Standard Chinese, A Modular Approach
Money Module, Unit 6, Comprehension Tape 1
This unit is set in the ROC
On this tape, you'll learn how to understand more questions and answers about changing money
as well as questions and answers about opening and closing times.
Mr. Perez is stopping in the town of Xindru
on his way to study Chinese in Taichung.
He tries to change some money in his small, traditional style hotel.
Listen, may I ask, can you ask currency to be changed here?
请问,你们这里可以换美金吗?
I'm sorry, that's not possible.
对不起,不可以。
Here's the auxiliary verb, may.
可以,可以。
Although the basic meaning of可以 is that something is permitted or possible,
you'll often find that can will be a better English translation.
You'll remember that你们这里 is really a place phrase,
meaning something like your place,
so that a more literal translation of the question would be,
as for your place, may one change American currency?
Listen to the exchange live.
请问,你们这里可以换美金吗?
对不起,不可以。
Again.
请问,你们这里可以换美金吗?
对不起,不可以。
Check your comprehension.
请问,你们这里可以换美金吗?
May I ask, can US currency be changed here?
对不起,不可以。
I'm sorry, that's not possible.
The conversation continues.
Listen, how about traveler's checks?
旅行支票呢?
That's not possible either.
You have to change them at the Bank of Taiwan.
也不可以,你得在台湾银行换。
Here's the auxiliary verb must or have to.
得
Listen to the exchange live.
旅行支票呢?
也不可以,你得在台湾银行换。
Again.
旅行支票呢?
也不可以,你得在台湾银行换。
Check your comprehension.
旅行支票呢?
How about traveler's checks?
也不可以,你得在台湾银行换。
That's not possible either.
You have to change them at the Bank of Taiwan.
The conversation continues.
Listen, when does the bank open?
银行什么时候开门?
It opens at nine o'clock.
九点钟开门。
Here's the phrase used to refer to the start of business.
Literally, to open the doors.
开门。
The verb 开, of course, is to open, and 门 is door.
Here's the counter referring to hours on the clock.
点。点。
And here's the word for clock.
钟。
Nine o'clock is 九点钟。
You may think of 钟 as being o'clock.
Sometimes, 钟 is left off.
九点。
Just as we sometimes leave off o'clock, as in, it's nine.
Listen to the exchange live.
银行什么时候开门?
九点钟开门。
Again.
银行什么时候开门?
九点钟开门。
Check your comprehension.
银行什么时候开门?
When does the bank open?
九点钟开门。
It opens at nine o'clock.
The conversation continues.
Listen.
What time does it close?
几点钟关门。
It closes at three o'clock.
三点钟关门。
Here's the phrase referring to the close of business, literally, to close the doors.
关门。
The phrase 关门 can also refer to going out of business altogether.
In this conversation, of course, the context makes it clear that you're referring to a closing time.
Listen to the exchange live.
几点钟关门。
Again.
几点钟关门。
Check your comprehension.
几点钟关门。
What time does it close?
三点钟关门。
It closes at three o'clock.
The conversation continues.
Listen.
What time is it now?
I can still change money, I suppose.
现在几点钟还可以换吧。
It's half past two now.
You can still change money.
现在两点半还可以换。
Notice that the marker 吧 is here added to a question.
还可以换吧。
I can still change money, I suppose.
The marker 吧 is added to a question when you're pretty sure the answer is going to be yes.
This suggestive quality of 吧 is translated here by the expression I suppose.
Here's the word for half.
半。
half past two is 两点半。
Although in English we seldom say half past two o'clock,
in Chinese you may hear 两点半钟,
since any clock time expression may end with 钟。
Listen to the exchange live.
现在几点钟还可以换吧。
现在两点半还可以换。
Again.
现在几点钟还可以换吧。
现在两点半还可以换。
Check your comprehension.
现在几点钟还可以换吧。
What time is it now?
I can still change money, I suppose.
现在两点半还可以换。
It's half past two now.
You can still change money.
Now let's back up and have Mr. Perez approach the clerk for the first time again
for a similar conversation live.
麻烦你。
我得换点美金。
在哪里可以换?
在台湾银行可以换。
请问台湾银行在哪里?
