Learn how to use the conjunction 要是 meaning "if," from a conversation between two people in China
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Intermediate, season 2, Lesson 15. When is The Chinese Subway Not Crowded? |
| Chloe: 大家好。(Dàjiā hǎo.)I’m Chloe, |
| Becky: Hi everyone, I’m Becky, and welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. This is Intermediate Season 2, Lesson 15 - When is the Chinese Subway Not Crowded? |
| Chloe: 这节课我们来了解一下地铁高峰时间的状况。(Zhè jié kè wǒmen lái liǎo jiè yīxià dìtiě gāofēng shíjiān de zhuàngkuàng.) |
| Becky: The conversation takes place near a subway station. |
| Chloe: 我们将会听到一个年轻上班族和一个退休人士的对话。(Wǒmen jiāng huì tīng dào yīgè niánqīng shàngbān zú hé yīgè tuìxiū rénshì dì duìhuà.) |
| Becky: Yes, they will talk about taking the subway using informal language. Okay let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| A:听说北京又新开通了四条地铁线？ |
| (A: Tīng shuō běijīng yòu xīn kāitōngle sìtiáo dìtiě xiàn?) |
| B:是啊，现在我都不怎么开车了，地铁四通八达，很方便。 |
| (B: Shì a, xiànzài wǒ dū bù zě me kāichēle, dìtiě sìtōngbādá, hěn fāngbiàn.) |
| A:我上次上下班高峰的时候坐了一回，快被挤晕了。 |
| (A: Wǒ shàng cì shàng xiàbān gāofēng de shíhou zuòle yī huí, kuài bèi jǐ yūnle.) |
| B:那个时候可不能坐地铁，要是赶上那些换乘站更要命。 |
| (B: Nàgè shíhou kě bùnéng zuò dìtiě, yàoshi gǎn shàng nàxiē huàn chéng zhàn gèng yàomìng.) |
| A:那什么时候能坐啊？ |
| (A: Nà shénme shíhou néng zuò a?) |
| B:没人的时候坐呀，你看，我一般都是清晨六点坐地铁去香山，中午十二点回家，没人跟我挤。 |
| (B: Méi rén de shíhou zuò ya, nǐ kàn, wǒ yībān dōu shì qīngchén liù diǎn zuò dìtiě qù xiāngshān, zhōngwǔ shí'èr diǎn huí jiā, méi rén gēn wǒ jǐ.) |
| A:您是退休了，我还得天天上班呢。 |
| (A: Nín shì tuìxiūle, wǒ hái dé tiāntiān shàngbān ne.) |
| Becky: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| A:听说北京又新开通了四条地铁线？ |
| (A: Tīng shuō běijīng yòu xīn kāitōngle sìtiáo dìtiě xiàn?) |
| B:是啊，现在我都不怎么开车了，地铁四通八达，很方便。 |
| (B: Shì a, xiànzài wǒ dū bù zě me kāichēle, dìtiě sìtōngbādá, hěn fāngbiàn.) |
| A:我上次上下班高峰的时候坐了一回，快被挤晕了。 |
| (A: Wǒ shàng cì shàng xiàbān gāofēng de shíhou zuòle yī huí, kuài bèi jǐ yūnle.) |
| B:那个时候可不能坐地铁，要是赶上那些换乘站更要命。 |
| (B: Nàgè shíhou kě bùnéng zuò dìtiě, yàoshi gǎn shàng nàxiē huàn chéng zhàn gèng yàomìng.) |
| A:那什么时候能坐啊？ |
| (A: Nà shénme shíhou néng zuò a?) |
| B:没人的时候坐呀，你看，我一般都是清晨六点坐地铁去香山，中午十二点回家，没人跟我挤。 |
| (B: Méi rén de shíhou zuò ya, nǐ kàn, wǒ yībān dōu shì qīngchén liù diǎn zuò dìtiě qù xiāngshān, zhōngwǔ shí'èr diǎn huí jiā, méi rén gēn wǒ jǐ.) |
| A:您是退休了，我还得天天上班呢。 |
| (A: Nín shì tuìxiūle, wǒ hái dé tiāntiān shàngbān ne.) |
| Becky: Now. Let’s hear with English translation. |
| A:听说北京又新开通了四条地铁线？ |
| (A: Tīng shuō běijīng yòu xīn kāitōngle sìtiáo dìtiě xiàn?) |
| A: I heard that the four new subway lines opened in Beijing? |
