Introduction to a new season of a conversational style Mandarin Chinese teaching podcast by Lindi P and new host Vicky Zhang

A New Season of The Convo Club!

In our first new episode, Vicky and I discuss Age, Birthdays, and the various ways to celebrate. This is mostly a beginning level lesson, with additional words/phrases for more advanced learners. 

Lesson Vocabulary and Dialogue:

生日 – Shēngrì - Birthday
过 – Guò - To pass, to have
多大 – Duōdà - How old
猜 – Cāi - To guess
岁 – Suì - Years
年轻 – Niánqīng - Young
年纪 – Niánjì - Age
计划 – Jìhuà - Plan

Supplementary Vocab:

言不由衷 Yánbùyóuzhōng - (idiom) To speak insincerely
羡慕，嫉妒，恨  Xiànmù jídù hèn - （slang) Envy, jealous, hate
羡慕,嫉妒,没有很 - Xiànmù, jídù, méiyǒu hèn (slang) Envy, jealous, but not hating
半截入土 Bànjié rùtǔ - （idiom) One foot in the grave, living on borrowed time


A:  听说你明天要过生日。你多大了？
     Tīng shuō nǐ míngtiān yàoguò shēngrì. Nǐ duōdàle?
     I heard that your birthday's tomorrow. How old are you?

B：你猜猜吧！
      Nǐ cāi cāi ba!
      Take a guess!

A：哦，很难猜啊。。我想一想。。27岁吧。
     Ó, hěn nán cāi a.. Wǒ xiǎng yī xiǎng..27 suì ba.
     Oh, it's hard to guess...let me think...27 years old.

B：差不多！我马上就28岁了。
     Chàbùduō! Wǒ mǎshàng jiù 28 suìle.
     Almost! I'm about to be 28.

A：哦，还很年轻呀。真羡慕你。那。。你打算怎么过生日?
      Ó, hái hěn niánqīng ya. 
      Zhēn xiànmù nǐ. Nà.. Nǐ dǎsuàn zěnmeguò shēngrì?
      Oh, still very young. So envious. So...how do you plan to spend 
      your birthday?

B：哪里。。感觉年纪很大了。明天没有什么计划，只是打算和一些朋友 吃晚饭。
      Nǎlǐ.. Gǎnjué niánjì hěn dàle. Míngtiān méiyǒu shé me jìhuà, zhǐshì 
      dǎsuàn hé yīxiē péngyǒu chī wǎnfàn.
      No way...I feel like I'm pretty old. I don't have any big plans 
      tomorrow, just dinner with a few friends.

Have any questions? Contact us at: ChineseConvoClub@gmail.com

Birthday Celebrations (Elementary)

In this episode, we will discuss what to say when you're not feeling well, as well as how to respond  when someone says this to you. I wish there was an equivalent to "Sorry to hear that!" which is so convenient in English, but in Chinese, the way to express empathy depends on the situation. In the case where someone is sick, you might say, "Have a good rest. Hope you feel better soon!"  We will also be digging in to the grammatical usage of 了(le) and 了(Liáo)
Join us to see how to use these and more.

(Note: This is a beginning level dialogue with additional words/phrases for more advanced Chinese learners)

Vocabulary:

生病 Shēngbìng– to become sick
感冒 Gǎnmào– to catch a cold
发烧 Fāshāo– to be running a fever
嗓子疼 Sǎngzi téng– to have a sore throat
改天Gǎitiān – another day
休息 Xiūxi– to rest
约 Yuē– to make an appointment
咳嗽Késòu – to cough
厉害Lìhài – (in this context) severe, terrible
录音 Lùyīn– to record (sound)
...起来 Qǐlái(directional complement – in this context, shows that an action or state has begun and is ongoing...)
差不多Chàbùduō – nearly, almost



Dialogue: 
A：晚上好，我今天生病了，感冒发烧嗓子疼，所以明天我们的会得改天了， 对不起。
Wǎnshàng hǎo, wǒ jīntiān shēngbìngle, gǎnmào fāshāo sǎngzi téng, suǒyǐ míngtiān wǒmen de huì dé gǎitiānle, duìbùqǐ.
Good evening, I'm sick today. I have a cold, a fever, and a sore throat, so our meeting tomorrow will have to be changed to another day, Sorry.

