Standard Chinese, a modular approach.
Money Module Unit 3, Production Tape 1.
On the comprehension tape in this unit, you learn to understand a number of sentences about purchasing things.
Before you learn how to say these things, let's review them.
Give an English equivalent for each of the following sentences.
Number 1
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?
好。
Certainly.
Number 2
蓝的太贵了。
The blue kind is too expensive.
我买红的吧。
I'll buy the red kind, I guess.
红的便宜。
The red kind is cheaper.
您有大一点的吗?
Do you have a little larger one?
有。您看这个怎么样?
Yes, what do you think of this one?
这个大的真好看。
This large one is really nice looking.
Number 4
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 5
你要几个?
How many do you want?
请你给我两个吧。
Would you give me two please?
If you had any problems with those sentences,
rewind the tape and work on them some more.
If you understand them all,
you can begin learning how to say them.
This tape is set in Peking.
Listen.
请你给我看看那个花瓶。
Repeat the verb to look at.
看。
The same verb reduplicated means
to look around or to have a look.
Reduplicated verbs are toneless on the second syllable.
Repeat to have a look.
看看。
Repeat.
看看。
Repeat.
Please give it to me to look at.
请你给我看看。
Notice that in English we must say it.
Please give it to me to look at.
Chinese doesn't have to have a word like it in the sentence.
Repeat.
Please give it to me to look at again.
请你给我看看。
Repeat the verb for vase.
Literally flower bottle.
花瓶。
Repeat that vase.
那个花瓶。
When you do want to name what it is you want to look at,
you put it after the verb as you'd expect.
Repeat.
Please give me that vase to look at.
请你给我看看那个花瓶。
How do you say please give it to me to look at?
请你给我看看。
How do you say that vase?
那个花瓶。
How do you say please give me that vase to look at?
请你给我看看那个花瓶。
Literally flower bottle.
Listen to the shopkeeper's reply.
那个这个蓝的还是这个红的。
Repeat the verb to be blue.
蓝。
In the last unit you learned that an adjectival verb plus the marker 德 could be used as a noun.
For instance 小 to be small plus 德 yields 小的 the small one or the small ones.
How do you say how much are the small ones?
小的多少钱?
Here we can do the same thing with the verbs for color.
Repeat the blue one.
蓝的。
Repeat which one this blue one?
哪个?这个蓝的吗?
Repeat the verb to be red.
红。
Repeat the verb for or.
还是。
Repeat this blue one or this red one.
Notice the word order follows English.
这个蓝的还是这个红的。
In the last module you learned that an or question in Chinese can be formed without the or.
As in 是男孩子是女孩子。
If you repeat the verb and the nouns.
When only the nouns are said, the word 还是 must be said.
How do you say this blue one or this red one?
这个蓝的还是这个红的?
Perhaps you'd like to see both the blue one and the red one.
Listen.
那两个都给我看看,好吗?
You've seen the adverb 都 all used before.
Here it's translated as both.
Repeat, give me both of them to look at.
那两个都给我看看.
You've just seen that in the sentence.
请你给我看看那个花瓶.
The object 那个花瓶 was at the end.
Now in 那两个都给我看看.
The object 那两个 is at the front of the sentence in the topic position.
This is due to the use of the adverb 都.
As you know, the adverb 都 always goes before the verb.
What you also need to know is that whatever 都 refers to must go before the 都.
Whether it's subject or object.
Repeat, give me both of them to look at.
那两个都给我看看.
那两个都给我看看,好吗?
Try asking the question yourself.
This time you'll get a confirmation and a reply.
那两个都给我看看,好吗?
How?
Again.
Listen to the whole conversation now.
As it takes place in the friendship department store in Peking.
请你给我看看那个花瓶.
哪个?这个蓝的还是这个红的?
那两个都给我看看,好吗?
好.
Now you try it.
First ask to see that vase.
Then tell the clerk you want to see both vases.
Now you try it.
First ask to see that vase.
Then tell the clerk you want to see both vases.
请你给我看看那个花瓶.
哪个?这个蓝的还是这个红的?
那两个都给我看看,好吗?
好.
Try it again.
The conversation with the store clerk continues.
Listen.
这个红的多少钱?
这个红的十二块钱一个.
