Learn useful language when you are a guest in someone's home
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Amber: Hey, everybody! Welcome back to Gengo Chinese. I’m Amber. |
| Victor: 大家好，我是 Victor。 (Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Victor.) |
| Amber: And this is Lesson 26… |
| Victor: Your Home-cooked Meal Away from Home. |
| Amber: Sounds good, don’t you think? |
| Victor: Sounds good, yeah, definitely. Okay, so the food is ready. |
| Amber: Yep. |
| Victor: Remember, last time, we learned about family members. |
| Amber: Yes, and remember that I have one 弟弟 (dìdi) and one 哥哥 (gēge). |
| Victor: 我没有 (wǒ méiyǒu) |
| Amber: Victor doesn’t have any. Don’t worry, you can be my adopted brother then, Victor. |
| Victor: Well then, I will be your 哥哥 (gēge) and you can be my 妹妹 (mèimei). |
| Amber: Yes, “older brother” and “younger sister.” Okay. Now, remember “mom” and “dad”? That’s easy, a lot like the English. |
| Victor: 妈妈 (Māma) and 爸爸 (bàba). |
| Amber: That’s right. And something else important we learned, grammar wise, was to do with possessive pronouns. |
| Victor: Yeah, usually we add a 的 (de) to the pronoun, but when talking about people in our family or other people close to us, we just leave out the 的 (de). |
| Amber: Yes. Chinese families are that close! No 的 (de) can come between you, right? |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: Okay. As we will hear today, if you get an “in” with a Chinese family, you will feel right at home. In today’s dialogue, you’ll learn how to make conversation at the dinner table as a guest. |
| Victor: And the conversation takes place at Mike’s friend’s relative’s home. |
| Amber: Yeah and it’s between Mike and the 阿姨 (āyí) and 叔叔 (shūshu) that invited him over, so let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Friend’s Aunt: 饭好了。迈克，你喜欢吃鱼? (Fàn hǎo le. Màikè, nǐ xǐhuān chī yú?) |
| Mike: 嗯，很喜欢。 (En, hěn xǐhuān.) |
| Friend’s Aunt: 太好了。 (Tài hǎo le.) |
| Friend’s Uncle: 我们吃吧。 (Wǒmen chī ba.) |
| Mike: 真好吃。 (Zhēn hǎochī.) |
| Friend’s Aunt: 哪里哪里。 (Nǎlǐ nǎlǐ.) |
| Friend’s Uncle: 好吃就多吃点。 (Hǎochī jiù duō chī diǎn.) |
| Mike: 太多了，我已经吃饱了。 (Tài duō le, wǒ yǐjīng chībǎo le.) |
| Friend’s Aunt: 迈克，你觉得中国怎么样？ (Màikè, nǐ juéde Zhōngguó zěnmeyàng?) |
| Mike: 中国非常好，中国人也很好。 (Zhōngguó fēicháng hǎo, Zhōngguórén yě hěn hǎo.) |
| Friend’s Uncle: 明天我们去公园，你也来吧。 (Míngtiān wǒmen qù gōngyuán, nǐ yě lái ba.) |
| Mike: 太好了。 (Tài hǎo le.) |
| Victor: 重复一次, 慢速。 (Chóngfù yīcì, màn sù.) |
| Amber: One more time, a little slower. |
| Friend’s Aunt: 饭好了。迈克，你喜欢吃鱼? (Fàn hǎo le. Màikè, nǐ xǐhuān chī yú?) |
| Mike: 嗯，很喜欢。 (En, hěn xǐhuān.) |
| Friend’s Aunt: 太好了。 (Tài hǎo le.) |
| Friend’s Uncle: 我们吃吧。 (Wǒmen chī ba.) |
| Mike: 真好吃。 (Zhēn hǎochī.) |
| Friend’s Aunt: 哪里哪里。 (Nǎlǐ nǎlǐ.) |
| Friend’s Uncle: 好吃就多吃点。 (Hǎochī jiù duō chī diǎn.) |
| Mike: 太多了，我已经吃饱了。 (Tài duō le, wǒ yǐjīng chībǎo le.) |
| Friend’s Aunt: 迈克，你觉得中国怎么样？ (Màikè, nǐ juéde Zhōngguó zěnmeyàng?) |
| Mike: 中国非常好，中国人也很好。 (Zhōngguó fēicháng hǎo, Zhōngguórén yě hěn hǎo.) |
| Friend’s Uncle: 明天我们去公园，你也来吧。 (Míngtiān wǒmen qù gōngyuán, nǐ yě lái ba.) |
| Mike: 太好了。 (Tài hǎo le.) |
| Victor: 重复一次, 加英文翻译。 (Chóngfù yīcì, jiā yīngwén fānyì.) |
| Amber: One more time, with the English. |
| Friend’s Aunt: 饭好了。迈克，你喜欢吃鱼? (Fàn hǎo le. Màikè, nǐ xǐhuān chī yú?) |
| Amber: The food is ready. Mike, do you like fish? |
| Mike: 嗯，很喜欢。 (En, hěn xǐhuān.) |
| Amber: Yes, I really like it. |
| Friend’s Aunt: 太好了。 (Tài hǎo le.) |
| Amber: Great. |
| Friend’s Uncle: 我们吃吧。 (Wǒmen chī ba.) |
| Amber: Let's eat. |
| Mike: 真好吃。 (Zhēn hǎochī.) |
| Amber: So delicious. |
| Friend’s Aunt: 哪里哪里。 (Nǎlǐ nǎlǐ.) |
| Amber: It's nothing special. |
| Friend’s Uncle: 好吃就多吃点。 (Hǎochī jiù duō chī diǎn.) |
| Amber: If you like it then eat more! |
| Mike: 太多了，我已经吃饱了。 (Tài duō le, wǒ yǐjīng chībǎo le.) |
| Amber: It's too much. I'm already full. |
| Friend’s Aunt: 迈克，你觉得中国怎么样？ (Màikè, nǐ juéde Zhōngguó zěnmeyàng?) |
| Amber: Mike, what do you think of China? |
| Mike: 中国非常好，中国人也很好。 (Zhōngguó fēicháng hǎo, Zhōngguórén yě hěn hǎo.) |
| Amber: China is really great; Chinese people are also very nice. |
| Friend’s Uncle: 明天我们去公园，你也来吧。 (Míngtiān wǒmen qù gōngyuán, nǐ yě lái ba.) |
| Amber: Tomorrow we are going to the park, you should come too. |
