PCR Text Recording
Lesson 2

Lesson 2 Click here to listen to the text recording      Click here to watch video clip (Real player needed)  
 

Gǔbō: Nǐ hǎo ma? 你好嗎？

Pàlánkǎ:  Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne? 我很好，你呢？

Gǔbō: Yě hěn hǎo. 也很好。

Actual pronunciation:

Gǔbō: Ní hǎo ma?

Pàlánkǎ:  Wǒ hén hǎo, nǐ ne?

Gǔbō: Yě hén hǎo.

Rule? tone 3 + tone 3=> tone 2 + tone3

New words  

ma wǒ hěn ne yě

an question particle I, me very a modal particle also, too

Sounds and syllables of Lesson 2

m e uo ie en ma

hěn ne yě

Notes

1. One way to form a quesion in Chinese is to attach a question marker to the end of a sentence. 'ma' and 'ne' are two question markers. 'ma' is used for a sentence, while 'ne' is used for a noun phrase or a topic, something that was already mentioned in the context. Nǐ hǎo ma? literally means: 'Are you well?'  nǐ ne?can be interpreted as 'How about you?' The following two sentences are wrong: Nǐ hǎo ne? Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ma?
2. Yě hěn hǎo. "I am also fine.' The subject 'I' in this sentence is omitted. The subject omission is very common in Chinese when it  is obvious in the context.