Learn how to make a good impression while in China, which includes introducing yourself and making apologies
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Victor: 大家好， (Dàjiā hǎo,) I’m Victor. |
| Amber: And I’m Amber, and welcome back to Gengo Chinese Lesson 2 - |
| Victor: How to Make a First Impression that will Last a Lifetime |
| Amber: Woah! Sounds so intense, Victor. Promise? |
| Victor: So pay attention please. |
| Amber: Right. So, we’re back with our Gengo Chinese series and last lesson, we learned a little bit about Chinese word order. |
| Victor: Yes, just to review, simple sentences in Chinese are similar to the word order we use in English. |
| Amber: Right! That was [subject + verb + object]. |
| Victor: Yes, for example, I am Victor is 我是 (Wǒ shì) Victor. |
| Amber: Yeah! And the other thing we learned was word order in a phrase that talks about the time when something occurs. The word order then is [ subject + time when + predicate ]. |
| Victor: Yes, remember when Mike said, 我明天去中国 (Wǒ míngtiān qù zhōngguó)? |
| Amber: Right. “I tomorrow go to China.” And so he is, because today’s lesson is on the very first day of his journey. |
| Victor: So together, we're going to get to know Chinese. |
| Amber: Yeah! And today, we’re going to also learn how to get to know a person. |
| Victor: Yeah! Introductions in Chinese. |
| Amber: Yeah! So we’re going to join our friend Mike and set off. |
| Victor: Boarding flight, Gengo Chinese to China. |
| Amber: Yeah. And the truth is, Victor, I think the China adventure will start quickly for everyone, if they get on a plane to China. Because I think that you have, basically, you have, probably, a 90% chance that you will get a captive language partner sitting next to you! |
| Victor: Yeah! In this lesson, you will learn how to introduce yourself. |
| Amber: Right, and the conversation, as we mentioned, takes place between two strangers who are sitting next to each other on a plane. Let’s listen to the dialogue. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Mike: 打扰一下。 (Dǎrǎo yíxià.) |
| Lili: 哦，不好意思，请坐。 (O, bùhǎoyìsi, qǐngzuò.) |
| Mike: 你好，我叫孙麦克。 (Nǐhǎo, wǒ jiào Sūn Màikè.) |
| Lili: 你好，我叫张丽。 (Nǐhǎo, wǒ jiào Zhāng Lì.) |
| Mike: 不好意思，请再说一遍。 (Bùhǎoyìsi, qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.) |
| Lili: 张丽，你可以叫我丽丽。 (Zhāng Lì. Nǐ kěyǐ jiào wǒ Lìli.) |
| Mike: 丽丽，很高兴认识你！ (Lìli, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ!) |
| Lili: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Victor: 重复一次, 慢速. (Chóngfù yīcì, màn sù.) |
| Amber: One more time, a little slower. |
| Mike: 打扰一下。 (Dǎrǎo yíxià.) |
| Lili: 哦，不好意思，请坐。 (O, bùhǎoyìsi, qǐngzuò.) |
| Mike: 你好，我叫孙麦克。 (Nǐhǎo, wǒ jiào Sūn Màikè.) |
| Lili: 你好，我叫张丽。 (Nǐhǎo, wǒ jiào Zhāng Lì.) |
| Mike: 不好意思，请再说一遍。 (Bùhǎoyìsi, qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.) |
| Lili: 张丽，你可以叫我丽丽。 (Zhāng Lì. Nǐ kěyǐ jiào wǒ Lìli.) |
| Mike: 丽丽，很高兴认识你！ (Lìli, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ!) |
| Lili: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Victor: 重复一次, 加英文翻译. (Chóngfù yīcì, jiā yīngwén fānyì.) |
| Amber: One more time, with the English. |
| Mike: 打扰一下。 (Dǎrǎo yíxià.) |
| Amber: Excuse me. |
| Lili: 哦，不好意思，请坐。 (O, bùhǎoyìsi, qǐngzuò.) |
| Amber: Oh, sorry. Please, sit. |
| Mike: 你好，我叫孙麦克。 (Nǐhǎo, wǒ jiào Sūn Màikè.) |
| Amber: Hello, I'm Mike Smith. |
| Lili: 你好，我叫张丽。 (Nǐhǎo, wǒ jiào Zhāng Lì.) |
| Amber: Hello, I'm Zhang Li. |
| Mike: 不好意思，请再说一遍。 (Bùhǎoyìsi, qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.) |
| Amber: Sorry, could you say that again? |
| Lili: 张丽，你可以叫我丽丽。 (Zhāng Lì. Nǐ kěyǐ jiào wǒ Lìli.) |
| Amber: Zhang Li. You can call me Lili. |
| Mike: 丽丽，很高兴认识你！ (Lìli, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ!) |
| Amber: Lili, it's very nice to meet you! |
| Lili: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Amber: Me too. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Amber: OK, well, we haven’t broken down all the language yet, but that sounded pretty promising, I think, Victor, don’t you think? |
| Victor: Yeah, he probably got a really good seat. |
| Amber: Yeah, I mean, like it could be that he’s sandwiched between two large people, we can’t really see, but, hey, if they’ll speak Chinese with him, it’s worth it. |
| Victor: Yeah, plus usually, Chinese people are smaller in size. |
| Amber: Yeah, so I mean, you got a good chance. It’s probably like a better chance of a comfortable flight than if you’re on an American flight. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: OK. So let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Victor: 打扰 (dǎrǎo) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to disturb |
| Victor: 打扰 (dǎrǎo) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 打扰 (dǎrǎo) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: sorry |
| Victor: 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 叫 (jiào) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to call |
| Victor: 叫 (jiào) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 叫 (jiào) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 请 (qǐng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: please |
