Learn the different uses of 叫
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| Hi everyone. 大家好，我是Yinru (Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Yinru). You are watching Chinese Whiteboard lesson. You’ve probably learned this phrase, my name is so and so in your first Chinese lesson, 我的名字叫什么什么 (wǒ de míngzì jiào shénme shénme) or 我叫什么什么 (wǒ jiào shénme shénme). Today, we are going to talk about different ways and different uses of this word, 叫 (jiào). |
| And the first use is what we mentioned just now. It is to be called. To be called. For example, 我叫李明 (Wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng), which is, I am called 李明 (Lǐ Míng) literally. And my name is 李明 (Lǐ Míng), you can say 我叫李明 (Wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng) or 我的名字 (wǒ de míngzì), my name is called 李明 (Lǐ Míng). 我的名字叫李明 (Wǒ de míngzì jiào Lǐ Míng) or simply 我叫李明 (Wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng). |
| You can also put a title after 叫 (jiào), meaning someone is – or is supposed to be called this title. For example, 妈妈的兄弟叫舅舅 (Māmā de xiōngdì jiào jiùjiu). Mama’s...兄弟 (xiōngdì) is brother. 叫 (jiào) is called. 舅舅 (jiùjiu) - 舅舅 (jiùjiu) is what you call your mother’s brother. In Chinese, there are many different or specific ways to call each one of the family members. For example here, 妈妈的兄弟叫舅舅 (Māmā de xiōngdì jiào jiùjiu), but 爸爸的哥哥叫伯伯 (Bàba de gēgē jiào bóbo), 爸爸的弟弟叫叔叔 (Bàba de dìdì jiào shūshu). So there are a lot of terms and titles for family members. If you are interested in learning these family member titles, put them in the comments below and we may talk about it in the future lesson. |
| Okay. The second use is, to call or to get something. For example, 你是在叫我吗 (Nǐ shì zài jiào wǒ ma)? 叫 (jiào) here means call, to call someone. 你是在 (nǐ shì zài), are you doing something? 叫我 (jiào wǒ), to call me, 叫我 (jiào wǒ). Are you calling me is what this sentence means. Are you calling me? |
| And the second one doesn’t necessarily mean call. Let’s find out. 我们今天不做饭，叫外卖吧 (Wǒmen jīntiān bù zuò fàn, jiào wàimài ba)。我们今天 (wǒmen jīntiān), we today 不做饭 (bù zuò fàn). 做饭 (zuò fàn) is to cook, 不做饭 (bù zuò fàn), not cook. We are not going to cook today. 叫外卖吧 (jiào wàimài ba), let’s call 外卖 (wàimài). What is 外卖 (wàimài)? 外卖 (wàimài) is food delivery. So that’s call delivery, call for food delivery. And 吧 (ba) at the end of a sentence, 吧 (ba) indicates it’s a suggestion. Let’s call the food delivery. So 我们今天不做饭，叫外卖吧 (Wǒmen jīntiān bù zuò fàn, jiào wàimài ba), let’s get delivery or let’s call for delivery. |
| Next one. 我给你们叫了辆出租车 (Wǒ gěi nǐmen jiàole liàng chūzū chē)。我给你们 (wǒ gěi nǐmen), I for you, you guys 叫了 (jiàole), I called 出租车 (chūzū chē). 出租车 (chūzū chē) is taxi. Another way of saying 出租车 (chūzū chē) is 的士 (dī shì). 的士 (dī shì) is also taxi. 出租车 (chūzū chē) or 的士 (dī shì). 叫了辆 (jiàole liàng) - 辆 (liàng) here is short for 一辆 (yī liàng). So I caught a taxi for you guys. 叫了辆出租车 (jiàole liàng chūzū chē). Or I hailed, 叫 (jiào), hey taxi, 出租车 (chūzū chē). 叫 (jiào), 叫出租车 (jiào chūzū chē). we usually say that. So 叫了辆出租车 (jiàole liàng chūzū chē) means I got a taxi for you guys. |
