Unit 13

Part I: Listen and Learn 2

Click on the speaker icon of each sentence and listen to the recording. The Chinese characters are in big5 format.

1. W sh Migu rn, y hn xhun ch Zhnggu ci.
   I am an American. I also very much like to eat Chinese food.
   我是美國人，也很喜歡吃中國菜。

2. Ynwi Zhnggu ci hn hoch, b ti yun, hn yu yngyng.
   Because Chinese food is very delicious, not very greasy, (it is) very nutritious.
   因為中國菜很好吃，不太油膩，很有營養。

3. W tbi xhun ch Schun ci, ynwi Schun ci bjio l.
   I particularly like to eat Sichuan food, because Sichuan food is fairly spicy.
   我特別喜歡吃四川菜，因為四川菜比較辣。

4. Bgu w y chngchng ch xci.
   Nevertheless, I also often eat western food.
   不過，我也常常吃西菜。

5. Hnbobo, bsbng, w du xhun.
   Hamburger, pizza, I like them all.
   漢堡包、比薩餅，我都喜歡。

6. W mitin h nini, ynwi nini hn yu yngyng, du shnt yu hoch.
   I drink milk very day, because milk is very nutritious, (it is) good to health.
   我每天喝牛奶，因為牛奶很有營養，對身體有好處。

• 'hoch' literally means 'good to eat'. Many adjectives in Chinese are formed in this pattern. 'hokn' meas 'good to look, beautiful'. The opposite is 'b hoch' and 'b hokn'.

• 'l' in 'shci l yu g zhng wishngs' is a preposition like English 'in'. This sentnece literally can be translated as 'In vegetables, there are various types of vitamins.'

• 'yun' or 'yu' means 'greasy, oily'.

• Nutritious is an adjective in English, but in Chinese the same idea should be expressed by a combination of a verb and a noun 'yu yngyng' [to have nutrition]. You can't say 'hn yngyng'.

• 'l' is an adjective. It means 'hot and spicy'. It is used as a verb without 'sh'. When you want to use it as an adjective, you should add 'DE'. For example:
  Zh ge ci hn l. This dish is very spicy.
  Zhd4 ge ca sh lDE. This dish is very spicy.
  Zhd4 sh lDE ci. This is a spicy dish.
  

  You can't say:
  *Zh ge ci sh hn l.
  *Zh ge ci sh l.
  *Zh sh l ci.

• Pay attention to 'Hnbobo, bsbng, w du xhun.'. This is the only way to say that you like them all. You can't say: 'W du xhun hbobo, bsbng.'