BSC 4-3

Ni3 hao3!

How are you?

Ni3 hao3! Ni3 shi4 Mei3guo2 ren2 ma?

How are you? Are you American?

Dui4, wo3 shi4 Mei3guo2 ren2.

Yes, I'm American.

di4-

(forms ordinal numbers) [SP]

di4yi1

number one, the first

ci4

time [M]

di4yi2ci4

the first time

ni3 di4yi2ci4 dao4 Zhong1guo2 lai2

the first time you come to China

Zhe4 shi4 ni3 di4yi2ci4 dao4 Zhong1guo2 lai2 ma?

Is this your first time in China?

di4'er4ci4

the second time

zhe4 shi4 di4'er4ci4

this is the second time

-guo4

(indicates experience, generally forms perfect tense)

lai2guo4

have come before

wo3 qu4nian2 lai2guo4 yi2ci4

last year I came once

Bu4, zhe4 shi di4'er4ci4. Wo3 qu4nian2 lai2guo4 yi2ci4.

No, this is the second time. I came once before last year.

yao4 zhu4

will live, will stay

jiu3

be long (of time)

duo1 jiu3

for how long

yao4 zhu4 duo1 jiu3

will stay for how long

M, ni3 zhei4ci4 yao4 zhu4 duo1 jiu3?

Uh, how long are you going to stay this time?

da4yue1

approximately, about [A]

ban4'ge yue4

half a month

da4yue1 ban4'ge yue4

approximately half a month

hui2guo2

return to one's home country

wo3 shi2'er4hao4 hui2guo2

I return to my country on the twelfth

Da4yue1 ban4'ge yue4. Wo3 shi2'er4hao4 hui2guo2.

About half a month. I return home on the 12th.

fang2jian1

room [N]

nei3ge fang2jian1

which room

Ni3 zhu4 nei3ge fang2jian1?

Which room are you staying in?

Wo3 zhu4 san1 ling2 liu4.

I'm staying in 306.

O4, dui4buqi3, wo3 dei3 zou3le. Zai4jian4!

Oh, sorry, I have to go now. Good-bye!

Zai4jian4!

Good-bye!

shuo1

to say, speak

ran2hou4

afterward, then [MA]

Ta1 xian1 shuo1 shem2me? Ran2hou4 shuo1 shem2me?

What did he say first? What did he say then?

jia1

family, home

hui2jia1

return to one's home

Ni3 ming2tian1 hui2 bu hui2jia1?

Are you returning home tomorrow?

kai1

operate, drive, fly

fei1ji1

airplane

kai1 fei1ji1

fly an airplane

Ta1 shuo1 ta1 mei2 zuo4guo4 huo3che1, ke3shi kai1guo4 fei1ji1.

She says she has never taken a train but has flown a plane.