Lesson 028 Revision of Time and Shopping

If you are not satisfied with the price, you could say “太贵了。能不能便宜点儿？”. 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way，in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio on China Radio International. I’m Yajie.
Cam: And I’m Cam. We have reached the end of the week once again.
Yajie: So it’s the right time for us to review what we have learned during this week.
**************
 
************** Sentences in the Week
This week we learned expressions for telling the time and shopping: 请问现在几点？快八点了. 这个多少钱？三块, 太贵了，能不能便宜点儿 ?All in today’s Chinese Studio.
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Yajie: 现在几点？What time is it now?
Cam: 现在几点？(xianzai ji dian?)
Yajie: 现在 means now.
Cam: 现在(xianzai)
Yajie: 几 is a question word meaning how many, 几, j-i, the third tone.
Cam: 几 (ji)
Yajie: 几点 together means "what time?"
Cam: 几点 (ji dian)
Yajie: 现在几点？(xianzai ji dian?)
Cam: 现在几点？(xianzai ji dian?)
Yajie: 快八点了。It means nearly eight o’clock. Here 快 means nearly. 快, k-u-a-i, the fourth tone.
Cam: 快八点了(kuai ba dian le).
Conversations
Yajie: 元、角、分 are  the units of money.
Cam: 元(yuan), 角(jiao), 分(fen).
Yajie: one元(yuan) equals ten角(jiao), and one角(jiao) equals ten 分(fen).
Cam: And I also learned that元 is also called 块(kuai) in Chinese. For example 六块 (liu kuai).
Yajie: Yes,you are right. In oral Chinese， people prefer to say块.
Cam: 块(kuai). And Yajie, jiao is often referred to as mao.
Conversations
Yajie: “这个多少钱” means how much is it? 这个means this. 这个. Or zhèige. 
Cam: 这个(zhèige).
Yajie: 多少is how much. 多, d-u-o, the first tone; 少,s-h-a-o, the third tone. In fact 多means “many or much”, and 少 means “few or little”. But together it means “how much or how many”?
Cam: 多少 (duoshao).
Yajie: 钱 is money., q-i-a-n, the second tone.
Cam: 钱 (qian).
Conversations
Yajie: If you are not satisfied with the price, you could say “太贵了。能不能便宜点儿？”. That’s too expensive. Could it be a little bit cheaper? 太贵了。
Cam: 太贵了(tai gui le).
Yajie: 能不能? (néng bu néng) 能means could, 能不能means “Could it be?”
Cam: 能不能? (néng bu néng)
Yajie: 便宜 means cheap. 便宜(pianyi).
Cam: 便宜(pianyi).
Yajie: 点儿is short for 一点儿, meaning a little bit.
Cam: 一点儿(yi dianr).
Yajie: 便宜点儿.
Cam: 便宜 (pianyi dianr).
Yajie: 能不能便宜点儿? (néng bu néng pianyi dianr)
Cam: 能不能便宜点儿? (néng bu néng pianyi dianr)
Conversations
************** Sentences in the Week
This week we learned the expressions for telling the time and shopping: 请问现在几点？快八点了. 这个多少钱？ 三块.太贵了，能不能便宜点儿？***************
Yajie: OK, that's it for this week.  Have fun trying these new words while you are out shopping! Don't forget you can win a CRI gift by answering our question of the day.  In Chinese, tell us how to say “How much is it?” Send your answer to Chinese@crifm.com.
Cam: You can also send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Cam: 下周见(xia zhou jian)!
Yajie:下周见

Lesson 027 Bargaining

Today we’ll learn expressions for bargaining, and they are: 太贵了，能不能便宜点儿？ 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to our Chinese Studio. 早上好 everybody, I’m Yajie.
Cam: And I’m Cam. 早上好(zǎoshang hǎo). What shall we learn today?
Yajie: Last time we learned some expressions when shopping. 元(yuan), 角(jiao), 分(fen).
Cam: 元(yuan), 角(jiao), 分(fen). I also remember 块 (kuai) and 毛 (mao), like六块(liu kuai) and 一毛(yi mao)..
Yajie: Right. 六块(liu kuai) is six yuan ，and一毛(yi mao) is 0.1 yuan.
Cam: OK. Then if I want to buy something, I can ask the seller in Chinese “这个多少钱？” (zhège duōshao qián?) How much is it? Right?
Yajie: Exactly. 这个多少钱？How much is it? If you are not satisfied with the price, In China, you can begin bargaining, and that is what we are going to learn today.
***************
 
***************Key words of the day
Today we’ll learn expressions for bargaining, and they are: 太贵了，能不能便宜点儿？That’s too expensive. Could it be a little bit cheaper? All in today’s Chinese Studio.
****************
Yajie: When you visit a market in China, you may hear the salesperson asking you “您好，您想买什么？”Hello! Can I help you?
Cam: “您好，您想买什么？” (nín hǎo, nín xiǎng mǎi shénme?)
Yajie: 想 means “want to”. 想, x-i-a-n-g, the third tone. 想(xiǎng).
Cam: 想(xiǎng).
Yajie: 买means buy. 买, m-a-i, also the third tone. 买(mǎi).
Cam: 买(mǎi).
Yajie: 什么 (shenme) means what.
Cam: 什么 (shenme).
Yajie: “您想买什么？” (nín xiǎng mǎi shénme?) What do you want to buy? What would you like to buy?
Cam: “您想买什么？” (nín xiǎng mǎi shénme?)

