Transcript, vocabulary, and notes

Text 课文 (Kèwén)

After you have watched the video, check your understanding by reading the transcript and the English translation.

New words 生词 (Shēngcí)

Language notes

L1. 方位词 Position Words

A 在 B 的.…..面。 （A is on the …side of B.)

Examples:

• 书在.…..上面。
  Shū zài … shàngmiàn.
  The book is on the …
• 同学在.…..里面。
  Tóngxué zài … lǐmiàn.
  The classmates are in the …
• 车站在.…..左面。
  Chēzhàn zài … zuǒmiàn.
  The bus stop is on the left of …

L2. 词语 Expressions

A 离 B (不) 远。 A is (not) far from B.

• 中餐馆离我家不远。
  Zhōng cānguǎn lí wǒ jiā bù yuǎn.
  The Chinese restaurant is not far from my home.
• 体育场离教室不远。
  Tǐyùchǎng lí jiàoshì bù yuǎn.
  The stadium is not far from the classroom.

L3. 虽然 Although

In spoken Chinese, “虽然” is often omitted, whereas in written Chinese, it is not.

• 虽然餐馆不大， 但菜很好吃。
  Suīrán cānguǎn bù dà, dàn cài hěn hǎochī.
  Although the restaurant is small, still the food is very delicious.
• (虽然)中文不容易学， 但我不怕。
  (Suīrán) Zhōngwén bù róngyì xué, dàn wǒ bù pà.
  (Although) Chinese is not easy to learn, but I am not afraid (of learning it).
• A： 你的中文讲得很好。
  Your Chinese is spoken very well.
  B： 哪里， 哪里。 (虽然)我会讲不少， 但有时我会讲错。
  I am flattered. (Although) I am able to say a lot, but sometimes I speak incorrectly. (Nǎlǐ, nǎlǐ is a humble expression often used to deny a compliment.)

L4. 好像（是） It looks like (that), it seems (that)

Sentences with this expression usually contain some degree of uncertainty.

• 餐馆做的好像是广东菜。
  Cānguǎn zuò de hǎoxiàng shì Guǎngdōng cài.
  The food the restaurant prepares seems to be Cantonese.
• 他好像是会说中文。
  Tā hǎoxiàng shì huì shuō Zhōngwén.
  He seems to be able to speak Chinese.
• 我好像吃过这道菜。
  Wǒ hǎoxiàng chīguo zhè dào cài.
  It seems to me that I had this dish before.
• 中文好像不难学。
  Zhōngwén hǎoxiàng bù nán xué.
  Chinese doesn’t seem hard to learn.

L5. Verb reduplication

In the sentence “我想去试试,” meaning “I want to go have a try,” the verb is reduplicated. In a variation of this pattern the numeral “一” can be placed in between the reduplicated verbs: 我想去试一试. This construction is mostly used in spoken Chinese.

• 我想去看一看。
  Wǒ xiǎng qù shì yī shì.
  I want to go take a look.
• 我想去做一做。
  Wǒ xiǎng qù zuò yī zuò.
  I want to go do it.
• 我想去玩一玩。
  Wǒ xiǎng qù wán yī wán.
  I want to go and have a little fun.
• 我想去唱一唱。
  Wǒ xiǎng qù chàng yī chàng.
  I want to go sing.

L6. 量词 Measure words

The use of measure words is a unique characteristic of Chinese. There are not many short-cuts to learn measure words. Learners just need to practice. Here are a few common measure words.

• 个 gè: 一个小镇 a small town
• 个 gè: 一个男孩 a boy
• 个 gè: 一个家庭 a family
• 家 jiā: 一家中餐馆 a Chinese restaurant
• 道 dào: 一道菜 a dish
• 所 suǒ: 一所学校 a school

Cultural notes

Chinese love food. Eating is an important daily activity and a major component of the Chinese culture. Food is so important in Chinese culture that every festivity or celebration must be furnished with an abundance of food. Therefore, finding a Chinese restaurant is a common activity for many Chinese, wherever they go. It should be equally important to you as you learn Chinese.

There are eight different styles of cuisine in China. Cantonese cuisine (粤菜 Yuècài) is one of them. Because most Chinese restaurants in America do not serve authentic Chinese food, it is difficult to find it in this country. In the big cities, such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and some others, you may find a few Chinese restaurants that serve authentic food. Of course, if you really want to appreciate and enjoy Chinese cuisine, you should go to Mainland China, Taiwan, or Hongkong. One day, you must visit, and when you do, remember this lesson. It will be very useful when you are in China trying to find a good restaurant.