Intermediate - Bumming a Ride

Right-Wingnut

Greg: Hey there ChinesePod listeners, you're listening to an Intermediate lesson on ChinesePod, my name is Greg.

Connie: 大家好，我是 Connie。

Greg: Connie, what are we talking about today?

Connie: 今天我们要去搭车。

Greg: 搭车。We're going to get a lift. Bum a ride.

Connie: 对，要搭陌生人的车。

Greg: Get a ride from a stranger. Hitchhike. Feels like a sketchy topic don't you think.

Connie: 还好吧。

Greg: Let's listen to the dialog.

Right-Wingnut

Dialog

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Dialog

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Dialog

Right-Wingnut

1:54

Greg: We have two people waiting on the side of the road trying to hitchhike, trying to hitch a ride.

Connie: 是一个男的和一个女的。

Greg: Correct. What's the first thing that they say?

Connie: 快拦车。

Greg: 快拦车。拦车 is to flag down a car.

Connie: 就是：你把手［伸出去］叫他停下来。

Greg: Wave your hand out and get him to stop. But of course they were unsuccessful.

Connie: 是的。

Greg: The girl is upset and starts complaining. What does she say?

Connie: 她说：怎么就没人肯搭我们一下呢？

Right-Wingnut

2:30

Greg: Why won't anyone give us a lift? There are a couple of words here that I think are important to point out. The first one is 肯.

Connie: 肯。K-e-n，第三声。

Greg: K-e-n, 3rd tone. In this case its 'to agree to'.

Connie: 对。就是＇同意我＇。

Greg: To agree to or allow you to do something. Why won't anyone allow us to jump in their car? The next word that we want to look at is 搭.

Right-Wingnut

3:02

Connie: 搭。搭我们一下。

Greg: D-a, 1st tone. This is literally 'to give someone a lift'.

Connie: 这里是：搭我们一下。

Greg: Give us a lift. The guy has a theory as to why no-one will give them a lift.

Connie: 是不是我们长得太像坏人了？

Greg: Is it because we look too much like criminals? How do we say 'to look like'?

Connie: 长得...像。

Greg: You may have heard this 长得 in the past, for maybe 'to look beautiful'.

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3:32

Connie: 长得很漂亮。

Greg: Or to look really handsome.

Connie: 长得很帅。

Greg: So its used to describe how someone looks, how someone appears. And then you add on this last character which means 'to look like'.

Connie: 像。

Greg: It means to look like some kind of person.

Connie: 像坏人。

Greg: 坏人 is literally 'bad person', but in this case its more like someone who would do harm to you.

Connie: 是的，是的。

Right-Wingnut

3:59

Greg: Either a thief or murderer or something. And what does she say back to him?

Connie: 你才像坏人呢。

Greg: 'You're the one that looks like a criminal'.

Connie: 你才像坏人呢。

Greg: What is this 才，c-a-i, 2nd tone, mean?

Connie: 这个＇才＇呢是强调。

Greg: An emphasising particle. Its saying 'YOU'RE the one who looks like the criminal'.

Connie: 你才像坏人的。

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Greg: This 呢，normally I'd feel like this 呢 we've learned to mean a followup question. But in this case what does it do?

Connie: ＇呢＇是一个语气词。

Greg: To modify the tone.

Connie: 对。

Greg: So you don't have to pay too much attention to that 呢 in this case. What's next?

Connie: 是呀，哪有你这么漂亮的坏人啊。

Greg: 'Yeah yeah, how could there be a criminal as beautiful as you'. He really knows how to flatter her.

Connie: 对。

Greg: I think the most important new word to look at here is 哪有。