B：没关系。那你好好休息。我们再约吧。
Méiguānxì. Nà nǐ hǎohǎo xiūxí. Wǒmen zài yuē ba.
No problem. Get some rest. We'll find another time. 

一个礼拜后。。。。Yīgè lǐbài hòu....  1 week later....

A: 早上好！ 我现在已经不发烧了，可是咳嗽的厉害，我觉得明天录不了音。如果你星期五有空的话，我们可以试试看，希望我那个时候能好起来。
Zǎoshang hǎo! Wǒ xiànzài yǐjīng bù fāshāole, kěshì késòu de lìhài, wǒ juédé míngtiān lù bùliǎo yīn. Rúguǒ nǐ xīngqíwǔ yǒu kòng dehuà, wǒmen kěyǐ shì shì kàn, xīwàng wǒ nàgè shíhòu néng hǎo qǐlái.
Good morning! My fever is gone now, but I still have a really bad cough. I don't think I'll be able to record tomorrow. If you're free on Friday, we can try and see. Hopefully I'm better by then.

B： 早上好！星期五没问题。我早上有一点事情，不过从1：00 后都有空。你什么时候方便可以告诉我一下。
       那希望你快一点好起来. 
Zǎoshang hǎo! Xīngqíwǔ méi wèntí. Wǒ zǎoshang yǒu yīdiǎn shìqíng, bùguò cóng 1:00 hòu dōu yǒu kòng. Nǐ shénme shíhòu fāngbiàn kěyǐ gàosù wǒ yīxià. Nà xīwàng nǐ kuài yīdiǎn hǎo qǐlái.
Good morning! Friday's no problem. I have something in the morning, but after 1:00 I'm free. Whatever time is convenient for you just let me know. Hope you feel better soon. 

过了几天后。。。Guòle jǐ tiān hòu...  After a few days...

A： 我的咳嗽好的差不多了，我们1:00 左右见。
Wǒ de késòu hǎo de chàbùduōle, wǒmen 1:00 zuǒyòu jiàn.
My cough is just about gone. See you around 1:00.

B： 那太好了！  - 一点钟见。
Nà tài hǎole! - Yīdiǎn zhōng jiàn.
That's great! - See you at 1:00/

Supplementary Phrases:
我生病了 Wǒ shēngbìngle - I'm sick (more formal way to say this)
我病了Wǒ bìngle - I'm sick (casual way to say this)
我觉得不舒服 Wǒ juédé bú shūfú  - I don't feel well 
我要请一个病假 Wǒ yào qǐng yīgè bìngjià - I'm going to take a sick day (from work)
更加的正式 Gèngjiā de zhèngshì - more formal
流行感冒Liúxíng gǎnmào - the flu
就像Jiù xiàng - Just like
流行歌曲Liúxíng gēqǔ - Pop Songs
流传非常快Liúchuán fēicháng kuài - To spread very fast...
大家其实是有的时候很难区分这两种Dàjiā qíshí shì yǒu de shíhòu hěn nán qūfēn zhè liǎng zhǒng: In fact, sometimes it's hard for most people to tell the difference (between "a cold" and "the flu")
一般我们都说“感冒”Yībān wǒmen dōu shuō “gǎnmào” - Usually we all say, "a cold"
喉咙疼Hóulóng téng - Sore throat (another way to say this...bit of a tongue twister:) 
完全取决于Wánquán qǔjué yú - Totally depends on..
完全取决于你自己想怎么样说吧Wánquán qǔjué yú nǐ zìjǐ xiǎng zěnme yàng shuō ba - It totally depends on whichever way you'd like to say it
改正Gǎizhèng - to correct
他坐的姿势不好，医生建议他改正一下Tā zuò de zīshì bù hǎo, yīshēng jiànyì tā gǎizhèng yīxià - His sitting posture is not good, the doctor advised him to correct it
医生说我需要改正我的姿势Yīshēng shuō wǒ xūyào gǎizhèng wǒ de zīshì - The doctor says I need to correct my posture
我恢复健康了Wǒ huīfù jiànkāngle - I'm recovered (back to health) - used in formal situations

