Standard Chinese, a modular approach, transportation module unit 1, production tape 1.
On the comprehension tape in this unit, you learn to understand a number of questions and answers you will use to go to different places.
If you feel that you might not know the meanings of those 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.
The situations on this tape are set in Taiwan.
到西門町去坐幾路車?
坐十八路.
Repeat the name for downtown area in Taipei.
西門町.
西門町.
Repeat to go to西門町.
到西門町去.
到西門町去.
Now repeat the word for bus, which is also the word for any wheeled vehicle.
車.
車.
Repeat.
Take what bus?
坐幾路車.
坐幾路車.
You'll remember that the prepositional verb 坐 means to ride or to take.
You saw it used with elevators.
Here it's used with buses.
Repeat again.
Take what bus?
坐幾路車.
坐幾路車.
The question word 幾路.
Translated here as what, is made up of 幾, how many, and 路, root.
Literally, what number root?
Repeat the whole question now.
What bus do you take to get to 西門町?
到西門町去 坐幾路車.
到西門町去 坐幾路車.
Try asking the question yourself now.
You'll get a reply.
What bus do you take to get to 西門町?
到西門町去 坐幾路車.
坐十八路.
Again.
到西門町去 坐幾路車.
坐十八路.
Here's another question you might want to ask about buses.
十八路車多不多?
不很多.
Repeat the adjectival verb to be many.
多.
多.
Repeat number eighteen bus.
十八路車.
十八路車.
Now repeat.
Are there many number eighteen buses?
十八路車多不多?
十八路車多不多?
Try asking the question yourself now.
You'll get a reply.
Are there many number eighteen buses?
十八路車多不多?
不很多.
Again.
十八路車多不多?
不很多.
Another useful question for taking the bus is in this next exchange.
Listen.
每隔多少時候有一班車?
每隔二十分鐘有一班.
Repeat the counter for one of a regularly scheduled vehicle such as one bus.
一班車.
Repeat the adverb each or every.
每.
每.
Repeat the word which means to divide or a division.
隔.
隔.
Now repeat each interval or each division.
每隔.
每隔.
This phrase is used to ask about regularly scheduled things.
Repeat how often or how much time in between.
每隔多少时候?
每隔多少时候?
As you can see, the English translation how often is not very close to the Chinese 每隔多少时候?
If you want a more literal translation, you could think of it as meaning in each division of how much time.
Or you might simply want to memorize the whole phrases meaning how often.
Either way, the whole phrase is the topic for the rest of the sentence.
有一班車.
Repeat the sentence.How much time is there between buses?
每隔多少时候?有一班車.
每隔多少时候?有一班車.
Try saying it ahead of the speaker.
How much time is there in between buses?
每隔多少时候?有一班車.
Try asking the question yourself now, you'll get a reply.
How much time is there in between buses?
每隔多少时候?有一班車.
每隔二十分钟?有一班.
Again.
每隔多少时候?有一班车.
每隔二十分钟?有一班车.
Now let's take a look at the answer.
Repeat the word for a minute.
分.
Repeat 20 minutes.
二十分钟.
二十分钟.
So far you've seen the word 钟 used in expressions telling what time it is as in 一点钟,one o'clock.
It's also used in expressions telling amounts of time to the minute, as in 二十分钟,which simply means 20 minutes.
How do you say 20 minutes?
二十分钟.
Repeat, every 20 minutes there's one.
每隔二十分钟?有一班.
每隔二十分钟?有一班.
每隔多少时候?有一班车.
每隔二十分钟?有一班.
Again.
每隔多少时候?有一班车.
每隔二十分钟?有一班.
Now here's another sentence using 梅.Listen.
我每个星期六都去看电影.
When 梅 is not used before a verb as in 每个,it's a bound word.
And like other bound words you've seen such as 几,how many,it attaches itself to a counter or noun which follows it.Repeat every Saturday.
每个星期六.
每个星期六.
The syllable 个 here is the counter 个 for things,not the verb 个 to divide.Repeat, I go to see a movie every Saturday.
我每个星期六都去看电影.
我每个星期六都去看电影.
Notice that the word 都 all is used here.This is because the phrase with 梅 is plural,talking about a number of Saturdays.
The word 都 all then follows reinforcing the idea of every.Repeat again.
I go to see a movie every Saturday.
我每个星期六都去看电影.
我每个星期六都去看电影.
Try saying it have the speaker now.
我每个星期六都去看电影.
Again.
我每个星期六都去看电影.
Let's review a bit. Put the following into Chinese.
What bus do you take to get to Ximending?
到 Ximending去坐几路车.
Are there many number 18 buses?
是八路车多不多?
How much time is there in between buses?
每个多少时候有一班车?
I go to movies every Saturday.
我每个星期六都去看电影.
And here's another question.
最后一班车是几点钟?
是一点十分.Repeat the word for latest or last.
最后.最后.
