Intermediate - Playdates
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 02:45 AM posted in Transcripts with TalLesson here:
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 08:36 AM
14:33
John: That's true, so if there's one constant in China, its that its always changing. So that's true for this situation as well.
Dilu: 对。那如果你对这一课有一些问题或者是想法，也欢迎你到ChinesePod给我们留言。
John: Alright, see you guys on ChinesePod.com
John & Dilu: 再见。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 08:31 AM
14:05
John: But I know that Chinese parents are more and more realising that kids need to have a play to develop their creativity and that kind of thing, so its not a total lost cause. You can definitely try inviting Chinese kids to play with your kids, or talking to the parents about letting the kids play together.
Dilu: 而且这些年很多的爸爸妈妈他们的想法已经改变了。他们也会想要带孩子一起出去玩。找更多的玩伴儿。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 08:23 AM
13:33
Dilu: 有可能他们会很忙。
John: They're not given a lot of free time. Would you say that was true in your case growing up?
Dilu: 小的时候其实在家里附近是，小的时候我在我家里附近我还是有一些玩伴儿的，但是很多的时候我们是在［fang]这个holiday的时候一起玩。平时...
John: A couple of times a year, uh?
Dilu: 平时的时候就周末可能会在家里做作业。还有去上一些［补习］班。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 08:11 AM
13:01
Dilu: I will try to answer your questions.
John: OK. Well I was going to tell you, one of the things that they seem to notice, foreigners in China, is that Chinese parents are less likely to want to set up play dates for their kids.
Dilu: 对。我也好像不太听说很多爸爸妈妈会一起带孩子出去玩。
John: I think the reason that's usually cited is that [although] the kid has to do his homework, he has to go to his piano lessons, he has to go to his art lessons, he has to go to his swimming lessons, and these kids are ...
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 08:03 AM
12:53
John: So Dilu, I know you're very young and you're not a mother or anything, but I've had a few conversations with other parents in Shanghai, especially foreign parents.
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 08:00 AM
John: So again, this is the case of in English we like to put the 'longer' at the end, whereas in Chinese we put it before the verb. 再 do something 一会儿.
Dilu: 对。放在动词的前面。
John: So just listen again and again, and this will start to feel natural, I promise. This takes a while.
Dilu: 好。我们再来听一下对话。
11:49 - Dialog
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 07:56 AM
11:01
Dilu: 妈妈，能不能再玩一会儿？能不能再玩一会儿？
John: So here we have 再 again. And again its not really meaning 'again'. 再 do something 一会儿 means what?
Dilu: Means to do something a little longer.
John: So 'a little longer'.
Dilu: 对。我们常常会说：再睡一会儿。
John: 'Sleep a little while longer'.
Dilu: 再等一会儿。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 07:51 AM
Dilu: 我们要准备回去。
John: This 准备 is actively preparing, doing a whole bunch of stuff to get ready to leave?
Dilu: 那肯定不是啦，它的意思就是：我们走吧，马上只要走了。
John: So sometimes 准备 isn't really specific preparations, its just 'we're going to do this now'.
Dilu: 对。
John: So the tones on 准备 are ...
Dilu: 第三声和第四声。准备。
John: 3rd and 4th. Then finally they break it to the kids, and what's the kids' idea?
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 07:45 AM
Dilu: 多吃点饭。
John: 多吃点饭. So before the verb.
Dilu: 对。
John: In this case its ...
Dilu: 多找几个小伙伴。
John: 'Find some more'.
Dilu: 对。
John: So this is a common thing in Chinese, that 多 usually comes before the verb and not before the noun.
Dilu: 可以多练习一下。然后呢她们就说：今天不早了。我们准备回去吧？
John: So 'its not early anymore, we prepare to leave' ?
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 07:38 AM
Dilu: 再问问别的妈妈。多找几个小伙伴儿。
John: 多找几个 little playmates. That means 'find some more little playmates'.
Dilu: 对。多找几个小伙伴。
John: Notice the difference between English and Chinese here. In English we like to say 'find some more of something', 'eat some more rice'. In Chinese, you don't put the 'more' with the thing, you put it with the verb.
Dilu: 放在动词的前面。
John: So in Chinese 'eat more rice' is ...
