|
Lesson Three How many are there in your family Although the family is a common topic of conversation in Britain, English people may not feel comfortable if too many details are asked for. Chinese people feel differently. Talking about your family is a way to show friendliness. So, questions such as ‘how old are you’, ‘are you married’ and ‘what’s your salary’ might be asked even of a stranger. Follow the saying ‘when in Rome do as the Romans do’ and be prepared to follow these customs in order to have good relations with Chinese people when you go to China one day. Basic expressions
It does not function in the same way as ‘and’ in English. 和 is used to link two nouns, or two phrases functioning as nouns.
It can be placed before a noun such as 爸爸 bàba father or dad, 妈妈 māma mother or mum. Here, 我 wǒ means my. Other pronouns such as 你 nǐ ,他 tā or她 tā can be used in the same way as 我 wǒ For instance, 你妈妈 nǐ māma your mother, 他哥哥 tā gēge his older brother, 她妹妹 tā mèimei her younger sister. The 'plural pronoun’ 们 men can also be placed after the personal pronoun and before a noun to imply for example your, our, their family, as in 你nǐ (们 men)家 jiā,我wǒ(们 men)家 jiā,他tā(们men)家 jiā.
A person uses this word when he expects a figure below ten.
There are some measure words in English, such as ‘piece’ in a piece of paper etc. However, there are many more measure words in Chinese.
Notes on expressionsThe neutral tone Some syllables are not pronounced in any of the four tones, but instead are pronounced in a very soft and short tone called a neutral tone. The second syllables of 哥哥 gēge older brother, 爸爸 bàba father or dad，妈妈 māma mother or mum, 妹妹 mèimei younger sister and 弟弟 dìdi younger brother are all in the neutral tone. The neutral tone is used in the second syllable in 什么 shénme what, in 们 men (plural) in 我们 wǒmen we or our and in 他们 tāme they or their, and in 你们 nǐmen you or your. In general, measure words such as 个 is pronounced in the neutral tone in sentences. Let say the following sentences. 1. 我 家 有 五 口 人。 wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ kǒu rén My family has five KOU people There are five people in my family. 2. 我 有 哥哥 和 妹妹。 wǒ yǒu gēge hé mèimei I have older brother and younger sisterI have an elder brother and a younger sister.Have you noticed that the duplicated words are pronounced in the neutral tone? Neutral tone is a short tone. Everything in the world is comparative. By saying the word before the neutral tone longer can make the neutral tone shorter. The following new words may be helpful when you introduce your family to others. Please pay attention to the words which have the neutral tone: 1. 爷爷 yéye grandfather 祖父 zǔfù grandfather 2. 奶奶 nǎinai grandmother 祖母 zǔmǔ grandmother 3. 弟弟 dìdi younger brother 4. 爱人 àiren wife or husband 5. 先生 xiānsheng Mr, husband 6. 夫人 fūren Mrs, wife 7. 太太 tàitai Mrs, wife 8. 儿子 érzi son 9. 女儿 nǚér daughter 10. 一 yī one 11. 二 èr two 12. 三 sān three 13. 四 sì four 14. 六 liù six 15. 七 qī seven 16. 八 bā eight 17. 九 jǔ nine 18. 十 shí ten 19 谁 shéi who, whom Don’t worry if you don’t remember every word just select the ones that you need when you talk about your family. Conversation Let’s learn the follow dialogue: a. 你 家 有 几 口 人？ nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén your family have how many KOU people How many people are there in your family?
b. 我 家 有 五 口 人。 wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ kǒu rén my family have five KOU people There are five people in my family.
a. 他们 是 谁？ tāmen shì shéi they are whom Who are they?
b. 他们 是 我爸爸、我妈妈、 我哥哥、 我妹妹 和 我。 tāmen shì wǒbàba, wǒmāma, wǒgēge, wǒmèimei hé wǒ. They are my father, my mother, my older brother, my younger sister and I. They are my father, my mother, my older brother, my younger sister and myself. Practice 1. Talk about your family to your classmates in Chinese. 2. Try to find out more information about the families of your classmates in Chinese. Tape version Part one: new words
Part two: expressions
Part three: conversation
|