Dialogue

Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Yinru: Hi everyone, I’m Yinru.
Yuriy: And I’m Yuriy. Welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. This is lower intermediate, season 2 lesson 14 - Did You Get Lost on the Way to the Chinese Restaurant?
Yinru: In this lesson, we’re going to introduce two phrases using 从(Cóng).
Yuriy: Now listeners, if you remember from our last lesson, Liu told Tom about a very good Vietnamese restaurant.
Yinru: Tom really wants to try the food there, so he’s on his way to find the restaurant. However, he seems to be lost.
Yuriy: This conversation is between Tom and Liu, and it’s over the phone. Since they’re good friends, they’ll be using informal Chinese.
Yuriy: Let’s listen to the conversation.

Lesson conversation

Tom: 喂,刘。你上次告诉我的餐馆我找不到。(wéi, liú. nǐ shàng cì gàosu wǒ de cānguǎn wǒ zhǎo bú dào.)
刘: 你现在在哪?(LIÚ : nǐ xiànzài zài nǎ?)
Tom: 我在复兴路上。(wǒ zài Fùxīng lù shang.)
刘: 你是坐地铁去的吗?(LIÚ : nǐ shì zuò dìtiě qù de ma?)
Tom: 是的,坐二号线来的。(shì de, zuò èr hào xiàn lái de.)
刘: 从几号出口出去的?(LIÚ : cóng jǐ hào chūkǒu chūqù de?)
Tom: 好像是三号。(hǎoxiàng shì sān hào.)
刘: 你走错了,应该是从一号出口出去.(LIÚ : nǐ zǒu cuò le, yīnggāi shì cóng yī hào chūkǒu chūqù.)
Yuriy: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly.
Tom: 喂,刘。你上次告诉我的餐馆我找不到。(wéi, liú. nǐ shàng cì gàosu wǒ de cānguǎn wǒ zhǎo bú dào.)
刘: 你现在在哪?(LIÚ : nǐ xiànzài zài nǎ?)
Tom: 我在复兴路上。(wǒ zài Fùxīng lù shang.)
刘: 你是坐地铁去的吗?(LIÚ : nǐ shì zuò dìtiě qù de ma?)
Tom: 是的,坐二号线来的。(shì de, zuò èr hào xiàn lái de.)
刘: 从几号出口出去的?(LIÚ : cóng jǐ hào chūkǒu chūqù de?)
Tom: 好像是三号。(hǎoxiàng shì sān hào.)
刘: 你走错了,应该是从一号出口出去.(LIÚ : nǐ zǒu cuò le, yīnggāi shì cóng yī hào chūkǒu chūqù.)
Yuriy: Now let’s hear it with the English translation.
Tom: 喂,刘。你上次告诉我的餐馆我找不到。(wéi, liú. nǐ shàng cì gàosu wǒ de cānguǎn wǒ zhǎo bú dào.)
Yuriy: Hello, Liu! I can't find the restaurant you told me about last time.
刘: 你现在在哪?(LIÚ : nǐ xiànzài zài nǎ?)
Yuriy: Where are you now?
Tom: 我在复兴路上。(wǒ zài Fùxīng lù shang.)
Yuriy: I'm on Fuxing road now.
刘: 你是坐地铁去的吗?(LIÚ : nǐ shì zuò dìtiě qù de ma?)
Yuriy: Did you go by subway?
Tom: 是的,坐二号线来的。(shì de, zuò èr hào xiàn lái de.)
Yuriy: Yes, I took Line 2.
刘: 从几号出口出去的?(LIÚ : cóng jǐ hào chūkǒu chūqù de?)
Yuriy: Which exit did you go out from?
Tom: 好像是三号。(hǎoxiàng shì sān hào.)
Yuriy: Seems to be Exit 3.
刘: 你走错了,应该是从一号出口出去.(LIÚ : nǐ zǒu cuò le, yīnggāi shì cóng yī hào chūkǒu chūqù.)
Yuriy: You went the wrong way. You should go out from Exit 1.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Yinru: Yuriy, did you know that in China, not everyone owns a car?
Yuriy: Why is that?
Yinru: Because public transportation in cities is very easy and convenient.
Yuriy: Other than the subway, like we heard in the conversation, what other choices do you have to get around in Chinese cities?
Yinru: First, you have the most environmentally friendly and free way of getting around—walking!
Yuriy: I have heard that a lot of people walk to get where they’re going in China.
Yinru: Yeah, when you feel like walking, you can always do so because almost every road has sidewalks on both sides.
Yuriy: And it’s a good way to exercise too, if you don’t have to rush.
Yinru: That’s true. If you don’t feel like walking or you’re tired from walking, you can always get a taxi anywhere in the city. They’ll take you wherever you wanna go. They’re not very expensive, like we mentioned in Lesson 12, and most taxi drivers are friendly and honest.
Yuriy: How about during rush hour and bad weather? Is it harder to get a taxi then?
Yinru: I’m afraid so.
Yuriy: Subways are probably the most popular way to travel around the city.
Yinru: Right. However, only large cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin have efficient subway systems now. Some other cities are still working on building their subway systems.
Yuriy: For foreigners who don’t speak Chinese, is it difficult to get around on the subway?
Yinru: I don’t think so. All of the signs and announcements are always in Chinese and English.
Yuriy: That’s good to know.
Yinru: Buses, like subways, are also popular for local people because they go to almost every corner of the city and they’re cheap too.
Yuriy: I’ve also heard that they rent bicycles in some Chinese cities.
Yinru: Yes, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province is one place with bicycle rentals. I’ve done that, and it was a really great experience. It’s a great way to see the city and enjoy the freedom of going at your own pace.
Yuriy: Those are some good tips, listeners. Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
Yuriy: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson.
: The first word we shall see is:
Yinru: 上次 (Shàngcì)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: last time
Yinru: 上次 (Shàngcì)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 上次 (Shàngcì)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: ...不到 (... Bù dào)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: not be able to...
Yinru: ...不到 (... Bù dào)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: ...不到 (... Bù dào)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 坐 (Zuò)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: to take, to go by
