Intermediate - Dog Breeds

Right-Wingnut

John: Hi everybody, this is an Intermediate lesson on ChinesePod, I'm John.

迪璐: 你好，我是迪璐。

John: And today we're talking about different breeds of dogs.

迪璐: 今天我们要讲一下狗的品种。

John: 品种, two 3rd tones, that's 'breed'.

迪璐: 对。两个第三声。一般我们会说动物或者植物的品种。

John: So for animals, plants. But actually that word is not going to appear in today's lesson. What you will hear are various names of dog breeds.

迪璐: 没错。不同的狗的品种。

John: Alright, let's listen.

Right-Wingnut

Dialog

Right-Wingnut

Dialog

Right-Wingnut

1:29

John: In the beginning we hear these two girls talking. They're using kind of cutesy language, aren't they.

迪璐: 你看，那只狗狗好迷你哦。真可爱。

John: Doesn't sound very manly. So we do hear the measure word for dog.

迪璐: 对。只。一只狗。

John: 1st tone. And rather than saying 狗 she says ...

迪璐: 狗狗。

John: So that's like 'doggy'.

迪璐: 对。

John: A cuter way of saying it.

迪璐: 我觉得女孩子或者是小孩儿会这么说狗狗。

John: So for girly girls and kids. So what does she say about the dog, the doggy?

Right-Wingnut

2:04

迪璐: 好迷你哦。好迷你哦。

John: 迷你 - 2nd tone, 3rd tone - that means 'mini'.

迪璐: 对。就是那个英文词。迷你。

John: And in Chinese you can use it like you use in English, like 'mini-skirt' or something, but you can also use it by itself to just mean 'small'.

迪璐: 对。就是很小。可以做一个形容［自用］。

John: Kind of like 'tiny'.

迪璐: 对。

John: OK. And the other girl thinks she knows what kind of dog it is.

marina169

可以做一个形容词用。

Right-Wingnut

2:31

迪璐: 她说：这个好像就是吉娃娃。这个好像就是吉娃娃。

John: 好像 - 3rd tone, 4th tone - that's 'it seems'.

迪璐: 对。

John: And in Chinese its often used like 'I think', when you're pretty sure and you're making a pretty safe guess.

迪璐: 这个好像就是吉娃娃。吉娃娃。

John: That it the word for Chihuahua. And the tones are ...

迪璐: 两个第二声和一个轻声。

Right-Wingnut

John: 吉娃娃。OK, Chihuahua. And then the other girl makes a strange comment. What does she say?

迪璐: 她说：吉娃娃这么小，肯定不咬人。

John: So small they definitely don't bite people. I don't think that's true. But anyway, 'definitely don't bite people', how do you say that?

迪璐: 肯定不咬人。肯定不咬人。

John: 咬, 3rd tone, means 'to bite', but in this case you don't just use it by itself.

迪璐: 对。你要说：咬人。咬人。

John: 'Bite people'.

Right-Wingnut

迪璐: 对。在中文里面，咬不太会一个词［讲 or 这样？］用。

John: You don't often just use it by itself.

迪璐: 对。你要说咬人，或者是不咬人。

John: Got it.

迪璐: 但是另外那个女孩儿，她说， 她觉得吉娃娃太瘦了。我喜欢胖乎乎的那种狗。

John: So 'that kind of fat and fluffy'.

迪璐: 胖乎乎的狗。

John: 胖, 4th tone, that means 'fat'.

迪璐: 对。

John: So by adding 乎乎 on the end, what are we adding here in meaning?

Right-Wingnut

迪璐: 有这两个字，你不觉得很形象麻，你可以，you can imagine how [poofy???］the dog is。

John: I guess if you know what 胖乎乎的 means, you can imagine that. So 乎乎 kind of makes it sound a little bit cuter.

迪璐: 对。

John: A little bit fluffier. Rather than being obese, its more cute.

迪璐: 对。胖乎乎的狗。

John: You'll notice that in Chinese a lot of these single syllable adjectives, you can add this repeated double syllable after it to make it sound more - I don't know.

迪璐: Vivid.