| B:是啊，现在我都不怎么开车了，地铁四通八达，很方便。 |
| (B: Shì a, xiànzài wǒ dū bù zě me kāichēle, dìtiě sìtōngbādá, hěn fāngbiàn.) |
| B: Yeah, now I don't drive anymore. The subway goes everywhere, it's very convenient. |
| A:我上次上下班高峰的时候坐了一回，快被挤晕了。 |
| (A: Wǒ shàng cì shàng xiàbān gāofēng de shíhou zuòle yī huí, kuài bèi jǐ yūnle.) |
| A: Last time I rode the subway during rush hour, it was so crowded I almost fainted. |
| B:那个时候可不能坐地铁，要是赶上那些换乘站更要命。 |
| (B: Nàgè shíhou kě bùnéng zuò dìtiě, yàoshi gǎn shàng nàxiē huàn chéng zhàn gèng yàomìng.) |
| B: Yes. You can't ride the subway around that time, it's even worse at the big transfer stations. |
| A:那什么时候能坐啊？ |
| (A: Nà shénme shíhou néng zuò a?) |
| A: Then when can I ride the subway? |
| B:没人的时候坐呀，你看，我一般都是清晨六点坐地铁去香山，中午十二点回家，没人跟我挤。 |
| (B: Méi rén de shíhou zuò ya, nǐ kàn, wǒ yībān dōu shì qīngchén liù diǎn zuò dìtiě qù xiāngshān, zhōngwǔ shí'èr diǎn huí jiā, méi rén gēn wǒ jǐ.) |
| B: When nobody is riding it. Look, I take the subway to the Fragrant Hills at 6 o'clock in the morning, then go home around noon, it's not crowded at all. |
| A:您是退休了，我还得天天上班呢。 |
| (A: Nín shì tuìxiūle, wǒ hái dé tiāntiān shàngbān ne.) |
| A: You are retired, but I have to go to work every day. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: It sounds like rush hour is a tough time on the subway in China. |
| Chloe: 确实是这样的，这个是地铁的老大难问题了。大家一说到它就头疼！特别是早上的上班高峰期，坐地铁就跟打仗似的。(Quèshí shì zhèyàng de, zhège shì dìtiě de lǎodà nàn wèntíle. Dàjiā yì shuō dào tā jiù tóuténg! Tèbié shì zǎoshang de shàngbān gāofēng qī, zuò dìtiě jiù gēn dǎzhàng shì de.) |
| ［Yeah, and actually it has been a problem for the Beijing subway for a long time. The subway becomes a battlefield during the morning rush hour.］ |
| Becky: Oh, really? When is the rush hour? |
| Chloe: 工作日的早上六点到九点半，正是大家赶着去上班的时间。(Gōngzuò rì de zǎoshang liù diǎn dào jiǔ diǎn bàn, zhèng shì dàjiā gǎnzhe qù shàngbān de shíjiān.) |
| Becky: What does the platform look like during that period? |
| Chloe: 只要经历一次绝对终生难忘！地铁一来要上车的人就争先恐后地往前挤，根本顾不了要下车的人。想下车的话得靠自己杀出一条路，不然铁定被挤回车上。而且人真的太多了，挤得人呼吸困难。我觉得有句话特别适合早高峰时的地铁，叫“人挤人，挤死人”。(Zhǐyào jīnglì yīcì juéduì zhōngshēng nánwàng! Dìtiě yī lái yào shàng chē de rén jiù zhēngxiānkǒnghòu de wǎng qián jǐ, gēnběn gù bùliǎo yào xià chē de rén. Xiǎng xià chē dehuà dé kào zìjǐ shā chū yītiáo lù, bùrán tiědìng bèi jǐ huí chē shàng. Érqiě rén zhēn de tài duōle, jǐ dé rén hūxī kùnnán. Wǒ juédé yǒu jù huà tèbié shìhé zǎo gāofēng shí dì dìtiě, jiào “rén jǐ rén, jǐ sǐrén”.) |
