S02, Episode 17: You’re so kind, part 2 (Season Finale)
About this lesson
This is the final lesson of Season 2 — a milestone for both of us. Congratulations! Every minute you have spent listening is a minute you invested in yourself and your Mandarin learning.
Learning a language is challenging, it takes time, and there are bound to have been moments when you felt frustrated or hit a plateau. Whenever this happens, I find it helpful to zoom out and consider how far I've come in the past months or years. I encourage you to do the same. And remember that often it's those very moments of doubt that signal a breakthrough is about to happen.
Send me your feedback
I would like to invite you to give me your feedback on the lessons in this podcast so far. Here are some questions I'm particularly curious about:
How helpful have you found the Daily Practice Sessions? Is there anything that made them hard to use?
How was the step up in difficulty between Season 1 and Season 2?
In Season 2, we spread one dialogue over two lessons, hearing the translation in the second part. What was that like for you?
Please share your thoughts on these questions, and anything else you'd like me to know about your experience so far with the podcast or with learning Mandarin. You can reach me by email, or via my new MFTGU Facebook page.
Your feedback will help me with the design of future lessons. And whether you're reading this soon after this episode was published, or months or years down the line, I would love to hear from you.
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Consider becoming a supporting member today. Your support will enable me to keep paying the costs of hosting the podcast and this website. And if enough people join, I will even be able to put more time into making a wider variety of materials for you.
I have lots of ideas, including a series specifically designed to help you master the tones, another series on pronunciation, a video series about “Mandarin Power Tools,” more fun dialogues, and much beyond that.
It’s up to you, and it doesn’t take a lot. Even if everyone pitches in a small amount, it will make all the difference. And as a member, you will be among the first to know about this new material.
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction
[01:42] Dialogue
[03:12] Translation
[10:07] Dialogue (full picture)
[11:35] Questions for you, the listener!
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
莉莉：不好意思，我媽一直都這樣。
小李：沒事！她人超好。
阿明：你也住在這裡嗎？
莉莉：沒有，我在外面租房。但是，因為媽媽現在一個人，所以我常常回家陪她吃飯。
阿明：你人真好！
莉莉：應該的。你們會喝酒嗎？
小李：這是什麼？
阿明：小李，你沒有喝過高粱？
小李：好辣！
阿明：慢慢喝。
莉莉：我很好奇。你怎麼會來到台灣呢？
小李：喔，我一開始來學中文。畢業後我就留在這裡工作。
莉莉：哦！你做什麼工作？
阿明：小李是記者！
小李：啊，對啦，可以這樣說。我在寫部落格。
莉莉：部落格？什麼樣的部落格？
小李：就是我去很多地方，然後問那裡的人很多問題。
莉莉：聽起來很酷！
小李：阿明也會幫我。他是攝影師。
阿明：小李負責採訪，我負責拍照。
莉莉：那你的中文已經超好的！
小李：還好，還好。
阿明：小李很謙虛。
莉莉：那你… 要不要採訪我？
阿明：小李，你慢慢喝！
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):
莉莉：不好意思，我媽一直都這樣。
Sorry, my mom is always like this.
Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ mā yīzhí dōu zhèyàng.
小李：沒事！她人超好。
No problem. She’s super nice.
Méishì! Tā rén chāo hǎo
阿明：你也住在這裡嗎？
Do you also live here?
Nǐ yě zhù zài zhèlǐ ma?
莉莉：沒有，我在外面租房。但是，因為媽媽現在一個人，所以我常常回家陪她吃飯。
No, I rent a place. But since my mom is alone now, I come home often to eat with her.
Méiyǒu, wǒ zài wàimiàn zūfáng. Dànshì, yīnwèi māmā xiànzài yīgèrén, suǒyǐ wǒ chángcháng huí jiā péi tā chīfàn
阿明：你人真好！
You’re so kind!
Nǐ rén zhēn hǎo!
莉莉：應該的。你們會喝酒嗎？
It’s the right thing to do. Do you drink alcohol?
Yīnggāi de. Nǐmen huì hējiǔ ma?
小李：這是什麼？
What’s this?
Zhè shì shénme?
阿明：小李，你沒有喝過高粱？
Xiao Li, you’ve never tried Kaoliang?
Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ méiyǒu hēguò gāoliang?
小李：好辣！
It’s so strong! (lit. spicy)
Hǎo là!
阿明：慢慢喝。
Drink slowly.
Màn man hē.
莉莉：我很好奇。你怎麼會來到台灣呢？
I’m curious. How did you end up coming to Taiwan?
Wǒ hěn hàoqí. Nǐ zěnme huì lái dào táiwān ne?
小李：喔，我一開始來學中文。畢業後我就留在這裡工作。
Oh, at first I came to study Chinese. After graduating, I stayed here to work.
Ō, wǒ yī kāishǐ lái xué zhōngwén. Bìyè hòu wǒ jiù liú zài zhèlǐ gōngzuò.
莉莉：哦！你做什麼工作？
Oh! What work do you do?
Ó! Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?
阿明：小李是記者！
Xiao Li is a journalist!
Xiǎo lǐ shì jìzhě!
小李：啊，對啦，可以這樣說。我在寫部落格。
Ah, yeah, you could say that. I’m writing a blog.
A, duì la, kěyǐ zhèyàng shuō. Wǒ zài xiě bùluògé.
莉莉：部落格？什麼樣的部落格？
A blog? What kind of blog?
Bùluògé? Shénme yàng de bùluògé?
小李：就是我去很多地方，然後問那裡的人很多問題。
It’s just like, I go to a lot of places, and then I ask the people there a lot of questions.
Jiùshì wǒ qù hěnduō dìfāng, ránhòu wèn nàlǐ de rén hěnduō wèntí.
莉莉：聽起來很酷！
Sounds cool!
Tīng qǐlái hěn kù!
小李：阿明也會幫我。他是攝影師。
A-Ming also helps me. He’s a photographer.
Ā míng yě huì bāng wǒ. Tā shì shèyǐng shī.
阿明：小李負責採訪，我負責拍照。
Xiao Li takes care of the interviewing. I’m in charge of taking pictures.
Xiǎo lǐ fùzé cǎifǎng, wǒ fùzé pāizhào.
莉莉：那你的中文已經超好的！
Then your Chinese is already super great!
Nà nǐ de zhōngwén yǐjīng chāo hǎo de!
小李：還好，還好。
It’s alright, it’s alright.
Hái hǎo, hái hǎo.
阿明：小李很謙虛。
Xiao Li is really modest.
Xiǎo lǐ hěn qiānxū.
莉莉：那你… 要不要採訪我？
Well then… do you want to interview me?
Nà nǐ… yào bùyào cǎifǎng wǒ?
阿明：小李，你慢慢喝！
Xiao Li, drink slowly!
Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ màn man hē!