Conversation:
Yajie: If you are not satisfied with the price, you can say “太贵了。能不能便宜点儿？”. That’s too expensive. Could it be a little bit cheaper?
Cam: 太贵了(tai gui le). Tai means “too” t-o-o and gui le means expensive.  Tai gui le.  Too expensive.
Yajie: 能不能? (néng bu néng) 能means could,  能不能means “Could it be”?
Cam: 能不能? (néng bu néng)
Yajie: 便宜 means cheap. 便宜(pianyi).
Cam: 便宜(pianyi).
Yajie: 点儿is short for 一点儿, meaning a little bit.
Cam: 一点儿(yi dianr).
Yajie: 便宜点儿.
Cam: 便宜点儿 (pianyi dianr).
Yajie: 能不能便宜点儿? (néng bu néng pianyi dianr)
Cam: 能不能便宜点儿? (néng bu néng pianyi dianr)
Yajie: Well, in recent years there are more and more supermarkets and department stores with fixed prices in China. As a result, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for true bargaining.
Conversations:
***************Key words reminder
Today we’ve learned some bargaining expressions, and they are: 太贵了，能不能便宜点儿？That’s too expensive. Could it be a little bit cheaper?
 ****************

Yajie: Ok, That’s it for this edition of Chinese Studio.  Our question of the day is
: In Chinese, how do you begin bargaining when you are not satisfied with the price. Please tell us in an email. You may win a CRI special prize.
Cam: You can send us your answer along with any questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well, class is over. 再见!
Cam: 再见!

Lesson 026 Money and Shopping

Today we’ll learn some expressions when you buy something.元、角、分. 这个多少钱？How much is it? 三块, three yuan. 

Cam: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio, I’m Cam. 早上好, Yajie.
Yajie:早上好(zǎoshang hǎo), Cam. Last time we learned how to say some words related to time. Cam, do you remember how to say “what time is it now?” in Chinese?
Cam: I sure do. It’s现在几点？(xianzai ji dian?)
Yajie: Then how do you say half past six in Chinese?
Cam: It’s六点半(liu dian ban).
Yajie: Today I will teach you what to say when you are shopping.
Cam: I definitely need that.  I always want to buy some street food, but I never know what it is, or how to ask the price.  How do you say “how much is it” in Chinese?
Yajie: Let’s find out in today’s Key words of the day.
************
 
************Key words of the day
Today we’ll learn some expressions when you buy something.元、角、分. 这个多少钱？How much is it? 三块, three yuan. All in today’s Chinese Studio. 　
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Yajie: Chinese currency is called Renminbi.  It is composed of 元、角, 分.
Cam: 元(yuan), 角(jiao), 分(fen).
Yajie: one元(yuan) equals ten角(jiao), and one角(jiao) equals10分(fen).
Cam: I heard that元 is also called 块(kuai) in Chinese. For example 六块 (liu kuai).
Yajie: Yes. You are right. And in colloquial Chinese, 角(jiao) is also called毛(mao).

Conversations:
Yajie: From the conversations you may hear “这个多少钱” ？
Cam: What does that mean?
Yajie: “这个多少钱” means how much is it? 这个means this in English. 这个. Or you can say zhèige. 
Cam: 这个(zhèige).
Yajie: 多少means how much. 多, d-u-o, the first tone; 少,s-h-a-o, the third tone. Literally, 多means “many or much”, 少 means “few or little”. But together it means “how much… ? or how many…?”
Cam: 多少 (duoshao).
Yajie: 钱 means money. 钱, q-i-a-n, the second tone. It’s the generic term for currency or money.
Cam: 钱 (qian).
Conversations:
Cam: So Yajie, If I want to buy some apples, how do I say“How much are these apples?”
Yajie: Good question. In Chinese “How much are these apples？” is pingguo duo sha chan？
Cam: 苹果多少钱 (píngguǒ duōshao qián)？
Yajie: 苹果 is apple.
Cam: 苹果 (píngguǒ)  So I can say pingguo duōshao qián？
Yajie: Great! pingguo duōshao qián？
Cam:  So Yajie, what would the answer be?
Yajie:  Well, let’s say the apples cost 3 yuan per half a kilogram.  In Chinese, this is:  pingguo san kuai qian yi jin. San kuai means three yuan.  Yi jin means half a kilogram.
Cam:  So the apples cost three yuan for a half a kilogram.  Pingguo san kuai qian yi jin.
Conversations:
************ Key words Reminder
Today we’ve learned the expressions when you buy something. 元、角、分. 您好，请问苹果多少钱？三块钱一斤。　
***********
Yajie: That’s all for today.  Next time you are buying something in China, make sure you practice these new phrases.  You can also win a CRI gift by answering the question of the day: How do you say “how much is it” in Chinese?
Cam: You can send us your answer along with questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well class is over. 再见!
Cam: 再见!