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 07:32 AM
8:59
Dilu: 而且呢，她们说再去问问别的妈妈。再问问别的妈妈。
John: Notice here 再问问别的妈妈 doesn't mean 'ask other moms again'.
Dilu: 不是不是。就是我们两个人已经说好了。我们去问别人。
John: So 'we've discussed it, now let's ask other people if they're interested too'.
Dilu: 对。
John: So notice that the 再 doesn't always mean 'again'. It can just be asking new people.
Dilu: 对。
John: OK.
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 07:27 AM
John: So 伴, you added the 儿化 in there. Could you say 玩儿伴?
Dilu: It sounds quite weird. 玩儿伴儿.
John: Yeah, 玩儿伴儿, is that what they say in 北京?
Dilu: 也许北京人会这么说，但是南［方？sounds like bao?]人可能会说玩伴。
John: 玩伴.
Dilu: 玩伴。
John: Wow, lots of possibilities here.
Dilu: 对。
John: So 'playmates' 轻松一下. So 'the parents can relax a bit', right?
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 06:56 AM
8:03
Dilu: 不是是以后。Once they have playmates.
John: So this is one of those cases where 了 does not mean past tense. Don't think that. It means 'once the kid has a playmate', 'if the kid can have a playmate'.
Dilu: 对。
John: ... then. So its talking about the future. So 了 is not tied to the past. Again the word that means 'playmate' is ...
Dilu: 玩伴儿。玩伴儿。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 06:51 AM
7:29
John: So 还是 is usually for a question. 'Either we do this OR we do this'.
Dilu: 对。你要这个还是那个？
John: Which one do you want?
Dilu: 对。
John: In this case: 'Well we could go there, or we could go to this other place'.
Dilu: 所以你要用＇或者＇。
John: OK.
Dilu: 去A或者B。
John: Its not forcing a choice.
Dilu: 对。Sounds like a great idea. 这样孩子有了玩伴儿，大人也可以聊聊天。
John: 孩子有了玩伴儿. This 有了 means the kid 'had'?
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 06:43 AM
7:01
Dilu: 或者去附近的公园。或者去附近的公园。
John: 'The park nearby' is ...
Dilu: 附近的公园。附近的公园。
John: Notice how she presented these two possibilities. What word did she use between them?
Dilu: 就是A或者B。或者。
John: Could we have used 还是 here to mean 'or'?
Dilu: 不行。＇还是＇要用在问题里面。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 06:37 AM
John: 游乐场. 2nd, 4th, 3rd. That's like an amusement park.
Dilu: 对，可以是amusement park，也可以是一个area with stuff that kids can play。
John: So it could be as big as Disneyworld, or it could be a place in a mall where you drop the kids off and they just play in a little play area.
Dilu: 对。那些也是游乐场。
John: So there's a pretty big difference in scale, possibly. So what's the other option?
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 05:47 AM
6:04
John: So 'if the weather is good'. What's the word for 'if' here?
Dilu: 要是。要是。
John: So that's the same as 如果.
Dilu: 对。我们常常会听到：如果什么什么就。但是你也可以说：要是什么什么就。
John: Right, same meaning, got it. So then they talk about where they could go, and what's the first suggestion?
Dilu: 游乐场。游乐场。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 05:42 AM
John: Next Saturday 没什么安排. So 安排 means 'arrangements', 'plans'.
Dilu: 就是事情。没什么安排指的就是：没什么特别的事情。
John: So she has no special plans, nothing out of the ordinary.
Dilu: 对。
John: 没什么安排. The tones for 安排 are ?
Dilu: 第一声和第二声。安排。
John: 1st and 2nd. So she doesn't have any specific plans, so ...
Dilu: 要是天气好，我们就出来。要是天气好，我们就出来。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 05:36 AM
Dilu: 对。带孩子出来玩。
John: I've noticed that often in English we just say things like 'go somewhere with the kids'.
Dilu: 你不是go with，是the kid go with you。So you take the kid.
John: Yes we also say 'take the kids'. 'Take the kids to the park'.
Dilu: 带孩子去公园。
John: So in Chinese you pretty much always want to say 带孩.
Dilu: 对。带孩子出去玩。
John: Then they start talking about when they could do it.