您看这张地图就在这里。
现在银行还开门吧。
哎呦,现在三点半了。
银行三点钟关门。
现在已经关了。
明天几点钟开门?
九点。
好,我明天换吧。
谢谢。
不客气。
Again.
麻烦你。
我得换点美金,在哪里可以换?
在台湾银行可以换。
请问台湾银行在哪里?
您看这张地图就在这里。
现在银行还开门吧。
哎呦,现在三点半了。
银行三点钟关门。
现在已经关门了。
明天几点钟开门?
九点。
我明天换吧。
谢谢。
不客气。
Check your comprehension.
麻烦你。
我得换点美金。
Sorry to bother you.
I have to change some American money.
在哪里可以换?
Where can I change it?
在台湾银行可以换。
You can change it at the Bank of Taiwan.
请问台湾银行在哪里?
May I ask, where is the Bank of Taiwan?
您看这张地图就在这里。
Look at this map.
It's right here.
现在银行还开门吧。
The bank is still open now, I suppose.
哎呦,现在三点半了。
Oh dear, it's half past three now.
银行三点钟关门。
The bank closes at three o'clock.
现在已经关了。
It's already closed now.
明天几点钟开门?
What time does it open tomorrow?
九点。
Nine.
好,我明天换吧。
谢谢。
好,我明天换吧。
谢谢。
不客气。
您欢迎。
The next day, Mr. Perez is at the bank.
听说,我想换一些钱去台币。
Here's a hundred dollars U.S. in traveler's checks.
我要换一点台币。
这是一百块美金的旅行支票。
我要换一点台币。
这是一百块美金的旅行支票。
Certainly, one U.S. dollar is 38 dollars台币。
好,一块美金换38块台币。
Here's the word for Taiwan currency.
台币。
Let's compare the sentence,我要换一点台币。
With a very similar sentence,我要换一点美金。
The sentence,我要换一点美金 can mean,
I want to change some American currency,
in which what follows the verb 换 is the currency to be changed.
But in the new sentence from the exchange,我要换一点台币。
What follows the verb 换 is the currency to be changed into.
Literally, it means something like,
I want to change some foreign currency into Taiwan currency.
Notice that in the two phrases 换美金 and 换台币,
there is no clue as to the direction of the transaction.
It's only the situation which tells us that both refer to changing US currency
into Taiwan currency rather than the reverse.
If this seems unlikely, think of our own verb to rent.
The sentence, he rented the room,
maybe referring either to the landlord or to the tenant,
although in context it should be clear which.
Listen to the exchange live.
我要换一点台币。
这是一百块美金的旅行支票。
好,一块美金换三十八块台币。
Again,我要换一点台币。
这是一百块美金的旅行支票。
好,一块美金换三十八块台币。
Check your comprehension.
我要换一点台币。
这是一百块美金的旅行支票。
I want to change some money into 台币。
Here's a hundred dollars US in traveler's checks.
好,一块美金换三十八块台币。
Certainly, one US dollar is 38 dollars台币。
The conversation continues. Listen.
Here are five twenty dollar traveler's checks.
这是五张二十块的旅行支票。
Please wait a moment. I'll be right back.
请您等一等,我就来。
Here's the verb to wait.
等,等。
We've talked about the reduplication of verbs in Chinese.
Besides simple reduplication, such as in 看看,
there is reduplication with the number one inserted as in 看一看.
Both forms of reduplication have the same effect on the meaning,
making the verb more tentative.
We may translate 等一等 as wait a moment,
rather than just wait, to try to capture the softening.
After asking Mr. Perez to wait, the teller turns to go to the desk behind the counter,
saying 我就来,I'll be right back.
In this context, the verb lie is understood to mean come back,
and the adverb 舊,which we have again translated right,
means immediately. Listen to the exchange live.
这是五张二十块的旅行支票。
请您等一等,我就来。
Again,这是五张二十块的旅行支票。
请您等一等,我就来。
Check your comprehension.
这是五张二十块的旅行支票。
Here are five twenty dollar travelers checks.
请您等一等,我就来。
Please wait a moment. I'll be right back.
