Learn how to give opinions
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Michael: Hi everyone, and welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. This is Business Chinese for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 21 - Giving Your Opinion in Chinese. Michael here. |
| Dehua: 大家好！(Dàjiā hǎo!) I'm Dehua. |
| Michael: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to give opinions. The conversation takes place at an office. |
| Dehua: It's between Monica and Linda. |
| Michael: One of the speakers is the other’s boss; therefore, they will speak formal Chinese. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| 王芳: 我认为我们需要扩展服务供应。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Wǒ rènwéi wǒmen xūyào kuòzhǎn fúwù gōngyìng.) |
| 张丽: 我不确定，因为我们现在人力不足。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Wǒ bù quèdìng, yīnwèi wǒmen xiànzài rénlì bùzú.) |
| 王芳: 我的想法是我们需要推出一些新产品。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Wǒ de xiǎngfǎ shì wǒmen xūyào tuīchū yīxiē xīn chǎnpǐn.) |
| 张丽: 那我们会需要更多员工。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Nà wǒmen huì xūyào gèng duō yuángōng.) |
| 王芳: 我会跟人力资源部门商量一下，看他们有什么建议。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Wǒ huì gēn rénlì zīyuán bùmén shāngliáng yīxià, kàn tāmen yǒu shénme jiànyì.) |
| 张丽: 好，可是他们不会那么容易妥协。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Hǎo, kěshì tāmen bù huì nàme róngyì tuǒxié.) |
| 王芳: 没有其他方法，我会尝试说服他们。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Méiyǒu qítā fāngfǎ, wǒ huì chángshì shuōfú tāmen.) |
| 张丽: 那你得先准备一个详细计划报告。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Nà nǐ děi xiān zhǔnbèi yīgè xiángxì jìhuà bàogào.) |
| Michael: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| 王芳: 我认为我们需要扩展服务供应。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Wǒ rènwéi wǒmen xūyào kuòzhǎn fúwù gōngyìng.) |
| 张丽: 我不确定，因为我们现在人力不足。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Wǒ bù quèdìng, yīnwèi wǒmen xiànzài rénlì bùzú.) |
| 王芳: 我的想法是我们需要推出一些新产品。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Wǒ de xiǎngfǎ shì wǒmen xūyào tuīchū yīxiē xīn chǎnpǐn.) |
| 张丽: 那我们会需要更多员工。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Nà wǒmen huì xūyào gèng duō yuángōng.) |
| 王芳: 我会跟人力资源部门商量一下，看他们有什么建议。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Wǒ huì gēn rénlì zīyuán bùmén shāngliáng yīxià, kàn tāmen yǒu shénme jiànyì.) |
| 张丽: 好，可是他们不会那么容易妥协。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Hǎo, kěshì tāmen bù huì nàme róngyì tuǒxié.) |
| 王芳: 没有其他方法，我会尝试说服他们。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Méiyǒu qítā fāngfǎ, wǒ huì chángshì shuōfú tāmen.) |
| 张丽: 那你得先准备一个详细计划报告。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Nà nǐ děi xiān zhǔnbèi yīgè xiángxì jìhuà bàogào.) |
| Michael: Listen to the conversation with the English translation |
| 王芳: 我认为我们需要扩展服务供应。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Wǒ rènwéi wǒmen xūyào kuòzhǎn fúwù gōngyìng.) |
| Monica: I think that we should broaden our offer. |
| 张丽: 我不确定，因为我们现在人力不足。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Wǒ bù quèdìng, yīnwèi wǒmen xiànzài rénlì bùzú.) |
| Linda: I'm not sure if it's a good idea. We’re understaffed now. |
| 王芳: 我的想法是我们需要推出一些新产品。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Wǒ de xiǎngfǎ shì wǒmen xūyào tuīchū yīxiē xīn chǎnpǐn.) |
| Monica: My objective is to launch some new products. |
| 张丽: 那我们会需要更多员工。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Nà wǒmen huì xūyào gèng duō yuángōng.) |
| Linda: Yes, but we’ll need more people. |
| 王芳: 我会跟人力资源部门商量一下，看他们有什么建议。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Wǒ huì gēn rénlì zīyuán bùmén shāngliáng yīxià, kàn tāmen yǒu shénme jiànyì.) |
| Monica: I'll speak with the HR department then and see what they suggest. |
