A is attempting to buy a train ticket to Beijing Download

Grammar Patterns

Describing the kind of ticket

In English we might say “I need a ticket to Beijing”. But in Chinese the word order is different. Instead using a prepositional phrase, the details are expressed as an adjective phrase. For example

Note: “de” (的) is used to connect the a pre-position adjective to the noun when the adjective phrase has more than one word.

Asking about the difference

In English we might ask “What is the difference between A and B?”, but in Chinese the pattern is reversed.

• [A] hé [B] yǒu shénme bùtóng? (literally: A and B has what difference?)

Making comparisons

In English we might say “A is more expensive that B”, but in Chinese the pattern is a bit different.

• [A] bǐ [B] guì. (Literally: A compared to B is more expensive)

(*note: nán means difficult.)

Another way to think about “bǐ” is that it means “more than”, as in “A more the B (is) expensive.”.

When one thing is much more or less than another

When expressing a lopsided comparison (example: A is much more expensive then B), use the post-position intensifier “de duō”. Unlike “hěn” or “tai”, which can not be used with “bǐ”, “de duō” positioned after the adjective being compared. For example: “[A] bǐ [B] guì de duō”.

Expressing a less lopsided comparison is similar in structure, but instead of using “de duō”, use “yī diǎn”, or “yī diǎr”, instead.

Expressing the amount of difference

The grammar pattern used to express the magnitude of the difference, is very similar to the one used above.

(note: shǎo means “few” or “less”.)

Download
Mark is trying to get a good deal on a handbag.

Some advice for bargaining: Ask the price of many things before you begin a negotiation. Try to give the impression that you are only mildly interested. The sellers cost is usually less than 50% of the original quote. Be emphatic about the price, otherwise it will go up quickly. Don’t get too focused on the sale, take the opportunity to practice your Chinese.

Grammar Patterns

Zài

This word combines with a verb or adjective when a request is made to repeat something. For example.

• zài lái yì bēi chá (bring a cup of tea)
• zài shuō yí cì (say it again, once more)
• zài piànyi yì diǎn (make the price a bit lower)
• zài jiàn (good bye, or (more literally) see you a again)

Actually, zài can be used even when the action has not yet been performed. But this usually happens in a situation where the person receiving the request does this sort of thing repetitively.

Zuì

This word is used to indicate the superlative or an extreme.

• zuì duō (the most amount)
• zuì shǎo (the least amount)
• zuì dà (the largest)
• zuì xiǎo (the smallest)

Just a couple of guys talking about where to put stuff Download

Grammar Patterns

Using bǎ to emphasize the object

Normally Chinese sentences have the form Subject-Verb-Object, but sometimes is more convenient to mention the object first in order to emphasize it. In the dialog we find the sentence “Bǎ nà běn shū fàng zài zhuōzi shàng”. It is similar to saying “Take that book and put it on the table”. English allows us to reorder the sentence, but we have to use a pronoun (“it” in this case) as a place-holder for the object.


It is grammatically correct to use the Subject-Verb-Object form, “fàng nà běn shū zài zhuōzi shàng”, but it would sound a little strange to Chinese ears.


Another example of this pattern is “Qǐng bǎ qián gěi wǒ”, which is a typical way a Chinese speaker would ask someone to “Please give me the money”.

Difference between miàn and biān

These words are examples of directional suffixes. In other words, they often follow a directional word (such as yòu or shàng) and are equivalent to the English word “side” or “face”. In this context, we can think of biān as meaining “side” and miàn as meaning “face”

Miàn and biān are used interchangeable sometimes, but some combinations are preferred over others. For example to express “on top”, “shàngmiàn” is preferred over “shàngbiān” even though the both mean the same thing.

Download
Some friends drop by a pearl tea shop for midday refreshments.

Grammar Patterns

Hái yào shénme ma?

This question may seem strange, because it appears to have two question words: “shénme” and “ma”. But this is not the case, because in this sentence shénme means “anything”. Without the “ma”, the sentence “Hái yào shénme?” means: “What else do you want?” But, the “ma” forces the sentence to be a yes-no question. It is for this reason that the answer should be “yào”.

Fúwùyuán

This is a polite, gender neutral, appellation for service personnel. You can use this word to address service personnel in many industries, such as restaurant, hotel, or train station. It is also okay to use xiānsheng (for men) and xiǎojie (for women) … in some parts of the country, but the safest idea is to use fúwùyuán.

Qǐng shāoděng

This expression is more formal than 等一下

kāi wánxiào

This expression means to tell a joke.

• kāi means open
• wán means to play or have fun
• xiào means smile

This is a useful expression, because Chinese humor and English humor are a bit different. Sarcasm and irony don’t work well in China. So if you tell a joke, it is best to be make it clear that you are looking for a laugh with this expression.

mǎidān

When you are done eating, this one simple word will get you the bill.

What did you do yesterday?

What did you do the last time?

Download
Wang Xing is inviting Mark out to dinner.

Wang Xing suddenly notices his cell phone is missing. Mark helps him find it.