Lesson 025 Time

现在几点？What time is it now? There is another way of asking the time. It’s 您知道现在几点了吗？ 

 

Cam: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio, I’m Cam. 早上好, Yajie.
Yajie:早上好(zǎoshang hǎo), Cam. Last week we learned holiday greetings and also how to wish somebody a happy birthday. Let’s have a quick review, ok?
Cam: Ok. Happy Birthday is祝你生日快乐(zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè).
Yajie: And how do you say “I wish you good health!” in Chinese?
Cam: Well, it’s祝你身体健康！(zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng).
Yajie: And what about “All the best”?
Cam: 祝你万事如意! (zhù nǐ wàn shì rúyì!)
Yajie: Well, this week we’ll learn words about time. Let’s check our key words of the day!
Key words of the day:现在几点？六点半。All in today’s Chinese Studio.
Yajie: 现在几点？What time is it now?
Cam: 现在几点？(xianzai ji dian?)
Yajie: 现在 means now.
Cam: 现在(xianzai)
Yajie: 几 is a question word meaning how many, or what? 几, j-i, the third tone.
Cam: 几 (ji)
Yajie: 几点 together means what time?
Cam: 几点 (ji dian)
Yajie: 现在几点？(xianzai ji dian?)
Cam: 现在几点？(xianzai ji dian?)
Conversations
Yajie: From the conversations you can see that there is “请问” in the question. As we said before 请问 shows the politeness in asking a question.  It means, “May I ask…”
Cam: 请问 (qing wen).
Yajie: 请问现在几点？(qing wen xianzai ji dian?)
Cam: 请问现在几点？(qing wen xianzai ji dian?
Yajie: 快八点了。
Cam: What does that mean?
Yajie: It means nearly eight o’clock. Here快 le means nearly. 快, k-u-a-i, the fourth tone.
Cam: 快 (kuai).
Yajie: 快八点了(kuai ba dian le).
Cam: 快八点了(kuai ba dian le).
Conversations:
****************Key words Reminder
现在几点？ 六点半。All in today’s Chinese Studio.
*****************
Yajie: Well, there is another way of asking the time. It’s 您知道现在几点了吗？It means “Do you know what time it is now?”
Cam: 您知道现在几点了吗？(nin zhi dao xianzai ji dian le me)
Yajie: 知道means know. 知, zhi, the first tone, and 道, dao, the fourth tone. Together it’s 知道 (zhidao).
Cam: 知道 (zhidao). 您 is the polite form of 你 (ni), right?
Yajie: Right. And 吗 is a question mark.
Cam: 吗
Yajie: 您知道现在几点了吗？
Cam: 您知道现在几点了吗？ (nin zhidao xianzai ji dian le ma)
Yajie: Good.
Cam: Yajie, how do you say half past eight in Chinese?
Yajie:. First, do you still remember how to say 30 in Chinese?
Cam: Yes, it’s san shi.
Yajie: So, 8:30 is ba dian san shi fen.
Cam: ba dian san shi fen.
Yajie: Exactly. But you could also say, Ba Dian Ban. Ban means half. So 8:30 is half way to 9.
Cam: Ba Dian Ban. How do I get more exact time, such as: 8:17
Yajie: Again, Cam, how do you say 17 in Chinese?
Cam: Shi qi.
Yajie: Good, so 8:17 is ba dian shi qi fen. Here I want to tell you that “fen” means minute in Chinese. How do you say 10:15?
Cam: it’s shi dian shi wu fen.
Yajie: Right, but you can also say Shi dian yi ke. Yi ke means a quarter , but it can only be used in when referring to time.
Yajie: That’s all for today. Now if you need to ask for the time in Chinese, you will know how to do it!  You can also win a CRI gift by answering today’s question of the day: How do you say half past eight in Chinese?
Cam: That should be easy! Just make a sentence. You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well class is over. 再见!
Cam: 再见!
 

Lesson 024 Revision of Birthday Expressions

This week we’ve learned some popular birthday and holiday expressions. they are: 祝你生日快乐！

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way，in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio on China Radio International. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Good morning I’m Cam. Yajie, we have learned a lot lately.  It’s probably a good time to review.
Yajie: Good idea. Let’s hear Sentences in the Week.
************** Sentences in the Week
This week we’ve learned some popular birthday and holiday expressions. They are: 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你身体健康！I wish you good health! 祝你春节快乐 Happy Spring Festival ! All in Sentences in the Week
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Yajie: Our first expression is. “祝你生日快乐！” is how we would wish somebody a happy birthday. 祝你 is used to express good wishes, sometimes with the implication of “congratulating in advance”. 祝,  zhù, the forth tone. It means offering good wishes. 你, means you. 祝你 together means I wish you….
Cam: 祝你 (zhù nǐ).
Yajie: 生日 is birthday.
Cam: 生日(shēng rì).
Yajie: 快乐 means happy.
Cam: 快乐(kuài lè).
Yajie: 祝你生日快乐！
Cam: 祝你生日快乐(zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè).
Conversations
Yajie: Besides, there are some other relevant expressions. For example, you can say祝你身体健康. which means “I wish you good health”  身体is body. 身, s-h-e-n, shēn, the first tone; 体, t-i, tǐ, the third tone.
Cam: 身体, shēn tǐ.
Yajie: 健康 means fine, or healthy. 健, j-i-a-n, jiàn, the forth tone; and 康, k-a-ng-, kāng, the first tone.
Cam: 健康 (jiànkāng).
Yajie: So it’s祝你身体健康(zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng).
Cam: 祝你身体健康(zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng).
Conversations
Yajie: Also we learned some expressions to congratulate someone during the Spring Festival.
Cam: It’s 祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)!
Yajie: The answer to it should be 谢谢！春节快乐! Thanks. Happy Spring Festival!
Cam: 谢谢！春节快乐!
Yajie: Or you can say谢谢！同乐，同乐！同乐 means “you too”. 同 means together and 乐is short for 快乐, which means happiness!
Cam: 谢谢！同乐，同乐！（xièxie! Tóng lè, tónglè!）
Yajie: Sometimes people can also say 祝你万事如意! 万事 means all things. 万, is actually a number, ten thousand. 万, w-a-n, the fourth tone. 事 means thing. 事, s-h-i, also the fourth tone. So in Chinese, ten thousand things stand for everything.
Cam: 万事(wànshì)
Yajie: 如意 means comply with one’s wishes.
Cam: 祝你万事如意! (zhù nǐ wànshì rúyì!)
************** Sentences in the Week
This week we’ve learned some popular birthday and holiday expressions. they are: 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你身体健康！I wish you good health! 祝你春节快乐 Happy Spring Festival.
***************
Cam: I remember that we also learned how to say “here’s a gift. Please accept it.” in Chinese, right?
Yajie: Yes.
Cam: And it’s 我送你一件礼物，请收下(wǒ sòng nǐ yí jiàn lǐwù, qǐng shōuxià.)。
Yajie: Yes, 我送你一件礼物，请收下.(wǒ sòng nǐ yí jiàn lǐwù, qǐng shōuxià.)
Conversations:
Yajie: OK, that’s it for this week. Don’s forget you can win a CRI gift by answering the question of the day: How do you say “I wish you good health!” in Chinese.
Cam: You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Cam: 下周见! (xià zhōu jiàn)
Yajie: 下周见!