| 张丽: 好，可是他们不会那么容易妥协。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Hǎo, kěshì tāmen bù huì nàme róngyì tuǒxié.) |
| Linda: Okay, but they may not agree easily. |
| 王芳: 没有其他方法，我会尝试说服他们。 |
| (Wáng Fāng: Méiyǒu qítā fāngfǎ, wǒ huì chángshì shuōfú tāmen.) |
| Monica: But we don't have a choice. I'll try to convince them. |
| 张丽: 那你得先准备一个详细计划报告。 |
| (Zhāng Lì: Nà nǐ děi xiān zhǔnbèi yīgè xiángxì jìhuà bàogào.) |
| Linda: Then, first it's necessary to prepare a detailed plan. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Michael: It seems like Linda and Monica have a dilemma. |
| Dehua: Yes, Monica wants more products, but Linda says they need more staff first. |
| Michael: I hope they can get the staff members they need, but Linda doesn’t sound optimistic. Communicating with other departments can be tricky. Are there any tricks for this? |
| Dehua: You should always address people formally. |
| Michael: How should we address our managers? |
| Dehua: By their surname and a title, such as 王经理 (Wáng jīnglǐ) or 王总 (Wáng zǒng). |
| Michael: If they’ve already told you that you can use a different name, then that’s fine. |
| Dehua: It’s just as important to listen to other people as it is to speak your own opinion. |
| Michael: Are people straightforward in China? |
| Dehua: Some people aren’t, in Chinese culture. |
| Michael: So you need to learn how to interpret what they actually mean. |
| Dehua: That’s right. |
| Michael: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Michael: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is |
| Dehua: 扩展(kuòzhǎn) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "to expand" |
| Dehua: 扩展(kuòzhǎn)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 扩展(kuòzhǎn) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next is… |
| Dehua: 服务(fúwù) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "service" |
| Dehua: 服务(fúwù)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 服务(fúwù) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next is… |
| Dehua: 供应(gōngyìng) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "supply; to offer; to supply" |
| Dehua: 供应(gōngyìng)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 供应(gōngyìng) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next is… |
| Dehua: 不确定(bù quèdìng) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "not sure" |
| Dehua: 不确定(bù quèdìng)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 不确定(bù quèdìng) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next is… |
| Dehua: 人力(rénlì) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "manpower" |
| Dehua: 人力(rénlì)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 人力(rénlì) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next is… |
| Dehua: 不足(bùzú) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "insufficient" |
| Dehua: 不足(bùzú)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 不足(bùzú) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next is… |
| Dehua: 建议(jiànyì) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "suggestion, advice; to suggest, to advise" |
| Dehua: 建议(jiànyì)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 建议(jiànyì) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next is… |
| Dehua: 想法(xiǎngfǎ) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "personal view, idea" |
| Dehua: 想法(xiǎngfǎ)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 想法(xiǎngfǎ) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next is… |
| Dehua: 妥协(tuǒxié) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "compromise; come to terms" |
| Dehua: 妥协(tuǒxié)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 妥协(tuǒxié) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: And last… |
| Dehua: 说服 [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "to persuade; to convince" |