| ［Oh, I would say it’s definitely a nightmare. People who want to get on the train have little regard for those who want to get off, they rush to the train and battle each other. You have to fight your way out or you’ll be pushed back onto the train again. Besides, there’re so many people that you’ll find you can hardly breathe.］ |
| Becky: I can imagine that. Metropolises usually have similar problems. |
| Chloe: 是的，其实大家一直都在批评这种现象，媒体也报道了很多次。但目前并没有特别有效的解决方法。其实确实挺无奈的，这也算是由城市人口过多引起的。人口过多一直是一个大的社会问题。(Shì de, qíshí dàjiā yì zhí dōu zài pīpíng zhè zhǒng xiànxiàng, méitǐ yě bàodàole hěnduō cì. Dàn mùqián bìng méiyǒu tèbié yǒuxiào de jiějué fāngfǎ. Qíshí quèshí tǐng wúnài de, zhè yě suànshì yóu chéngshì rénkǒuguò duō yǐnqǐ de. Rénkǒuguò duō yīzhí shì yīgè dà de shèhuì wèntí.) |
| ［Yes, and this problem has long been criticized by the public and media. But so far there’s no effective way to handle it. You know, overpopulation is a real headache for Chinese society.］ |
| Becky: Yes, you will really get a sense of this when you visit China. There is never a dull moment. Okay now let’s move on to the vocab. Let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. The first word we shall see is. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Chloe: 开通 (kāitōng) |
| Becky: Open. |
| Chloe: 开通 (kāitōng) |
| Becky: Next |
| Chloe: 地铁 (dìtiě) |
| Becky: Subway. |
| Chloe: 地铁 (dìtiě) |
| Becky: Next |
| Chloe: 线 (xiàn) |
| Becky: Line. |
| Chloe: 线 (xiàn) |
| Becky: Next |
| Chloe: 四通八达 (sìtōngbādá) |
| Becky: Accessible from all directions. |
| Chloe: 四通八达 (sìtōngbādá) |
| Becky: Next |
| Chloe: 高峰 (gāofēng) |
| Becky: Rush hour. |
| Chloe: 高峰 (gāofēng) |
| Becky: Next |
| Chloe: 挤 (jǐ) |
| Becky: To crowd. |
| Chloe: 挤 (jǐ) |
| Becky: Next |
| Chloe: 赶上 (gǎnshàng) |
| Becky: To rush into a situation, to be in time for. |
| Chloe: 赶上 (gǎnshàng) |
| Becky: And last. |
| Chloe: 退休 (tuìxiū) |
| Becky: To retire. |
| Chloe: 退休 (tuìxiū) |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Becky: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Chloe: 今天要学的第一个词是“开通”。这是一个动词，它的意思是“to open”。“开”和“通”这两个字的意思差不多。“开”表示“打开”，意思是“to open”“to unfold”。比如说，“开门”。(Jīntiān yào xué de dì yīgè cí shì “kāitōng”. Zhè shì yī gè dòngcí, tā de yìsi shì “to open”.“Kāi” hé “tōng” zhè liǎng gè zì de yìsi chàbùduō.“Kāi” biǎoshì “dǎkāi”, yìsi shì “to open”“to unfold”. Bǐrú shuō,“kāimén”.) |
| ［The first word we’ll look at is 开通. 开通(Kāitōng. Kāitōng) is a verb, it means “to open”. This word is made up of 开(Kāi) and 通(Tōng), and they share similar meanings. 开(Kāi), in Chinese is 打开(Dǎkāi), “to open”, “to unfold”. For example, 开门(Kāimén)］ |
| Becky: To open the door |
| Chloe: 开餐馆儿(Kāi cānguǎn er) |
| Becky: To open a restaurant. |
| Chloe: “通”则表示“通畅”。(“Tōng” zé biǎoshì “tōngchàng”.) |
