Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Taiwanese Mandarin Survival Phrases Lesson 17: Riding the Bus, Part 2 - Where is the Bus Going?
In this lesson, we’ll talk about how to ask for directions. Specifically, you’ll learn how to ask where the bus is going.
In Chinese, you can ask 到哪儿(Dào nǎr)? To loosely mean, “Where is the bus going?”
Let’s break it down by tone:
到(Dào) is in fourth tone
哪(nǎ) is in second tone
Now, let’s break it down by meaning:
到(Dào) means “to go” or “to arrive somewhere”
哪(nǎ) means “which” or “where”
儿(er) is a common suffix
In general, this phrase means “where are you going?” but it can mean “where is the bus going” when it is clear you are talking about a bus.
Altogether, we have 到哪儿(Dào nǎr)?
Listen again, one more time, slowly:
[Slow] 到哪儿(Dào nǎr?)
[Normal] 到哪儿(Dào nǎr?)
You can also say 到哪裡(Dào nǎlǐ)? which means “Where are you going?”
Let’s break it down by tone:
到(Dào) is in fourth tone
哪(nǎ) is in third tone
裡(lǐ) is in third tone.
Literally, it translates to “Arrive at where?” but can be translated as “Where are you going?”
Altogether, we have 到哪裡(Dào nǎlǐ)?
Listen again, one more time, slowly:
[Slow] 到哪裡(Dào nǎlǐ)?
[Normal] 到哪裡(Dào nǎlǐ)?

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