Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: Hi, everyone.
Welcome. And welcome back to our HSK2 Mandarin podcast. I'm your old friend, Melanie Wo Shu Melanie. And here today with our old dear friend, Emily.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: Wahan Hao Nina. Melanie.
[00:00:42] Speaker B: I'm happy for you.
Recently it's a bit cold.
That's so good.
[00:01:06] Speaker A: So for today's classes, I hope you guys are prepared. I hope you guys are excited.
So today we are going to look in a useful grammar pattern in Chinese, which is verb plus.
So we're gonna see how we're gonna use it during our lesson through a dialogue.
So stay tuned, stay tuned with us.
[00:01:30] Speaker B: And we will also take a look at daily life in China and Naicha culture, the bubble milk tea and a lot of practical phrases for HSK2 learners. Let's get started.
[00:01:49] Speaker A: Okay, so let's.
Okay, so before we started, we are listening to the Hanyu Chinese School podcast.
If you are learning Chinese and want to take your skill to the next level, you are going to love this episode.
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[00:02:41] Speaker B: Okay, as you roll, we will start with a very useful dialogue. So today the setting of the dialogue is Melody and Emily are at a cafe.
[00:03:39] Speaker A: Very good.
[00:03:41] Speaker B: Okay, let's move to our grammar for today. So the grammar point of today is verb plus.
It is used to show that an action is continuing or a state is ongoing.
[00:03:56] Speaker A: Very good. So let's look at the. Of course, let's look at the sentence structure first.
So we put subject at first, then verb and then after is.
And if you want to add more details, you can also put the object in the last.
So for example, we can look at these simple ones. So the first one is.
So the door is open or he's smiling.
[00:04:28] Speaker B: Very good. And let's look at the second structure, subject plus verb, object plus verb, which indicates the main action. So there are two verbs in this structure. Okay, so we use this to describe a background action happening together with a main action. Let's look at the example first.
He spoke while smiling. So here Shuo Hua is the main action. Speak and is to describe the state of this person. And next one.
Okay, so which one is the main action?
Doing writing, homework, admin action and if they stayed.
[00:05:22] Speaker A: So one thing I like to talk about it with my student. For example, the sentence that we looked previously let me just slide it back. So when we say doesn't mean like we're opening the door it means a continuing but it's not like opening. It means that the door is open and it stays open. Right. So he's smiling. It states he stays smiling. It's not like this is kind of, of course it's a different for people and object but it means something that is continuing.
So we can also see what Melanie said.
Main action, the most important action but continuing. Continuing the smile.
Yeah, so it's a, it's a more like a long term phrase.
[00:06:15] Speaker B: Right, perfect. Thank you for the details.
[00:06:19] Speaker A: Yes. So, so let's look at to something more complicated the examples from our dialogue.
So when we say so the one who is wearing black clothes so it's not that's not talking about like she or he is putting on the clothes. No, it means that he is wearing continuing.
And the second one we have so he brought his dog out for coffee. So the main one main action is to drink coffee but he's taking the dog out which is something like he's not just doing it for coffee but also he took them out for past, present and then probably future. A little bit of the future as well.
[00:07:11] Speaker B: That's very clear.
Okay, let's keep going.
We have some extra HSK2 level examples. The first one there's a map hanging on the wall. So here Guaji hanging to describe the state of this map. This map is hanging on the wall. Next one.
Okay, so is a very common expression we use with verb and so there are many fruits on the table. So fang zhu means are putting are putting on putting on the table.
Okay.
Okay.
[00:08:01] Speaker A: Then we would also have something, let's see something about the negative ones.
So here we have and then before the verb and then we put also the after the verb.
So let's look at some examples.
So first we have the door is not open, it's not continuing open. So the door is closed or so he's not holding a book.
Okay.
[00:08:45] Speaker B: Okay, so be careful. And now let's keep going with a question from.
So questions with there are two common structures. First one plus verb object and the second one verb object and both are correct and used in daily life. So both are okay. Which means is there is blah blah or not.
[00:09:16] Speaker A: Very good. So let's look at some examples.
The first one we have is there fruit placed on the table or not?
Or so is he holding a cell phone in his hand or not? Very good. And the last.
