Standard Chinese, a modular approach.
Meeting module, Unit 8, Comprehension Tape 1.
The situations on this tape are set in the PRC.
On this tape, you'll learn to understand questions and answers
used in politely declining invitations.
The following conversation involves turning down a formal invitation.
Listen.
Hello, this is the protocol department.
Why?
这是李斌斯.
Why?
这是李斌斯.
Hello, this is Ambassador Leiden Secretary.
喂,我是来登大使的秘书.
喂,我是来登大使的秘书.
Here's the name of the protocol department.
李斌斯.
Here's how you say Ambassador Leiden.
来登大使.
And here's the word for secretary.
秘书.
Listen to the exchange live.
Why?这是李斌斯.
喂,我是来登大使的秘书.
Again.
Why?这是李斌斯.
喂,我是来登大使的秘书.
Check your comprehension.
Why?这是李斌斯.
Hello, this is the protocol department.
喂,我是来登大使的秘书.
Hello, this is Ambassador Leiden Secretary.
The conversation continues.
The ambassador received your invitation.
大使接着你们的琴帖了.
Here's the verb used for receiving a letter
or a phone call.
接,接.
You'll remember that the element着,
as in 买不着 refers to success
in obtaining something.
In this case, success in obtaining invitation.
Here's the word for invitation.
琴帖,琴帖.
Here's the sentence live.
大使接着你们的琴帖了.
Again.
大使接着你们的琴帖了.
Check your comprehension.
大使接着你们的琴帖了.
The ambassador received your invitation.
The conversation continues.
Unfortunately, because he has a previous engagement,
they can't come August 9th.
很可惜,因为他有事,8月9号不能来.
很可惜,因为他有事,8月9号不能来.
Please inform Mr. Qiao.
请你转告乔部长.
I'm very sorry.
很抱歉,很抱歉.
Here's how you say unfortunately or what a pity.
可惜,可惜.
Here's the verb for to inform or to pass on a message.
转告,转告.
Here's the title for the head of a ministry.
部长,部长.
And here's the adjectival verb used in apologies to mean
to be sorry for not fulfilling one's own social responsibilities.
抱歉,抱歉.
Listen to the remarks live.
很可惜,因为他有事,8月9号不能来.
请你转告乔部长,很抱歉.
Again.
很可惜,因为他有事,8月9号不能来.
请你转告乔部长,很抱歉.
Check your comprehension.
很可惜,因为他有事,8月9号不能来.
Unfortunately, because he has a previous engagement,
he can't come August 9th.
请你转告乔部长.
Please inform Minister Qiao.
很抱歉.
I'm very sorry.
Let's change the scene and listen to a similar conversation live.
英国新派来了一位大使,我前天介绍了英国大使馆的一个
琴铁,你也有琴铁吧?
我也介绍琴铁了,很可惜,我们已经和朋友约好了,到别的地方去。
我已经请他的秘书转告他,我不能去.
Again.
英国新派来了一位大使,我前天介绍了英国大使馆的一个琴铁,
你也有琴铁吧?
我也介绍琴铁了,很可惜,我们已经和朋友约好了,到别的地方去。
我已经请他的秘书转告他,我不能去。
Check your comprehension.
英国新派来了一位大使,
英国新派来了一位大使,我前天介绍了英国大使馆的一个琴铁,
昨天我接受了一个邀请,你也有琴铁吧?
I assume you have an invitation too?
我也介绍琴铁了。
I received an invitation too.
很可惜,我们已经和朋友约好了,到别的地方去。
Unfortunately, we had already arranged with friends to go someplace else.
我已经请他的秘书转告他,我不能去。
I already asked the secretary to inform him that I can't go.
Let's go back and listen to how the receptionist responds to the invitation being turned down.
We regret that Ambassador Leiden can't come.
很遗憾,来等大使不能来。
I'll pass on the message for you.
我替你转告一下。
Here's the verb to regret in the sense of regretting that something you had been looking forward to won't happen.
遗憾,遗憾。
And here's the prepositional verb for in the sense of substituting for or in the place of someone.
