Mandarin for Everyday Life 1A Yolanda LIU

Topic 1 Meeting someone for the first time in Ningbo

Place:

Shamrock Irish Bar 三叶草酒吧

Laowantan 老外滩

Ningbo 宁波

Characters:

Mike - UNNC’s international

student, British

Carol Chen – UNNC’s PG student,

Chinese

Jack Lee – Mike’s friend, Manager

of a foreign company, American

Background:
American
Today they are at the Shamrock Bar. Mike would like to
introduce Carol Chen to his friend Jack Lee. Carol and Jack are
meeting each other for the first time in Ningbo.
Mandarin for Everyday Life 1A Yolanda LIU

Conversation:

Mike: Jack, hăo jiŭ bú jiàn, nĭ hăo ma?

杰克，好久不见，你好吗？

Jack Lee: wŏ hěn hăo. nĭ ne?

我很好，你呢？

Mike: xué xí hěn máng. nĭ zěn me yàng?

学习很忙。你怎么样？

Jack Lee: wŏ yě hěn máng.

我也很忙。
(Jack is looking at Carol)
zhè shì nĭ de péng yŏu ma? hěn piào liàng.
这是你的朋友吗？很漂亮。

Mike: duì.
对。

Carol Chen: (Carol is smiling to Jack.)

nĭ hăo, wŏ jiào Carol. nín guì xìng?
你好，我叫珊珊，您贵姓？

Jack Lee: wŏ xìng lĭ, jiào Jack.

我姓李，叫杰克。

Carol Chen: Jack, rèn shi nĭ, hěn gāo xìng.

杰克，认识你，很高兴。

nĭ zuò shén me gōng zuò?

Mandarin for Everyday Life 1A Yolanda LIU

你做什么工作？

Jack Lee: wŏ shì jīng lĭ, zài gōng sī gōng zuò. nĭ ne?
我是经理，在公司工作，你呢？

Carol Chen: wŏ shì xué sheng,

我是学生，
zài nuò dīng hàn dà xuè xué xí.
在诺丁汉大学学习。

Jack Lee: nĭ xué xí shén me?

你学习什么？

Carol Chen: guó jì shāng wù.

国际商务。

Jack Lee: Carol, nĭ shì năr rén?

珊珊，你是哪儿人？

Carol Chen: wŏ shì níng bō rén. Jack, nĭ shì nă guó rén?

我是宁波人，杰克，你是哪国人？

Jack Lee: wŏ shì měi guó rén.

我是美国人。

Carol Chen: nĭ xĭ huān níng bō ma?

你喜欢宁波吗？

Jack Lee: (laughing) wŏ ài níng bō.

我爱宁波！
Mandarin for Everyday Life 1A Yolanda LIU

Vocabulary:

你 nĭ Pr you

我 wŏ Pr I, me

好 hăo adj. good; well; fine;

O.K.

叫 jiào v to call, to be known as

什么 shén me Q Pr what

名字 míng zi N name

您 nín Pr polite form, you

贵 guì adj. honourable

姓 xìng v one’s surname is---

是 shì v. to be(am, is, are)

哪 nă Q Pr which

国 guó N Country
人 rén N People

也 yě adv. too; also

吗 ma Pt a particle used at the end

of a question sentence expecting a yes-no answer

做 zuò v. to do

什么 shén me Q Pr what
 Mandarin for Everyday Life 1A Yolanda LIU

工作 zuò v./n. to work, work

学生 xué sheng n. student

学习 xué xí v./n. to study; study

在 zài prep. in, at

喜欢 xĭ huān v. to like

爱 ài v. to love
Mandarin for Everyday Life 1A Yolanda LIU

High Frequency Characters:

国
Mandarin for Everyday Life 1A Yolanda LIU

人 什么 也 吗
Key grammar and sentence patterns:

1. Word order

S + V + O + particle

wŏ shì níng bō rén.

nĭ shì níng bō rén ma?
wŏ xué xí guó jì shāng wù.

S + places before the VP + VP

wŏ zài níng bō gōng zuò.

wŏ zài nuò dīng hàn dà xuè xué xí

2. Yes or no “ma” question

nĭ hăo ma?
nĭ shì níng bō rén ma?

3. Question sentence with an interrogative pronoun

nĭ xué xí shén me?

nĭ shì nă guó rén?

nĭ shì năr rén?

Mandarin for Everyday Life 1A Yolanda LIU

nĭ zěn me yàng?