So are there students sitting in the classroom or not?
[00:09:54] Speaker B: Very good. Today we got so many structures. So please don't memorize the structures. Memorize the examples and imitate the examples to make your own sentences. That will be more useful.
Okay, now it's a challenge. How would you say in Chinese she is eating cake while listening to music?
[00:10:20] Speaker A: So think about the sentence structure that we just talked about and leave your answer in the comment section down below. We will be very happy to take a look and we can discuss about it.
[00:10:35] Speaker B: Please have a try.
Okay, now let's move back to our dialogue and to review the grammar we have talked about today.
Look at that person over there.
[00:10:53] Speaker A: The one wearing black clothes.
[00:10:59] Speaker B: Note the one next to him.
[00:11:05] Speaker A: The one is eating cake.
Yes.
[00:11:12] Speaker B: His little dog is so cute.
[00:11:20] Speaker A: That's right. He brought his dog out for coffee.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: The girl on his left wearing a white dress also looks great.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: Exactly. And her shoes that she's wearing are cute.
[00:11:52] Speaker B: Everyone is wearing such nice clothes today.
[00:11:57] Speaker A: Very good.
Okay.
[00:12:00] Speaker B: Are you enjoying this episode? With our classes, you can make even more progress. We're the top rated online academy with over 3,000 satisfied students. And we have an overall rating on Trustpilot 4.8 out of 5 based on over 200 reviews. We offer courses starting from just €39, including group classes, recordings and a 24.7learning platform. And if you like to start step by step, try a free class and see for yourself. You can scan the QR code right here at this page or listen to all our podcast episodes on our campus. We have our podcast on all kinds of platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Twitch, Apple Podcast, et cetera. If you want to know more, you can check on our website.
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Very good.
Okay, now let's move to our next part.
Culture.
So we're gonna talk about a famous drink that you might have tried is boba milk tea. So, Emily, you're from Taiwan, right?
Yes.
[00:13:31] Speaker A: And the boba milk tea is actually from Taiwan.
[00:13:38] Speaker B: Everybody knows it. So what do people you really call bubble tea there?
[00:13:43] Speaker A: Okay, so in Taiwan, we usually say which is a short form for.
So the bubble milk tea, right. Zhenzhu means pearls. The bubble and it's a chewy tapioca balls, if anyone would have tried would know. Like it's really chewy and a bit with sugar, brown sugar, normal sugar. Like any kinds of and means milk tea. So it's like bubble milk tea, pearl milk tea.
[00:14:18] Speaker B: Ah. But when I went to China, people just said, which means milk tea.
[00:14:25] Speaker A: Yeah, that's actually really interesting for me because I saw this on social media that people would just say, but like for us it's a bit different because if you say nai cha means just like normal milk tea without the bubble.
So I don't know, it's really different from us, for us. So but if you go to mainland China, you could say nai cha. I think people would get it.
[00:14:58] Speaker B: Exactly.
So that's such a fun cultural difference.
So if I want pearls in Taiwan, I should make sure to say.
[00:15:10] Speaker A: Right? Exactly. Exactly.
[00:15:12] Speaker B: Very good.
Okay. Another thing I noticed is the price when I bought bubble tea in Europe, it cost me about six or seven euros.
Well, that's almost the price of a meal.
Too expensive.
[00:15:31] Speaker A: Exactly. So in Taiwan, like this is something like I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't spend my money on in Europe.
In Taiwan, the bubble milk tea is so much cheaper. A regular cup, it's about 2 to 3 Euro. With 3 Euro, it's already a bit expensive for us. Depends what you add in the, the cup. Of course, if you add a lot of more toppings, it would be more expensive, but Normally it's around 2 to 3. And if you really, if you really dig into it, you find some places in the countryside, I think you could get something between like €1 150.
Yeah. That's the normal price.
[00:16:18] Speaker B: Yeah. Wow, that's such a big difference.
[00:16:22] Speaker A: Yeah. So that's why like when we tell, when these people travel abroad, we often get shocked by how expensive the bubble tea is. Like it's an everyday drink we have in, in Taiwan, but in our country it's more like a luxury or weekend treat. Right.
