店在哪儿?
Where's the nationalities hotel?
您看,就在那儿.
Look, it's right over there.
The conversation continues.
This large one is really nice looking.
这个大的真好看.
Here's the adverb really.
真,真.
And here's the word for good looking or nice looking.
好看.好看.
The word 好看 is made up of the word 好, good and 看 to look at.
Logically enough, I add up to to be good to look at.
Here's the remark live.
这个大的真好看.Again.
这个大的真好看.Check your comprehension.
这个大的真好看.
This large one is really nice looking.
The conversation continues live.
多少钱?14块钱一个.Again.
多少钱?14块钱一个.Check your comprehension.
多少钱?
How much is it?14块钱一个.
14 dollars for one.
Listen as Mr. Bauer completes his purchase.
Okay, I'll buy the large kind, I guess.
好,我买大的吧.好,我买大的吧.
How many do you want?
你要几个?你要几个?
Would you give me two, please?
请给我两个吧.请给我两个吧.
Here's the verb to want.要.要.
In the first sentence of this exchange 我买大的吧.
I'll buy the large kind, I guess.
The marker 吧 softens a statement, making it less certain.
In the last sentence 请给我两个吧.
It softens a direct request, turning it into a polite suggestion.
We have tried to reflect this softening in the English by translating it as a polite question.
Would you give me two, please?
Here's the exchange live.好,我买大的吧.
你要几个?请给我两个吧.Again.
好,我买大的吧.你要几个?请给我两个吧.
Check your comprehension.好,我买大的吧.
Okay, I'll buy the large kind, I guess.你要几个?
How many do you want?请给我两个吧.
Would you give me two, please?
A review dialog for this unit will be found at the beginning of the C2 tape.
For a final review, see if you can translate these exchanges from the target list.
Number one.那个红花瓶真好看.
That red vase is really good looking.你有大一点的吗?
Do you have a little larger one?有,你看这个怎么样?
We do. What do you think of this one?嗯,很好.
好,请给我两个吧.
It's very nice. Okay, would you give me two, please?
Number two.请你给我看看那个花瓶.
Please give me that vase to look at.哪个?
这个蓝的还是这个红的?
Which one? This blue one or this red one?那两个都给我看看好吗?
Give me both of them to look at, all right?
Number three.这两个学生哪个好?
Which of these two students is better?司马信好.
司马信 is better.
Number four.那个蓝的太贵了.
That blue kind is too expensive.我要红的.
I want the red kind.红的便宜.
The red kind is cheaper. If you think you're ready, go on to the P1 tape.
This is the end of the tape. This is the end of the tape.