Learn how to repeat single character verbs
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| INTRODUCTION |
| David: Welcome to ChineseClass101.com. I'm David. |
| Amber: 大家好，我是安伯。(Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì ān bó.) |
| David: And, Amber, we’ve got an Upper Beginner Lesson, Season 1, Lesson 22 - Don’t pester the Chinese bus driver. |
| Amber: 在中国别让司机生气。(Zài zhōngguó bié ràng sījī shēngqì.) |
| David: Right. So, we’ve got a dialogue here which takes place on a bus, between a passenger and a driver. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: And this is a bit of a fantasy dialogue cause I’ve never been on a bus in China where it’s been just me and the passenger. |
| Amber: 不可能。(Bù kěnéng.) |
| David: Sorry. And this is a bit of a fantasy dialogue because, in most situations, you’re not going to be chatting with the driver. |
| Amber: 没错,他没有时间。(Méi cuò, tā méiyǒu shíjiān.) |
| David: Yes, no time and there are too many people on the bus. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: So he may not even know you’re talking to him. That said, if you do come to China and you do end up chatting with a bus driver, this is what it’s going to sound like because this is the way Mandarin is actually spoken on the Mainland. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: Let’s take a lesson. |
| DIALOGUE |
| A: 这车到西直门吗？(Zhè chē dào Xīzhímén ma?) |
| B: 到，上车吧。(Dào, shàngchē ba.) |
| A: 那动物园呢？(Nà dòngwùyuán ne?) |
| B: 一站地，快上车吧。(Yī zhàndì, kuài shàngchē ba.) |
| A: 清华大学也到吧？(Qīnghuádàxué yě dào ba?) |
| B: 终点站，你去哪儿？(Zhōngdiǎnzhàn, nǐ qù nǎr?) |
| A: 哪儿也不去，就问问。(Nǎr yě bù qù, jiù wènwen.) |
| A: Does this bus go to Xizhimen? |
| B: Yes it does, get on board. |
| A: Then, what about the Zoo? |
| B: It's one station. Quickly, get on. |
| A: It's also going to Qinghua University, right? |
| B: It's the terminal station. Where are you going? |
| A: Not going anywhere, just asking. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| David: Actually the bus system in most cities is really cryptic for anyone who’s not Chinese. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: Right? Because they’ve got signs up at the bus stops, telling you all of the stops that the bus goes to. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: But, unless you’re from that city, you don’t know where these places are. |
| Amber: 对。(Duì.) |
| David: And even if you are from the city, very often, you won't know where these places are. |
| Amber: 我就不知道在哪？(Wǒ jiù bù zhīdào zài nǎ?) |
| David: So, the subway is easier to deal with. Good luck with the bus system. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: Anyway, our vocab today is about what, Amber? |
| Amber: 是关于坐车的。(Shì guānyú zuòchē de.) |
| David: Okay. So, let’s get to that. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Amber: 车站。(chēzhàn.) |
| David: Bus stop. |
| Amber: 车 站, 车站, 上车。(chē zhàn, chēzhàn, shàngchē.) |
| David: To get on the bus. |
| Amber: 上 车, 上车, 动物园。(shàng chē, shàngchē, dòngwùyuán.) |
| David: Zoo. |
| Amber: 动 物 园, 动物园, 大学。(dòng wù yuán, dòngwùyuán, dàxué.) |
| David: University. |
| Amber: 大 学, 大学, 一站地。(dà xué, dà xué, yī zhàndì) |
| David: One stop. |
| Amber: 一 站 地, 一站地, 终点站。(yī zhàn dì, yī zhàn dì, Zhōngdiǎn zhàn.) |
| David: Terminal station. |