| Becky: “Unimpeded, unobstructed.” What kind of words can be used with this word? |
| Chloe: 我们经常把“开通”和表示交通的词放在一起。比方说，“开通新的航线”。(Wǒmen jīngcháng bǎ “kāitōng” hé biǎoshì jiāotōng de cí fàng zài yīqǐ. Bǐfāng shuō,“kāitōng xīn de hángxiàn”.) |
| ［It’s usually used with words related to traffic. For example, 开通新的航线(Kāitōng xīn de hángxiàn)］ |
| Becky: To open a new airline |
| Chloe: 开通高速公路 (Kāitōng gāosù gōnglù) |
| Becky: To open highways. And it can also be put with words related to communication channels. |
| Chloe: 你说的没错，例如“开通热线”。(Nǐ shuō de méi cuò, lìrú “kāitōng rèxiàn”.) |
| Becky: This means “to open a hotline” |
| Chloe: 再比如说你想在手机使用Wi-Fi，这个时候你就需要到移动运营商那里告诉他们你想“开通Wi-Fi”。(Zài bǐrú shuō nǐ xiǎng zài shǒujī shǐyòng Wi-Fi, zhège shíhòu nǐ jiù xūyào dào yídòng yùnyíng shāng nàlǐ gàosù tāmen nǐ xiǎng “kāitōng Wi-Fi”.) |
| ［Yes, and when you want to make wifi available on your phone, you can go to the phone company and say you want to 开通wifi.］ |
| Becky: So it’s “to activate wifi”. |
| Chloe: 对。我们来看下一个词“赶上”。它是一个动词。(Duì. Wǒmen lái kàn xià yīgè cí “gǎn shàng”. Tā shì yīgè dòngcí.) |
| ［Exactly. Okay, next we’re going to look at the verb 赶上(Gǎn shàng).］ |
| Becky: This word means “to be in time for something” or “to catch up with somebody”. |
| Chloe: 是的，“赶”就是“to catch” “to hurry”的意思，而“上”的意思是“to go up”。来看一些例子，“赶上末班车”。 (Shì de,“gǎn” jiùshì “to catch” “to hurry” de yìsi, ér “shàng” de yìsi shì “to go up”. Lái kàn yīxiē lìzi,“gǎn shàng mòbānchē”.) |
| Becky: To catch the last train |
| Chloe: 假如你喜欢时尚，或者新事物，你最常做的事情之一大概就是要“赶上潮流”。(Jiǎrú nǐ xǐhuān shíshàng, huòzhě xīn shìwù, nǐ zuì cháng zuò de shìqíng zhī yī dàgài jiùshì yào “gǎn shàng cháoliú”.) |
| ［If you like fashion, or you’re obsessed with new things, you may want to 赶上潮流(Gǎn shàng cháoliú)］ |
| Becky: This means “to keep up with the trend”. |
| Chloe: 这个词还有别的用法。当你想表达你遇上了某种情况时，你也可以用“赶上”这个词。这种情况通常是不太好的或者你不想遇上的。(Zhège cí hái yǒu bié de yòngfǎ. Dāng nǐ xiǎng biǎodá nǐ yù shàngle mǒu zhǒng qíngkuàng shí, nǐ yě kěyǐ yòng “gǎn shàng” zhège cí. Zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng tōngcháng shì bù tài hǎo de huòzhě nǐ bùxiǎng yù shàng de.) |
| Becky You mean we can use this word when we want to express that we run into a situation, and usually this situation is not so favorable? |
| Chloe 是的，你说的很对。比如说，“赶上下大雨”。(Shì de, nǐ shuō de hěn duì. Bǐrú shuō,“gǎn shàngxià dàyǔ”.) |
| ［Right. And also, you can use 赶上(Gǎn shàng) when you want to express that you run into a situation, and usually this situation is not so favorable. For example: 赶上下大雨(Gǎn shàngxià dàyǔ)］ |
| Becky: This means “to run into a heavy rain”. |
| Chloe: 赶上堵车(Gǎn shàng dǔchē) |
| Becky: “To run into a traffic jam”. |