I'm Sick! (and what to say instead of "Sorry to hear that")(Elementary)

We're back with Part 2 of "I'm Sick!" Here we show how the conversation might be different if the dialogue were between two 闺蜜（Guīmì）or close girlfriends (a.k.a. "Besties"). Vicky speaks mostly Chinese in this episode, and the vocabulary is a bit more advanced, so we're bumping it up to Intermediate, but beginning level learners will enjoy this one too.
Vocabulary:

生病 shēngbìng– To become sick
感冒 gǎnmào – to catch a cold
发烧 fāshāo– to be running a fever
嗓子疼 sǎngzi téng – to have a sore throat
改天 gǎitiān– another day
咳嗽 késòu– to cough
厉害 lìhài – (in this context) severe, terrible
...起来 qǐlái ((direction complement – in this context, shows that an action or state has begun and is ongoing...)
差不多chàbùduō - nearly, almost
约yuē – to make an appointment

New words:
心疼xīnténg – to love dearly, to feel sorry for someone, to be distressed
抱抱bào bào – to give someone a hug
亲爱的qīn'ài de – Dear 
动静dòngjìng – movement, (sign of) activity 
喘气儿chuǎnqì er – to breathe (deeply), pant, or gasp

Supplementary Words:
心灾乐祸Xīn zāi lè huò - Schadenfreude (pleasure derived from someone else's misfortune)


A：哎呦，我今天生病了，感冒发烧嗓子疼，咱们得改天再聚了。
Āi yōu, wǒ jīntiān shēngbìngle, gǎnmào fāshāo sǎngzi téng, zánmen dé gǎitiān zài jùle. Oh man...I'm sick today, cold, fever, sore throat...let's get together another day.

B：心疼你一下。抱抱。。记得多喝热水啊 哈哈哈哈 
Xīnténg nǐ yīxià. Bào bào.. Jìdé duō hē rè shuǐ a hāhāhāhā 
Sorry to hear that (extremely informal way to say this)Send you hugs..remember to drink plenty of hot water, lol :) 

一个礼拜后。。。。
Yīgè lǐbài hòu....
One Week Later....

A: 亲爱的！ 我现在已经不发烧了，可是咳嗽的厉害，我觉得周末就好的差不多了。咱先约星期六下午聚，怎么样？
 Qīn'ài de! Wǒ xiànzài yǐjīng bù fāshāole, kěshì késòu de lìhài, wǒ juédé zhōumò jiù hǎo de chàbùduōle. Zán xiān yuē xīngqíliù xiàwǔ jù, zěnme yàng? 
Hey Hon! My fever is gone, but I'm still coughing quite a lot. I think I'll be just about over it by the weekend. Let's plan to meet next Friday afternoon. What do you think? 

B： 好几天没有听到你的动静，还在想你是不是还喘气儿呢。听到你的声音太好了。咱周六下午见。
Hǎo jǐ tiān méiyǒu tīng dào nǐ de dòngjìng, hái zài xiǎng nǐ shì bùshì hái chuǎnqì er ne. Tīng dào nǐ de shēngyīn tài hǎole. Zán zhōu liù xiàwǔ jiàn.
Haven't heard a sound from you for so long...I was wondering if you were still breathing. Good to hear your voice. See you Friday afternoon. 

过了几天后。。。
Guòle jǐ tiān hòu... 
After a few days....

