Intermediate - Calling a Moving Company
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 04:48 AM posted in Transcripts with TalLesson here.
Right-Wingnut
John: Hey guys, this is ChinesePod, an Intermediate lesson, and I'm John Pasden.
Dilu: 大家好，我是Dilu。
John: And today we have a lesson about calling a moving company and telling them what you want.
Dilu: 对。今天我们要说一说：搬家。搬家。
John: So 搬家, two 1st tones, that means 'to move'.
Dilu: 对。
John: Now notice the tones is not 半价, that means 'half price'.
Dilu: You like shopping, John. 不是不是。
John: We're talking about 搬家.
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 04:53 AM0:30-1:00
Right-Wingnut
0:28
Dilu: 对。两个第一声。搬家。那搬家的时候呢，你会打电话叫一些搬家公司去帮你。
John: So 'moving companies' - 搬家公司.
Dilu: 对。
John: So that's the context, let's listen to the dialog.
0:41 - Dialog
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 04:55 AM1:00-1:30
Right-Wingnut
Dialog
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 04:55 AM1:30-2:00
Right-Wingnut
1:43
John: So in the first line we hear a guy making a phone call to the moving company.
Dilu: 是的。他说：我要搬家，想预订车子和工人。
John: So 预订, two 4th tones, that means 'to reserve'
Dilu: 对。To make a reservation. 预订。
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 04:59 AM2:00-2:30
Right-Wingnut
John: So he's reserving what?
Dilu: 车子和工人。车子和工人。
John: What is the difference between 车子 and 车? Are they both cars?
Dilu: 我觉得其实两个都是一样的。
John: Sometimes it sounds better to have a two syllable word ...
Dilu: 对。
John: Sometimes its better to have one syllable. OK. So 车子 is just 车, so a moving truck, and the other one is ...
Dilu: 工人。工人。就是帮你搬家的那些师傅。
John: So a 工人 is any kind of worker.
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 05:04 AM2:30-3:00
Right-Wingnut
2:29
Dilu: 对。一般做labour work的，都叫工人。
John: Manual labour types.
Dilu: 对。
John: So in English we say 'movers'. You can't say 搬家人.
Dilu: 不可以，不可以。工人或者是师傅。
John: Got it. And then the lady asks an interesting question. What does she ask?
Dilu: Interesting? 有些什么东西？有些什么东西？
John: The interesting part is this 些. It mean 'some'. So if you ask 有什么东西, it could be 'what things do you have?' or 'what thing'.
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 05:11 AM3:00-3:30
Right-Wingnut
Dilu: 有些什么东西一定是比一件东西要多一点。
John: So if you add in the 些 it means its not just one thing, its some things.
Dilu: 对。
John: But you don't have to add it.
Dilu: 对。你也可以说：有什么东西？在中文里面不太［分］单数和复数。
John: Its not like plural where you have to get it straight. So what 东西 are there?
Dilu: 有一个衣柜，一张床，一个沙发，还有一个冰箱和一台空
调。
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 06:36 AM3:30-4:00
Right-Wingnut
John: A bunch of things. We're just going to go through these really quickly. So the first one is a 'wardrobe'.
Dilu: 衣柜。衣柜。
John: 1st tone, 4th tone. And then its a bed, and of course the measure word is ...
Dilu: 张。一张床。一张床。
John: And then 沙发 - sofa, that's 个 also.
Dilu: 对。一个沙发。一个沙发。
John: And then 'refrigerator' is ...
Dilu: 冰箱。冰箱。两个第一声。
John: Two 1st tones. And the final one is ...
Dilu: 空调。空调。
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 06:58 AM4:00-4:30
Right-Wingnut
4:02
John: So 'air conditioner' - 1st tone, 2nd tone - but what was the measure word?
Dilu: 台。一台空调。
John: 台 - isn't that the measure word for computers?
Dilu: 没错。跟电脑的那个量词是一样的。一台空调。一台电脑。
John: Got it. But fortunately a bunch of these just use 个 which is easier.
Dilu: 但是有一些东西还是需要用不一样的词呢。
John: For a bed you have to use 张.
Dilu: 还有空调，要说＇台＇。
John: And then what's the reaction to these things?
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 07:06 AM4:30-5:00
Right-Wingnut
Dilu: 这个人说：那还挺多的。那还挺多的。
John: 挺多的 - 'quite a lot'. But why is there a 还 in here?
Dilu: 因为之前这个男的他说：没什么东西，只有什么什么什么。然后这个女的说：啊，不这么多，那还挺多的。是没有想到有这么多。
John: So when you're a bit surprised. You said there weren't many things but that is kind of a lot.
Dilu: 对。
John: That tone, you can use 还 to indicate that you're surprised that its more than you expected.
Right-Wingnut
March 20, 2013, 04:44 AM0:00-0:30