Lesson 2 contains a dialogue of two
students discussing their classes for the day.
Dialogues 1 & 2: Characters
Dialogue 1
| |
Simplified Characters |
|
|
Traditional Characters |
| 东尼: |
艾美，早安。 |
|
東尼: |
艾美，早安。 |
| 艾美: |
早。你好吗？ |
|
艾美: |
早。你好嗎？ |
| 东尼: |
我很好，谢谢。你呢？ |
|
東尼: |
我很好，謝謝。妳呢？ |
| 艾美: |
我也很好。今天你忙不忙？ |
|
艾美: |
我也很好。今天你忙不忙？ |
| 东尼: |
今天我很忙。我有五节课。 |
|
東尼: |
今天我很忙。我有五節課。 |
| 艾美: |
五节？！太多了！今天我只有一节。 |
|
艾美: |
五節？！太多了！今天我只有一節。 |
| 东尼: |
一节？！太少了！ |
|
東尼: |
一節？! 太少了！ |
Dialogues 1 & 2: Pīnyīn/English
Dialogue 1
| |
Pīnyīn |
|
|
English |
| Dōngní: |
Àiměi, zăoān. |
|
Tony: |
Good morning, Amy. |
| Àiměi: |
Zăo. Nǐ hǎo ma? |
|
Amy: |
Good morning. How are
you? |
| Dōngní: |
Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie. Nǐ
ne? |
|
Tony: |
I'm fine, thanks. How
about you? |
| Àiměi: |
Wǒ yě hěn hǎo. Jīntiān
nǐ máng bù máng? |
|
Amy: |
I'm also fine. Are you
busy today? |
| Dōngní: |
Jīntiān wǒ hěn máng. Wǒ
yǒu wǔ jié kè. |
|
Tony: |
I'm very busy today. I
have five classes. |
| Àiměi: |
Wǔ jié?! Tài duō le!
Jīntiān wǒ zhĭ yǒu yì jié. |
|
Amy: |
Five?! That's too many!
Today I only have one. |
| Dōngní: |
Yì jié?! Tài shăo le! |
|
Tony: |
One?! That's too few! |
Dialogue 2
Vocabulary
| |
Simplified (traditional in
parentheses) |
Pīnyīn |
Part of speech |
English [m.] |
| 1. |
一 |
yī |
(num) |
one |
| 2. |
二 |
èr |
(num) |
two |
| 3. |
三 |
sān |
(num) |
three |
| 4. |
四 |
sì |
(num) |
four |
| 5. |
五 |
wǔ |
(num) |
five |
| 6. |
六 |
liù |
(num) |
six |
| 7. |
七 |
qī |
(num) |
seven |
| 8. |
八 |
bā |
(num) |
eight |
| 9. |
九 |
jiǔ |
(num) |
nine |
| 10. |
十 |
shí |
(num) |
ten |
| 11. |
早 |
zăo |
(n) |
morning (often spoken
alone as a shortened form to mean "good morning" just like
with English) |
| 12. |
安 |
ān |
(adj) |
peaceful |
| 13. |
早安 |
zăoān |
(phrase) |
good morning |
| 14. |
很 |
hěn |
(adv) |
very |
| 15. |
谢谢 (謝謝) |
xièxie |
(v) |
thanks |
| 16. |
天 |
tiān |
(n) |
day/sky |
| 17. |
今天 |
jīntiān |
(n) |
today |
| 18. |
忙 |
máng |
(adj) |
busy |
| 19. |
有 |
yǒu |
(v) |
to have, possess |
| 20. |
没 |
méi |
(adv) |
negates yǒu |
| 21. |
节 (節) |
jié |
(m) |
(measure word for
sections of things) |
| 22. |
课 (課) |
kè |
(n) |
class [节] |
| 23. |
太 |
tài |
(adv) |
too, extremely |
| 24. |
了 |
le |
(part) |
(combines with 太 - see
grammar) |
| 25. |
多 |
duō |
(adj) |
many |
| 26. |
少 |
shăo |
(adj) |
few |
| 27. |
只 |
zhĭ |
(adv) |
only, merely |
Grammar
The adverb Hěn [很]
|
Though translated as
"very", Hěn [很] has a weaker meaning than it does
in English. It is often added before single-syllable verbs
just to enhance the rhythmic flow of the sentence. Hěn
is used before the verb in affirmative sentences, but
not in negative sentences or questions. A common
mistake of beginners is to insert shì [是] into
adjectival sentences, but this usage is incorrect as
shì can only be used to equate combinations of nouns,
noun phrases and pronouns. |
1. 我很忙。
- Wǒ hěn máng
- I am (very)
busy.
Le [了] as emphasizer
|
The particle le [了]
as used here serves to add emphasis to the verb or
adjective of the sentence. It is often seen paired with
tài [太] to express excessiveness. |
Affirmative-negative questions
|
A sentence can be made into
a question by having both affirmative and negative options
together. To answer in the affirmative, the verb or
adjective is repeated. (An affirmative adjective in this
case is usually preceded by hěn [很] to avoid a
comparative tone.) Responding in the negative is simply
saying "not verb" or "not adjective". |
Example:
|
Because the bù in
affirmative-negative questions is often said quickly,
marking the tone on bù is not strictly necessary in
their case. |
Q: 他是不是东尼?
- Tā shì bu shì Dōngní?
- Is he Tony?
A: 是。or 不是。
- Shì. or Bú shì.
- Yes (he is).
or No (he isn't).
Example:
Q:今天艾美忙不忙?
- Jīntiān Àiměi máng bù
máng?
- Is Amy busy
today?
A: 她很忙。or 她不忙。
- Tā hěn máng. or Tā
bù máng.
- Yes, she's busy.
or No, she's not busy.
Sentences using yǒu [有]
|
Yǒu [有] means
to have and indicates possession. |
Example:
我有三节课。
- Wǒ yǒu sān jié kè.
- I have three
classes.
|
Yǒu is negated
when preceded by méi [没]. |
Example:
今天她们没有一节课。
- Jīntiān tāmen méi yǒu yì
jié kè.
- They don't have
any class today.
|
|