After the teller completes the paperwork,
she hands Mr. Perez three thousand eight hundred dollars Tai B in hundred dollar bills.
Now listen as the conversation continues.
I want some small bills.
我要点小票子。我要点小票子。
Please change this hundred dollar bill for me. Would that be all right?
这张一百块的,请你给我换换,行不行?
All right. I'll give you nine tens and two fives.
行,给您九张十块的,两张五块的。
Here's the word for bill in the sense of paper money.
票子。票子。
And here's a verb which means to be all right.
行,行。
Listen to the exchange live.
我要点小票子。
这张一百块的,请你给我换换,行不行?
行,给您九张十块的,两张五块的。
Again.
我要点小票子。这张一百块的,请你给我换换,行不行?
行,给您九张十块的,两张五块的。
Check your comprehension.
我要点小票子。
I want some small bills.
这张一百块的,请你给我换换,行不行?
Please change this hundred dollar bill for me. Would that be all right?
行,给您九张十块的,两张五块的。
I'll give you nine tens and two fives.
两张五块的。
All right. I'll give you nine tens and two fives.
The conversation concludes. Listen.
Sorry to have bothered you.
麻烦你了,麻烦你了。
It's nothing.
没什么,没什么。
I don't want anything else.
So,没什么,means literally, there isn't anything.
That is, presumably, what I did wasn't anything calling for your making such a polite remark.
Listen to the exchange live.
麻烦你了,没什么。
Again.
麻烦你了,没什么。
Check your comprehension.
麻烦你了。
Sorry to have bothered you,没什么。
It's nothing.
Now listen to someone else getting change live.
我要点小票子,对不起,麻烦你。
请给我点小票子,行不行?
行,这是十张十块的。Again.
我要点小票子,对不起,麻烦你。
请给我点小票子,行不行?
行,这是十张十块的。Check your comprehension.
我要点小票子。
I want some small bills.
对不起,麻烦你。
Excuse me, sorry to bother you.
请你给我点小票子,行不行?
Please give me some small bills.
Would that be all right?
这是十张十块的。
All right, here's ten tens.
Here's a live dialogue reviewing what you've covered on this tape.
A couple of days later, Mr. Perez is at the front desk of his hotel.
Listen.
我得换点台币,星期六可以换吗?
可以,银行九点钟开门,现在九点半,银行已经开门了。
今天几点钟关门?
今天十二点钟关门。
好,谢谢你。
没什么。Again.
我得换点台币,星期六可以换吗?
可以,银行九点钟开门,现在九点半,银行已经开门了。
今天几点钟关门?
今天十二点钟关门。
好,谢谢你。
没什么。
Check your comprehension.
我得换点台币。
星期六可以换吗?
可以,银行九点钟开门。
Yes, you can. The bank opens at nine o'clock.
现在九点半。
It's half past nine now.
银行已经开门了。
The bank has already opened.
今天几点钟关门?
What time does it close today?
今天十二点钟关门。
Today it closes at twelve.
好,谢谢你。
OK, thank you. 没什么。
It's nothing.
Now try translating the sentences of the target list.
Number one. 我要换台币。
I'd like to change some money into 台币。
Number two. 请给我点小票子,行不行?
Please give me some small bills. Would that be all right?
Number three. 你们这里可以换美金吗?
Can I change you as currency here?
Number four. 银行几点钟开门?
几点钟关门?
What time does the bank open and what time does it close?
Number five. 一块美金换三十八块台币。
One dollar US is 38 dollars台币。
Number six. 没什么。
It's nothing. 没什么。
Number seven. 您得在台湾银行换。
You have to change it at the bank of Taiwan. 您得在台湾银行换。
Number eight. 九点钟开门?
三点钟关门?
It opens at nine o'clock and closes at three o'clock.
Number nine. 请您等一等。我就来。
Please wait a moment. I'll be right back. 请您等一等。我就来。
Number ten. 现在两点半。
It's half past two now. 现在两点半。
If you feel you're ready, go on to the P1 tape. 如果你感觉你准备好了,去到P1 tape.
This is the end of the tape. 这就是台湾银行换。
End of money six, C1. 这就是台湾银行换。