S02, Episode 15: You’re working too hard (Part 2)
About this lesson
Let's hear a line-by-line translation of the dialogue from lesson 14, and then practice with another Q&A.
At the end of the lesson, I suggest that you can practice answering the questions yourself, and can even send me your answers — either written out (using pinyin or Chinese characters) or, better yet, as an audio recording! Don't be afraid of making mistakes, and if you want to copy part or even all of A-Ming's answers as your own, that is fine! When learning a language, imitation is golden.
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction
[01:46] Translation of the dialogue
[10:17] Questions and Answers with A-Ming
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
阿明：哈囉！有人嗎？
康太太：喔，這麼早就回來！
小李：現在不是七點嗎？
康太太：可是我女兒還沒下班呢！
莉莉：媽媽，我在這裡！
康太太：嚇死我了！莉莉！你什麼時候進來我都不知道！
莉莉：我今天坐計程車回家，比較快。
康太太：是喔，我都沒聽到你進來的聲音。
莉莉：所以這個是你說的那個外國朋友嗎？你好。
康太太：啊對！欸你叫什麼名字？我不記得了！
小李：你好，我叫小李，我住在隔壁。這個是我朋友阿明。
阿明：你好。
莉莉：你好，你好。
康太太：啊這個小李還沒結婚！你要不要跟他約會？
莉莉：媽！不要亂講！不好意思，她年紀大了，講話比較直接。
小李：沒事，沒事。謝謝你邀請我們來你家。好香！
康太太：沒有！我做得很簡單。炒蘑菇、竹筍、青菜、雞湯、清蒸魚、豬腳、白飯，就這樣而已！
阿明：這麼多！
康太太：還好啦！
莉莉：媽，你這樣太辛苦了！你不用煮這麼多！
康太太：還好啦！有客人，當然要準備多一點啊！來，請坐。東西快好了。
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):
阿明：哈囉！有人嗎？
Hello! Is anyone here?
Hā luō! Yǒurén ma?
康太太：喔，這麼早就回來！
Oh! You’re back so early!
Ō, zhème zǎo jiù huílái!
小李：現在不是七點嗎？
Isn’t it seven o’clock now?
Xiànzài bùshì qī diǎn ma?
康太太：可是我女兒還沒下班呢！
But my daughter hasn’t gotten off work yet!
Kěshì wǒ nǚ'ér hái méi xiàbān ne!
莉莉：媽媽，我在這裡！
Mom, I’m here!
Māmā, wǒ zài zhèlǐ!
康太太：嚇死我了！莉莉！你什麼時候進來我都不知道！
You scared me to death! Lili! I don’t even know when you came in!
Xià sǐ wǒle! Lìlì! Nǐ shénme shíhòu jìnlái wǒ dōu bù zhīdào!
莉莉：我今天坐計程車回家，比較快。
I took a taxi home today, it’s faster.
Wǒ jīntiān zuò jìchéngchē huí jiā, bǐjiào kuài.
康太太：是喔，我都沒聽到你進來的聲音。
Oh. I didn’t even hear you come in.
Shì ō, wǒ dōu méi tīngdào nǐ jìnlái de shēngyīn.
莉莉：所以這個是你說的那個外國朋友嗎？你好。
So, is this the foreign friend you mentioned? Hi.
Suǒyǐ zhège shì nǐ shuō de nàgè wàiguó péngyǒu ma? Nǐ hǎo.
康太太：啊對！欸你叫什麼名字？我不記得了！
Oh right! Hey, what’s your name? I don’t remember!
A duì! Ēi nǐ jiào shénme míngzì? Wǒ bù jìdéle!
小李：你好，我叫小李，我住在隔壁。這個是我朋友阿明。
Hi, I’m Xiao Li. I live next door. This is my friend, A-Ming.
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào xiǎo lǐ, wǒ zhù zài gébì. Zhège shì wǒ péngyǒu ā míng.
阿明：你好。
Hi.
Nǐ hǎo.
莉莉：你好，你好。
Hi. Hi.
Nǐ hǎo, nǐ hǎo.
康太太：啊這個小李還沒結婚！你要不要跟他約會？
Oh this Xiao Li isn’t married yet! Why don’t you go on a date with him?
A zhège xiǎo lǐ hái méi jiéhūn! Nǐ yào bùyào gēn tā yuēhuì?
莉莉：媽！不要亂講！不好意思，她年紀大了，講話比較直接。
Mom! Don’t talk nonsense. Sorry, she’s old, she speaks a little directly.
Mā! Bùyào luàn jiǎng! Bù hǎoyìsi, tā niánjì dàle, jiǎnghuà bǐjiào zhíjiē.
小李：沒事，沒事。謝謝你邀請我們來你家。好香！
No worries, no worries. Thanks for inviting us to your house. It smells great!
Méishì, méishì. Xièxiè nǐ yāoqǐng wǒmen lái nǐ jiā. Hǎo xiāng!
