Lesson Twelve

Do you understand (what was said)

Basic expressions

Lets learn more verbs so that we can form more sentences.

1.	shuō	说
	speak, say	speak

2.	tīng	听
	listen	listen

3.	huídá	回答
	answer	return answer

4.	gàosu	告诉
	tell	inform tell

5.	dŏng	懂
	understand	understand

It is the result of another action, as when one understands something by listening or by reading. So 听懂 means listen understand: understand by listening. In Chinese people’s minds the sequence is to listen first and then understand. The negation 不, which is placed between 听 and 懂in the dialogue, implies a negative potential: 听不懂listen not understand: can’t understand something by listening. The affirmative form is听得懂 listen able understand.

6.	zuò	做
	do	do

Let’s form some phrases.

You speak
He listens
They answer
Tom tells me
We understand now [change of state]
Who is asking

Let us learn the following new words.

7.	dă	打
	hit	hit

In the old days one had to press the receiver holder many times before one could speak to an operator at the switchboard. So the verb for making phone calls is still打 hit.

8.	diànhuà	电话
	telephone	electricity talk

9.	gěi	给
	to	give

We learned给 to give as a verb in a previous lesson. 给 give is also used as a co-verb as in

给戴菲妮打电话

to Daphne make phone call.

The sequence of the actions is as follows: the speaker first thinks of Daphne and then makes a phone call.

10.	zhăo	找
	look for	look for

11.	zěnme	怎么
	how [as a question word]	how

我怎么知道

I how know How do I know?

12.	hàomă	号码
	number	number code

13.	cì	次
	[an action measure]	CI

It is used as a measure word for action, as in 说一次speak once; 打三次 hit three times.

Conversation

Now listen to the following conversation and try to extract the gist of the dialogue.

a. 喂，汤姆！请你给戴菲妮打电话。

wéi, Tāngmŭ! qĭng nĭ gěi Dàifèiní dă diànhuà

hi Tom please you to Daphne make phone call

Hi, Tom, please you phone Daphne?

b. 对不起，我听不懂. 彼得，你再说一次。

duìbuqĭ, wŏ tīng bu dŏng. Bĭdé nĭ zài shuō yí cì

sorry I listen not understand Peter you again speak once

Sorry, Peter, say it again.

a. 请你给戴菲妮打电话她找你。

qĭng nĭ gěi Dàifèiní dă diàn huà. tā zhăo nĭ

please you to Daphne make phone call she look for you

Please phone Daphne. She is looking for you.

b. 为什么？

wèishénme?

for what

Why?

a. 我怎么知道？你问她。

wŏ zěnme zhīdào? nĭ wèn tā

I how know you ask her

How do I know? You ask her.

b. 我不知道她的电话号码。

wŏ bù zhīdào tā de diànhuà hàomă

I not know her phone number

I don’t know her phone number.

a. 她的电话号码是 983—8686.

tā de diànhuà hàomă shì jiŭbāsān-bāliù bāliù

her phone number is 983—8686

Her number is 983-8686.

b. 好，谢谢！

hăo, xièxie

Good, thanks

Answer the questions based on the above dialogue.

1. 彼得叫谁？

Bĭdé jiào shéi

Peter call who

Who did Peter call?

2. 彼得说什么？

Bĭdé shuō shénme

Peter say what

What did Peter say?

3. 彼得让汤姆打电话吗？

Bĭdé ràng Tāngmŭ dă diànhuà ma?

Peter ask/let Tom make phone call MA

Did Peter ask Tom to make a phone call?

4. 汤姆懂吗？

Tāngmŭ dŏng ma?

Tom understand MA

Did Tom understand?

5. 戴菲妮的电话是多少？

Dàifèiní de diànhuà shì duōshao?

Daphne DE tel is how many

What is Daphne’s phone’s number?

Practice

1. Say the following into Chinese.

· I speak and you listen.

· He asks and you answer.

· You understand but I don’t.

· She tells me about it, I tell you, you tell your mother.

· I do, you do, he does, and they do too.

· He speaks once but you speak five times.

2. Tell a story in Chinese to your classmates.

Tape version

Part one: new words

1.	listen
2.	understand
3.	to
4.	Daphne
5.	make a phone call
6.	say, speak, talk
7.	[MW for actions]
8.	look for
9.	how
10.	number
11.	[particle]
12.	tell
13.	do

Part two: expressions

A	listen not understand	unable to understand what was said
B	listen gain understand	able to understand what was said
C	I how know	How should I know?
D	Peter call who	Who did Peter call?
E	Peter say what	What did Peter say?
F	Peter ask Tom make phone call MA	Did Peter ask Tom to make a phone call?
G	Tom understand MA	Did Tom understand?
H	Daphne DE telephone is how many	What’s Daphne’s phone number?

Part three: conversation

a.	hello, Tom! please you to Daphne make phone call	Hi, Tom! Could you please call Daphne?
b.	sorry, I listen not understand. Tom, you again say one CI	Sorry, Peter. Say it again. I didn’t quite catch it.
a.	please you to Daphne make phone call. she look for you	Could you please call Daphne? She was looking for you.
b.	why	Why?
a.	I how know? you ask her	How should I know? You ask her.
b.	I not know she DE phone number	I don’t know her phone number.
a.	she DE phone number is 983 8686	Her number is 983 8686.
b.	OK, thanks	OK, thanks!