| Chloe: 好的，下面是最后一个词“挤”。“挤”是一个动词。(Hǎo de, xiàmiàn shì zuìhòu yīgè cí “jǐ”.“Jǐ” shì yīgè dòngcí.) |
| ［Yes. Alright, let’s now go to the last word 挤. 挤(Jǐ. Jǐ) is a verb. ］ |
| Becky: It means many people or things are crowding in a place. For example, we mentioned that during the morning rush hour, everyone fights their way onto the train. |
| Chloe: 是的，假设你在地铁车厢里，并且车厢里已经几乎没有空间来站更多的人的时候，你就可以说“车厢里挤不了那么多人”。(Shì de, jiǎshè nǐ zài dìtiě chēxiāng lǐ, bìngqiě chēxiāng lǐ yǐjīng jīhū méiyǒu kòng jiān lái zhàn gèng duō de rén de shíhòu, nǐ jiù kěyǐ shuō “chēxiāng lǐ jǐ bùliǎo nàme duō rén”.) |
| ［Suppose you’re on the train and there’s no more space for them, you can say 车厢里挤不了那么多人.(Chēxiāng lǐ jǐ bùliǎo nàme duō rén.)］ |
| Becky: This means “It's impossible to pack so many people into the compartment.” |
| Chloe: 下一个例子，“小狗们挤在一起取暖。” (Xià yīgè lìzi,“xiǎo gǒumen jǐ zài yīqǐ qǔnuǎn.”) |
| Becky: The puppies crowded together for warmth. |
| Chloe: “挤” 这个词也有 “to push against something or somebody”的意思。 例如在拥挤的地方我们会提醒别人说“别挤”。(“Jǐ” zhège cí yěyǒu “to push against something or somebody” de yìsi. Lìrú zài yǒngjǐ dì dìfāng wǒmen huì tíxǐng biérén shuō “bié jǐ”.) |
| Becky: It means “Don’t push” |
| Chloe: 再比如，“往前挤”。(Zài bǐrú,“wǎng qián jǐ”.) |
| Becky: To push to the front. Okay, now let’s move on to the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Chloe: 这节课我们要学习的是“要是”的用法。(Zhè jié kè wǒmen yào xuéxí de shì “yàoshi” de yòngfǎ.) |
| Becky: It’s a conjunction, meaning “if” or “suppose”. |
| Chloe: 是的。在学习今天的内容之前，我们先来快速复习一下怎么表达假设。我们以前学过“如果”这个词可以表示假设，它相当于英语里的“if”。来看一个例子，“如果我是你，我就不会那样做”。(Shì de. Zài xuéxí jīntiān de nèiróng zhīqián, wǒmen xiān lái kuàisù fùxí yīxià zěnme biǎodá jiǎshè. Wǒmen yǐqián xuéguò “rúguǒ” zhège cí kěyǐ biǎoshì jiǎshè, tā xiāngdāng yú yīngyǔ lǐ de “if”. Lái kàn yīgè lìzi,“rúguǒ wǒ shì nǐ, wǒ jiù bù huì nàyàng zuò”.) |
| ［That’s right. Before we go into 要是(Yàoshi), let’s have a quick review of how to say “if”. As you’ve learned, we usually use “如果(Rúguǒ)“ to say “if”. For example, 如果我是你，我就不会那样做(Rúguǒ wǒ shì nǐ, wǒ jiù bù huì nàyàng zuò)］ |
| Becky: This means “if I were you, I wouldn’t do it that way”. |
| Chloe: 对。“要是”这个词的意思跟“如果”差不多，但它更常在口语里使用，也没有“如果”正式。有一点需要注意的是，它通常用来表示一定的条件，也就是‘under a certain condition.’ 例如，“要是赶上堵车怎么办？” (Duì.“Yàoshi” zhège cí de yìsi gēn “rúguǒ” chàbùduō, dàn tā gèng cháng zài kǒuyǔ lǐ shǐyòng, yě méiyǒu “rúguǒ” zhèngshì. Yǒu yīdiǎn xūyào zhùyì de shì, tā tōngcháng yòng lái biǎoshì yīdìng de tiáojiàn, yě jiùshì ‘under a certain condition.’ Lìrú,“yàoshi gǎn shàng dǔchē zěnme bàn?”) |
