Dialogue

Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
David: Welcome to ChineseClass101. I’m David.
Echo: Hi. Da jia hao! 我是(Wǒ shì) Echo.
David: We are here with Lesson 42 today in our Beginner series.
Echo: 第四十二课。(Dì sìshí'èr kè.)
David: Yeah. This is our progressive series teaching you Chinese if you have not studied Chinese before. We’ve got a great lesson. It’s all about checking into a hotel.
Echo: Right.
David: So if you haven’t done this before by the end of this lesson, you’re going to be an exper I bet.
Echo: Okay.
David: Okay. So we’ve got the dialogue for you. Before we talk you there, we want to remind you. There are some hotels in China without internet access.
Echo: Exactly.
David: Many of which are [*]. If you get into that hotel, there’s nothing better than having our lessons printed out on paper beside you. Right, Echo?
Echo: Right.
David: But to do that, you’re going to need a premium subscription. So if you haven’t picked one up, give it some thought. But now, let’s listen to the dialogue.

Lesson conversation

甲: 请问,这儿一天多少钱?(JIǍ: Qǐngwèn, zhèr yī tiān duōshǎo qián?)
乙: 您几位?(YǏ: Nín jǐ wèi?)
甲: 就我自己。(JIǍ: Jiù wǒ zìjǐ.)
乙: 您想要单人间还是标准间?(YǏ: Nín xiǎng yào dānrén jiān hái shì biāozhǔn jiān?)
甲: 我要标准间。(JIǍ: Wǒ yào biāozhǔn jiān.)
乙: 标准间250元一天。(YǏ: Biāozhǔn jiān èrbǎi wǔshí yuán yì tiān.)
David: One more time, a bit slower.
甲: 请问,这儿一天多少钱?(JIǍ: Qǐngwèn, zhèr yī tiān duōshǎo qián?)
乙: 您几位?(YǏ: Nín jǐ wèi?)
甲: 就我自己。(JIǍ: Jiù wǒ zìjǐ.)
乙: 您想要单人间还是标准间?(YǏ: Nín xiǎng yào dānrén jiān hái shì biāozhǔn jiān?)
甲: 我要标准间。(JIǍ: Wǒ yào biāozhǔn jiān.)
乙: 标准间250元一天。(YǏ: Biāozhǔn jiān èrbǎi wǔshí yuán yì tiān.)
甲: 请问,这儿一天多少钱?(JIǍ: Qǐngwèn, zhèr yī tiān duōshǎo qián?)
David: Excuse me, how much for a day here?
乙: 您几位?(YǏ: Nín jǐ wèi?)
David: How many people?
甲: 就我自己。(JIǍ: Jiù wǒ zìjǐ.)
David: Just myself.
乙: 您想要单人间还是标准间?(YǏ: Nín xiǎng yào dānrén jiān hái shì biāozhǔn jiān?)
David: Would you like a single or standard room?
甲: 我要标准间。(JIǍ: Wǒ yào biāozhǔn jiān.)
David: I’d like a standard room.
乙: 标准间250元一天。(YǏ: Biāozhǔn jiān èrbǎi wǔshí yuán yì tiān.)
David: The standard room is 250 RMB per day.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Echo: Okay. So…
David: I think the wording in China is a bit confusing. Like, what’s the difference between a standard room and a single room?
Echo: For a standard room, you will have two single beds but for single room, you only have one single bed.
David: Yeah. So why not they call the standard room a double room and make the single room standard room?
Echo: I don’t know.
David: I caught confusing. This is confusing.
Echo: Because I think they expect that…
David: You’re Chinese, Echo. Answer this. I don’t understand the hotels in China.
Echo: I can’t.
David: See, Echo can’t answer it. It’s illogical.
Echo: Also, actually I would like to introduce you one more type of the rooms. It’s 大床房.(Dà chuáng fáng.)
David: I’ve rented that big bedroom.
Echo: Yes, you have.
David: Well, I may have used one but…
Echo: It’s very useful. I think usually people don’t want to have a small or single bed so they can go for 大床房.(Dà chuáng fáng.)
David: Okay. Echo, you were straying into new vocab, so why don’t we just go to the vocab section.
VOCAB LIST
Male: Now, the vocab section.
Echo: 请问(qǐngwèn) [natural native speed].
David: Excuse me.
Echo: 请问(qǐngwèn)[slowly - broken down by syllable]. 请问(qǐngwèn)[natural native speed].
Echo: 一天(yìtiān) [natural native speed].
David: One day.
Echo: 一天(yìtiān)[slowly - broken down by syllable]. 一天(yìtiān)[natural native speed].
Echo: 您几位 (nín jǐ wèi)[natural native speed].
David: How many people?
Echo: 您几位(nín jǐ wèi)[slowly - broken down by syllable]. 您几位(nín jǐ wèi)[natural native speed].
Echo: 就(jiù) [natural native speed].
David: Just.
Echo: 就(jiù)[slowly - broken down by syllable]. 就(jiù)[natural native speed].
Echo: 自己(zìjǐ) [natural native speed].
David: Oneself.
Echo: 自己(zìjǐ)[slowly - broken down by syllable]. 自己(zìjǐ)[natural native speed].
