Standard Chinese, A Modular Approach, Transportation Module Unit 5, Production Tape 1.
On the comprehension tape in this unit, you learn to understand a number of sentences about taking the train.
If you feel that you might be rusty on the meaning of these sentences, go back to the end of the C1 tape and review the target list sentences.
If you feel that you understand them all, you should begin learning how to say them.
Listen to this first exchange.
Mr. Anderson, a Foreign Service Officer from Peking, is visiting in Shanghai.
He will soon be leaving Shanghai and would like to arrange a short trip to some place else.
我也想到南京去看看.
Repeat the word for Nanking.
南京.
Repeat.
I would also like to go see Nanking.
我也想到南京去看看.
You've learned that the verb 看看 means to have a look.
Here it means to have a look around, in other words, to sightsee.
Repeat again.
I would also like to go see Nanking.
我也想到南京去看看.
Try saying it ahead of the speaker.
I would also like to go see Nanking.
我也想到南京去看看.
Again.
我也想到南京去看看.
The conversation between Mr. Anderson and his guide continues.
你计划哪天去?
明天或是后天去都可以.
Let's take a look at the question first.
Repeat the verb to plan.
计划.
Repeat.
What day do you plan to go?
你计划哪天去?
You can figure out where to put the question word 哪天
in this sentence if you think about where the answer might be.
A time word like 明天 pre-seize the verb it modifies, in this case 去.
and therefore, so does the question word 哪天.
How do you say?
What day do you plan to go?
你计划哪天去?
Try asking the question again.
This time you get a reply.
What day do you plan to go?
你计划哪天去?
明天或是后天去都可以.
Again.
你计划哪天去?
明天或是后天去都可以.
Now repeat another word for 或.
或是.
This word for 或,或是, is different from the word 还是, which is also translated 或.
In English, the one word 或 can be used to mean two different things.
First, it can be used to offer two alternatives, only one of which can be chosen,
as in, are you working or playing?
You can't be doing both.
Secondly, there is the 或 which joins two things as in,
I'm going to day or tomorrow,
meaning that I'm going sometime at the next 48 hours.
The word 或是 is used in this last way.
Repeat, I can go tomorrow or the day after.
明天或是后天去都可以.
Another way to explain the difference between 还是和或是 is that 还是 is used in questions while 或是 is used mostly in statements.
Repeat the question, are you going tomorrow or the day after.
你明天去还是后天去?
Now repeat the answer.
明天或是后天去都可以.
Notice the change from 还是和或是 in the question and answer.
Now try answering the question, what day do you plan to go?
Say that you can go tomorrow or the day after.
你计划哪天去?
明天或是后天去都可以.
Again,你计划哪天去?
明天或是后天去都可以.
Now here's a question you might want to ask if you were taking this trip.
上海离南京有多远?
有250多公里.
Repeat the phrase, how far?
有多远?
Notice that when you're asking how far, you're actually asking something like, has how much distance?
Repeat the question, how far is Shanghai from Nanking?
上海离南京有多远?
Since you're talking about one place apart from another place, the propositional verb to use is 离, not a combination of 从 and 到.
How do you say, how far is Shanghai from Nanking?
上海离南京有多远?
Ask the question again, this time you'll get a reply.
上海离南京有多远?
有250多公里.
Again.
上海离南京有多远?
有250多公里.
Repeat the word for kilometer.
公里,公里.
Now repeat over 250.
250多.
Repeat over 250 kilometers.
250多公里.
Notice that the word 公里, kilometer, is used without a counter.
Repeat it's over 250 kilometers.
有250多公里.
It's over 250 kilometers.
上海离南京有多远?
有250多公里.
Again.
上海离南京有多远?
有250多公里.
Here's another question you might want to ask.
火车要走多少时候?
大概要走四个半小时.
Repeat how long does it take?
要多少时候?
You've learned that the verb 要 means to want.
It can also mean to need.
I want to ask how long something takes in Chinese, you really ask how long it needs.
Repeat how long does it take to go by train?
坐火车要走多少时候?
Try saying the question ahead of the speaker.
How long does it take to go by train?
坐火车要走多少时候?
Ask the question again, this time you'll get a reply.
坐火车要走多少时候?
大概要走四个半小时.
Again.
坐火车要走多少时候?
大概要走四个半小时.
Now let's take a look at the answer.
Repeat the word for probably.
大概.
Now repeat the word for hour.
小时.
Repeat four hours.
四个小时.
Repeat the word for half.
半.
Repeat four and a half hours.
四个半小时.
When you talk about numbers ending in and a half, the word for half,半, comes after the number and the counter.
