Standard Chinese, a modular approach.
Transportation module, Unit 1, Comprehension Tape 1.
This unit is set in the ROC.
On this tape, you'll learn to understand questions and answers
used in going somewhere on a bus.
Mr. and Mrs. King are at the home of their calligraphy instructor,
Mrs. Zhang, where they've just finished their first lesson.
From there, they're planning to go downtown and see a movie.
Listen.
What bus do you take to get to Ximending?
到 Ximending 去坐幾路車。
Here's the name of the downtown theater and shopping district.
西門町
Here's the word used for bus.
车
The word 车 is actually a short term
for any wheeled vehicle.
The bus number is given using the word 路,
which means road or route.
Here's how you ask,
what route number bus do you take?
坐幾路車
You'll remember that the verb 坐 is used for riding in a vehicle.
Literally, 坐 means to sit.
Notice that here, 坐 is a main verb.
Here's the whole exchange live.
到西門町 去坐幾路車。
Again
到西門町 去坐幾路車。
Check your comprehension.
到西門町 去坐幾路車。
What bus do you take to get to Ximending?
坐十八路
Take the number 18.
The conversation continues.
Are there many number 18 buses?
十八路車 多不多?
Here's the adjectival verb to be many.
多
The verb 多 often acts as a main verb in Chinese,
as in the sentence 車很多,
where the corresponding English sentence has a modifier.
There are many buses.
Listen to the whole exchange live.
十八路車 多不多?
不很多
Again
十八路車 多不多?
不很多
Check your comprehension.
十八路車 多不多?
Are there many number 18 buses?
不很多
Not very many.
Mr. King continues his questions.
How much time is there between buses?
每隔多少时后有一班车?
There's one every 20 minutes.
每隔二十分钟有一班
Here's the word for each or every.
美
Here's a verb meaning to separate or to divide off.
隔
The sequence 每隔
might be translated in each interval.
Here's how you say a bus in the sense of one regularly scheduled run of a bus.
一班车
And here's how you say one minute.
一分钟
In this expression, the word 中 means by or according to the clock.
Listen to the exchange live.
每隔多少时后有一班车?
每隔二十分钟有一班
Again
每隔多少时后有一班车?
每隔二十分钟有一班
Check your comprehension
每隔多少时后有一班车?
How much time is there between buses?
每隔二十分钟有一班
There's one every twenty minutes.
Now let's listen to a somewhat similar sentence.
I go to see a movie every Saturday.
我每个星期六都去看电影。
In this sentence, the word May acts as a specifier.
It is followed by a counter and goes with the noun 星期六.
In English, the word every is singular.
In Chinese, however, the corresponding word may is plural and may be followed by the adverb 都.
The combination of may and 都 can be translated as
in each and every case without exception.
I go to see a movie each and every Saturday without exception.
Here's the sentence live.
我每个星期六都去看电影。
Again
我每个星期六都去看电影。
Check your comprehension.
我每个星期六都去看电影。
I go to see a movie every Saturday.
Let's leave the kings for a moment now and listen to a conversation between Mrs. Williams
and her painting teacher.
Here it is live.
到中山北路去做二路车吗?
不是,做十路车。
每隔几分钟有一班?
每隔十五分钟有一班。
做十路车的人多不多?
晚上不多。
Again
到中山北路去做二路车吗?
不是,做十路车。
每隔几分钟有一班?
每隔十五分钟有一班。
做十路车的人多不多?
晚上不多。
Check your comprehension.
到中山北路去做二路车吗?
To get to Zhongshan North Road, do you take the number two bus?
不是,做十路车。
No, you take the number ten bus.
每隔几分钟有一班?
How many minutes is it between buses?
每隔十五分钟有一班。
There's a bus every fifteen minutes.
做十路车的人多不多?
Are there many people taking the number ten bus?
晚上不多。
Not in the evening.
Let's go back to Mr. King's conversation with his calligraphy teacher.
He has one more question to ask about the bus downtown.
What time is the last bus?
最后一班车是几点钟。
Eleven ten.
十一点十分。
Here's the word for most.
醉,醉。
And here's how you say last.
最后,最后。
Listen to the exchange live.
最后一班车是几点钟。
十一点十分。
Again,最后一班车是几点钟。
十一点十分。
Check your comprehension.
最后一班车是几点钟。
What time is the last bus?
十一点十分。
Eleven ten.
Now let's change the scene.
The kings are at the bus stop getting on what they think is the right bus.
Listen as Mrs. King checks it out.
Does this bus go to Ximending?
这班车是不是去西门丁?
Yes, get on.
是,上车吧。
In the sentence,这班车是不是去西门丁?
The destination follows the main verb 去 directly.
This form of giving the destination is as common as the form using the prepositional verb 到.
Notice also the use of the words 是不是 to mark the question as more emphatic.
Here's the verb to get on.
上,上。
Here's the exchange live.
这班车是不是去西门丁?
是,上车吧。
Again,这班车是不是去西门丁?
是,上车吧。
Check your comprehension.
这班车是不是去西门丁?
Does this bus go to Ximending?
是,上车吧。
Yes, get on.
On the bus, Mr. King now talks to the ticket collector.
When we arrive at Ximending, please tell me.
到西门丁的时候请告诉我。
Here's how you say, when we arrive at Ximending, 到西门丁的时候。
To say when in Chinese, you add the elements 到西门丁的时候 to a sentence describing a situation.