| Mike: 太好了。 (Tài hǎo le.) |
| Amber: Great! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Amber: Okay, so more food words, Victor, yay! |
| Victor: Yeah, and homemade food this time to boot. |
| Amber: Yeah, So Victor, what’s your favorite dish that your mom makes? |
| Victor: Just some general stir-fried dishes that are really good. |
| Amber: Mm, simple is best. |
| Victor: But very northen taste, yeah. |
| Amber: Can you find them outside of China, do you think? |
| Victor: Actually, yes. There’s one in New York City. |
| Amber: Mm. |
| Victor: In Flushing, Queens. |
| Amber: Excellent. |
| Victor: Nice restaurants, yeah. |
| Amber: Yeah. Well, for me, it’s different, my grandma’s cabbage rolls, but that’s another culture. So let’s first take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Victor: 饭 (fàn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: rice, food |
| Victor: 饭 (fàn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 饭 (fàn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 好了 (hǎo le) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: finished |
| Victor: 好了 (hǎo le) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 好了 (hǎo le) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 鱼 (yú) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: fish |
| Victor: 鱼 (yú) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 鱼 (yú) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 哪里哪里 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: you flatter me |
| Victor: 哪里哪里 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 哪里哪里 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 点 (diǎn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: a little |
| Victor: 点 (diǎn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 点 (diǎn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 已经 (yǐjīng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: already |
| Victor: 已经 (yǐjīng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 已经 (yǐjīng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 吃饱了 (chī bǎo le) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: full (of food) |
| Victor: 吃饱了 (chī bǎo le) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 吃饱了 (chī bǎo le) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 非常 (fēicháng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: extremely |
| Victor: 非常 (fēicháng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 非常 (fēicháng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 明天 (míngtiān) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: tomorrow |
| Victor: 明天 (míngtiān) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 明天 (míngtiān) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 公园 (gōngyuán) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: park |
| Victor: 公园 (gōngyuán) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 公园 (gōngyuán) [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Amber: Okay, let’s take a closer look at some of the words and phrases in this lesson. |
| Victor: Well, a really famous food in China is the one Mike gets to try, that being 鱼 (yú), 2nd tone. |
| Amber: Which is “fish.” So, what are some famous 鱼 (yú) dishes, Victor? |
| Victor: Well, 西湖醋鱼 (xīhú cù yú) is really famous. |
| Amber: Mm-hmm. |
| Victor: And 清蒸鲤鱼 (qīngzhēng lǐyú) is also very good. |
| Amber: Mm, okay. Well, one thing of note is that “fish” in China means the fish, the whole fish, and nothing but the fish, eyeballs, head and all. Just, I’m letting everyone know ahead of time, so they’re not shocked when the fish is looking at them, hopefully. |
| Victor: Slight disclaimer. Yeah, that’s the best part. |
| Amber: Yeah, but I think it’s good, because nothing is wasted, right? |
| Victor: Yeah, it’s all natural. |
| Amber: That’s right. All natural, for sure. |
| Victor: Well, of course, Mike being a good guest, must compliment the food, calling it 真好吃 (zhēn hào chī). |
| Amber: Yes, remember the ultimate compliment, “very good to eat, very delicious”? |
| Victor: Right. And, of course, Chinese humility, of course, 阿姨 (āyí) has to reply, 哪里哪里 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ). |
