Lesson Fourteen (B)

What are you doing

 

Conversation

 

Let’s hear the following the dialogue.

 

  a. wèi, Zhāng Shēng    nĭ hăo !  

     喂,   张      生,         你 好!

      hi,   Zhang Sheng     you good

     Hi, hello Zhang Sheng.

 

  b. nĭ hăo,  Liú Yīng !

 你 好，刘 英！

 hello,     Liu Ying

Hello, Liu Ying.

 

   a. hăo jiŭ             méi jiàn   nĭ   qù     năr     le  ?

      好     久           没  见，你  去    哪儿  了？

      good long time not see,   you  go  where LE

     Haven’t seen you for a long time. Where have you been?

 

    b. wŏ qù  Zhōngguó le.

       我  去   中国        了 。

        I    go   China       LE

I went to China.

 

a. qù  le  duō cháng shíjiān ?

去  了 多   长    时间？

go LE how long time

How long did you stay there?

 

b. sān  ge   yuè.

三   个   月。

three GE months  

Three months.

 

     a. nĭ  xiànzài  zhèngzài      gàn  shénme ?

 你   现在  正    在       干    什么 ？

you now    ZHENGZAI do what

What are you doing now?

 

   b. wŏ zhèngzài       xuéxí  Yīngyŭ.

       我  正在           学习  英语。

        I   ZHENGZAI study English

       I am studying English.

 

Notes on expressions

 

1. Le了 in  hăo jiŭ méi jiàn, nĭ qù  năr le? 好久没见，你去哪儿了? and in wŏ qù Zhōngguó le 我去中国了is used to express the completion of the action 去 go.

2. We have come across le 了which is placed at the end of a phrase or sentence to indicate the change of state in Lesson 10, as in bìng le 病了 ill LE and hăo le 好了better LE.

 

Do you understand the above dialogue? Repeat after me once more and answer the following questions based on the above dialogue.

a.   wèishénme tāmen hăo jiŭ    méi jiàn  ?

      为什么     他们  好久       没 见？

                 why           they   long time not see?

b.  shéi qù Zhōngguó le?

     谁  去 中国        了？

                 who go China    LE

c.   Liú Yīng zài Zhōngguó duōcháng shíjiān ?

      刘   英   在   中国      多长        时间？

                 Liu Ying  in    China      how long  time

d.  shéi zhèngzài        xuéxí  Yīngyŭ ?

     谁   正     在        学习  英语？

         who ZHENGZAI learn English?

 

Practice

 

  1. Listen to and repeat the dialogue. Pay attention to tones and to the sounds you feel are difficult to pronounce.

 

  1. Tell a story in Chinese to your classmates.

 

Tape version

 

Part one: new words

1.

in process of (doing sth.)

zhèngzài

2.

do

gàn

3.

for a long time

hăojiŭ  

4.

English language

Yīngyŭ

 

Part two: expressions

A

we in process of  study Chinese

We are studying Chinese.

B

we didn’t in process of  study  Chinese

We were not studying Chinese.

C

good long not see

Long time no see

D

how long time

How long (would it take)?

 

Part three: conversation

a.

hello Zhang Sheng you good

Hello! Zhang Sheng.

b.

you good Liu Ying.

Hello! Liu Ying.

a.

long time no see,  you go where LE

I haven’t seen you for a long time. Where have you been?

b.

I go China LE

I went to China.

a.

go LE how long time

How long did you go for?

b.

three GE month. you now in process of  do what

Three months.  What are you doing now?

a.

I in process of study English

I am studying English.