Lesson 023 Here's a Present

Today we’ve learned some popular holiday and birthday expressions.我送你一件礼物，请收下. 

 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Hi, everyone, I’m Cam. Ni hao ma?
Yajie: Hai xing！Last time we learned some Spring Festival greetings.
Cam: Yes, during the Spring Festival you can say祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)!
Yajie: Well done. 祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)! I wish you a happy Spring Festival.
Cam: Or they will send their best wishes by saying “祝您全家幸福！(zhù nín quánjiā xìngfú!)”.
Yajie: Right. Another saying is 祝你万事如意！ “All the best!” Today we’ll continue with the topic of celebrating holidays or birthdays. First let’s check our key words of the day!
************Key words of the day
Today we’ll learn some popular holiday and birthday expressions. 我送你一件礼物，请收下。谢谢你的礼物！您太客气了。All in today’s Chinese Studio.　
Cam: In Canada, people usually bring a gift when attending a birthday party. Is it the same here in China?
Yajie: Yes. More and more people bring gifts for the birthday boy or girl.
Cam: What do you say in Chinese when you are presenting a gift?
Yajie: Well, you could say 我送你一件礼物，请收下(wǒ sòng nǐ yí jiàn lǐwù, qǐng shōuxià.)。Literally it means “here’s a present, please accept it”.
Cam: Such a long sentence. This is going to be tough!
Yajie: Well. No worries. Let’s learn it one by one. 我 is I. We’ve learned it before. Right?
Cam: Yes. 我 (wǒ) is I. And 你(nǐ) is you.
Yajie: Exactly. 送 is a verb. It means sending. 送, s-o-n-g, the fourth tone. 送.
Cam: 送(sòng).
Yajie: 一is the number one.  It means you are giving one present.
Cam: yi
Yajie: 件, here is a measure word. Generally speaking it means piece. 件, j-i-a-n, the fourth tone.
Cam:一件 (yí jiàn).
Yajie: Here comes the word 礼物(lǐwù), gift. 礼, l-i, the third tone. 物, w-u, the forth tone. 礼物(lǐwù)
Cam: 礼物(lǐwù).
Yajie: 请收下means please accept it! 请, the third tone, means please.
Cam: 请 (qǐng).
Yajie: 收下, accept it. 收, s-h-o-u, the first tone..
Cam: 收 (shōu).
Yajie:下, xià.
Cam: 下(xià).
Yajie: 请收下(shōu xià). Please accept it.
Yajie: So together我送你一件礼物，请收下
Cam: wǒ sòng nǐ yí jiàn lǐwù, qǐng shōuxià
Yajie: Well, from the conversation you may learn the answer to我送您一件礼物could be 谢谢你的礼物！您太客气了Thank you for your present, that’s very kind of you.
Cam: 谢谢你的礼物, 您太客气了(xièxie).
**********Key words reminder
Today we’ve learned some popular holiday and birthday expressions.我送你一件礼物，请收下. Here’s a present. Please accept it. 谢谢你的礼物！您太客气了。 Thank you for your gift. That’s very kind of you.
***********

Yajie: Well, that wraps up this edition of Chinese Studio. But before we finish it, here comes our question of the day: What do you say in Chinese when you are presenting a gift?
Cam: You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well class is over. Bye for now.
Cam: 再见!
 

Lesson 022 Happy Spring Festival!

祝你春节快乐! Happy Spring Festival! 祝你全家幸福, I wish your entire family happiness! 

