Intermediate - Ballet Lessons

John: [??]

Vera: 但是一点不好。

John: 很苦，是吗？

Vera: 对的。我不喜欢。

John: OK, well if you have any experience with this or any questions, you can always come to ChinesePod.com and ask us to continue the conversation.

Vera: 好的。那么我们今天就再见啊。

John: 再见。

John: So its that [tiger mum] mentality.

Vera: 对的。这个比较中国的，中国［使］的。

John: So did you face some of this? Did you do ballet when you were little?

Vera: 没有。但是我学书法。

John: Calligraphy.

Vera: 就是一样。没有［奋］很苦。

John: So 没有当做兴趣做。

Vera: 没有。就是我爸爸一定要我 - 比如说你要第一名、第二名，去比赛。所以没有...

John: Did you get first or second place in the competitions?

Vera: 有时候。

13:01

Vera: 对。就这个就是爸爸、妈妈要送孩子［门去嘛］。In think in America a lot of kids do that for fun, 对吧。

John: Right.

Vera: ［可是］在中国，就是很多爸爸、妈妈，its not only for fun.

John: Its serious.

Vera: 对，you should do it well or get top ten in the class.

John: So whatever you're doing for fun you're actually doing competitively, and you have to be the best.

Vera: 对的。所以就很苦。

12:32

John: Otherwise it means 'jump in the street'.

Vera: 对啊。但是跳芭蕾啊，莎莎啊，这种都就只有这个意思。

John: Its two characters, its clear what they mean, so you can drop the 舞。So 街舞 is an exception to that.

Vera: 对的。所以一定要说：街舞。

John: One other thing. Culturally, we have this thing with parents talking about what they have their kids do on the weekends, and it seems that for a lot of kids 跳芭蕾舞很苦。

Vera: 对的。都一样。

John: What about other kinds of dance?

Vera: 很多都不说＇舞＇。比如说［想］莎莎？

John: Salsa.

Vera: 什么...

John: So you can say 跳莎莎?

Vera: 对。跳莎莎。

John: What about 跳莎莎舞？

Vera: 一样。

John: 可以？

Vera: 对的。还有［想］什么探戈。

John: OK.

Vera: 跳探戈。或者跳这个什么舞都都可以。

John: But here we have 跳街舞, so could you say 跳街？

Vera: 这个不可以，因为＇街＇有意思的。＇街＇是 street 嘛。

11:45

John: So Vera, I have a little question about the vocabulary here. We said 跳芭蕾。

Vera: 对。

John: That means 'to dance ballet'.

Vera: 是。

John: But then also 跳芭蕾舞。

Vera: 一样。

John: So you can add the 舞 ...

Vera: 对。

John: ... or drop it. They're both correct.

Dialog

10:31

Vera: 是的。

John: So its like hip-hop.

Vera: 对。这种，在街上跳的。

John: Street dancing, break dancing, [?]ing, all this kind of stuff.

Vera: 对的。

John: OK.

Vera: 好，那么现在让我们再一遍对话吧。

10:46 - Dialog

10:02

John: 有没有兴趣。This is the word we saw before that meant 'interest'.

Vera: 对。

John: In that case it kind of meant 'hobby'.

Vera: 是的。

John: But in here its 'do you have interest'.

Vera: Interest. 对。

John: Are you interested in ...

Vera: ... in 什么东西。

John: So this is 有兴趣。So what was the question again?

Vera: 有没有兴趣让孩子跳街舞啊？

John: So its a different kind of dance.

Vera: 街舞。

John: 街舞。街, 1st tone. This literally means 'street dance'.

9:33

John: 娘娘腔。什么意思？

Vera: 就是男的就看上去像女孩子一样。

John: So when a boy is too effeminate, they call this 娘娘腔。

Vera: 所以［？］贬义的。

John: Its not good. So what are the tones?

Vera: 娘娘腔。第二声，第二声，第一声。

John: 娘娘腔。And then this other guy just out of nowhere comes over to promote some business. What does he say?