The word 最后 contains a syllable 最 meaning most and the syllable 后 meaning later or after as in 以后.
The word for most 最后 can be used to modify many words.
For instance, repeat largest or most large.
最大.最大.
And what would best be?
最好.
And how would you say most or most numerous?
最多.
Now repeat the last bus.
最后一班车.
最后一班车.
Repeat what time is the last bus or more literally the last bus is at what time?
最后一班车是几点钟?
最后一班车是几点钟?
Try saying it ahead of the speaker. What time is the last bus?
最后一班车是几点钟?
Ask the question yourself now, you'll get a reply.
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.
When the bus arrives, you might want to ask this question.
这班车是不是去西门丁?
是,上车吧.
Up until now, when you wanted to say go to西门丁, you would have said 到西门丁去
using the propositional verb 到 and the full verb 去.
Here you see another way to say go to some place with the full verb 去 before the destination.
Go to西门丁.
去西门丁.
去西门丁.
Repeat, does this bus go to西门丁?
这班车是不是去西门丁?
这班车是不是去西门丁?
Notice that the verb 去 is used to form the question. The verb 去 can often be added before the main verb for emphasis.
It focuses on what follows it. How do you say, does this bus go to西门丁?
这班车是不是去西门丁?
Ask the question again. This time you'll get a reply. Does this bus go to西门丁?
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.
Now let's take a look at the answer. Repeat the verb 上.
上.
Repeat, yes, get on.
是,上车吧.
是,上车吧.
As you remember, the marker by is used to indicate a command or suggestion. How do you say yes, get on.
是,上车吧.
The opposite of the verb 上 to get on or to go up is the verb 下 to get off or to go down. Repeat, I'm getting off the bus.
下车.
This is the expression you use when you're trying to get off the bus. It's especially useful when the bus is crowded and there are people in your way.
It's equivalent to our out please. How do you say out please?
下车.
Once on the bus, you might ask the ticket taker this.
到西门丁的时候,请告诉我.
好.Repeat the verb to tell.
告诉.
告诉.
Repeat, please tell me.
请告诉我.
请告诉我.
Repeat, when we get to 西门丁.
到西门丁的时候.
到西门丁的时候.
Notice that in the English, the word when comes at the beginning of the phrase, when we get to 西门丁.
But in Chinese, the words 的时候 come at the end of the phrase. Repeat again, when we get to 西门丁.
到西门丁的时候.
到西门丁的时候.
You'll notice that the word order here with 的时候 is the same as sentences with 以前 and 以后.
How do you say when we get to 西门丁?
到西门丁的时候.
Now repeat, when we get to 西门丁, please tell me.
到西门丁的时候,请告诉我.
到西门丁的时候,请告诉我.
Try saying it yourself, you'll get a reply. When we get to 西门丁, please tell me.
到西门丁的时候,请告诉我.
好,again.
到西门丁的时候,请告诉我.
好,let's practice some sentences with when, put the following into Chinese. When we get to 西门丁, please tell me.
到西门丁的时候,请告诉我.
When Mali comes, please tell me.
Mali来的时候,请告诉我.
When I was in Hong Kong, I went to see movies every day.
我在香港的时候,每天去看电影.
When I was in Taipei, I went to buy things every day.
我在台北的时候,每天去买东西.
You may want to rewind the tape and try those sentences again.
Now here's another question you might like to ask on the bus.
还有几站到西门丁?
下一站就是西门丁.
Repeat the word for a bus stop.
站
Repeat how many stops?
几站
The word 站 is a noun which doesn't need to take counters.
Repeat how many more stops are there to 西门丁?
还有几站到西门丁?
还有几站到西门丁?
For asking the question yourself, how many more stops are there to 西门丁?
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?
Now let's take a look at the answer.
Repeat the word for next.
下
Repeat the next stop.
下一站
Repeat the next stop is 西门丁.
下一站就是西门丁.
下一站就是西门丁.
Try answering the question yourself now.
The next stop is 西门丁.
还有几站到西门丁?
下一站就是西门丁.
Again
下一站就是西门丁.
下一站就是西门丁.
Now let's review what we've covered on this tape.
Put the following into Chinese.
Number one.
What bus do you take to get to 西门丁?
到西门丁去坐几路车.
What bus do you take to get to 西门丁?
坐十八路.
Are there many number 18 buses?
十八路车多不多?
Not very many.
不很多.
Number two.
How often is there a bus?
每隔多少时候有一班车?
Every 20 minutes there's one.
每隔二十分钟有一班.
Number three.
What time is the last bus?
最后一班车是几点钟?
11.10.
十一点十分.
Number four.
Does this bus go to 西门丁?
这班车是不是去西门丁?
Yes, get on.
是,上车吧.
How many more stops are there to 西门丁?
还有几站到西门丁?
The next stop is 西门丁.
下一站就是西门丁.
This is the end of the tape.
Transportation Unit 1, Production Tape 1.