[00:16:42] Speaker B: Wow. Let's start a bubble tea business in Europe.
Yeah. Okay. So when people think of bubble tea, they usually think of the classic milk tea with pearls. But actually there are so many flavors now, right?
[00:17:01] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. So of course, first of all, I personally, personally I don't really drink bubble milk tea.
I don't really like the, the tea mixturing with the, the milk.
So what I normally would order, it's brown sugar pro with fresh milk. That's it, like without the tea.
So you can see like in Taiwan, we have all kinds of different flavors. We have green tea, taro, which it's not, it's not something you could find in Europe. It's not a plant that you can find in Europe. But it's something like we really eat and drink in common or even in the cake in Asian country or matcha. I think it's also really famous from Japanese culture.
Fruit teas or even, even cheese form of on top is something.
It's something really, really common in Taiwan. So you can see like as the picture you have all kinds of different flavors that you can choose whatever you like.
So.
So yeah, that's all you can find in Taiwan.
[00:18:17] Speaker B: Wow, that sounds amazing.
So even people who don't like tea can enjoy bubble tea, right?
[00:18:25] Speaker A: Exactly. So the drink has really evolved and so there's always something for everyone.
[00:18:34] Speaker B: Wow.
Now I have to ask, how often do people in Taiwan drink bubble tea?
[00:18:42] Speaker A: Oh, honestly, every day. Every day.
Yeah, I know, I know. This is something like people would. I. I saw a really funny video talking about this because Japanese people would be like, oh, we don't eat sushi every day. That's so stereotype.
And then they're like, do Taiwanese people drink bubble milk tea every day? And we're like, yeah, we do.
[00:19:07] Speaker B: Wow. Yeah. So like coffee for some people.
[00:19:12] Speaker A: Exactly. So you can see in Taiwan, there's bubble multi shop everywhere. Like within two box you can find probably two, three or even more bubble tea. We have also if you go to the night market, you can find like a street like full of bubble milk tea. Like different kinds of shops.
So yeah, it's something really common. If you're 30 thirsty, you can grab one. But just be careful because of course it gets you fat.
So depends. Like I don't drink it every day because I don't want to get fat.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: But if I could, I would.
What a surprising side effect. Be careful.
Okay, so does that explain why Taiwan is really the bubble tea capital of the world?
Absolutely.
[00:20:01] Speaker A: So remember that bubble bo tea, it's actually originally from Taiwan.
[00:20:06] Speaker B: Yeah. So when you order it in Taiwan, please don't forget to say.
And in China, please don't forget to say.
[00:20:16] Speaker A: Very good.
Okay.
[00:20:19] Speaker B: So do you remember earlier we asked a question, she is eating cake while listening to music. How do we say that in Chinese?
[00:20:29] Speaker A: So the correct answer is so she is eating the cake, listening to the music.
[00:20:42] Speaker B: So good.
Did you make it correctly? If not, don't be upset. Keep trying.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: Okay, so now it's your turn to make a sentence with our structures today. Verb plus.
[00:21:00] Speaker B: Okay. So please have a try and leave your answers in the comments below. We will review them and give corrections if needed. So very good.
[00:21:10] Speaker A: So thank you for staying with us until the end. If you truly want to learn Chinese with real teachers with the one on one classes, please visit our website and book your free class. We have courses starting from just €39. Live classes, recording classes, group classes, one on one classes, whatever you like.
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[00:22:00] Speaker B: Okay, so today we have learned how to use verb plus and we explore the fascinating Boba culture in Asia.
[00:22:10] Speaker A: Yes. So the next episode is the last episode of our HSK2 podcast, Time Flights. Right now.
[00:22:22] Speaker B: What will we learn next time?
[00:22:25] Speaker A: So we were, of course, we will be reviewing all the important grammars in HSK2 and then we will talk about, we will talk a little bit about what we'll be seeing in the SSK2 exam. So if you are practicing, if you are preparing for this examination, please, you have to stay tuned for our next episode.
[00:22:47] Speaker B: Wow, that sounds really exciting. Okay, so don't forget to leave a comment.
Practicing the sentences you learned today. And we will see you next time.
See you next week.
[00:23:09] Speaker A: Sam.