Vera: 有没有兴趣让孩子跳街舞啊？

John: 1st tone, 2nd tone. 天鹅。

Vera: 对。

John: So, 'looks like a little swan'. But she's talking about the hypothetical daughter she doesn't have.

Vera: 对，就想一想。

John: So its kind of like 'she would look like a little swan'.

Vera: 对啊。很漂亮，很可爱。

John: In her imagination. Got it.

Vera: 那另外一个人呢就说 - 因为他是儿子呢所以：男孩子也可以跳芭蕾啊。就不要想，就让她的儿子跳芭蕾。但是呢，她不同意。因为男孩子跳芭蕾太娘娘腔了。

8:33

John: If I were to have a daughter, she's just talking hypothetically, I would definitely make her ...

Vera: 跳芭蕾。

John: Dance ballet. Do ballet. And then she says ...

Vera: 像个小天鹅，多漂亮啊。

John: 像，4th tone, that means 'to look like', 'to resemble'. So 'looks like a little swan'.

Vera: 是啊。

John: How do you say swan?

Vera: 天鹅。第一声，第二声。

7:59

Vera: 对。那我们还可以说，比如：当做药吃。

John: To treat something as medicine and eat it. Why would you say that?

Vera: 很多东西你不喜欢，比如我不喜欢生姜。

John: Ginger.

Vera: 对。但是那个很 healthy 麻。所以要吃，那就当做药吃。

John: OK, treat it as medicine and just eat it. So then this lady continues. What does she say?

Vera: 如果我生个女儿，一定让她跳芭蕾。

John: 当做，that's two 4th tones.

Vera: 是。

John: 当做。Treat it as ...

Vera: 兴趣。

John: 兴趣。This word is also two 4th tones, and it means 'interest'.

Vera: 是的。Hobby.

John: Here the interest is kind of like 'hobby'. So 'just treat it as a hobby'.

Vera: 是的。不要太辛苦。

John: So 'do ballet as a hobby'. No need to take it so seriously. 当做兴趣跳。That 跳 means 'dance'.

6:59

Vera: 心疼就是：因为你很爱你的孩子，那么所以呢他很辛苦。你就觉得很心疼，不舒服。

John: Your heart aches for them, having to go through some kind of hardship.

Vera: 对的。很心疼。

John: 心疼 - the tones are ...

Vera: 心，第一声。腾，第二声。

John: So the other parent has a response to that. If the ballet is too 苦，then what?

Vera: 就当做兴趣跳嘛。

6:28

Vera: 因为跳芭蕾舞就是你要练习很多。Practise a lot. 然后可能老师会就是要压你呀，然后拉你。

John: Press on your leg, and pull.

Vera: 对，很［？］。

John: Distort your body, and its painful.

Vera: 所以很辛苦。

John: 很苦。And then she says one other thing.

Vera: 妈妈，这个，她说妈妈，我有点儿心疼。

John: 心疼。什么意思？

5:59

John: Just remember that it comes before the verb. 这么想。 What about 我也这样想。

Vera: 也可以。

John: So they're both correct. So notice the word order. And then she has a few worries about ballet.

Vera: 跳芭蕾很苦。

John: 苦。3rd tone, that means 'bitter'. What does she mean?

Vera: 这里是很辛苦。

John: 辛苦。What do you mean by 辛苦？ Why is it 辛苦？

Vera: 很好。

John: Their physical shape that their body is in. I think the English word 'figure' which is usually used just for females, 身材 can be used for women and men.

Vera: 对的。这个都可以。

John: OK. So the other mother agrees, and what does she say?

Vera: 我也这么想。

John: 'I also think so'.

Vera: 是。

John: What do you say again?

Vera: 我也这么想。

John: 这么想 means 'think so'.

Vera: 对。这么 means 'so'.

John: 气质, what does that mean?

Vera: 就是：看上去一个女孩子很安静，很温柔，很有礼貌。

John: Quiet, gentle, polite. Its kind of like 'refined'. A little bit classy, but on the reserved side.