| Amber: 终 点 站, 终点站, 问。(Zhōng diǎn zhàn, Zhōngdiǎn zhàn, wèn.) |
| David: To ask. |
| Amber: 问, 问。(wèn, wèn.) |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| David: Let’s take a closer look at some of these words and phrases. Our first word is… |
| Amber: 车站。(Chēzhàn.) |
| David: Bus stop. |
| Amber: 车站。(Chēzhàn.) |
| David: Right. So, we’re talking about a bus here. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: If it’s a train station, it would be… |
| Amber: 火车站。(Huǒchē zhàn.) |
| David: Or… |
| Amber: 地铁站。(Dìtiě zhàn.) |
| David: Which would be “subway station”. |
| Amber: 没错, 就是前面是交通工具，后面是 “站”。(Méi cuò, jiùshì qiánmiàn shì jiāotōng gōngjù, hòumiàn shì “zhàn”.) |
| David:Right. And 站 (Zhàn) means the stop or the station itself. |
| Amber: 没错, 对，我给你一个例子，师傅，我要去西直门车站。(Méi cuò, duì, wǒ gěi nǐ yīgè lìzi, shīfù, wǒ yào qù xīzhímén chēzhàn.) |
| David: Driver, I want to go to the 西直门 (Xīzhímén) bus station. |
| Amber: 师傅，我要去西直门车站。(Shīfù, wǒ yào qù xīzhímén chēzhàn.) |
| David: Right. And, technically, 车 (Chē) here could be any vehicle. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: But, in reality, it’s the bus station. |
| Amber: 如果你说车站，那就是 (Rúguǒ nǐ shuō chēzhàn, nà jiùshì) bus station …. 对。(Duì.) |
| David: Right. Likewise, to get into a vehicle is… |
| Amber: 上车。(Shàng chē.) |
| David: To get into a vehicle. |
| Amber: 上车。(Shàng chē.) |
| David: And this could be a bus or it could be a private car. |
| Amber: 或者是地铁都可以。(Huòzhě shì dìtiě dōu kěyǐ.) |
| David: Yes, you’re right. It could be the subway. |
| Amber: 唔，比如说她在车站上车了。(Wú, bǐrú shuō tā zài chēzhàn shàng chēle.) |
| David: She got on a bus at the bus station. |
| Amber: 她在车站上车了。(Tā zài chēzhàn shàng chēle.) |
| David: She got on a bus at the bus station. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: And the opposite, of course, is… |
| Amber: 下车。(Xià chē..) |
| David: To get off the bus. |
| Amber: 对，下车。(Duì, xià chē.) |
| David: And if you were in second or third tier cities, you’re going to discover that buses in China are unreliable, there are stops everywhere, people will go on and off as they please. So, life can be a bit of an adventure. |
| Amber: 对。(Duì.) |
| David: Right? Now, our next word is a phrase. It’s “one stop”. |
| Amber: 一站地。(Yí zhàn de.) |
| David: One stop. |
| Amber: 一站地。(Yí zhàn de.) |
| David: First thing, notice the tone sandhi there. The word for “one” is changing from first tone to second tone, because it’s coming in front of a fourth tone word. |
| Amber: 没错，因为 "站" 是 四声。(Méi cuò, yīnwèi"zhàn" shì sì shēng.) |
| David: Right. |
| Amber: 所以 “一” 就变成了二声。(Suǒyǐ “yī” jiù biàn chéngle èr shēng.) |
| David: Right. It becomes a rising tone. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: Amber? |
| Amber: 就变成了 一站地。(Jiù biàn chéngle yí zhàn de.) |
| David: Right. “One stop.” Now, you can change this. You could say “two stops”. |
| Amber: 两站地。(Liǎng zhàn de.) |
| David: “Three stops”. |
| Amber: 三站地。(Sān zhàn de.) |
| David: “Four stops”. |
| Amber: 四站地。(Sì zhàn de.) |
| David: And so on. |
| Amber: 好吧！(Hǎo ba!) |
| David: In practice, you’re going to hear people tell you a destination is a number of stops. For instance, 清华 (Qīnghuá) university is three stops away. |
| Amber: 到清华大学有三站地。(Dào qīnghuá dàxué yǒusān zhàn de.) |
| David: To 清华 University there have three stops. |