这个蓝的25块钱一个
这个红的多少钱
这个红的12块钱一个
蓝的呢
这个蓝的25块钱一个
蓝的太贵了
我买红的吧
红的便宜
蓝的太贵了
repeat the blue kind is too expensive
蓝的太贵了
the marker L is used here to indicate a new situation
that something has changed
that something is of course the price
it's crossed over into the expensive category
we might translate 太贵了 as
that's expensive now
how do you say this blue kind is too expensive
这个蓝的太贵了
the remark continues like this
我买红的吧红的便宜
嗯红的便宜
repeat I'll buy the red kind I guess
我买红的吧
as you'll remember it's the marker BAH
which adds the feeling of I guess or I suppose to the sentence
how do you say this blue kind is too expensive
这个蓝的太贵了
how do you say I'll buy the red kind I guess
我买红的吧
repeat the adjectival verb to be cheap or inexpensive
notice that the vowel sound has a nasal quality
便宜便宜
repeat the red kind is cheaper
红的便宜红的便宜
红的便宜
you'll notice that something is happening here
in the English we're saying cheaper
but the Chinese is still便宜
this is because the adjectival verbs imply comparison when used alone
that is when used without a modifier like very
how do you say the red kind is cheaper
红的便宜
try saying the whole remark now the blue kind is too expensive
I'll buy the red kind I guess the red kind is cheaper
红的太贵了
蓝的太贵了我买红的吧
红的便宜
again
蓝的太贵了我买红的吧
红的便宜
let's step out of the department store for a moment
listen to this next exchange two professors are talking while looking at a class list
这两个学生哪个好
司马信好
repeat these two students
这两个学生
repeat which is better
哪个好
repeat which of these two students is better
这两个学生哪个好
this is another example of the use of topic
topic as you remember sets the scene for the rest of the sentence
of these two is the topic for the question which is better
how do you say which of these two students is better
这两个学生哪个好
try asking the question again you'll get a reply
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
as you remember the conversation was going something like this
这个蓝的二十五块钱一个
蓝的太贵了我买红的吧红的便宜
红的便宜
你有大一点的吗有
we said that adjectival verbs such as 达
imply comparison by themselves
to the verb 达 makes it even clearer that things are being compared
repeat a little larger
大一点
you learn that 达的 meant the large one the marker 达 being added
when the noun that follows such as 花拼 is not said
here the marker 达 follows the phrase 大一点
a little larger repeat the little bit larger one
大一点的
repeat do you have a little larger one
你有大一点的吗
try asking the question yourself you'll get a reply
你有大一点的吗有
again
你有大一点的吗有
the conversation continues
您看这个怎么样这个大的真好看
repeat the word for how or in what way
怎么样
is a much used expression with several meanings it can be translated in general as 好
literally it's something like how's this way
repeat what do you think of this one
您看这个怎么样
the verb 看 has a new meaning here it means to consider
say the question ahead of the speaker now what do you think of this one
您看这个怎么样
try it again this time you'll get a reply
what do you think of this one
您看这个怎么样
这个大的真好看
again
您看这个怎么样
真好看
repeat the adjectival verb to be pretty literally good looking
好看好看
repeat the adverb really
真真
repeat this large one is really nice looking
这个大的真好看
try saying it ahead of the speaker
这个大的真好看
answer the store clerk's question yourself now
您看这个怎么样
这个大的真好看
again
again您看这个怎么样
这个大的真好看
now let's say you've looked over the
vases large and small listen
好我买大的吧
repeat okay
I'll buy the large one I guess
好我买大的吧
as you remember
the use of the mark of bah makes the statement less sure
without the bah the sentence might sound more like
with the bah the sentence is less of a declaration and more of a suggestion
how do you say okay I'll buy the large one I guess
好我买大的吧
next you might be asked
您要几个请给我两个吧
repeat the verb to want
要要
repeat how many do you want
您要几个
try asking the question yourself now you'll get a reply
您要几个
请给我两个吧
again
您要几个
请给我两个吧
repeat the reply would you give me two please
请给我两个吧
this sentence is more literally please give me two with the marker bah added
this marker bah makes the command into a suggestion
as you remember the marker bah in
我买大的吧 or
it has a softening effect on the statements here the bah softens the command
how do you say would you give me two please
请给我两个吧
try responding to the question yourself now
you want two
请给我两个吧
again
请给我两个吧
now let's review what we've covered on this tape
put the following sentences into Chinese number one
please give me that face to look at
请你给我看看那个花瓶
which one
this blue one or this red one
哪个
这个蓝的还是这个红的
give me them both to look at
all right
那两个都给我看看
好吗
how
which of these two students is better
这两个学生哪个好
四马信 is better
四马信好
number three
the blue kind is too expensive
蓝的太会了
I'll buy the red kind I guess
我买红的吧
the red kind is cheaper
红的便宜
do you have a little larger one
你有大一点的吗
yes what do you think of this one
有您看这个怎么样
this large one is really nice looking
这个大的真好看
ok I'll buy the large one I guess
好我买大的吧
how many do you want
好我买大的吧
how many do you want
你要几个
would you give me two please
请给我两个吧
this is the end of the tape and of money module unit three
production tape one