替。替。
In the sentence,我替你转告一下。
The addition of 一下 acts like reduplication of the verb to make the statement more casual.
Here's the response live.
很遗憾,来等大使不能来。
我替你转告一下。
Again.
很遗憾,来等大使不能来。我替你转告一下。
Check your comprehension.
很遗憾,来等大使不能来。
We regret that Ambassador Leiden can't come.
我替你转告一下。
I'll pass on the message for you.
Now let's change the scene and listen to another re-conversation live.
范科长,很遗憾,你下个星期没时间到我们这儿来。
诺瓦克女士,很抱歉,因为我们部长那天要我去开会,所以我得请陆科长替我去。
Again.
范科长,很遗憾,你下个星期没时间到我们这儿来。
诺瓦克女士,很抱歉,因为我们部长那天要我去开会,所以我得请陆科长替我去。
Check your comprehension.
范科长,很遗憾,你下个星期没时间到我们这儿来。
Section 3 fun, I very much regret that you don't have time to come over here next week.
诺瓦克女士,很抱歉。
I'm very sorry, Ms. Novak.
因为我们部长那天要我去开会,所以我得请陆科长替我去。
Because our minister wants me to go to a meeting that day, I have to ask Section Chief Lu to go for me.
In the following conversation, a group of Canadian students is trying to set up a joint trip with a group of Chinese students.
Listen as Ms. Gordon approaches the leader of the Chinese group.
马铭李,a few of us students are planning to go to the Great Wall Saturday for an outing.
马铭李,我们几个同学星期六计划到长城去玩。
马铭李,我们几个同学星期六计划到长城去玩。
Here's the word for fellow student,同学,同学。
And here's the name for the Great Wall,长城,长城。
Literally, the word 长 means long,and the word 城 means city, or city wall.
Here are the questions live.
马铭李,我们几个同学星期六计划到长城去玩。
你们能不能一起去?
Again,马铭李,我们几个同学星期六计划到长城去玩。
你们能不能一起去?
Track your comprehension.
马铭李,我们几个同学星期六计划到长城去玩。
马铭李,a few of us students are planning to go to the Great Wall Saturday for an outing.
你们能不能一起去?
Can you go with us?
The conversation continues.
We really couldn't make that.
真不巧。
We have a previous engagement that day. We have no way of going.
那天我们有事,没办法去。
Here's the word for timely or opportune.
巧。
Here's how you say, there's no way or it can't be helped.
没办法。
By itself, the word 办法 means method or way.
Here's the reply live.
真不巧。那天我们有事,没办法去。
Again.
真不巧。那天我们有事,没办法去。
Track your comprehension.
真不巧。
We really couldn't make that.
那天我们有事,没办法去。
We have a previous engagement that day. We have no way of going.
An invitation from someone you don't know very well might be refused more politely. Listen.
I hope that later we'll again find a chance to get together.
希望以后再找机会聚聚吧。
希望以后再找机会聚聚吧。
Here's the verb to get together, to gather or to assemble.
聚。
Here's the exchange live.
希望以后再找机会聚聚吧。
好啊。Again.
希望以后再找机会聚聚吧。
好啊。Check your comprehension.
希望以后再找机会聚聚吧。
I hope that later we'll again find a chance to get together.
好啊。
Fun.
Let's change the scene and listen to another short conversation reviewing the material just covered.
朱子强,我还没去过长城呢。
这个星期天我要约几个同学到长城去玩,你能不能跟我们一起去?
对不起,那天真不巧,我已经跟别人约好了,有几个朋友在一起聚聚,没办法去谢谢。
Again,朱子强,我还没去过长城呢。
这个星期天我要约几个同学到长城去玩,你能不能跟我们一起去?
对不起,那天真不巧,我已经跟别人约好了,有几个朋友在一起聚聚,没办法去谢谢。
So if you understood what we said,朱子强,我还没去过长城呢?
对不起,那天真不巧,我已经跟别人约了,有几个朋友在一起聚聚,没办法去谢谢。
朱子强,我还没去过长城呢。
这个星期天我要约几个同学到长城去玩。
这个星期天我要约几个同学到长城去玩,你能不能跟我们一起去?