| Amber: Right, which means literally, “where, where” as in where is the compliment? I don’t know. Basically, people will say 哪里哪里 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ) to kind of deflect phrase. |
| Victor: Right. Or you can use another one, 过奖 (guò jiǎng). |
| Amber: (Guò jiǎng), which is 4th tone, 3rd tone, basically means you’re overtalking like you’re being too over the top, saying such things about me. |
| Victor: Yeah. And, you know, nowadays, some people will say 谢谢 (xièxie) in response to a compliment. |
| Amber: That’s kind of like in English. |
| Victor: It is more modern, yeah. |
| Amber: Yeah, I think in the past, the Chinese culture was more to make sure you put yourself down. |
| Victor: Just to be very polite, I guess, in a way, yeah, definitely. |
| Amber: Right. Okay, now, speaking of cultural side points, I think this is a big one, to do with eating, of course, is that even though we cant see what’s going on in this dialogue, anybody who’s been a guest in the Chinese person’s home can vividly imagine what is going on here. |
| Victor: Yeah. There are a couple of hint phrases in this sentence. |
| Amber: Yeah. So let’s start with太多了 (tài duōle), because it gives us a glimpse into the Chinese dinner, as a guest. |
| Victor: Yeah, 太多了 (tài duōle) - 太 (tài) is 4th tone, 多 (duō) is 1st tone, and 了 (le) is the neutral tone. It means “too much.” We have seen this pattern before - 太 (tài) (something) 了 (le). The word for “much” or “lots” is “duo.” |
| Amber: Right. So, you put it all together and 太多了 (tài duōle) means “too much!” or “so much!” |
| Victor: Yeah. So basically, when you are a guest at a Chinese dinner, the way we show hospitality is by continuing to pile you up with food. |
| Amber: Yes. I think that that’s an understatement. I remember one time, at one point, having a tower of spring rolls and I was already stuffed. |
| Victor: Yeah. Therefore, the next line has your line of defense |
| Amber: Yes. You must learn this phrase. |
| Victor: You must, 吃饱了 (chī bǎo le). It means “I’m full.” |
| Amber: Yes. 吃 (Chī) being “to eat,” 1st tone. |
| Victor: 饱 (Bǎo) is a 3rd tone, meaning “full” and we’re throwing the 了 (le) in the end, which is the neutral tone. |
| Amber: Right. It means “full,” 吃饱了 (chī bǎo le). So, I think it has helped me, Victor, sort of throwing up this please of 吃饱了 (chī bǎo le) that will actually stop the flow of food coming in your direction. |
| Victor: Yeah, but no guarantees, you know. In this sentence weak protest though, we heard another word first, which you can add if you like, and that is 我已经吃饱了 (wǒ yǐjīng chī bǎole). |
| Amber: Mm, now, here’s a word we don’t know yet, 已经 (yǐjīng). |
| Victor: 已经 (Yǐjīng) - 已 (yǐ) is a 3rd tone, 经 (jīng) is 1st tone. |
| Amber: And it means “already.” |
| Victor: So the whole sentence is, 我已经吃饱了 (wǒ yǐjīng chī bǎole). |
| Amber: “I’m already full!” Do not forget this phrase. |
| Victor: And the thing is, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will work either, right? |
| Amber: Mm-hmm. |
| Victor: However, just know that it is okay to not clean your plate. |
| Amber: Yeah. Actually, I’ve noticed that if you clean your plate, it’s kind of a signal for the host. They’ll put more food into your plate, so just be aware! |
| Victor: Right. Now, Mike chats a little more, using all the Chinese he learned with us. |
| Amber: Yes, and he obviously charms his guests so much that they extend another invitation! |
| Victor: To the 公园 (gōngyuán) - 公 (gōng) is 1st tone, 园 (yuán) is 2nd tone. |
| Amber: And that’s my favorite place, the park! |
| Victor: “park” 公园 (gōngyuán). |
| Amber: And actually, speaking of it, Chinese parks are another adventure in themselves. So much action! |
| Victor: Yes. It might not be quite a place of quietude like the word “park” might conjure up images of. |
| Amber: Mm, but we’ll let you guys experience that for yourself. Okay, now, to the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Amber: Now. Why does the grammar lesson seem like much more fun when it’s about food, Victor? |
| Victor: I don’t know, it just makes me hungry, mostly. |
| Amber: Well, the first phrase, of note, is one that is common for moms everywhere and that means “the food is ready.” |