| Victor: 请 (qǐng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 请 (qǐng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 再 (zài) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: again |
| Victor: 再 (zài) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 再 (zài) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 可以 (kěyǐ) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: may, can |
| Victor: 可以 (kěyǐ) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 可以 (kěyǐ) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 高兴 (gāoxìng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: happy |
| Victor: 高兴 (gāoxìng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 高兴 (gāoxìng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 认识 (rènshí) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to know, to recognize |
| Victor: 认识 (rènshí) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 认识 (rènshí) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 也 (yě) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: also, too |
| Victor: 也 (yě) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 也 (yě) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 是 (shì) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to be |
| Victor: 是 (shì) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 是 (shì) [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Victor: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases in this lesson. |
| Amber: Yeah! So the first phrase that we’re going to look at is.... |
| Victor: 打扰一下 (Dǎrǎo yíxià.) "Excuse me." |
| Amber: Yeah. So obviously , Mike is trying to, you know, cram his way into the seat, and these are the magic words. |
| Victor: Yep. |
| Amber: So, what we have here, let’s break it down, is we have the first word, which is, “to disturb.” |
| Victor: 打扰 (Dǎrǎo). 打 (dǎ) is a 3rd tone, 扰 (rǎo) is also a 3rd tone. |
| Amber: Yes, but of course, we all know the tone-change rule, which means two 3rd tones in a row, the first one changes to the 2nd tone. |
| Victor: Yeah, so it’s 打扰 (dá rǎo). |
| Amber: Right! |
| Victor: And then with an 一下 (yīxià) tagged on, it basically softens what comes before. |
| Amber: That’s right. So, 一下 (yíxià) can be placed after a verb to soften the sound of the command or the request. |
| Victor: 一 (yí) is 1st tone, and 下 (xià) is a 4th tone, and it’s pronounced as 2nd tone because when 一 (yí) is combined with the 4th-tone word, it changes to 2nd tone, so 一下(yíxià), 打扰一下. (Dǎrǎo yíxià.) |
| Amber: Yeah! So basically, adding this 一下 (yíxià) kind of has the same feeling like in English, maybe we’d say “a little” or “a while” or “for a moment,” kind of like, “Oh, can I disturb you for a moment?” |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: OK. So, our girl comes too, obviously, and she immediately apologizes. And how do you apologize in Chinese, Victor? |
| Victor: 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi) |
| Amber: That’s right. We hear her say 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi). So, let’s break it down. Literally, what it means is like, “not good meaning.” |
| Victor: Right! |
| Amber: So, what are the words involved there? |
| Victor: 不 (bù) is a 4th tone, 好 (hǎo) is a 3rd tone. |
| Amber: And that means “not good.” |
| Victor: 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi). 意 (yì) is 4th tone, and 思 (si) is a neutral tone. |
| Amber: Right, and 意思 (yìsi) is kind of like “meaning” or “feeling.” |
| Victor: Yeah, meaning, yeah. So, 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi) is a word used to say “sorry.” Pretty much, anything from running into someone, to being late. |
| Amber: Yeah. |
| Victor: You can can say 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi). |
| Amber: Yes. Everyone will forgive you. But actually, you know, there are a couple more ways to apologize in Chinese that you also might hear, so we might as well tell you another one, just in case, you wanna, you know, maybe if you apologize a lot. |
| Victor: Hopefully not. |
| Amber: Chances are… |
| Victor: But if you do, another really popular one is 对不起 (duìbuqǐ). |
| Amber: Right, you hear that a lot too. |
| Victor: 对 (duì) is 4th tone, 不 (bu) is also 4th tone, 起 (qǐ) is 3rd tone. 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) |
| Amber: Right! And, Victor, are there any rules for when you're 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi) and when you're 对不起 (duìbuqǐ)? |
| Victor: They’re pretty much interchangeable, although I think, 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) can be used for situations that are more serious. So, 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi) is something like, you know, you run late for a meeting, you can say, 不好意思 (bùhǎoyìsi), but 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) is something more… |
| Amber: Like to your girlfriend. |
| Victor: Right, something like that. |
| Amber: OK, so next, now comes a highlight of this dialogue, which is when Mike goes in for the self-introduction. And there’s nothing better than something we’ve already learned rearing its head again, right? It makes it very easy to learn the second time. Does everyone remember the self-introduction? |