| Amber: 到清华大学有三站地。(Dào qīnghuá dàxué yǒusān zhàn de.) |
| David: To 天安门 (Tiān'ānmén) Square have five stops. |
| Amber: 去天安门有五站地。(Qù tiān'ānmén yǒu wǔ zhàn de.) |
| David: To 天安门 (Tiān'ānmén) Square there are five stops. |
| Amber: 到天安门有五站地。(Dào tiān'ānmén yǒu wǔ zhàn de.) |
| David: Right. But if you ask people how many stops, they’ll usually just tell you. |
| Amber: 一站地, 三站地, 五站地,。(Yí zhàn de, sān zhàn de, wǔ zhàn de,.) |
| David: Right. So you don’t need the whole sentence if you know what you’re talking about. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: Right. One word we want to highlight – that’s the word for “terminal station”. |
| Amber: 终点站。(Zhōngdiǎn zhàn.) |
| David: Terminal station. |
| Amber: 终点站。(Zhōngdiǎn zhàn.) |
| David: Right. This is a bit tricky for an Upper Beginner lesson cause it’s a complex word. However, if you are on the subway or if you’re taking the train, you are going to hear this a lot. |
| Amber: 没错, 尤其是地铁站。(Méi cuò, yóuqí shì dìtiě zhàn.) |
| David: Yes, especially in the subways because they’ll tell you what the terminal station is for the various trains. |
| Amber: 没错，比如说在一号线。(Méi cuò, bǐrú shuō zài yī hào xiàn..) |
| David: 比如说 (Bǐrú shuō), give the sentence. |
| Amber: OK, 比如说 终点站在苹果园。(Bǐrú shuō zhōngdiǎn zhàn zài píngguǒ yuán.) |
| David: Right. You’re going to hear that on line one in Beijing. Amber, let’s have it again. |
| Amber: 终点站是苹果园。(Zhōngdiǎn zhàn shì píngguǒ yuán.) |
| David: The final stop for this train is… |
| Amber: 苹果园。(Píngguǒ yuán.) |
| David: Right, which is “Apple Garden”. |
| Amber: 对，但是它没有 Garden . 就是一个地方。(Duì, dànshì tā méiyǒu Garden. Jiùshì yīgè dìfāng.) |
| David: Yes, just buildings but it sounds nice. But, whatever train you’re on, you’re going to hear this. It’s “the terminal station is…” and then the destination. |
| Amber: 没错，比如说终点站是苹果园。(Méi cuò, bǐrú shuō zhōngdiǎn zhàn shì píngguǒ yuán.) |
| David: Right. Listen for this to make sure you’re going in the right direction. That said, that’s our vocab for today. Let’s move on to our grammar point. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| M2: It’s grammar time! |
| David: Okay. In previous lessons, we taught you how to add emotional emphasis to certain characters. |
| Amber: 没错，比如说 对对对。(Méi cuò, bǐrú shuō duì duì duì.) |
| David: Right, or “don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t!” |
| Amber: 别别别。(Bié bié bié.) |
| David: Right. And we told you that the repetitions come in three or six or seven. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: Right? What we want to talk about today is another kind of repetition we get with verbs. We see that in this line in our dialogue - |
| Amber: 哪儿也不去，就问问。(Nǎ'er yě bù qù, jiù wèn wèn.) |
| David: I'm not going anywhere, I'm just asking. |
| Amber: 哪儿也不去，就问问。(Nǎ'er yě bù qù, jiù wèn wèn.) |
| David: Anywhere, also not to go just. |
| Amber: 问问。(Wèn wèn.) |
| David: To ask a bit. |
| Amber: 对，问问。(Duì, wèn wèn.) |
| David: Right. This is a special form of repetition in Chinese and it’s different from the repetition we talked about earlier. We see this with single character verbs, like “to ask”. |
| Amber: 问。(Wèn.) |
| David: To look. |
| Amber: 看。(Kàn.) |
| David: To listen. |
| Amber: 听。(Tīng.) |