对不起,那天真不巧。
I really can't make that.
I've already made arrangements with other people.
有几个朋友在一起聚聚。
There's a group of friends who are going to get together.
没办法去谢谢。
There's no way I can go. Thank you.
The following live conversation reviews all the material introduced on this tape.
You'll hear the conversation twice live and once with pauses in English.
This conversation takes place on the campus of Peking University right before the beginning of a new school year between a Chinese and a Canadian student who had attended together the year before.
Here's the conversation live.
下星期天我们有几个同学计划到长城去玩,想请你和扭顿一起去。
好啊。
我不知道扭顿现在在哪儿,没办法当面和他说。
你能替我转告他一下吗?
可以。
今天下午我看见他的时候告诉他。
今天晚上你有事吗?
咱们去找法国同学聚一聚,好不好?
可惜不巧。
我借到我们大使馆的一个清铁。
今天晚上我得到大使馆去。
大使的秘书还告诉我,乔部长李斌斯的几位同志也来。
我还没见过乔部长呢,这是一个很好的机会。
很遗憾,不能和你一起去找法国同学。
没关系。
Again,
下星期天我们有几个同学计划到长城去玩,想请你和扭顿一起去。
好啊。
我不知道扭顿现在在哪儿,没办法当面和他说。
你能替我转告他一下吗?
可以,今天下午我看见他的时候告诉他。
今天晚上你有事吗?
我们去找法国同学聚一聚,好不好?
可惜不巧。
我借到我们大使馆的一个清铁,今天晚上我得到大使馆去。
大使的秘书还告诉我,乔部长李斌斯的几位同志也来。
我还没见过乔部长呢,这是一个很好的机会。
很遗憾,不能和你一起去找法国同学。
没关系。
Now see if you understood what was said.
下星期天我们有几个同学计划到长城去玩。
Next Sunday a few of our students are planning to go to the Great Wall for an outing.
想请你和扭顿一起去。
We'd like to invite you and Newton to come along.
好啊。
Fine.
我不知道扭顿现在在哪儿。
I don't know where Newton is now.
没办法当面和他说。
I don't have any way to speak to him in person.
你能替我转告他一下吗?
Can you pass all the message to him for me?
可以。
Sure.
今天下午我看见他的时候告诉他。
I'll tell him when I see him this afternoon.
今天晚上你有事吗?
Are you busy tonight?
我们去找法国同学聚一聚好不好。
Let's go find the French students and get together okay?
可惜不巧。
What a pity, I can't make that.
接着我们大使馆的一个清铁。
I've received an invitation from our embassy.
今天晚上我得到大使馆去。
I have to go to the embassy tonight.
大使的秘书还告诉我,乔部长,李斌斯的几位同志也来。
The ambassador secretary also told me that Minister Qiao and a few comrades from the protocol department are coming too.
没见过乔部长呢。
I haven't met Minister Qiao yet.
这是一个很好的机会。
This is a very good opportunity.
可惜不能和您一起去找法国同学。
I really regret that I can't go with you to find the French students.
没关系。
That doesn't matter.
As a final review, see if you can translate the following sentences and exchanges from the target list.
Number one.
很遗憾他不能来。
We regret that he can't come.
我替你转告一下。
I'll pass on the message for you.
Number two.
大使接着你们的琴铁了。
The ambassador received your invitation.
很可惜因为他有事,8月9号不能来。
Unfortunately, because he has a previous engagement, he can't come on August 9th.
请你转告乔部长。
Please inform Minister Qiao.
很抱歉。
I'm very sorry.
Number three.
喂,这是离边司。
Hello, this is the protocol department.
喂,我是来登大使的秘书。
Hello, I'm Ambassador Lydon's secretary.
Number four.
希望以后再找机会聚聚吧。
I hope that later we'll again find a chance to get together.
Number five.
真不巧,没办法去。
I really can't make that.
I have no way of going.
Number six.
我们有几个同学计划到长城去玩。
A few of us students are planning to go to the Great Wall for an outing.
If you think you're ready, go on to the P1 tape.
This is the end of the tape.
Number seven module, unit eight, comprehension tape one.