Vera: 对的。比较安静的。

John: 有气质。So that's one benefit, what's the other one?

Vera: 身材也很好。

John: 身材，1st tone - 2nd tone, that refers to their figure.

4:31

Vera: 跳。

John: Same a 'jump', but here it means 'dance'.

Vera: 跳舞。

John: That's just 'dance' in general. 跳舞。So what are the advantages of 跳芭蕾？

Vera: 跳芭蕾舞的女孩子都很有气质，身材也很好。

John: So two benefits here. 有气质。What are the tones here?

Vera: 气质 - 第四声，第四声。

4:03

Vera: 带小橙子来公园。

John: Bring 小橙子 to the park. So you can 带 a person 来 a 地方。

Vera: 是的。或者：带一个人去一个地方。

John: So pretty straight forward. And the reason 小橙子 doesn't come to the park very often these days is

Vera: 她要跳芭蕾。

John: So 'dance ballet', and the verb again is ...

3:29

Vera: 对的。最近很少看见你带小橙子来公园。

John: So [unless?] we use this 很少， literally 'very few', but here what's the opposite of 很少？

Vera: 经常。

John: 经常 meaning 'often'.

Vera: 是的。

John: 很少 meaning 'seldom', 'rarely'.

Vera: ［最］不是［few]。

John: Its not 'a few'. And you can't say 很多 to mean 'often'. You have to use 经常。

Vera: 是。

John: So you just have to get used to this. So 'I rarely see you ...' what?

3:03

Vera: 是的。

John: OK.

Vera: 会很nice得跟他说。Do it now.

John: OK. And then we run into another little kid named 丁丁, and she tells her daughter to go play. What does she say?

Vera: 快去玩吧。

John: So again we have this 快。

Vera: 对的。一样的。

John: Its not being impatient. Its just, go and do that.

Vera: 是。

John: Then they start talking about how often they come to the park.

2:29

John: And what does the mother say to 小橙子 when they run into another lady?

Vera: That's pretty common in China. 快叫阿姨好。

John: So quickly say Hello 阿姨。

Vera: 是的。

John: 快叫。So this is being really impatient, like 'Do it!".

Vera: 没有没有没有。真的很耐心的，很 nice 的。

John: This is just something about Chinese culture. When you tell someone to do something, you often add a 快。

Vera: 对。

John: But its not being impatient. But it is saying 'Do it now'.

Vera: 是。

John: So this is a princess dress or princess skirt.

Vera: Dress.

John: But 裙 can be both.

Vera: 对的。但是公主裙都是 dress。

John: So what is a 'princess dress'?

Vera: 公主。你看那个 Disney 的那个电影里。公主的裙子。

John: Like a dress that Snow White or Cinderella would wear.

Vera: 白雪公主。

John: Snow White. So little girls look pretty in these 公主裙。

Vera: 是的。

1:50

John: So 小橙子, what is she wearing?

Vera: 公主裙。

John: 公主，1st tone - 3rd tone, is 'princess'.

Dialog

0:36

Vera: 对。

John: So one of these kids has an interesting name. We'll tip you off to it before we listen. What's the name?

Vera: 小橙子。

John: 'Little orange'.

Vera: 是的。

John: That's a little girl, right?

Vera: 对的。很可爱。

John: So don't be turned off by that. Let's listen to the dialog now.

0:51 - Dialog

John: Hey guys, I'm John. This is an Intermediate lesson on ChinesePod.

Vera: 大家好，我是 Vera。

John: Today's lesson is about ballet.

Vera: 芭蕾舞。

John: 芭蕾舞。芭 is 1st tone, 蕾 is 3rd tone.

Vera: 是的。舞，第三声。

John: 舞 meaning 'dance' is 3rd tone. You can tack that on the end if you want, its optional. So all of you guys who are thinking 'Oh no, ballet, its going to be full of really hard words', actually this is a pretty simple dialog. its about parents discussing whether or not they want their daughters to learn ballet.