Intermediate - Discussing the Ayi
Right-Wingnut
June 22, 2013 at 09:46 AM posted in Transcripts with TalLesson here.
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 05:38 AM
John: Yes, because that's the most important - 带孩子。
Dilu: 那她给你们做饭，洗衣服吗？
John: She washes clothes but doesn't cook.
Dilu: 那也不错。你们好乱啊。
John: Actually my wife likes to cook. So that's enough of my personal life though. If you guys have any questions or anything you want to ask about the lesson, please come to ChinesePod.com and share.
Dilu: 好的。现在到 ChinesePod 来分享你跟你阿姨的故事。好了。［？？？？］
John: 再见。
Dilu: 再见。
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 05:32 AM
10:29
John: Because my wife is Shanghainese, the 阿姨 was from 东北。And obviously that is just a big problem. So we had to 换阿姨。
Dilu: Oh my god, [she's?] extremely sad, John.
John: Yeah, it was pretty bad.
Dilu: I'm so sorry John.
John: But fortunately she's a good lady. She found another job, but I didn't get to eat her 东北菜 after that.
Dilu: 那现在谁在［bian 你］带孩子呢？
John: So now we have a different 阿姨 actually.
Dilu: 所以你们换了一个阿姨给你们带孩子。
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 05:21 AM
Dilu: 衣服洗得干净吗？
John: 很干净。
Dilu: 真的？
John: I don't know, I'm a guy, I don't even notice those things.
Dilu: 然后呢？
John: So then, at that time I was dating my future wife, and then we got married, and then I moved out of that place, my friends moved away, and the 阿姨 came with us to our new home.
Dilu: OK.
John: Our newly-wed home. And everything was OK for a little while, and my wife [was like :( ] 我不太喜欢她做的菜。
Dilu: 为什么？
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 01:17 AM
9:26
Dilu: John，刚刚在备课的时候，你说你有一个 sad story, related to 阿姨。
John: A very sad story.
Dilu: 关于阿姨的 sad story。
John: Yes.
Dilu: 我们［那］听一下［吗］。
John: The sad story is - I had this 阿姨, she was from 东北, and she was a great 阿姨。
Dilu: OK, 一个东北的阿姨。
John: So I was still a single guy, I had two roommates, we were all American guys, and this 阿姨 would do the housework and also make food for us.
Dilu: 那听上去这个阿姨还是不错的。她也给你们做饭，也帮你们打扫房间。
John: 洗衣服，对。
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 01:08 AM
8:36
Dilu: 这里指的就是阿姨。
John: Got it. So that's the end of the dialog. Let's listen one more time.
Dilu: 好的。
8:41 - Dialog
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 01:06 AM
8:01
John: So they have this 换 again.
Dilu: 是的。换人就是指的换阿姨。
John: So we started off the sentence with a 如果, so we know that its all hypothetical. So 'if she weren't good with the kids, I would have switched to a different person long ago'.
Dilu: 是的。这里有一个词：早就。早就。第三声和第四声。
John: So if you said 'I did that long ago', you use it not hypothetical(ly), 我早就做了。
Dilu: 是的。
John: In this case its hypothetical. She says 换人。 What about 换阿姨？This ［？］人 just means 阿姨。
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 12:59 AM
John: So then the final sentence?
Dilu: 如果她对孩子不好，我早就换人了。如果她对孩子不好，我早就换人了。
John: 'If she were not good to the children ...'.
Dilu: 是的。对孩子不好。
John: So if you're good to someone, you say 对 somebody 好。
Dilu: 是的。对你好，对我好。
John: So 'if she weren't good to the children', then what?
Dilu: 我早就换人了。早就换人了。
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 12:55 AM
7:02
John: So she takes care of the kids pretty well, 还可以。
Dilu: 中国人会比较 modest, 会 ... 不会说 she did it really well，就是说＇还可以＇。
John: So there are no problems anyway.
Dilu: 对。不过她带孩子还可以。孩子挺喜欢她的。
John: So there's the 挺 again.
Dilu: 对。
John: In this case its not an adjective, its 喜欢她 that's in the middle.
Dilu: 对。孩子挺喜欢她的。
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 12:50 AM
John: OK. But she does have her strong points.
Dilu: 是的。不过她带孩子还可以。不过她带孩子还可以。
John: So what is this 不过？
Dilu: ＇不过＇就是说 but, however.
John: 但是。
Dilu: 对。
John: But its a little bit lighter in tone.
Dilu: 是的。
John: But ... she does what well?
Dilu: 带孩子。带孩子。
John: This 带, 4th tone, isn't 'take', its 'take care of'.
Dilu: 没错。就是照顾孩子。
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 12:45 AM
5:59
John: But in this case its ...
Dilu: 挺轻松的。挺轻松的。
John: 轻松, two 1st tones.
Dilu: 对，两个第一声。
John: That means 'relaxed' and 'casual'.
Dilu: 对。
John: You talk so relaxed because its no extra work for you.
Dilu: 对。但是现在阿姨很难找。阿姨很难找。
John: This 找 meaning 'find' some help. But not just that they're hard to find, but its hard to find a good one.
Dilu: 对。是的，是的。
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 09:08 AM
Dilu: 换阿姨，换男朋友，换女朋友，换工作，都可以。
John: So the wife doesn't like that solution too well.