| Victor: Yep, we learned it in Bootcamp Lesson 1! |
| Amber: Right, just in case anyone forgot, I’d say, we reenact it, Victor. |
| Victor: Okay. |
| Amber: We say our own self-introduction using our Chinese names! |
| Victor: OK, why don’t you go first? |
| Amber: 你好！我是 治安. (Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ shì zhì'ān.) |
| Victor: 你好！我是宁建超 (Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ shì níng jiàn chāo). |
| Amber: Great! I think everyone, that probably rang a lot of bells. So it was, “Hello my name is (whatever),” and also in our dialogue, we said the exact same thing, cut the formalities out of the way. |
| Victor: Right. So the verb 叫 (jiào), 4th tone, means “to call.” |
| Amber: Yeah! So,. to introduce yourself, you’re simply saying, “I’m called Amber (whatever).” |
| Victor: And if you like to be more specific, like ask someone their name, you can say 名字 (míngzi) being “name.” |
| Amber: Yeah, 名字 (míngzi) is the word for “name” in Chinese. So, if you’re going to ask someone what their name is, how would you say that, Victor? |
| Victor: You say: 你叫什么名字？ (Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?) |
| Amber: Right, which literally means, “you call what name?” |
| Victor: Yes. |
| Amber: OK, so what next? You have to keep it going Victor. This conversation has got to last 15 hours. |
| Victor: Well after the intro, naturally he says '很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) |
| Amber: Yes, which is, “Very nice to meet you.” |
| Victor: The verb 认识 (rènshi) means “to know” or “to be familiar with.” |
| Amber: Yeah, however, in the context of this phrase 很高兴认识你 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ), the implication is actually that of “to meet,” even though the verb technically means “to know,” but it’s like you’re getting to know them for the first time. |
| Victor: Right. So, 认识 (rènshi), 认 (rèn) is 4th tone, and 识 (shi) is neutral tone. |
| Amber: OK, so how would I answer when someone says they are, 很高兴认识你? (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ?) |
| Victor: Just like Lili does, you can say 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Amber: Right, which literally means, “I also am.” What are the tones on that? |
| Victor: 我 (Wǒ) is a 3rd tone, 也 (yě) also 3rd, and 是 (shì) is 4th tone. |
| Amber: So, 我 (wǒ) “I,” 也 (yě) “also,” 是 (shì) “am.” |
| Victor: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Amber: Okay. So that was some of our vocab today. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Amber: And now, we’re going to learn some grammar points. Now, today's grammar point is something that we learned before as well, in Bootcamp 3. |
| Victor: Yeah, 请再说一遍。 (Qǐng zài shuō yī biàn.) |
| Amber: Right! And what it means is basically, “Please say it again” or “Please say it one more time.” |
| Victor: To express repetition of an action in Chinese, you can use this sentence pattern. |
| Amber: Yeah. So, the 再 (zài) that we hear here means “again.” |
| Victor: Right. So you put the 再 (zài) in front of the verb, and it means that this is the action to happen “again.” |
| Amber: Right. So whatever action is happening, the 再 (zài) goes in front of it. And then, what you do to be specific about the number of times, for example, Mike wanted her to say it one more time, you add the number of times that you want... And how do you say that in Chinese, Victor? |
| Victor: 一遍 (Yībiàn) |
| Amber: Right! So, 一 (yī) is the word for “one,” 遍 (biàn) is the word for, measure word for how many times. |
| Victor: For how many times, yeah. |
| Amber: So, the 一 (yī) is 1st tone, however, here, it’s pronounced as 2nd tone, due to tone-change rules, and 遍 (biàn) is 4th tone. |
| Victor: Right. So, 一遍 (Yībiàn). |
| Amber: Right. So just 再 (zài) plus the verb, plus how many times. |
| Victor: So, let’s revisit our line from the dialogue. |
| Amber: Yeah, let’s do that. |
| Victor: 请再说一遍. (Qǐng zàishuō yībiàn.) |
| Amber: OK, so the 请 (qǐng ) is “please,” we learned that before, in the boot camp. Now, what if it were, that was for, “Please say it one miore time?” What if it were three more times, Victor? |
| Victor: You can say, 请再说三遍 (Qǐng zàishuō sān biàn). |
| Amber: Right, 三 (sān) being the word for “three.” |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: So, 三遍 (sān biàn) “three times.” |
| Victor: And they will probably be very surprised. Three times? |
| Amber: You can try that one. |
| Victor: Please repeat three times. |
| Amber: Probably, I would need them to repeat three times. |
Outro |
| Amber: OK, well, so far so good. It seems like the passengers are getting along well. |
| Victor: Yes, and we’ll have to see how things develop. Hopefully, they don’t fall straight asleep. |
| Amber: Yes. So stay tuned for Lesson 3 in our series, which will either be more Chinese, or learn how to snore in Chinese. |
| Victor: Right, so… Right. So, join our trip to China in our Chinese learning journey. |
| Amber: And we’ll see you next time on the Gengo Chinese. |
| Victor: Yep. 再见 (zàijiàn). |
| Amber: 再见 (zàijiàn). |
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