Here's the word for to tell. 告诉。
Listen to the whole exchange live.
到西门丁的时候请告诉我。
Again,到西门丁的时候请告诉我。
Check your comprehension.
到西门丁的时候请告诉我。
When we arrive at Ximending, please tell me.
好。
Ok.
Mr. King might have made his request a little differently.
Listen to another version live.
请你告诉我。
到西门丁在哪里下车?
到西门丁的时候我告诉你。
Again,请你告诉我。
到西门丁在哪里下车?
到西门丁的时候我告诉你。
Check your comprehension.
请你告诉我。
到西门丁在哪里下车?
Please tell me.
Where do I get off the bus for Ximending?
到西门丁的时候我告诉你。
When we get to Ximending, I'll tell you.
After the kings have been riding for ten minutes or so,
Mr. King begins to get anxious about how far away their stop is.
Listen as he talks to the ticket collector one more time.
How many more stops are there to Ximending?
还有几站到西门丁?
The next stop is Ximending.
下一站就是西门丁。
Here's the word for a stop.
站
And here's the specifier next.
下
You may remember it from the expressions 下个星期
next week and 下个月
next month.
Notice that the word 站 like the words 天 and 年 is used without a counter.
Here's the exchange live.
还有几站到西门丁?
下一站就是西门丁。
Again
还有几站到西门丁?
下一站就是西门丁。
Check your comprehension.
还有几站到西门丁?
How many more stops are there to 西门丁?
下一站就是西门丁。
The next stop is Ximending.
Here are three connected conversations reviewing the material introduced on this tape.
Mr. Gilbert is at a bus stop talking to a woman who's waiting there.
Listen to the conversations live.
请问去西门丁坐几路车?
六路、十路、十八路都去。
哪一路车最多?
十路车最多。
每隔十分钟就有一班。
你知道不知道最后一班车是什么时候?
不知道。
到西门丁去的十路车是不是在这里上车?
不是,到西门丁去的十路车在对面车站上车。
Mr. Gilbert has crossed the street and is checking his information with a woman waiting for a bus there.
请问您,到西门丁去是不是在这里上车?
是,车来了,上车吧。
好,好,谢谢你。
你到哪里去啊?
我也到西门丁去。
那好,我不知道在哪里下车。
到西门丁的时候,请您告诉我。
好。
15 minutes have now passed since Mr. Gilbert got on the bus。
下一站就是西门丁,我们在那里下车。
Again。
请问,去西门丁坐几路车?
六路、十路、十八路都去。
哪路车最多?
十路车最多。
每隔十分钟就有一班。
你知道不知道最后一班车是什么时候?
不知道。
到西门丁去的十路车是不是在这里上车?
不是,到西门丁去的十路车在对面车站上车。
Mr. Gilbert has crossed the street and is checking his information with a woman waiting for a bus there.
请问您,到西门丁去,是不是在这里上车?
是,车来了,上车吧。
好,好,谢谢你。
你到哪里去啊?
我也到西门丁去。
那好,我不知道在哪里下车。
到西门丁的时候,请您告诉我。
好。
fifteen minutes have now passed since Mr. Gilbert got on the bus。
下一站就是西门丁,我们在那里下车。
see if you understood what was said。
请问,去西门丁坐几路车?
May I ask, what bus do you take to西门丁?
六路,十路,十八路都去。
the number six, the number ten, and the number eighteen all go。
哪路车最多?
which bus is the most frequent?
十路车最多。
the number ten bus is the most frequent。
每隔十分钟就有一班。
there's one every ten minutes。
你知道不知道最后一班车是什么时候?
do you know when the last bus is?
不知道,no。
到西门丁去的十路车,是不是在这里上车?
is it here that I get on for the number ten bus to西门丁?
不是,no。
到西门丁去的十路车,在对面车站上车。
you get on for the number ten bus to西门丁 at the bus stop across from us.
Mr. Gilbert has crossed the street and is checking his information with a woman waiting for the bus there.
请问您,到西门丁去,是不是在这里上车?
May I ask, is this where you get on the bus for西门丁?
是。
车来了,上车吧。
yes it is.
here's the bus, let's get on.
好,好,谢谢你。
good, good, thank you.
您到哪里去啊?
and where are you going?
我也到西门丁去。
I'm going to西门丁 too.
那好,我不知道在哪里下车。
that's good, I don't know where to get off.
到西门丁的时候,请您告诉我。
please tell me when we get to西门丁。
好。
alright.
fifteen minutes have now passed since Mr. Gilbert got on the bus.
下一站就是西门丁,我们在那里下车。
the next stop is西门丁,we get off there.
for a final review,see if you can translate the following sentences and exchanges from the target list.
number one.
最后一班车是几点钟?
what time is the last bus?
number two.
十八路车多不多?
are there many number eighteen buses?
不很多。
not very many.
number three.
每隔几分钟有一班车。
how many minutes is it between buses?
number four.
到西门丁去坐几路车。
what bus do you take to go to西门丁?
number five.
我是不是在这里下车?
is it here that I get off?
不是,下一站。
no, the next stop.
number six.
到西门丁的时候请告诉我。
when we get to西门丁,please tell me.
number seven.
这班车是不是去西门丁?
does this bus go to西门丁?
是,上车吧。
yes, get on.
number eight.
我每个星期六都去看电影。
I go to see a movie every Saturday.
If you think you're ready, go on to the P1 tape.
This is the end of the tape.
end of transportation module unit one comprehension tape one.