Yinru: 坐 (Zuò)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 坐 (Zuò)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 地铁 (Dìtiě)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: subway
Yinru: 地铁 (Dìtiě)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 地铁 (Dìtiě)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 号 (Hào)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: number
Yinru: 号 (Hào)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 号 (Hào)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 线 (Xiàn)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: line
Yinru: 线 (Xiàn)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 线 (Xiàn)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 出口 (Chūkǒu)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: exit
Yinru: 出口 (Chūkǒu)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 出口 (Chūkǒu)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 出去 (Chūqù)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: to get out
Yinru: 出去 (Chūqù)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 出去 (Chūqù)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: ...错 (... Cuò)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: ...in a wrong way
Yinru: ...错 (... Cuò)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: ...错 (... Cuò)[natural native speed]
: And Last:
Yinru: 从 (Cóng)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: from
Yinru: 从 (Cóng)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 从 (Cóng)[natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Yuriy: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson.
Yinru: In this lesson’s key vocabulary and phrases, we’ll first look at two words that, when combined with a verb, change the meaning significantly.
Yuriy: Let’s get to the first one.
Yinru: The first one is ...不到(... Bù dào), meaning “not able to do something.”
Yuriy: Let’s study some examples first.
Yinru: 我看不到前面的路.(Wǒ kàn bù dào qiánmiàn de lù.)
Yuriy: “I can’t see the road ahead.”
Yinru: 看 (Kàn)means “to see,” and 看不到 (Kàn bù dào)means “cannot see.”
Yuriy: Here’s another example.
Yinru: 让我想不到的是, 她也对摇滚乐感兴趣.(Ràng wǒ xiǎngbùdào de shì, tā yě duì yáogǔnyuè gǎn xìngqù.)
Yuriy: “What I would never expect is that she’s interested in rock music too.”
Yinru: 想不到.(Xiǎngbùdào.)
Yuriy: “Cannot think.”
Yinru: 得不到的总是想要, 这是人的本性.(Dé bù dào de zǒng shì xiǎng yào, zhè shì rén de běnxìng.)
Yuriy: “We always want what we can’t get; this is human nature.”
Yinru: 得不到.(Dé bù dào.)
Yuriy: “Cannot get.”
Yinru: 看不到, 想不到, 得不到(Kàn bù dào, xiǎngbùdào, dé bù dào). We can make up other phrases like 拿不到 (Ná bù dào)meaning “can’t reach,” and 买不到 (Mǎi bù dào)for “can’t buy.”
Yuriy: So how do we say the opposite? Instead of saying “not able to [do something],” how do we say “to be able to?”
Yinru: The phrase for “be able to” is 得到(Dédào). For example, 我听得到, 您请说.(Wǒ tīng dédào, nín qǐng shuō.)
Yuriy: “I can hear you. Please go ahead.” This is mostly used in a phone conversation.
Yinru: 四川 (Sìchuān)food is a Chinese favorite, so when people go overseas, they may ask: 在美国能吃得到川菜吗?(Zài měiguó néng chī dédào chuāncài ma?)
Yuriy: Meaning, “Is it possible to have Sichuan food in the US?”
Yinru: Also there’s a saying in Chinese that goes: 我说得到做得到.(Wǒ shuōdédàozuò dédào.)
Yuriy: It can be translated as: “If I can promise you, I can make it happen.” Meaning, “I’m a man of my words.”
Yinru: Ok, here’s our next vocabulary word: 错.(Cuò.)
Yuriy: It means to do something incorrectly.
Yinru: More often than not, this is used in the past tense, so the form will be ...错了.(... Cuòle.)
Yuriy: Here are some examples.
Yinru: 我写错了他的名字.(Wǒ xiě cuòle tā de míngzì.)
Yuriy: “I wrote his name down wrong.”
Yinru: 我拿错了雨伞, 这个不是我的.(Wǒ ná cuòle yǔsǎn, zhège bùshì wǒ de.)
Yuriy: “I took the wrong umbrella; this one isn’t mine.”
Yinru: In these examples, 写错 (Xiě cuò)means “to write something wrong,” and 拿错 (Ná cuò)means “to take something that does not belong to someone.”
Yuriy: That seems easy to use and understand.
Yinru: 是的(Shì de). Let’s try to translate this sentence into English: 实在不好意思, 我认错人了.(Shízài bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ rèncuò rénle.)
Yuriy: It means, “I’m so sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
Yinru: Great. 认错人了 (Rèncuò rénle) means “thought a person was someone else.”
Yinru: All right. Here comes our last key word in the lesson: 坐.(Zuò.)
Yuriy: Many of you may wonder why we’re talking about one of the first words you ever learned in Chinese, meaning “to sit.”
Yinru: Good point, Yuriy. 坐 (Zuò.) does mean “to sit,” but when it’s used in conjunction with different vehicles for transportation, the word means “to take.”
Yuriy: Ah, I see. Because you can always sit in the vehicle, right?
Yinru: Yeah. For example, 坐地铁.(Zuò dìtiě.)
Yuriy: “To take the subway.”
Yinru: 坐飞机 (Zuò fēijī)
Yuriy: “To take an airplane.”
Yinru: 坐船 (Zuò chuán)
Yuriy: “To take a boat.”
Yinru: Good. You’ll often hear that people leave some words out when they’re speaking informally, maybe to save time or energy.
Yuriy: How so?
Yinru: For instance, we might say 坐二号线 (Zuò èr hào xiàn)instead of 坐二号线地铁(Zuò èr hào xiàn dìtiě), and 坐11路 (Zuò 11 lù)instead of 坐11路公交车(Zuò 11 lù gōngjiāo chē).
Yuriy: I think this occurs in almost every language to communicate more efficiently.
Yinru: Definitely. Now, let’s move on to the grammar.