Dilu: 你说得挺轻松的。你说得挺轻松的。
John: This 挺 means 'quite', 'rather'.
Dilu: 对。这边有一个结构：挺...什么什么...的。当中一般会加一个形容词。
John: So often its 挺 then some adjective 的。
Dilu: 是的。
John: 挺好的。
Dilu: 'Its quite good'.
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 09:02 AM
5:05
John: 换, 4th tone, meaning 'switch', 'switch out'??, 'replace'.
Dilu: 对。
John: Referring to the 阿姨。
Dilu: 反正这个不好，那就换一个吧。
John: This might sound a little strange. In English you think of changing a light bulb. In Chinese you can 换 employees, you can 换 girlfriends and boyfriends.
Dilu: 对。
John: You can 换 employers.
Dilu: 对。
John: So find a new one, replace it.
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:57 AM
4:36
Dilu: 对。我不敢说人家，说了怕人家不高兴。
John: This 说了 is 'if I say something to her'?
Dilu: 对。如果说了。
John: 'I'm afraid that she will be unhappy.'
Dilu: 没错。怕人家不高兴。
John: So kind of like 'upset'.
Dilu: 对。
John: Not super happy.
Dilu: 然后这个男的就会有一个很好的 solution。他说：那就换一个吧。那就换一个吧。
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:52 AM
John: So first of all this 说 means 'say something' to somebody.
Dilu: 对。然后这个人家，这个［词］很有趣。它其实指的是 ... 它其实指的是：阿姨指的别人。
John: So this 人家 means 'other people'. Could she have just said 她 here, referring to the 阿姨?
Dilu: 也可以，也可以。但是这边她好像有一些不满意，不高兴。
John: So occasionally you'll refer to other people as 人家 instead of just saying 他 when you're a little bit unhappy about something. So its essentially 'I don't dare to criticise her.
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:44 AM
3:35
John: And what is the wife's response to the 阿姨？
Dilu: 她说：我不敢说人家，说了怕人家不高兴。
John: So first of all we have 不敢。That's 3rd tone 敢。
Dilu: 是的。不敢，第四声和第三声。
John: So I don't dare. Don't dare to do what?
Dilu: 说人家。说人家。
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:40 AM
3:02
John: Obviously 没洗 is just 'didn't wash it at all'. So then the guy recognises the piece of clothing.
Dilu: 这不是我的衬衫。这不是我的衬衫吗？这不是我的衬衫吗？
John: 'Isn't that my shirt?' He's pretty perceptive, he recognises his own clothes here. So the tones on the word 'shirt'?
Dilu: 衬衫。衬衫。第四声和第一声。
John: 4th and 1st.
Dilu: 好像这个阿姨很多事情都做得不好。她做的饭也不好吃。［然后］洗衣服也洗不干净。
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:32 AM
Dilu: 是的。件，第四声。一件衣服。这件衣服。
John: So she's probably picking something up, and she says besides the food that the 阿姨 makes not being so good, also this piece of clothing ...
Dilu: 这件衣服也没洗干净。没洗干净。
John: In this case 干净, 'clean', is the resultative complement.
Dilu: 对。
John: So she did wash it, but she didn't get it clean. So if you wash it but you don't get it clean then you say ...
Dilu: 没洗干净。没洗干净。
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:27 AM
2:04
Dilu: 对。怎么了你。我们平时很自然得就会这么说。其实跟＇你怎么了＇是一样的意思。
John: Both are natural, right?
Dilu: 对。
John: So you might hear both. Good to know. Then they start talking about a piece of clothing.
Dilu: 对，这个老婆她好像［有／又］拿起一件衣服。她说：你看看这件衣服，也没洗干净。
John: 这件衣服。We have a measure word here.
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:18 AM
1:34
John: OK. So in the first line of the dialog, the guy says what?
Dilu: 家里有零食吗？家里有零食吗？
John: 零食, two 2nd tones.
Dilu: 对，两个第二声。
John: So literally, by character, that's 'zero food'.
Dilu: Right, zero food. 不算 food。Doesn't count.
John: Because its snacks.
Dilu: 没错。零食。零食。
John: And then the wife says something that I feel is kind of weird. She says， instead of 你怎么了，she says 怎么了你。
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:12 AM
1:24
John: So I guess this is a married couple talking.
Dilu: 对。是一个夫妻，然后阿姨应该不在家。或者可能在做事情在其他的地方。
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:09 AM
0:29
John: But sometimes you'll have a few problems with the 阿姨, so that's what today's lesson is about.
Dilu: 对。那我们先来听一下对话。看一看这个阿姨有一些什么样的问题。
0:40 - Dialog
Right-Wingnut
June 24, 2013 at 08:07 AM
John: Intermediate ChinesePod listeners, I'm John.
Dilu: 大家好，我是 Dilu。
John: And today we have a listen related to ...
Dilu: 阿姨。阿姨。
John: Not aunts but housekeepers.
Dilu: 对的。在中国很多的大城市呢，很多人现在家里面都会有阿姨。好像你以前的话，老外会多一点。
John: But now its not just foreigners that have the housekeeper in China.
Dilu: 对。现在越来越多［的］人，家里面会有一个阿姨。
Right-Wingnut
June 25, 2013 at 05:32 AM11:00-end