 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. It’s nice to be here again. Welcome to Chinese Studio on China Radio International. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Hi, I’m Cam. 早上好 zǎoshang hǎo, yajie.
Yajie: 早上好！Last time we learned how to congratulate someone when he or she is celebrating a birthday. Cam, do you still remember how to say it in Chinese?
Cam: Yes, it’s祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday!
Yajie: Well, today we’ll learn some new expressions used during the Spring Festival, which is considered to be the most important festival in China. First let’s check our key words of the day!
************Key words of the day
Today we’ll expressions of congratulating someone during the Spring Festival. 祝你春节快乐/ 祝你全家幸福！／祝你万事如意！／恭喜发财! All in today’s Chinese Studio.
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Cam: Ok first, how do you say Spring Festival in Chinese?
Yajie: It’s 春节 (Chūn Jié).
Cam: 春节 (Chūn Jié).
Yajie: Yes. 春 means the spring. 春, the first tone. And 节 means festival. 节 , j-i-e, the second tone. Actually people celebrate it at the beginning of spring. Together春节 is the Spring Festival.
Cam: 春节 (Chūn Jié). Then can I say祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)！to greet Chinese people during the Spring Festival?
Yajie: Yes, you can. Like祝你生日快乐!, you can say祝你春节快乐！to those who are celebrating the Spring Festival.
Cam: Ok. 祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)！
Yajie: As we mentioned last time祝你 is used to express good wishes, sometimes with the implication of “congratulating in advance”. 祝, z-h-u, zhù, the forth tone.
Cam: If someone says 祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè) to me, how should I answer?
Yajie: Well, you could say谢谢！春节快乐! Thanks. Happy Spring Festival! Or you could say谢谢！同乐，同乐！同乐 means “you too”. 同 means together. 乐is short for 快乐, which means happiness!
Cam: 同乐，同乐！It’s like during our Christmas holiday.  When somebody says Merry Christmas, you can say, “you too!”  But it’s interesting that Chinese people say “tong le” two times.
Yajie: Yes, like we learned before, Chinese people would say nalinali twice. It’s just for the emphasis.
Yajie: You can also say祝你全家幸福, I wish happiness for your whole family!
Cam: 祝你全家幸福！(zhù nǐ quánjiā xìngfú!)
Yajie: 全家 means the whole family. 全, the whole, q-u-a-n, the second tone. 家, family, j-i-ā, the first tone.
Cam: 全家(quánjiā), the whole family.
Yajie: 幸福, happy. 幸, x-i-n-g, the fourth tone; 福, f-u, the second tone.　
Cam:　Then what’s the answer to祝你全家幸福！(zhù nǐ quánjiā xìngfú)?
Yajie: The answer is 谢谢！也祝你全家幸福！ Thank you. I also wish your whole family happiness! 也means also.
Yajie: Another expression is 祝你万事如意！It means “All the best!” 
Cam: 祝你万事如意! (zhù nǐ wànshì rúyì!)
Yajie: 万, is actually a number, ten thousand. 万, w-a-n, the fourth tone. 事 means thing. 事, s-h-i, also the fourth tone. So in Chinese, ten thousand things stand for everything.
Cam: 万事(wànshì)
Yajie: 如意 means comply with one’s wishes.
**********Key words reminder
Today we’ve learned the expressions of congratulating someone during the Spring Festival. 祝你春节快乐! Happy Spring Festival! 祝你全家幸福, I wish your entire family happiness! 祝你万事如意！All the best! 恭喜发财I wish you a prosperous new year.
***********
Yajie: there is another popular saying: 恭喜发财,which means I wish you a prosperous new year. Well, the Cantonese way Kong Hei Fatt Choi is even more popular, isn’t it?
Cam: yes. Well, the mandarin is now my focus, so let me try this one.恭喜发财！(gōngxǐ fācái!)
Yajie: Well, that wraps up this edition of Chinese Studio. If you keep practicing, you can definitely use it well when next spring festival comes. Well, last but least, it’s time for our question of the day: How do you say “All the best” in Chinese?
Cam: Send us your answers, along with any questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well class is over. 再见
 

Lesson 021 I Wish You Good Health!

Today we’ve learned three different expressions to wish someone a happy birthday 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你身体健康！I wish you good health! 