Echo: 单人间(dānrénjiān) [natural native speed].
David: Single room.
Echo: 单人间(dānrénjiān)[slowly - broken down by syllable]. 单人间(dānrénjiān)[natural native speed].
Echo: 标准间 (biāozhǔnjiān)[natural native speed].
David: Standard room.
Echo: 标准间(biāozhǔnjiān)[slowly - broken down by syllable]. 标准间(biāozhǔnjiān)[natural native speed].
Echo: 还是(háishì) [natural native speed].
David: Or.
Echo: 还是(háishì)[slowly - broken down by syllable]. 还是(háishì)[natural native speed].
Echo: 元(yuán) [natural native speed].
David: Chinese dollar.
Echo: 元(yuán)[slowly - broken down by syllable]. 元(yuán)[natural native speed].
KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES
David: Okay. A lot of great vocab today, especially about checking into a hotel.
Echo: 没错。(Méi cuò.)
David: Although you know what they missed? They missed the haggling part.
Echo: Right. You can always get discount.
David: Yeah, because if you use the hotels in China, you walk in and they’ve got this big board behind the desk with a list of the prices, don’t trust that board.
Echo: Right.
David: You’ve always got to go and ask the people how much for a room.
Echo: 一个房间多少钱?(Yīgè fángjiān duōshǎo qián?)
David: They’re going to give you a price that’s lower.
Echo: Right.
David: If they don’t, you just repeat asking, “how much for a room” until they give you a price that’s lower.
Echo: Yeah.
David: Right. That’s the board of hope. I don’t think anyone ever pays that much. You can normally get, what? You can normally get, at least, 20% off.
Echo: Yeah. Definitely.
David: Yeah. For the high-end stuff, you can sometimes get 25% or even more.
Echo: 没错。(Méi cuò.)
David: We’ve got a lot of interesting vocab. First things first, though. This dialogue is taking place in a hotel. We’ve got three words for hotel. The first is…
Echo: 饭店。(Fàndiàn.)
David: Which could also be a restaurant.
Echo: Right.
David: The second word is a lot more specific.
Echo: 宾馆。(Bīnguǎn.)
David: And finally…
Echo: 酒店.(Jiǔdiàn.) Yeah. This is a new word.
David: Yeah.
Echo: 酒店。(Jiǔdiàn.)
David: So there are three different ways to ask for a hotel. First is, “where is a hotel?”
Echo: 饭店在哪儿?( fàndiàn zài nǎ'r? )
David: The second is, “where is a hotel?”
Echo: 宾馆在哪儿? (Bīnguǎn zài nǎ‘r? )
David: The third is, “where is a hotel?”
Echo: 酒店在哪儿?(Jiǔdiàn zài nǎ’r?)
David: So you ask this question and you get to the hotel. When you walk in, you’re going to want to ask for a room.
Echo: Right. 房间.(Fángjiān.)
David: Do you have a room?
Echo: 你们有房间吗?(Nǐmen yǒu fángjiān ma?)
David: Another way to ask that is…
Echo: 有没有房间?(Yǒu méiyǒu fángjiān?)
David: Right. If you remember the two words we covered in our dialogue were different kinds of rooms.
Echo: Right.
David: There was the single room.
Echo: 单人间。(Dān rénjiān.)
David: Literally, single person.
Echo: Right.
David: Tiny bed. Really tiny.
Echo: Yeah.
David: Yeah. Don’t be over six feet. Then there’s the standard room.
Echo: 标准间。(Biāozhǔn jiān.)
David: Where you also should not be over six feet.
Echo: So I recommend you guys get a 大床房。(Dà chuáng fáng.).
David: Although that is going to be expensive.
Echo: A little bit.
David: Yeah.
Echo: But sometimes, it’s actually cheaper than 标准间.(Biāozhǔn jiān.) I don’t know why.
David: Really?
Echo: Yes.
David: When I ask for the cheap ones, they put in the closet. Anyway, when you get to the front counter, you may want to ask, “Do you guys have Wi-Fi?”
Echo: 你们有Wi-Fi吗?(Nǐmen yǒu Wi-Fi ma?)
David: Do you have television?
Echo: 你们有电视吗?(Nǐmen yǒu diànshì ma?)
David: Or do you have the mini-bar?
Echo: 你们有小冰箱吗?(Nǐmen yǒu xiǎo bīngxiāng ma?)
David: In China, it’s the little fridge.
Echo: 小冰箱。(Xiǎo bīngxiāng.)
David: Not mini-bar.
Echo: Right.
David: Okay. With that stuff under your belt, you should be able to get a hotel without any problems. Make sure to haggle them down on the price.
Echo: Right.
David: Take at least 20%. With that, let’s go to the grammar section.