| I have a third meaning or the third use is to yell, to say very loudly, 叫 (jiào). If we put a 尖 (jiān) before 叫 (jiào), it makes another word, meaning to scream. 尖 (jiān) means sharp, sharp. And 尖叫 (jiān jiào) is sharp kind of yell, it’s scream. And this word 大喊大叫 (dà hǎn dà jiào) is another word. 大 (dà), big, 叫 (jiào), to yell and 喊 (hǎn) is another way of saying, to yell or to say or to talk very loudly. So we have 大喊 (dà hǎn) and 大叫 (dà jiào). Imagine how loud that is. It’s just like a strong version of saying 叫 (jiào), 大喊大叫 (dà hǎn dà jiào). And a sentence, 别叫了，整栋楼都能听见 (Bié jiàole, zhěng dòng lóu dōu néng tīngjiàn). 别干什么了 (bié gànshénmele) - 别 (bié), a verb, 了 (le), so stop doing that. Don’t do that. 整栋楼 (zhěng dòng lóu), the whole building. 整 (zhěng) is whole, 栋 (dòng) is the measure word for buildings. 一栋楼 (yī dòng lóu), 整栋楼 (zhěng dòng lóu), the whole building 都能 (dōu néng), all can 听见 (tīngjiàn), hear. So stop yelling. The whole building can hear you. Yell. |
| Number four use is, for animals to make sound. It’s a verb also and it’s used when animal is making sound. For example, 公鸡喔喔叫，鸭子嘎嘎叫 (Gōngjī ō ō jiào, yāzi gāgā jiào). 公鸡 (gōngjī), rooster and 喔喔 (ō ō) is the sound that Rooster makes in China, 喔喔叫 (ō ō jiào). So roosters make the 喔喔 (ō ō) sound and 鸭子 (yāzi), duck 嘎嘎 (gāgā), 嘎嘎叫 (gāgā jiào). 叫 (jiào) is to make the sound. So 鸭子 (yāzi), 鸭子 (yāzi), ducks make the 嘎嘎 (gāgā) sound and 公鸡 (gōngjī) rooster make the 喔喔 (ō ō) sound. |
| Another animal 小猫 (xiǎo māo), little cat 轻轻地 (qīng qīng de), gently, quietly 叫了两声 (jiàole liǎng shēng). 两 (liǎng) is two or a couple. 声 (shēng) is sound. So the little cat quietly made a few noise or a couple of noise to be more exact. Couple, 两 (liǎng). 两 (liǎng) is two or a couple. So little cat quietly made a couple of sound. And how does cat sound in Chinese. It’s also meow. I guess it’s meow everywhere. It’s very unique. |
| The third sound. I mean, the third example. 我好像听见了狼叫 (Wǒ hǎoxiàng tīngjiànle láng jiào)。我好像 (wǒ hǎoxiàng), seemingly or seem to. 听见 (tīngjiàn), hear. 听见了 (tīngjiànle), heard. 狼叫 (láng jiào) - 狼 (láng) is wolf, 狼叫 (láng jiào) and make noise. I – I think I heard a wolf or I think I heard a sound – the sound of a wolf. |
| Last use I am going to mention here is to ask someone to do something. 奶奶叫我去买酱油 (Nǎinai jiào wǒ qù mǎi jiàngyóu)。奶奶 (nǎinai) is what we call grandmother or father’s mother, the paternal grandmother. 奶奶叫我去 (nǎinai jiào wǒ qù), ask me to go, 去干什么 (qù gànshénme)? 去买酱油 (qù mǎi jiàngyóu), to buy 酱油 (jiàngyóu), soy sauce. So grandmother asked me to get some soy sauce. 奶奶叫我去买酱油 (Nǎinai jiào wǒ qù mǎi jiàngyóu)。 |