 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Hi, everyone, I’m Cam.  Yajie, have you bought a present yet for Louis?  It’s his birthday tomorrow.
Yajie: No, not yet! 
Cam: I got him something… but I need to learn how to say Happy Birthday in Chinese when I see him tomorrow.
Yajie:  I’ll teach you.  Today we can learn some expression of congratulations when somebody is celebrating a birthday.  Let’s check Key Words of the Day. 
************Key words of the day
Today we’ll expressions of congratulating someone when he/she is celebrating a birthday. 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你生活幸福美满！祝你身体健康！ All in today’s Chinese Studio.　
***********
Cam: In English we say happy birthday when attending a birthday party. How to say this in Chinese?
Yajie: We say  “祝你生日快乐！”
Cam: 祝你生日快乐!
Yajie: Right. “祝你生日快乐！”  Is how we would wish somebody a happy birthday. 祝你 is used to express good wishes, sometimes with the implication of “congratulating in advance”. 祝,  zhù, the forth tone. It means offering good wishes. 你, means you. 祝你 together means I wish you….
Cam: 祝你 (zhù nǐ).
Yajie: 生日 is birthday. 生, shēng, the first tone. 生, to give birth to.
Cam: 生 (shēng). 日 (rì), we learned it during last week. It means the day, the forth tone. 日(rì). And 星期日(Xīngqī rì) is Sunday.
Yajie: Absolutely right! Well, Cam, you have a sound memory.
Cam: Xie xie.
Yajie: 快乐 means happy. 快, k-u-a-i, kuài, the fourth tone. 乐, l-e, lè, also the fourth tone. Together it’s快乐(kuài lè).
Cam: 快乐(kuài lè). 我很快乐 (wǒ hěn kuài lè)。I’m very happy. 你快乐吗？(nǐ kuài lèma?)
Yajie: 我也很快乐 (wǒ yě hěn kuài lè)。I’m happy too.
Yajie: Cam, how do you think you would respond if somebody said zhu ni sheng ri kuai le?
Cam: Could I say:  xie xie?
Yajie: Yes, that’s right.  Sometimes people just say 生日快乐 for short.
Cam: Ok, this sounds reasonable, because  祝你 means wishing you….  In English, we say Happy Birthday for short instead of Happy Birthday to you.  When wishing somebody a happy birthday, it’s not necessary to specify the person.  So it’s the same as Chinese.  There is no need to say祝你(zhù nǐ).
Yajie: You got it. Besides生日快乐, there are other relevant expressions. For example, you can say祝你身体健康 which means “I wish you good health”  身体is body. 身, s-h-e-n, shēn, the first tone; 体, t-i, tǐ, the third tone.
Cam: 身体, shēn tǐ.
Yajie: And 健康 means fine, or healthy. 健, jiàn, the forth tone; 康, k-a-ng-, kāng, the first tone.
Cam: 健康 (jiànkāng).
Yajie: Together you can say祝你身体健康(zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng).
Cam: 祝你身体健康(zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng).
**********Key words reminder
Today we’ve learned three different expressions to wish someone a happy birthday 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你身体健康！I wish you good health!
***********
Yajie: If an senior person is having a birthday, you could say:  祝您健康长寿！
Cam: 祝您健康长寿！(zhù nín jiànkāng chángshòu!)
Yajie: Yes, 长寿 means longevity. I wish you good health and a long life. 祝您健康长寿！You can say this to your grandparents!
Cam: 祝您健康长寿！(zhù nín jiànkāng chángshòu!)  You can also say this if somebody is not having a party, right?
Yajie: Yes, very good!  Well, class is over for this time. Don’t forget you can win a gift by answering the question of the day in Chinese: what will you say to a Chinese friend on his/her birthday?
Cam: You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well class is over. 再见!
Cam: 再见!
 

Lesson 020 Revision of Directions

This week we learned 8 words of directions, and they are: 东边，the east side; 西边，the west side; 南边，the south side; 北边，the north side; 前面，the front; 后面，the back; 左边，the left side; 右边, the right side. 

 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way， in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio on China Radio International. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Good morning I’m Cam. We have reached the end of the week once again.
Yajie: Yep, so soon.  It’s time for us to review some of the words and phrases we learned this past week.  Let’s hear Sentences in the Week.
**************
 
************** Sentences in the Week
This week we had 8 words of directions, and they are: 东边，西边，南边，北边，前面，后面，左边，右边。 We also learned some useful sentences. They are: 日本在中国的东边，泰国在中国的南边, 老师在前面。地铁在哪儿，王老师在哪儿。All in today’s Chinese Studio.
***************
Yajie: Cam do you still remember those direction words?
Cam: Sure I do. Test me.
Yajie: How do you say “east”?
Cam: 东。
Yajie: 东，west?
Cam: 西。
Yajie: 西，south?
Cam: 南。
Yajie: 南，north?
Cam: 北。
Yajie: 北。 And don’t forget to put “边” after them.
Cam: Yeah, 东边，西边，南边，北边。
Yajie: Right, we also learned a verb “在” which means at some place. 在东边，to the east, 在北边。To the north.
Cam: 在东边，在北边。
Yajie: And remember we learned how to say Japan is to the east of China?  日本在中国的东边。
Cam: ri ben zai zhong guo de dong bian.
Yajie: And then we learnt more words for front, back, left and right, remember?
Cam:  I think so.
Yajie:  What’s front?
Cam: 前面。
Yajie: 前面，back?
Cam: 后面。
Yajie: 后面。And left is 左边；right is 右边。
Cam: 左边，右边。
Yajie: 在前面，在后面，在左边，在右边。
Cam: 在前面，在后面，在左边，在右边。
************** Sentences in the Week
This week we learned 8 words of directions, and they are: 东边，the east side; 西边，the west side; 南边，the south side; 北边，the north side; 前面，the front; 后面，the back; 左边，the left side; 右边, the right side. We also learned some useful sentences. They are: 日本在中国的东边，泰国在中国的南边, 老师在前面。地铁在哪儿，王老师在哪儿。All in today’s Chinese Studio.
***************
Yajie: We also learned how to ask for directions, “。。。在哪儿？” Which means where?
Cam: 在哪儿.
Yajie: 地铁在哪儿？where is the subway?
Cam: di tie zai nar?
Yajie: In order to ask questions politely we always put “请问” before it. 请问地铁在哪儿？
Cam: 请问地铁在哪儿？
Yajie: we can use “…在哪儿” when looking for someone. 王老师在哪儿？where is Mr.wang?
Cam: 王老师在哪儿？
Yajie: OK, that’s it for today. Hope you won’t be lost in China after these lessons! Don’s forget you can win a CRI gift by asking and answering the question in Chinese: “Where is the subway?”
Cam: You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Cam: 下周见!
 

Lesson 019 Where Is My Room?