| Victor: 饭好了 (Fàn hǎo le) - 饭 (fàn) is the 4th tone, 好 (hǎo) is the 3rd tone, 了 (le) is the neutral tone. 饭 (Fàn) is really the word for “rice,” however in China, we use it as a general term for “food.” |
| Amber: Right. So 饭 (fàn) is the “rice” or the “food,” and then we hear 好了 (hǎo le). |
| Victor: Yeah, 好了 (hǎo le) is the expression we use to say something that’s finish or complete. |
| Amber: So basically, “the rice is ready” or “the food is ready.” |
| Victor: 饭好了 (fàn hǎo le) |
| Amber: Okay. Now, here is another little set phrase that you often hear, but can teach us a lot of good grammar too. |
| Victor: So, of course, the phrase also has to do with eating to excess. That is, 好吃就多吃点 (hào chī jiù duō chī diǎn). |
| Amber: So that sentence starts out with 好吃 (hào chī), which we know means “good to eat” or “delicious.” Then we hear, “it’s delicious” 就 (jiù) (something, something, something). What is it, Victor? |
| Victor: Right. That’s the word, 多吃点 (duō chī diǎn). |
| Amber: Yeah. So, first of all, this 就 (jiù) is kind of the lead in to what you should do, basically saying, it’s delicious, then you must do 多吃点 (duō chī diǎn), which actually just means to eat more - “more eat a little.” |
| Victor: 多 (Duō) is 1st tone, 吃 (chī) is 1st tone, 点 (diǎn) is 3rd tone. Yes, remember from 太多了 (tài duōle), the 多 (duō) means “much” or “a lot,” so take the more from 多 (duō), then add a 吃 (chī) which is “to eat” and then 点 (diǎn) or some people say it, 点儿 (diǎnr), which we know from before too, “a little.” |
| Amber: Right. So that phrase 多吃点 (duō chī diǎn) means “more eat a little.” |
| Victor: So put it all together, back to our sentence, 好吃就多吃点 (hào chī jiù duō chī diǎn). |
| Amber: Right. So, “if it’s delicious then eat more,” basically. |
| Victor: Yes. This is like a Chinese mantra. |
| Amber: I think so. Okay. Let’s do a couple substitutions and see how we can put this latest pattern to work. |
| Victor: 多吃点 (duō chī diǎn) |
| Amber: Okay. That means “eat some more.” Now, how about if you live in one of the five so-called fiery furnaces of China, one of those really hot cities. So, in order to stay “hydrated,” you have to drink more. “You better drink more!” What would you say? |
| Victor: Then you would say 多喝点 (duō hē diǎn) or even 多喝点水 (duō hē diǎn shuǐ) as in “drink more water.” |
| Amber: So “more drink a little water.” Okay, what about if it’s winter and I’m freezing. What will my Chinese mother tell me to do when it’s cold out? |
| Victor: Or force you to do. |
| Amber: Yes. |
| Victor: 多穿点 (duō chuān diǎn) |
| Amber: 穿 (Chuān, being the word for “to wear” or “to put on clothes,” 1st tone. So, yes, actually, Victor, I think that’s universal. All our mothers said that to us. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: “Put on more clothes.” |
| Victor: Yep. And one more side point is that the word 点 (diǎn) can also be used in it’s different versions in this pattern, so you might hear 多穿点儿 (duō chuān diǎn er) or even 多穿一点儿 (duō chuān yīdiǎn er). |
| Amber: Right. Some people say 点 (diǎn), some people say 点儿 (diǎnr). It depends on their accent, so just keep that in mind. Okay, last but not least, we have a little glimpse into future tense in Chinese here, and that is in the sentence... |
| Victor: 明天我们去公园。 (Míngtiān wǒmen qù gōngyuán.) |
| Amber: Right. So remember, we learned that 公园 (gōngyuán) is “park.” |
| Victor: And basically, this is how they make the future tense here...taking a simple present sentence. |
| Amber: Which would be 我们去公园 (wǒmen qù gōngyuán) “we go park.” |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: And then you just add something in front, 明天 (míngtiān), which is the word for “tomorrow.” |
| Victor: Right. So, when it’s altogether, it becomes 明天我们去公园 (míngtiān wǒmen qù gōngyuán). |
| Amber: Yeah, so Chinese future tense is pretty easy. You can just put a time word to indicate that it’s happening in the future. “Tomorrow, we go to the park.” So, you know it’s future without messing around with any verbs or tenses. The “tomorrow” simply tells us that it’s happening tomorrow. |
| Victor: Yeah, and that’s it for today. Let’s listen again to the dialogue with all of our newfound knowledge. |
| Amber: Yeah, and we’ll see you next time on Gengo Chinese. 再见! (Zàijiàn!) |
| Victor: 再见! (Zàijiàn!) |
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