Lesson focus

Male: It’s grammar time.
David: Echo, how easy is our grammar point today?
Echo: Really easy.
David: It’s really easy.
Echo: 非常简单。(Fēicháng jiǎndān.)
David: This is possibly the easiest grammar section we’ve ever given you guys. Our grammar point for today is all about the word for “or”.
Echo: 还是。(Háishì.)
David: Or.
Echo: 还是(Háishì)
David: Listen to the tones on that – rising second tone and then a falling fourth tone.
Echo: 还是。(Háishì.)
David: As in the sentences, “Do you want coffee or tea?”
Echo: 你想要咖啡还是茶?(Nǐ xiǎng yào kāfēi háishì chá?)
David: Are you American or British?
Echo: 你是美国人还是英国人?(Nǐ shì měiguó rén háishì yīngguó rén?)
David: Do you want the expensive one or the cheap one?
Echo: 您想要贵的还是便宜的?(Nín xiǎng yào guì de háishì piányí de?)
David: That’s right. Actually, no one has ever asked that question: do you want the expensive one or cheap one? I have frequently said though, “I want the cheap one.”
Echo: Right. 我要便宜的.(Wǒ yào piányí de.)
David: Yeah. Anyway, this word for “or”.
Echo: 还是。(háishì.)
David: As in English, we put it in between the two things that are our choices.
Echo: Right.A还是B.(A háishì B.)
David: Coffee or tea?
Echo: 咖啡还是茶?(Kāfēi háishì chá?)
David: American or British?
Echo: 美国人还是英国人?(Měiguó rén háishì yīngguó rén?)
David: Single room or standard room?
Echo: 单人间还是标准间?(Dān rénjiān háishì biāozhǔn jiān?)
David: If someone is asking you this question using the word…
Echo: 还是(Háishì)
David: …makes the choice exclusive.
Echo: Right.
David: So they’re going to be giving you one of the two but not both, although I guess there isn’t any reason you couldn’t say, “I want both”.
Echo: Right.
David: 我都要。(Wǒ dū yào.)
Echo: You can say that. 我都要.(Wǒ dū yào.) So a little tip here. Remember when you use 还是(Háishì) to ask a question, don’t add 吗(Ma), our question marker, at the end of the sentence.
David: Right. Because we only use that question marker when we’re turning statement into a question.
Echo: Right.
David: It is true. So it’s like, “do you want A or B?”
Echo: Right.
David: Okay. So let’s review those three questions one more time. “Do you want coffee or tea?”
Echo: 您想要咖啡还是茶?(Nín xiǎng yào kāfēi háishì chá?)
David: Are you American or British?
Echo: 你是美国人还是英国人?(Nǐ shì měiguó rén háishì yīngguó rén?)
David: My favorite, “Do you want the expensive one or the cheap one?”
Echo: 你想要贵的还是便宜的?(Nǐ xiǎng yào guì de háishì piányí de?)
David: If you take nothing else away from this lesson, you can use that in a hotel, too. They ask you, “What kind of room you want?” you can say, “I want the cheap one.”
Echo: 我想要便宜的。(Wǒ xiǎng yào piányí de.)
David: So that’s a pretty simple grammar point, right? So that’s a really simple grammar point, right, Echo?
Echo: Uh-hmm.
David: Simple than usual.
Echo: 非常简单。(Fēicháng jiǎndān.)
David: Speaking of simple, we’ve got a lot of ways to make learning Chinese simple in our premium learning center on ChineseClass101.com.
Echo: Exactly.
David: So no matter if you’ve learned for a few days now…
Echo: 还是(Háishì), if you have already learned for years.
David: And you understand everything Echo was saying in Chinese. There are tools and resources there that are going to help you get this vocab down, get this grammar points down.
Echo: Right.
David: So check it out. With that, we’re at the end of our podcast for today. Thanks for listening. From Beijing, I’m David.
Echo: 我是(Wǒ shì)Echo.
David: And we’ll see you guys next week.
Echo: 下周见吧。(Xià zhōu jiàn ba.)
David: Bye-bye.
Echo: Bye-bye.

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