Dilu: 对。一个妈妈说：下周六我没什么安排。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 05:29 AM
4:31
John: So 'they'll become introverted in their personality'.
Dilu: 对。它的opposite就是性格外向。
John: 外向 means 'extroverted', 'outgoing'.
Dilu: 对。所以另外一个妈妈的suggestion就是：带孩子出来玩。一起带孩子出来玩。
John: So in English we're likely to say something like 'Oh, we'll get together with the kids', but in Chinese its 带孩子.
Dilu: 对。
John: Take the children to come out and play.
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 05:23 AM
Dilu: 指的是这个性格会内向。
John: So the word for 'personality' is ...
Dilu: 性格。性格。
John: 4th tone, 2nd tone.
Dilu: 对。
John: And then 'introverted'?
Dilu: 内向。内向。
John: Two 4th tones. Now couldn't we have said 孩子的性格会内向?
Dilu: 这样也可以说。
John: But that's not what you said.
Dilu: 我们比较习惯说：性格内向。
John: So you'd like to keep that as a chunk.
Dilu: 对。孩子会性格内向。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 05:16 AM
3:33
John: So then we have this phrase 这样下去.
Dilu: 这样下去指的就是＇这样继续＇。
John: So 'like this continue'. So 'if it goes on like this'.
Dilu: 没错。
John: OK, 这样下去. So if it goes on like this, what?
Dilu: 孩子会性格内向。孩子会性格内向。
John: So 'the kid will personality introverted'.
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 05:11 AM
3:04
John: So 'I'm even afraid that'. How does she say that?
Dilu: 我都害怕。我都害怕。
John: This 都 is not 'all', its 'even'.
Dilu: 对。表示程度。
John: So 'I'm even afraid that'. So the word for 'afraid' is ...
Dilu: 害怕。害怕。两个第四声。
John: Two 4th tones. Can we say 怕 here instead of 害怕?
Dilu: 也可以。我都怕。
John: So same meaning?
Dilu: 对。她怕这样下去孩子会性格内向。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 05:03 AM
2:29
Dilu: 那姐妹就比较容易，姐姐和妹妹。
John: Got it. Anyway, these days most Chinese kids don't have brothers and sisters, so ...
Dilu: 所以他们只能一个人玩。太没劲了。太没劲了。
John: This word 没劲, what does that mean?
Dilu: 没劲就是说：没意思，不好玩。
John: Kind of like 'no fun', 'boring'.
Dilu: 对。
John: Super boring, super lame.
Dilu: 太没劲了。
John: Then the other mother voices some other concerns.
Dilu: 她说：我都害怕这样下去孩子会性格内向。
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 03:01 AM
Dilu: 对。兄弟姐妹。
John: Older brother, younger brother, older sister, younger sister.
Dilu: 对。
John: So the tones are ...
Dilu: 兄弟，第一声和第四声。姐妹，第三声和第四声。
John: 1, 4, 3, 4. So 兄 is like 哥哥.
Dilu: 对。就是年纪比你大的，男的。
John: When you talk about brothers, you have to say 兄弟, you can't say 哥弟.
Dilu: 不行。要说＇兄弟＇。
John: That's 'brothers'.
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 02:54 AM
1:41
John: So two moms talking, and right off the bat they mention that in China its a big issue that most kids don't have any brothers or sisters.
Dilu: 对。孩子没有兄弟姐妹。孩子没有兄弟姐妹。
John: So if you want to say 'no brothers or sisters', you have to do this really long word.
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 02:50 AM
John: So you're going to going to hear this word 玩伴儿, and we're going to have lots of stuff to say about it, so let's go ahead and listen to the dialog.
Dilu: 好的。
0:38 - Dialog
Right-Wingnut
March 01, 2013 at 02:49 AM
John: This is ChinesePod, you're listening to an Intermediate lesson, my name is John Pasden.
Dilu: 你好，我是Dilu。
John: And today we have a lesson for you parents out there, or for people that deal with kids.
Dilu: 今天这个课文又是关于孩子的课文。
John: And specifically we're talking about trying to find playmates for one's children.
Dilu: 对。是给孩子找到他们的玩伴儿。玩伴儿。
John: 玩伴儿就是那个playmate。
Dilu: 对。
Right-Wingnut
December 30, 2013 at 12:39 AMPDF of transcript here.