Lesson focus

Yuriy: Yinru, what will we learn in this lesson?
Yinru: Well, we learned from our conversation that 从 (Cóng)means “from,” indicating a starting point. Liu tells Tom to 从一号出口出去(Cóng yī hào chūkǒu chūqù).
Yuriy: Meaning “To go out from Exit 1.” Here we’d like to introduce two more common Chinese phrases using this word.
Yinru: The first one is 从...到(Cóng... Dào).
Yuriy: Meaning “from [one place, date or time] to [another].” It’s used to express the beginning and and ending points of places, directions, times, and dates.
Yinru: For example, 从北京到上海(Cóng běijīng dào shànghǎi).
Yuriy: “From Beijing to Shanghai.”
Yinru: 从南到北.(Cóng nán dào běi.)
Yuriy: “From south to north.”
Yinru: These are places and directions. Let’s look at some examples using times and dates.
Yuriy: Great.
Yinru: 从五点半到七点半.(Cóng wǔ diǎn bàn dào qī diǎn bàn.)
Yuriy: “From 5: 30 to 7: 30.”
Yinru: 从开始到现在.(Cóng kāishǐ dào xiànzài.)
Yuriy: “From the beginning to the present.”
Yinru: The other phrase we’re going to talk about is 从...开始(Cóng... Kāishǐ).
Yuriy: This phrase means “starting from” or “beginning from.”
Yinru: 从 (Cóng)is “from”, and 开始 (Kāishǐ)means “to begin.”
Yuriy: Usually, you insert a phrase between them that indicates a period of time.
Yinru: 从今天开始, 我要每天锻炼身体.(Cóng jīntiān kāishǐ, wǒ yào měitiān duànliàn shēntǐ.)
Yuriy: “From today on, I need to exercise every day.”
Yinru: 从下个月开始, 我们五点下班.(Cóng xià gè yuè kāishǐ, wǒmen wǔ diǎn xiàbān.)
Yuriy: “Starting from next month, we’ll get off of work at five.”
Yinru: 国庆节从9月30号开始放假.(Guóqìng jié cóng 9 yuè 30 hào kāishǐ fàngjià.)
Yuriy: “The National Day holiday starts from September 30.”
Yinru: Yes, China’s National Day falls on the first of October, and we usually have a few days off then.
Yuriy: Great. Who doesn’t love holidays?

Outro

Yuriy: Well, that’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time. Bye!
Yinru: 再见.(Zàijiàn.)

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