| 叫你去你就去，别啰嗦 (Jiào nǐ qù nǐ jiù qù, bié luōsuo)！感叹号 (gǎntànhào), exclamation mark here. So this sentence or this saying is very, very colloquial and you don’t want to say it when you are talking to a stranger. So, when you are close to the one you’re speaking to, you can use this but what does this mean. 叫你去你就去 (jiào nǐ qù nǐ jiù qù) - 去 (qù), to go. So I asked you to go and then you go. I asked you to do something, you do it. 别啰嗦 (bié luōsuo) - 别啰嗦 (bié luōsuo) is like, Don’t argue with me. So this sentence means, I asked you to go, you go. Don’t argue with me. 叫你去你就去，别啰嗦 (Jiào nǐ qù nǐ jiù qù, bié luōsuo)！ Sound very angry but yeah, that’s why you don’t want to talk or you don’t want to use this with a stranger. |
| Now, let’s do some translation in the quiz part. First English and then Chinese. I filled some part out. So just try to fill in the blanks. |
| 第一个 (dì yī gè), My name is Lilly, not Lucy or I am called Lilly, not Lucy. So 我的名字叫莉莉 (Wǒ de míngzì jiào Lìlì), I am not Lucy. I am not called Lucy. You put a 不 (bù), a negative form in front and 不叫露西 (bù jiào Lùxī). 我的名字叫莉莉，不叫露西 (Wǒ de míngzì jiào Lìlì, bù jiào Lùxī)。 |
| The second one. You can call me whatever you want or I don’t care about the title. Just address me whatever you want. So, 你什么都可以 (Nǐ shénme dōu kěyǐ). 都可以 (dōu kěyǐ) means all work. 你 (nǐ) call me. It’s 叫 (jiào), right? Of course, we are talking about 叫 (jiào) here. 你叫我什么都可以 (Nǐ jiào wǒ shénme dōu kěyǐ)。 You can call me whatever you want. 你叫我什么都可以 (Nǐ jiào wǒ shénme dōu kěyǐ)。 |
| And 第三个 (dì sān gè). Ask the next student to come in. Ask someone to do something. Also 叫 (jiào). How do you say that? Next student - 下一个 (xià yīgè) student, 学生 (xuéshēng). So we can say, 叫下一个学生进来 (Jiào xià yīgè xuéshēng jìnlái). 进来 (jìnlái) is to come in. 叫下一个 (Jiào xià yīgè), next 学生 (xuéshēng), student 进来, to come in. Okay. |
| I ordered a hamburger and a coke. Ordered. Ordered or I got. I got a hamburger and a coke. We can say in Chinese 我叫了 (Wǒ jiàole), 叫了什么呢 (jiàole shénme ne)? A hamburger and a coke. So 我叫了一个汉堡 (Wǒ jiàole yīgè hànbǎo). 汉堡 (hànbǎo) is hamburger. 和 (hé), and 一杯可乐 (yībēi kělè), ah a drink. 可乐 (kělè) is a drink. So a cup of 可乐 (kělè), a cup of cola. 我叫了 (wǒ jiàole), 我叫了 (wǒ jiàole)...叫了 (jiàole) here is also – also means order or I got. 我叫了一个汉堡 (Wǒ jiàole yīgè hànbǎo), 一个汉堡和一杯可乐 (yīgè hànbǎo hé yībēi kělè). 杯 (bēi) is the measure word you want to use when talking about a cup of drink. |
| The last one. The mouse is making the squeaking sound or the squeaking noise. Mouse, 老鼠 (lǎoshǔ). 老鼠 (lǎoshǔ) is making...在干嘛 (zài gànmá)？在吱吱叫 (zài zhī zhī jiào), squeaky, squeaking or the noise that mouse would make or rat would make is 吱吱 (zhī zhī), 吱吱叫 (zhī zhī jiào). So 老鼠在吱吱叫 (Lǎoshǔ zài zhī zhī jiào). Okay 老鼠吱吱叫 (lǎoshǔ zhī zhī jiào), 公鸡喔喔叫 (gōngjī ō ō jiào), 鸭子嘎嘎叫 (yāzi gāgā jiào), 小猫喵喵叫 (xiǎo māo miāo miāo jiào). |
| So with all the different noises or the sound we make today, I hope you enjoyed this lesson. Bye, everyone. 再见啦 (Zàijiàn la)！ |
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