Intermediate - Noisy Renovations

Right-Wingnut

John: Hi guys, I'm John.This is an Intermediate Lesson on ChinesePod.

Dilu: 你好，我是 Dilu。欢迎收听中文播客。

John: And today we address a widespread social problem affecting China.

Dilu: 是一个很严重的问题，就是装修房子的时候会很吵。

John: So when people are renovating their apartments, and specifically when your neighbours are renovating their apartments in China, it is very noisy.

Dilu: 非常吵。

John：So what can you say to them, what can you possibly do. If you listen into this dialog, you'll find out.

Dilu: 好。先来听一下对话。

0:36 - Dialog

Right-Wingnut

Dialog

Right-Wingnut

Dialog

Right-Wingnut

1:31

John: So right at the beginning of the dialog, this guy hears some banging.

Dilu: 对。然后他就去找他的那些邻居，跟他们说：你们停一下，别敲了。

John: So this verb, the banging is ...

Dilu: 敲。敲。第一声。

John: 1st tone. So like bang with a hammer on the walls or whatever. Is that the same verb though for knocking on a door.

Dilu: 对。是敲门的敲。但是呢，敲门是用手，那这个敲应该是用 hammer。

Right-Wingnut

2:02

John: So its banging, pounding.

Dilu: 然后他说：我是住在你们楼下的。

John: So it ends in a 的 and this implies ...

Dilu: 就是说：我是住在你们楼下的人。

John: So he is asked 'who are you', and he says 我是 the guy that lives under you.

Dilu: 对。我是住在你们楼下的。

John: Now in English we would say something like 'I live under you'. 我住在你们楼下. Could you say that in Chinese?

Dilu: 可以呀。可以这么说：我住在你们楼下。或者你就说：我是住在你们楼下的。

Right-Wingnut

2:36

John: And why do the Chinese like to answer that way? Because 我住在你们楼下 seems to be answering the question 'where do you live?' when the question is 'who are you?'.

Dilu: I am the one who 住在你们楼下.

John: So its a subtle difference, but learning these things makes your Chinese more natural.

Dilu: Anyway, 他的 complaint 是：你们这么吵，让我们怎么睡觉？

John: Remember 吵 is 3rd tone.

Right-Wingnut

3:01

Dilu: 对。第三声。吵。

John: And his question was ...

Dilu: 让我们怎么睡觉？

John: So this 让 is 'let', 'make'. In this case its 'let'.

Dilu: 对。

John: So 'let us how to sleep'.

Dilu: 就是我们没有办法睡觉。你们太吵了。

John: Its kind of like 'how would you have us sleep?', 'how are we supposed to sleep through this?'.

Dilu: 这个 pattern 很有用。让谁谁谁怎么干什么？

John: So its a rhetorical question meaning 'we can't do this because of you'.

Right-Wingnut

Dilu: 举个例子吧。没有筷子让我怎么吃饭？

John: OK, how am I supposed to eat without chopsticks?

Dilu: 没有咖啡，让我怎么工作？

John: How am I supposed to work without coffee? Good question.Coming up is the phrase that we introduced before we listened to the dialog, but let's go over the tones.

Dilu: 装修房子。装修，两个第一声。

John: Two 1st tones.

Dilu: 房子，第二声和轻声。

John: 2nd and neutral.So, to renovate an apartment.

Dilu: 对。装修房子。

Right-Wingnut

John: And then we get into what time it is. What time is it?

Dilu: 还不到六点呢。还不到六点呢。

John: So 'it's not even 6 o'clock'.

Dilu: 应该是早上六点。

John: OK，早上六点。还不到六点。Can you say 还不是六点？

Dilu: 不可以。＇还不到＇就是现在大概是五点多钟，还没有到。

John: So 'not yet 6', you have to say 不到六点。

Dilu: 对。还不到六点呢。再说，今天是周末。

Right-Wingnut

4:33

John: So 'furthermore', how do we say that? 'Furthermore'.

Dilu: 再说。再说。第四声和第一声。

John: 4th tone, 1st tone. Literally 'to say even more'.

Dilu: 对。Further explanation.

John: OK. Notice in Chinese you can say 今天是周末， ＇today is the weekend'.

Dilu: 对啊。

John: It sounds a little weird in English. I'd say 'It's the weekend'.

Dilu: Today. 反正在中文里面，你是说：今天是周末。