| David: In all of these cases, if you want to communicate the idea of doing it for a little bit, you can re-duplicate it, you can repeat the verb once. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: For instance. |
| Amber: 哪儿也不去，就问问。(Nǎ'er yě bù qù, jiù wèn wèn.) |
| David: I'm not going anywhere, I'm just asking for a little bit. |
| Amber: 对。(Duì.) |
| David: Right? Let’s take a look at some other examples, such as with “take a look at this for a bit”. |
| Amber: 看看，比如说 能给我看看这个吗？(Kàn kàn, bǐrú shuō néng gěi wǒ kàn kàn zhège ma?) |
| David: Can you give this to me to look at for a bit? |
| Amber: 能给我看看这个吗？(Néng gěi wǒ kàn kàn zhège ma?) |
| David: “Can I look at this for a bit?” And it’s suggesting that you’re doing it briefly. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: Suggesting it’s not a big deal. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: How about “Listen for a bit?” |
| Amber: 听听，比如说 听听这首歌。(Tīng tīng, bǐrú shuō tīng tīng zhè shǒu gē.) |
| David: Listen to this song. |
| Amber: 听听这首歌。(Tīng tīng zhè shǒu gē.) |
| David: Listen to this song. |
| Amber: A bit. |
| David: Right. So, it’s a request, it softens it a bit, and it communicated the idea that it’s not really going to take much time. |
| Amber: 对，不是很正式的，就是一下。(Duì, bùshì hěn zhèngshì de, jiùshì yīxià.) |
| David: Right, but the important thing is that we can do this with any verbs that are one character long. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: Even somewhere you wouldn’t expect it. For instance, the verb “to go”. |
| Amber: 走。(Zǒu.) |
| David: You could say… |
| Amber: 走走。(Zǒu zǒu.) |
| David: To walk for a bit or to go for a while. |
| Amber: 没错，比如说 走走就到了。(Méi cuò, bǐrú shuō zǒu zǒu jiù dàole.) |
| David: Go for a bit and you’ll get there. |
| Amber: 走走就到了。(Zǒu zǒu jiù dàole.) |
| David: “Go for a bit and you’ll get there.” Sometimes these repeated verbs are so common that people will treat them as if they’re other verbs. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: For instance, the verb “to try out”. |
| Amber: 试试。(Shì shì.) |
| David: Try this out. |
| Amber: 试试。(Shì shì.) |
| David: Or “You try it too.” |
| Amber: 你也试试吧！(Nǐ yě shì shì ba!) |
| David: Right. Now, people will think about this as a standalone verb, but it’s actually this pattern - a single character verb reduplicated, with this extra meaning of doing something for a little bit of time. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
| David: Okay. So our focus today was reduplicated verbs. This is something you are going to hear all the time. Remember, you can do it with single character verbs. |
| Amber: 没错,很常见。(Méi cuò, hěn chángjiàn.) |
| David: Right. Now, if you run into any examples of this in the wild, there’s a place you can come. |
| Amber: 没错，来我们的网站。(Méi cuò, lái wǒmen de wǎngzhàn.) |
| David: ChineseClass101.com – in every lesson, we have a place for people to leave comments and have a community discussion. So, you can let us know what you think and we can talk about any difficult issues that come up. |
| Amber: 没错。(Méi cuò.) |
Outro |
| David: For now, though, that’s all the time we have. From Beijing, I'm David. |
| Amber: 我是安伯。(Wǒ shì ān bó.) |
| David: Thanks a lot for listening and we’ll see you on the site. |
| Amber: 咱们下次见 (Zánmen xià cì jiàn) , Bye-bye. |
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