A： 啊。。我活过来了！ 周六下午一点见吧。
Ah....Wǒ huó guòláile! Zhōu liù xiàwǔ yīdiǎn jiàn ba.
Ah....I've come back to life! See you Friday afternoon.

B： OK！  - 一点见。
Ok! - Yīdiǎn jiàn.
Ok! See you at 1:00.

Sick Again! (Intermediate)

·P·D·

Today we have the dialogues and speech training parts from our previous 2 episodes: And All That Jazz & Music To Suit Your Mood. If you would like to hear the grammar and vocabulary explanations, please refer back to those episodes. If you're tuning in simply to listen to the dialogue and practice pronunciation, you're in the right place!

And All That Jazz Speech Training:
    1. 女性：我。。觉得。。。我觉得嘛。。。。每个人。。。都可以。。。每个人都可以。。。。。不同的。。。喜好。。。有不同的喜好。。。。。 我觉得嘛，每个人都可以有不同的喜好。。。。。。。。。。
       男性：你和你的朋友们喜欢同样风格的音乐吗？。。。。。。。
       女性：我觉得嘛，每个人都可以有不同的喜好。
    2. 男性：因为。。。爵士乐。。。。通常是。。。因为爵士乐通常是。。。。。。。。。即兴。。。即兴演奏。。。。。因为爵士乐通常是即兴演奏。。。。。。。。。加上。。。蓝调。。。蓝调旋律。。。。。加上它的蓝调旋律。。。。。。。摇摆。。。摇摆的节奏。。。。。。因为爵士乐通常是即兴演奏，加上它的蓝调旋律和摇摆的节奏。。。。。。。。。。。。。。我觉得。。。很迷人。。。。因为爵士乐通常是即兴演奏，加上它的蓝调旋律和摇摆的节奏，我觉得很迷人。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
       女性：你为什么这么喜欢爵士乐？。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
       男性：因为爵士乐通常是即兴演奏，加上它的蓝调旋律和摇摆的节奏，我觉得很迷人。
    3. 女性：其实。。。我觉得。。。其实我觉得。。。。。音乐。。。还有。。。听音乐。。。怎样去听音乐。。。。。形式。。。其实我觉得音乐，还有我们怎样去听音乐的形式。。。。。。。。。。。。。一直。。。在变化。。。一直在变化。。。。。。其实我觉得音乐，还有我们怎样去听音乐的形式, 一直在变化。。。。。。。。。。。。。
       男性：你觉得音乐的形式总是一成不变的吗？。。。。。。。。。
       女性：其实我觉得音乐，还有我们怎样去听音乐的形式, 一直在变化。
  4. 男性： 现在。。。科技。。。发达。。。科技这么发达。。。。。现在的科技这么发达。。。。。。。。。只要。。。按一下。。。按钮。。。只要我们按一下按钮。。。。。。。就能。。。听到。。。各种各样。。。。喜欢的。。。喜欢的音乐。。。。。就能听到各种各样我们喜欢的音乐了。。。。。。。。。
       现在的科技这么发达，只要我们按一下按钮，就能听到各种各样我们喜欢的音乐了。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
       女性：以前我们听音乐总是得去买磁带和碟片， 现在呢？。。。。
       男性：现在的科技这么发达，只要我们按一下按钮，就能听到各种各样我们喜欢的音乐了。