康太太：沒有！我做得很簡單。炒蘑菇、竹筍、青菜、雞湯、清蒸魚、豬腳、白飯，就這樣而已！
No it doesn’t! I made it very simply. Stir-fried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green vegetables, chicken soup, steamed fish, pig’s feet, white rice, that’s all!
Méiyǒu! Wǒ zuò de hěn jiǎndān. Chǎo mógū, zhúsǔn, qīngcài, jītāng, qīngzhēng yú, zhū jiǎo, báifàn, jiù zhèyàng éryǐ!
阿明：這麼多！
So much!
Zhème duō!
康太太：還好啦！
Nah…
Hái hǎo la!
莉莉：媽，你這樣太辛苦了！你不用煮這麼多！
Mom, you’re working too hard! You don’t have to cook so much!
Mā, nǐ zhèyàng tài xīnkǔle! Nǐ bùyòng zhǔ zhème duō!
康太太：還好啦！有客人，當然要準備多一點啊！來，請坐。東西快好了。
Nah… when there are guests, of course you should prepare a little more! Come, please sit. It’s almost ready.
Hái hǎo la! Yǒu kèrén, dāngrán yào zhǔnbèi duō yīdiǎn a! Lái, qǐng zuò. Dōngxī kuài hǎole.
Interview with A-Ming 阿明 (Chinese characters only)：
(Q1) 問題：在你的國家，坐計程車很貴嗎？
(A1) 阿明：還好，在台北剛上車要七十塊。從A到B，要差不多一到兩百塊吧。
(Q2) 問題：你結婚了嗎？
(A2) 阿明：呵呵… 還沒。為什麼這樣問？
(Q3) 問題：你上次約會的時候，你去了哪裡？
(A3) 阿明：我上次約會… 我們去山上騎腳踏車！
(Q4) 問題：在你的國家，學生很辛苦嗎？
(A4) 阿明：非常辛苦！我小時候每一天八點就要上課，下午五點才下課，晚上還要去補習班！
(Q5) 問題：你會煮飯嗎？你最會煮什麼？
(A5) 阿明：呃… 我會煮泡麵！
(Q6) 問題：你會邀請朋友來你家吃飯嗎？
(A6) 阿明：來我家吃泡麵嗎？去外面吃比較好吧。
Interview with A-Ming 阿明 (w/ pinyin and translation)：
(Q1) 問題：在你的國家，坐計程車很貴嗎？
Zài nǐ de guójiā, zuò jìchéngchē hěn guì ma?
In your country, is taking a taxi expensive?
(A1) 阿明：還好，在台北剛上車要七十塊。從A到B，要差不多一到兩百塊吧。
Hái hǎo, zài táiběi gāng shàng chē yào qīshí kuài. Cóng A dào B, yào chàbùduō yī dào liǎng bǎi kuài ba.
Not really, in Taipei just after getting in the car it's 70 kuai. From A to B, it's around one to two hundred, I guess.
(Q2) 問題：你結婚了嗎？
Nǐ jiéhūnle ma?
Are you married?
(A2) 阿明：呵呵… 還沒。為什麼這樣問？
Hēhē… hái méi. Wèishéme zhèyàng wèn?
Heh heh... not yet. Why do you ask?
(Q3) 問題：你上次約會的時候，你去了哪裡？
Nǐ shàng cì yuēhuì de shíhòu, nǐ qùle nǎlǐ?
Last time you had a date, where did you go?
(A3) 阿明：我上次約會… 我們去山上騎腳踏車！
Wǒ shàng cì yuēhuì… wǒmen qù shānshàng qí jiǎotàchē!
Last time I had a date... we went to the mountains to ride bikes!
(Q4) 問題：在你的國家，學生很辛苦嗎？
Zài nǐ de guójiā, xuéshēng hěn xīnkǔ ma?
In your country, are students xīnkǔ (exhausted / arduous / tired / working hard)?
(A4) 阿明：非常辛苦！我小時候每一天八點就要上課，下午五點才下課，晚上還要去補習班！
Fēicháng xīnkǔ! Wǒ xiǎoshíhòu měi yītiān bā diǎn jiù yào shàngkè, xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn cái xiàkè, wǎnshàng hái yào qù bǔxí bān!
Extremely xīnkǔ! When I was a kid, I had to start class every day at eight, and only got out of class at five in the afternoon. In the evening I also had to go to cram school!
(Q5) 問題：你會煮飯嗎？你最會煮什麼？
Nǐ huì zhǔ fàn ma? Nǐ zuì huì zhǔ shénme?
Can you cook? What are you best at making?
(A5) 阿明：呃… 我會煮泡麵！
È… wǒ huì zhǔ pào miàn!
Uh... I can make instant noodles!
(Q6) 問題：你會邀請朋友來你家吃飯嗎？
Nǐ huì yāoqǐng péngyǒu lái nǐ jiā chīfàn ma?
Do you ever invite friends to come to your house to eat?
(A6) 阿明：來我家吃泡麵嗎？去外面吃比較好吧。
Lái wǒjiā chī pào miàn ma? Qù wàimiàn chī bǐjiào hǎo ba.
Come to my house to eat instant noodles? Going outside to eat is better, I think.
Thank you for listening!
