Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Let’s take a closer look at the conversation.
Do you remember how the civil servant asks,
"What is your e-mail address?"
您的邮箱地址是什么?(Nín de yóuxiāng dìzhǐ shì shénme?)
First is 您的 (nín de), "your." 您的.
This starts with 您 (nín), "you" when using formal Chinese. 您. 您.
您 is often used to show respect to a person, such as a senior citizen or a customer. 您.
Now, you might be more familiar with 你 (nǐ), meaning "you." 你 (nǐ). As this is a city office setting, the speaker chooses to use the more formal 您 (nín).
Next is 的 (de), the possessive-marking particle. 的. 的.
Think of 的 as a way to indicate possession. The word it follows possesses the thing that comes after it. In this sentence, it marks 您, "you," as the possessor.
Together, it's 您的, a formal way to say "your." 您的.
Next is 邮箱地址 (yóuxiāng dìzhǐ), "e-mail address." 邮箱地址. 邮箱地址.
There are two parts to this.
First is 邮箱 (yóuxiāng), literally "mailbox," but it refers to the "electronic mailbox" in this context. 邮箱. 邮箱.
Next is 地址 (dìzhǐ), "address." 地址. 地址。
Together, it's 邮箱地址 (yóuxiāng dìzhǐ), "e-mail address." 邮箱地址.
Remember this because you'll see it again in Karen's response.
Next is 是 (shì), in this case, it’s like the "is" in "What is your e-mail address?" 是. 是.
Last is 什么 (shénme) "what." 什么. 什么。
All together, it's 您的邮箱地址是什么?This literally means, "Your e-mail address is what?" but translates as, "What is your e-mail address?"
您的邮箱地址是什么?(Nín de yóuxiāng dìzhǐ shì shénme?)
Remember this request. You'll hear it again later.
Let’s take a closer look at the response.
Do you remember how Karen says, "My e-mail address is k-a-r-e-n@innolang.com"?
我的邮箱地址是karen@innolang.com。
(Wǒ de yóuxiāng dìzhǐ shì kēi - ēi - ǎr - yī - ēn àite yīnnōulàn diǎn kàngmu.)
First is 我的 (Wǒ de) "my." 我的。
This starts with 我 (Wǒ), "I." 我. 我.
After this is 的 (de), the possessive-marking particle. 的.
Together, it's 我的, "my." 我的.
Next, do you remember the word for "e-mail address"?
邮箱地址 (yóuxiāng dìzhǐ). "e-mail address." 邮箱地址.
Together, 我的邮箱地址 (Wǒ de yóuxiāng dìzhǐ), "my e-mail address." 我的邮箱地址.
Next is 是 (shì). Here, it's like the "is'' in "My e-mail address is." 是.
Next is Karen's e-mail address: kēi - ēi - ǎr - yī - ēn àite yīnnōulàn diǎn kàngmu.
First is the name "Karen" spelled out. Kēi - ēi - ǎr - yī - ēn.
Next is the at sign.
Usually pronounced as àite. Àite.
Next, is innolang.
Most Chinese people would pronounce it as yīnnōulàn. Yīnnōulàn.
After that is 点 (diǎn), "dot." 点. 点。
Note: in North China, people tend to put an "-er" sound after the final syllable of many words, so with a Northern accent, 点 would be pronounced as 点儿 (diǎnr).
Last is com.
Usually pronounced as kàngmu. Kàngmu.
Together, Karen's e-mail address is kēi - ēi - ǎr - yī - ēn àite yīnnōulàn diǎn kàngmu.
All together, it's 我的邮箱地址是karen@innolang.com。
(Wǒ de yóuxiāng dìzhǐ shì kēi - ēi - ǎr - yī - ēn àite yīnnōulàn diǎn kàngmu.)
"My e-mail address is k-a-r-e-n@innolang.com."
Wǒ de yóuxiāng dìzhǐ shì kēi - ēi - ǎr - yī - ēn àite yīnnōulàn diǎn kàngmu.
The pattern is
我的邮箱地址是 (Wǒ de yóuxiāng dìzhǐ shì) {E-MAIL ADDRESS}。
"My e-mail address is {E-MAIL ADDRESS}."
我的邮箱地址是 {E-MAIL ADDRESS}。
To use this pattern, simply replace the {E-MAIL ADDRESS} placeholder with your e-mail address.
Imagine your e-mail address is liping@innolang.com.
Áilou - āi - pī - āi - ēn - jì àite yīnnōulàn diǎn kàngmu.
Say: "My e-mail address is l-i-p-i-n-g@innolang.com."
Ready?
我的邮箱地址是 liping@innolang.com。
(Wǒ de yóuxiāng dìzhǐ shì áilou - āi - pī - āi - ēn - jì àite yīnnōulàn diǎn kàngmu.)
"My e-mail address is l-i-p-i-n-g@innolang.com."
我的邮箱地址是 liping@innolang.com。
(Wǒ de yóuxiāng dìzhǐ shì áilou - āi - pī - āi - ēn - jì àite yīnnōulàn diǎn kàngmu.)
In China, Mandarin is often referred to as 普通话 (pǔtōnghuà), meaning "common dialect" or "common tongue" and almost everyone in China speaks it. Apart from this "common dialect," there are over 200 local dialects in China.
People from different parts of China are likely to have a variety of accents when speaking Mandarin and foreign languages. The way English letters and words are pronounced in this lesson may be different depending on where the speaker is from.
When having difficulty understanding someone in Chinese or English, such as when getting someone's e-mail address, it's better to double check with the person you're speaking with to make sure you understood correctly.

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