Today we’ll learn a very useful expression of asking directions. 在哪儿, where? 请问我的房间在哪儿？Please may I ask where is my room? 请问王老师在哪儿？Please may I ask where is Mr. Wang? 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Hi, everyone, I’m Cam. 早上好 zǎoshang hǎo, yajie.
Yajie: 早上好！Today we’ll learn how to ask directions, and look for someone. First let’s take a look at key words of the day!
************
************ Key words of the day
Today we’ll learn a very useful expression of asking directions. 在哪儿, where? 请问我的房间在哪儿？Please may I ask where is my room? 请问王老师在哪儿？Please may I ask where is Mr. Wang? All in today’s Chinese Studio.
****************
Yajie: When you get lost or want to know the location of a place, you may ask people for directions. So in Chinese you can say “在哪儿？” zài，the forth tone. Here“在” means “to be here or there, or to be in, on, at ”. We’ve already learned在前面, 在后面, right?
Cam: Yeah. I still remember在前面，in front; 在后面，at the back. 在东边，in the east; 在西边, in the west.
Yajie: Right. And “哪儿” is a question phrase. It means “where”. You may find it a little bit difficult to pronounce. Actually it is a “nǎ” third tone plus an “er”.  The pronunciation of “er” is very similar to that of the English word “sister”. So together it’s “nǎr”.
Cam: nǎr.
Yajie: We also say那儿, nàr, there.
Cam: nàr.
Yajie: 这儿, “zhèr”, here.
Cam: “zhèr”
Yajie: 玩儿,“wánr”, to play.
Cam: 玩儿,“wánr”. Wow that’s funny. I like it.
Yajie: We’ll learn more about it later. Back to the sentence.“我的房间在哪儿？” Where is my room?
Cam: 我的房间在哪儿？(wǒ de fángjiān zài nǎr?)
Yajie: 我的, mine. 的 suggests that something belongs to somebody. You can also say 你的，yours.
Cam: 我的 (wǒ de), 你的 (nǐ de).
Yajie: 房间 means room.
Cam: 房间 (fángjiān).
Yajie: 在哪儿？it means where is…?
Cam:  在哪儿？ (zài nǎr)
Yajie: 我的房间在哪儿？
Cam: 我的房间在哪儿？(wǒ de fángjiān zài nǎr?)
Yajie: The answer to在哪儿？could be simplified to a place. That’s to say you need not mention the subject of the sentence. For example, if the guest asked a waiter: 我的房间在哪儿？The waiter could simply answer: 在前面。
Cam: Ok. I see. That’s easy. 在前面.
Yajie: To put it politely we always add “请问” before the sentence. “qǐng” third tone means “please”, and “wèn ” forth tone. The meaning is “to ask”. “请问” means “Please may I ask…?”
Cam: qǐng wèn.
Yajie: So we say “请问，我的房间在哪儿？”
Cam: 请问，我的房间在哪儿？ (qǐng wèn wǒ de fángjiān zài nǎr?)
Yajie: Besides asking directions we can also use “在哪儿” for looking for someone. You can ask “Someone在哪儿? ” For example: 请问王老师在哪儿？Where is Mr. Wang?
Cam: 请问王老师在哪儿？(qǐng wèn Wǎng Lǎoshī zài nǎr?)
Yajie: 王is a surname; and 老师means teacher. Together王老师means Mr. Wang.
Cam: 王老师.
Yajie: Or 请问服务员在哪儿？Where is the waiter?
Cam: 请问服务员在哪儿？(qǐng wèn fúwùyuán zài nǎr?)
Yajie: 服务员, the waiter.
Cam: 服务员(fúwùyuán)
*************Key words reminder
在哪儿can be used both to ask directions and look for people. You can say “我的房间在哪儿？” “王老师在哪儿？”, or in a polite way,“请问我的房间在哪儿?”“请问王老师在哪儿？”
************
Yajie: OK, that’s it for today. Hope you can ask directions and look for people in Chinese after the lesson. Remember, you can win a CRI gift by answering today’s question: How do you say “Where is Tian’an Men Square ?” in Chinese?
Cam: Yep, that’s very easy. Just give us a sentence. Send us your answer to chinesestudio@crifm.com. That’s chinesestudio@crifm.com. If you answer the question correctly, you’ll be able to win CRI prizes! Also you are welcome to log on the website, that’s en.chinabroadcast.cn, then you can learn Chinese whenever you want.Yajie: Well class is over. 再见!
Cam: 再见!

Lesson 018 Expressions of the Directions

Today we’ll put the numbers into their usages. For example, 2003年, the year 2003; 2005年, the year 2005. 一月, January; 二月, February. 三月，March. 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio. Glad to have you with us again. I’m Yajie. 早上好.
Cam: And I’m Cam. 早上好(zǎoshang hǎo). What shall we learn today?
Yajie: Well, today we’ll continue learning directions. First let’s check keywords of the day!