How would you say two and a half hours?
两个半小时.
How would you say one and a half hours?
一个半小时.
Now listen to how you would say half an hour.
半个小时.
Notice that in this phrase, half an hour, the word 半 does come before the counter.
Repeat half an hour.
半个小时.
Repeat it takes half an hour.
要走半个小时.
Repeat it takes four and a half hours.
要走四个半小时.
Repeat it probably takes four and a half hours.
大概要走四个半小时.
Try answering the question yourself now.
It probably takes four and a half hours.
坐火车要走多少时候?
大概要走四个半小时.
Again.
坐火车要走多少时候?
大概要走四个半小时.
Now the guide has a question for the American.
Listen.
你计划在南京住几天?
这是我第一次到南京去.
以前没去过.
你说两天够不够?
两天够了.
Let's look at the first part of the reply.
Repeat one time.
一次.
Repeat the first time.
第一次.
Repeat.
This will be the first time that I've gone to Nanking.
这是我第一次到南京去.
Notice that the word for first time.
第一次.
Acts like an adverb.
It comes before the prepositional verb and the main verb.
How do you say this will be the first time that I've gone to Nanking?
这是我第一次到南京去.
Now repeat.
I haven't gone there before.
以前没去过.
I don't remember, the marker 过 means to have had the experience of.
How do you say I haven't gone there before?
以前没去过.
Up until now you've seen the word以前 before with a clause in front of it as in
去看朋友以前, Before I go to visit a friend.
Now you see it can be used alone.
When used alone, it simply means in the past.
Repeat both sentences now.
This will be the first time that I've gone to Nanking.
I haven't gone there before.
这是我第一次到南京去,以前没去过。
你说两天够不够?
两天够了。
repeat the adjective verb to be enough.
够
repeat are two days enough?
两天够不够?
repeat
你说两天够不够?
你计划在南京住几天?
这是我第一次到南京去。
以前没去过。
你说两天够不够?
两天够了。
repeat
两天够了。
你用这个字来解释新的情况。
这个字的计划已经准备好了。
你怎么说两天够不够?
两天够了。
你说两天够不够?
两天够了。
你说两天够不够?
两天够了。
每天有几趟车?
下午有没有车?
我希望下午离开这儿。
repeat the verb to hope
希望
repeat the verb to leave or depart
离开
repeat
I hope to leave here in the afternoon
我希望下午离开这儿。
take a look at the word order in this sentence.
it starts off with 我希望
I hope
which like the phrase 你说
or 你知道
can be followed by a full sentence.
then in the sentence which follows
you have a time word 下午
the verb 离开
and the place word object 这儿
how to say
I hope to leave here in the afternoon.
我希望下午离开这儿。
now repeat the question
how many trains are there each day?
每天有几趟车?
repeat are there trains in the afternoon?
下午有没有车?
how to say
how many trains are there each day?
每天有几趟车?
how to say
are there trains in the afternoon?
下午有没有车?
and how do you say
I hope to leave here in the afternoon?
我希望下午离开这儿。
listen to the guide's reply
13.05分有一趟特快
you learn that 0 0
can be a slot filler in money expressions
it can also fill a slot in time expressions as well
repeat 105
1.05分
now repeat 105
as it said on the 24 hour clock
that is 1305
13.05分
repeat the word for express train
特快
repeat there's an express at 1305
13.05分有一趟特快
the time phrase as you might expect comes before the verb
try saying it ahead of the speaker
there's an express at 1305
13.05分有一趟特快
try responding to the question yourself now
there's an express at 1305
每天有几趟车?
下午有没有车?
我希望下午离开这儿
13.05分有一趟特快
again
每天有几趟车?
下午有没有车?
我希望下午离开这儿
13.05分有一趟特快
now let's review what we've covered on this tape
put the following sentences from the target list into Chinese
1. I would also like to see Nanking
我也想到南京去看看
what day do you plan to go?
你计划哪天去?
tomorrow or the day after are both possible
明天或是后天都可以
2. How far is Shanghai from Nanking?
上海离南京有多远?
it's over 250 kilometers
有250多公里
3. How long does it take to go by train?
坐火车要走多少时候?
it probably takes four and a half hours
大概要走四个半小时
4. How long do you plan to stay in Nanking?
你计划在南京住几天
this will be the first time that I've gone to Nanking
I haven't gone there before
这是我第一次到南京去
以前没去过
would you say two days are enough?
你说两天够不够?
two days are enough
两天够了
5. I hope to leave here in the afternoon
我希望下午离开这儿
there's an express at 1305
13.05分有一趟特快
this is the end of the tape