| Dehua: 说服[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 说服 [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Michael: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is |
| Dehua: 人力不足(rénlì bùzú), |
| Michael: meaning "short-handed." |
| Michael: This is our first phrase for this lesson. |
| Dehua: First is 人力(rénlì). |
| Michael: This means "manpower." |
| Dehua: Next is 不足 (bùzú). |
| Michael: This means "insufficient." You can use this phrase when you don’t have enough staff or manpower. |
| Dehua: You can also say 人手(rénshǒu). |
| Michael: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Dehua: Sure. For example, you can say 现在我们严重人力不足。(Xiànzài wǒmen yán chóng rénlì bùzú.) |
| Michael: which means "Now there is a serious shortage of manpower." |
| Michael: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Dehua: 容易妥协(róngyì tuǒxié), |
| Michael: meaning "easy to compromise." |
| Michael: This is our final phrase for this lesson. |
| Dehua: First is 容易(róngyì). |
| Michael: This means "easy." |
| Dehua: Finally is 妥协(tuǒxié). |
| Michael: "Compromise." How does one say that someone doesn’t compromise easily? |
| Dehua: 不容易妥协 (bù róngyì tuǒxié). |
| Michael: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Dehua: Sure. For example, you can say… 大家都知道，她不容易妥协。(Dàjiā dōu zhīdào, tā bù róngyì tuǒxié.) |
| Michael: which means "Everyone knows that she does not compromise easily." |
| Michael: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Michael: In this lesson, you'll learn about giving opinions about expanding the offer of the company. |
| Michael: Dehua, how can we easily express our opinions in Chinese? |
| Dehua: We can use 我认为 (wǒ rènwéi). |
| Michael: "I think." You start the sentence with that, and then add your opinion afterwards. |
| Dehua: You can also replace 认为 (rènwéi) with 觉得 (juédé). |
| Michael: So that swaps out "to think" with "to feel." Just be aware that "to feel" sounds less formal. Now, let’s hear some examples. |
| Dehua: 我认为我们应该充分利用社交媒体来获得更多的人气。(Wǒ rènwéi wǒmen yīnggāi chōngfèn lìyòng shèjiāo méitǐ lái huòdé gèng duō de rénqì.) |
| Michael: "I think we should make good use of social media to gain more popularity." |
| Dehua: 我认为公司应聘请更多有经验的员工。(Wǒ rènwéi gōngsī yìngpìn qǐng gèng duō yǒu jīngyàn de yuángōng.) |
| Michael: "I think our company should hire more experienced employees." |
| Dehua: 我觉得这策略可能会成功。(Wǒ juédé zhè cèlüè kěnéng huì chénggōng.) |
| Michael: "I think this strategy might work." If someone else gives their opinion first, then you may need to show your agreement or disagreement. Let’s look at some phrases we can use for this. |
| Dehua: 我可以肯定… (Wǒ kěyǐ kěndìng…) |
| Michael: "I’m sure that.…" |
| Dehua: 我不敢肯定… (Wǒ bù gǎn kěndìng …) |
| Michael: "I can’t be sure that.…" |
| Dehua: 我同意… (Wǒ tóngyì …) |
| Michael: "I agree that.…" |
| Dehua: 我不同意… (Wǒ bù tóngyì …) |
| Michael: "I disagree with.…" |
| Dehua: 我的想法是… (Wǒ de xiǎngfǎ shì…) |
| Michael: "My idea is to.…" |
| Dehua: 我跟你的想法不一样 (Wǒ gēn nǐ de xiǎngfǎ bù yīyàng) |
| Michael: "You and I have different opinions." Let’s finish this lesson by hearing some example sentences. |
| Dehua: 我不敢肯定这个想法是否会成功，但我认为值得一试。(Wǒ bù gǎn kěndìng zhège xiǎngfǎ shìfǒu huì chénggōng, dàn wǒ rènwéi zhídé yī shì.) |
| Michael: "I can’t be sure if this idea will be successful, but I think it’s worth a try." |
| Dehua: 我同意你的建议，我们应该在上海开设分行。(Wǒ tóngyì nǐ de jiànyì, wǒmen yīnggāi zài shànghǎi kāishè fēnháng.) |
| Michael: "I agree with your proposal, that we should open a branch in Shanghai." |
| Dehua: 我的想法是我们应该专注于我们的目标客户。(Wǒ de xiǎngfǎ shì wǒmen yīnggāi zhuānzhù yú wǒmen de mùbiāo kèhù.) |
| Michael: "My idea is that we should focus on our target customers." |
Outro |
| Michael: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Dehua: 再见！(Zàijiàn!) |
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