***************

***************Key words of the day
Today we’ll learn four words of directions, and they are: 前面，后面, 左边 右边。All in today’s Chinese Studio.
****************
Yajie: First let’s take a look at “前面” qiánmian, front. 前, the second tone. It means front or ahead. 面, the neutral tone. We can say: 在前面 which means “in the front ” or “in front of”.
Cam: 在前面 (zài qiánmian).
Yajie: 在 means “at”. Let’s look at an example. “老师在前面”, The teacher is in front.
Cam: 老师在前面 (lǎoshī zài qiánmian)
Yajie: Sometimes we can say 在something 的前面。For example: 我在你的前面, I’m in front of you.
Cam: 我在你的前面 (wǒ zài nǐ de qiánmian).
Yajie: And the opposite of 前面is 后面 hòumian. We can say 在后面 which means at the back.
Cam: hòumian.
Yajie: We also say 在something 的后面。For example: 我在你的后面, I’m behind you.
C: 我在你的后面 (wǒ zài nǐ de hòumian.)
Yajie: We already have 前面and后面, now let’s see the other two words: 左边 and右边. They are quite easy.
Cam: 左边(zuǒbian), 右边(yòubian).
Yajie: 左边 means the left side, zuǒbian. 左, third tone. 边has the neutral tone. So it’s左边(zuǒbian).
Cam: 左边(zuǒbian).
Yajie: 右边 means the right side, yòubian. 右, the forth tone.
Cam:  yòubian.
Yajie: We can also say: 在左边means on the left;
Cam: 在左边(zài zuǒbian).
Yajie: 在右边 means on the right.
Cam:在右边. (zài yòubian.) Yajie在我的左边 (zài wǒ de zuǒbian.), yajie is on my left side.
Yajie: Well done, Cam. I think you’ve made great progress in learning Chinese!
Cam:  Xie xie.
***************Key words reminder
Today we’ve learned four words of directions, and they are: 前面, 后面,  左边, 右边. All in today’s Chinese Studio.
****************
Yajie: OK, Maybe it’s confusing for you to learn so many new words a day.  Now let’s take a quick review of what we’ve learned today: 前面 the front, 后面the back,
Cam: 前面(qianmian), 后面 (houmian).
Yajie: 左边 left side,  and 右边 right side。
Cam: 左边 (zuobian),  and 右边 (youbian).
Yajie: And also 在前面，in the front. 在后面，at the back.
Cam: 在前面(zai qianmian)，在后面(zai houmian).
Yajie: 在左边, on the left side; 在右边on the right side。
Cam: 在左边(zai zuobian)，在右边(zai youbian)。
Yajie:我在你的右边 (wǒ zài nǐ de yòoubian.),
Cam: And你在我的左边 (nǐ zài wǒ de zuǒbian.), yajie is on my left side.
Yajie: Right! Well, that’s it for today. Don’t forget you can win a gift by answering the question of the day in Chinese: Where is Beihai Park? Is it somewhere behind the Forbidden City, or in front of the Forbidden City?
Cam:　Just make a sentence in pinyin, or the Chinese alphabet!  You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well, class is over. 再见!
Cam: 再见!

Lesson 017 East, South, West and North

Today we’ll learn four directions : 东边east，南边south，西边west，北边north, 日本在中国的东边. Japan is to the east of China. 泰国在中国的南边.Thailand is to the south of China. 

Cam: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio, I’m Cam..
Yajie: It’s a new week，and we are starting a brand new lesson. I’m Yajie.
Cam: What are we going to learn today?
Yajie: Well, we want to make sure that you don’t get lost in this vast country.  So today we are going to talk about directions.  Let’s check our key words of the day!

****************

****************Key words of the day
Today we’ll learn four directions : 东边，南边，西边，北边, 日本在中国的东边,  泰国在中国的南边. All in today’s Chinese Studio.
*****************
Cam: Knowing directions can be very important, especially in Beijing. How do you  say “east”?
Yajie: It’s 东. Dōng, first tone.
Cam: dōng.
Yajie: In oral Chinese we usually say “东边”。“边”means side. Bian is said in the neutral tone. In common speech, some syllables are pronounced both light and short. Such a tone is called the neutral tone. So it’s “东边”, meaning the eastern side or the eastern direction, dōngbian.
Cam: dōngbian. OK, then how do you say “to the east”?
Yajie: It’s 在东边。For example, you can say:。Japan is to the east of China. 日本在中国的东边
Cam: 日本在中国的东边。(Rìběn zài Zhōngguó de dōngbian) OK, how do you say west in Chinese?
Yajie: It’s 西，xi, the first tone. Also西边, xībian. Here the pronunciation of 边 is the same as that of 东边.
Cam: xībian. And I can say 在西边？
Yajie: Yes, right. You can say 在西边, to the west.
Yajie: South is 南, nán ,second tone.
Cam: nán
Yajie: Yeah, nán. And we say, 南边nánbian。
Cam: nánbian and 在南边 (zài nánbian). To the south.
Yajie: Right, and you can say: 泰国在中国的南边。Thailand is to the south of China.
Cam: 泰国在中国的南边(Thaiguo zai Zhongguo de nanbian.) We have north left now. What’s “north” in Chinese?
Yajie: North is 北，běi third tone. That’s the 北of 北京 which means capital in the north. And the pronunciation is similar to that of the English word “bay”, the third tone, běi.
Cam: OK, běi ,and also 北边 and 在北边?
Yajie: Yeah 北边. Here边also has the neutral tone. 北边. the northern part and 在北边,to the north.
****************Key words Reminder
东边，南边，西边，北边, 日本在中国的东边,  泰国在中国的南边. All in today’s Chinese Studio.
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Yajie: OK, let’s take a quick review of what we’ve learned today. What’s east?
Cam:东, the first tone.
Yajie: west?
Cam:西
Yajie: South?
Cam: 南
Yajie: And north?
Cam:北
Yajie:北。And all together it’s东南西北。
Cam: 东南西北.
Yajie: Great! OK, that’s it for today. Hopefully you can practice saying these directions in Chinese sometime today. Don’t forget you can win a CRI gift by answering today’s question: Where is Japan? Is it east of China, or west?
Cam: That should be easy! Just make a sentence. You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well class is over. 再见!
Cam: 再见!