| ［Yes, and 要是(Yàoshi) is kind of similar to 如果(Rúguǒ), but more casual. One point is that it means ‘under a certain condition.’ Let’s look at some examples, 要是赶上堵车怎么办？(Yàoshi gǎn shàng dǔchē zěnme bàn?)］ |
| Becky: What if we run into a traffic jam? |
| Chloe: 好，再来看一个例子。假设你想要你的孩子乖乖听话，你可以对他说“你要是听话就给你奖励”(Hǎo, zàilái kàn yīgè lìzi. Jiǎshè nǐ xiǎng yào nǐ de háizi guāiguāi tīnghuà, nǐ kěyǐ duì tā shuō “nǐ yàoshi tīnghuà jiù gěi nǐ jiǎnglì”)。 |
| Becky: If you’re good you’ll get a prize. Now suppose you want to get married to your boyfriend or girlfriend, but your parents don’t seem to support your decision. |
| Chloe: 在这种情况下你的男朋友或者女朋友应该会很失望，然后对你说“要是你父母不同意的话就算了吧。”(Zài zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng xià nǐ de nán péngyǒu huòzhě nǚ péngyǒu yīnggāi huì hěn shīwàng, ránhòu duì nǐ shuō “yàoshi nǐ fùmǔ bù tóngyì dehuà jiùsuànle ba.”) |
| Becky: This means “Just forget about it if your parents don’t agree.” Oh, that’s too bad. |
| Chloe: (laughs)我也这么觉得，不过因为父母不同意而结不成婚这种事还挺常见的。 好，下一个例子。“要是明天是世界末日，你会做什么？”(Wǒ yě zhème juédé, bùguò yīnwèi fùmǔ bù tóngyì ér jié bù chénghūn zhè zhǒng shì hái tǐng chángjiàn de. Hǎo, xià yīgè lìzi.“Yàoshi míngtiān shì shìjiè mòrì, nǐ huì zuò shénme?”) |
| Becky: “Suppose the world ended tomorrow, what would you do?” That’s a good question, what would you do? |
| Chloe: 我肯定会跟家人朋友一起吃一顿大餐！(Wǒ kěndìng huì gēn jiārén péngyǒu yīqǐ chī yī dùn dà cān!) |
| Becky: Good idea! |
| Chloe: (laughs). 好的，还有一个重点。“要是” 也有英语里“in case” 的意思. 例如，“要是我的客户来了记得叫我。”(Hǎo de, hái yǒu yīgè zhòngdiǎn.“Yàoshi” yěyǒu yīngyǔ lǐ “in case” de yìsi. Lìrú,“yàoshi wǒ de kèhù láile jìdé jiào wǒ.”) |
| Becky: Literally, this is “in case my client comes, please let me know.” |
| Chloe: 没错，最后一个例句，“要是遇到抢劫，千万不要慌张。”(Méi cuò, zuìhòu yīgè lìjù,“yàoshi yù dào qiǎngjié, qiān wàn bùyào huāngzhāng.”) |
| Becky: In case of a robbery, don’t panic. |
Outro |
| Becky: Okay that’s it for this lesson. |
| Chloe: Listeners, do you know the powerful secret behind the rapid progress? |
| Becky: Using the entire system… |
| Chloe: Lesson notes are an important part of the system. |
| Becky: They include a transcript and translation of the conversation. |
| Chloe: Key lesson vocabulary. |
| Becky: And detailed grammar explanations. |
| Chloe: Lesson notes accompany every audio or video lesson. |
| Becky: Use them on the site or mobile device or print them out. |
| Chloe: Using the lesson notes with audio and video media will rapidly increase your learning speed. |
| Becky: Go to chineseclass101.com and download the lesson notes for this lesson right now. Thanks for listening and we will see you next time. Bye everyone. |
| Chloe: 今天的课就到这里，我们下次见。拜拜！(Jīntiān de kè jiù dào zhèlǐ, wǒmen xià cì jiàn. Bàibài!) |
Comments
Hide