Daily Practice Session - S2 - Lesson 12

After listening to S02 Lesson 12, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking five minutes a day to practice listening and imitating the dialogue. Repetition makes it stick.

README: How to use this recording

You'll hear the dialogue from Lesson 12 twice.

The first time, there will be a short pause after each line. During the pause, try to repeat aloud exactly what you hear.

Repeating aloud is important, partly because you'll be training your speech muscles to make the sounds of Mandarin, and partly because you'll be getting feedback about how you sound (if you're listening with earbuds, I recommend practicing with one earbud out and one in, or else with both partially in, so that you can hear yourself better).

The second time, there won't be any pauses -- try to "shadow" the sounds simultaneously as they are spoken, again aloud.

This will help you practice stringing the sounds together and further reinforce the muscle memory speech patterns of Mandarin. If it feels way too fast, you can try shadowing only one of the characters each time you listen. However, even then, don't expect to be able to keep up with everything at first.  It takes regular daily practice to start training your ears to have a more nuanced perception of the sounds, and to train your speech muscles to speak at natural speed.

A transcript of the dialogue is available below. First, it is written out in only Chinese characters for those who are learning characters and want to practice reading along. Then it is written out with the translation and pinyin.

Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only): 

• K：讓你們久等了！來，你的水。
• L：謝謝你！感謝。 
• K：還有這個！
• L：這是什麼？
• K：這個是火龍果啊
• M：小李，你吃過火龍果嗎？
• L：沒有欸！
• K：來，吃看看
• L：很甜！很好吃！
• K：對啊，我們自己種的！你多吃一點
• L：好！
• K：可是你要小心，你的尿尿會變成紅色的！不要被嚇到。
• L：尿尿會變紅色... 
• K：等一下！喂？哦！女兒，你今天要來吃飯齁！太好了！我要介紹一個外國朋友給你。嗯嗯... 你來就知道了！
• M：剛剛是你女兒嗎？
• K：對啊！你們今天要不要在我們家吃飯？
• M：太不好意思了... 
• K：不要這麼客氣，兩個帥哥來我們當然很開心。
• M：那... 小李，你覺得呢？
• L：不知道欸，我明天需要上班，今天本來要先整理一下房間。現在幾點？
• M：現在... 四點半
• K：啊我女兒都比較晚下班，不然你們先去忙，七點回來吃就可以！
• M：好像不錯... 小李你OK嗎？
• L：應該可以欸，太感謝你了，康太太！
• K：你們都太客氣了！
• M：那我們先走了
• K：等一下！火龍果還沒吃完吶！

Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation):

• K：讓你們久等了！來，你的水。
  • Ràng nǐmen jiǔ děngle! Lái, nǐ de shuǐ.
  • Sorry to keep you waiting. Here, your water. 
• L：謝謝你！感謝。
  • Xièxiè nǐ! Gǎnxiè.
  • Thank you! Thanks. 
• K：還有這個！
  • Hái yǒu zhège!
  • Also, this! 
• L：這是什麼？
  • Zhè shì shénme?
  • What’s this? 
• K：這個是火龍果啊
  • Zhège shì huǒlóng guǒ a
  • This is dragon fruit! 
• M：小李，你吃過火龍果嗎？
  • Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ chīguò huǒlóng guǒ ma?
  • Xiao Li, have you ever eaten dragon fruit? 
• L：沒有欸！
  • Méiyǒu ēi!
  • I haven’t!
• K：來，吃看看
  • Lái, chī kàn kàn
  • Come on, try it. 
• L：很甜！很好吃！
  • Hěn tián! Hěn hǎo chī!
  • It’s sweet! It’s really good!
• K：對啊，我們自己種的！你多吃一點
  • Duì a, wǒmen zìjǐ zhòng de! Nǐ duō chī yīdiǎn
  • Yeah, we grew it ourselves. Eat a lot of it!
• L：好！
  • hǎo!
  • Ok!
• K：可是你要小心，你的尿尿會變成紅色的！不要被嚇到。
  • Kěshì nǐ yào xiǎoxīn, nǐ de niào niào huì biànchéng hóngsè de! Bùyào bèi xià dào.
  • But be careful. Your urine will turn red. Don’t be frightened. 
• L：尿尿會變紅色... 
  • Niào niào huì biàn hóngsè... 
  • Urine will turn red… ?
• K：等一下！喂？哦！女兒，你今天要來吃飯齁！太好了！我要介紹一個外國朋友給你。嗯嗯... 你來就知道了！
  • Děng yīxià! Wéi? O! Nǚ'ér, nǐ jīntiān yào lái chīfàn hōu! Tài hǎole! Wǒ yào jièshào yīgè wàiguó péngyǒu gěi nǐ. Ń ń... Nǐ lái jiù zhīdàole!
  • Just a sec! Hello? Oh, daughter! You’re coming over to eat today! Great! I want to introduce you to a foreign friend. Uh huh… you’ll find out when you come. 
• M：剛剛是你女兒嗎？
  • Gānggāng shì nǐ nǚ'ér ma?
  • Just now, was that your daughter? 
• K：對啊！你們今天要不要在我們家吃飯？
  • Duì a! Nǐmen jīntiān yào bùyào zài wǒmen jiā chīfàn?
  • Yeah! Do you guys want to eat at our place today? 
• M：太不好意思了... 
  • Tài bùhǎoyìsile...
  • Oh, we couldn’t possibly… 
• K：不要這麼客氣，兩個帥哥來我們當然很開心。
  • Bùyào zhème kèqì, liǎng gè shuàigē lái wǒmen dāngrán hěn kāixīn
  • Don’t be so polite, two handsome guys coming over, of course we’d be happy. 
• M：那... 小李，你覺得呢？
  • Nà... Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ juédé ne?
  • Well… Xiao Li, what do you think? 
• L：不知道欸，我明天需要上班，今天本來要先整理一下房間。現在幾點？
  • Bù zhīdào ēi, wǒ míngtiān xūyào shàngbān, jīntiān běnlái yào xiān zhěnglǐ yīxià fángjiān. Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
  • I don’t know, I have to go to work tomorrow. Today I was going to organize my room. What time is it now? 
• M：現在... 四點半
  • Xiànzài... Sì diǎn bàn
  • Now it’s… four-thirty. 
• K：啊我女兒都比較晚下班，不然你們先去忙，七點回來吃就可以！
  • A wǒ nǚ'ér dōu bǐjiào wǎn xiàbān, bùrán nǐmen xiān qù máng, qī diǎn huílái chī jiù kěyǐ!
  • My daughter always gets off work late, how about you guys go do your thing now, and then just come back at seven. 
• M：好像不錯... 小李你OK嗎？
  • Hǎoxiàng bùcuò... Xiǎo lǐ nǐ OK ma?
  • That doesn’t sound too bad… Xiao Li, are you OK with that? 
• L：應該可以欸，太感謝你了，康太太！
  • Yīnggāi kěyǐ ēi, tài gǎnxiè nǐle, kāng tàitài!
  • That should be alright. Thank you so much, Mrs. Kang!
• K：你們都太客氣了！
  • Nǐmen dōu tài kèqìle!
  • You guys are too polite!
• M：那我們先走了
  • Nà wǒmen xiān zǒule
  • Well then, we’ll head out now… 
• K：等一下！火龍果還沒吃完吶！
  • Děng yīxià! Huǒlóng guǒ hái méi chī wán nèi!
  • Wait a sec! You haven’t finished the dragon fruit yet!

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