Music To Suit Your Mood: Speech Training
    1. 女性： 我对音乐。。。。真的。。。我对音乐真的。。。。。了解。。。了解不多。。。。我对音乐真的了解不多。。。。。。只要。。。只要它。。。符合。。。符合我的心情。。。只要它符合我的心情。。。。。。。我对音乐真的了解不多，只要它符合我的心情。。。。。。。。。。。。我就会。。。。我就会去听。。。。。。我对音乐真的了解不多，只要它符合我的心情，我就会去听。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
       男性：你对音乐了解多少？。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
       女性：我对音乐真的了解不多，只要它符合我的心情，我就会去听。
    2. 男性：我觉得。。。伤心。。。或者。。。情绪低落。。。。。情绪低落的时候。。。。。。我觉得伤心或者情绪低落的时候。。。。。。。。。。。。我会听。。。我会听一些。。。。嘻哈。。。像。。。周杰伦的歌。。。我会听一些嘻哈，像周杰伦的歌。。。。。。。。。。。我觉得伤心或者情绪低落的时候，我会听一些嘻哈，像周杰伦的歌。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
       女性：你心情不好的时候常常听什么音乐？。。。。。。。。。。
       男性：我觉得伤心或者情绪低落的时候，我会听一些嘻哈，像周杰伦的歌。
    3. 女性：当我。。需要。。当我需要。。。。放松的时候。。。。。。当我需要放松的时候。。。。。。放一些。。。柔和。。。柔和的音乐。。。。。放一些柔和的音乐。。。。。。比如。。李健的歌。。。。。。当我需要放松的时候，我会放一些柔和的流行乐，比如李健的歌。。。。。。。。。。
       男性：听什么样的音乐能让你放松下来？。。。。。。。。。。
       女性：当我需要放松的时候，我会放一些柔和的流行乐，比如李健的歌。
    4. 男性：他的歌。。。很大众。。。他的歌很大众。。。。。容易。。上口。。。容易上口。。。。。有很多。。。。热门。。。热门单曲。。。。。有很多热门单曲。。。。。他的歌很大众，容易上口。。。。。。。。他也有很多热门单曲。。。。。。。。。他的歌很大众，容易上口。他也有很多热门单曲。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
       女性：你觉得李健的歌有些什么特点？。。。。。。。。。。。。
       男性：他的歌很大众，容易上口。他也有很多热门单曲。

Listening/Speech Training:Jazz & Music Genres (Upper Intermediate)

Vocabulary:
调整(Tiáozhěng) – to adjust
协调 (xiétiáo)– to coordinate (Taiwan style) 
查看 (chákàn) – to examine, look over
素质 (sùzhì)– person of good character, a person who has inner quality,  integrity
土生土长(tǔshēngtǔzhǎng) – born and raised
输入(shūrù) – to input
误打误撞(wù dǎ wù zhuàng) – accidentally, unintentionally
冒失(màoshī) (– (in this context) careless, but can also mean “rash, abrupt, or reckless)
打扰(dǎrǎo) – to disturb, to bother someone
问候(wènhòu) – to extend greetings to
祝福 (zhùfú) - wishes

Dialogue: 

骗子: 林医生您好,我是前两天预约在周二早上去检查的小李,您可以帮我把时间调整到下午吗?🙂因为工作原因,想协调一下，把时间定到下午三点,您看可以嗎?😊(^y^)⊙⊙
(Piànzi: Lín yīshēng nín hǎo, wǒ shì qián liǎng tiān yùyuē zài zhōu'èr zǎoshang qù jiǎnchá de Xiǎo Lǐ, Nín kěyǐ bāng wǒ bǎ shíjiān tiáozhěng dào xiàwǔ ma?🙂 Yīnwèi gōngzuò yuányīn, xiǎng xiétiáo yīxià bǎ shíjiān dìng dào xiàwǔ sān diǎn, nín kàn kěyǐ ma?😊)
Scammer: Hello Dr. Lin, I am Xiao Li who made an appointment two days ago for a checkup on Tuesday morning. Can you help me adjust the time to the afternoon? 🙂⊙Due to work reasons, I would like to coordinate and book the time until three in the afternoon. Do you think it is okay? 😊(^y^)

林洁: 你好，你好像发错了电话。 我不是林医生。(Lín jié: Nǐ hǎo, nǐ hǎoxiàng fā cuòle diànhuà. Wǒ bùshì lín yīshēng.) Hello. You seem to have contacted the wrong number. I am not Dr. Lin.

骗子: 谢谢你，我去查看一下号码，祝你周末愉快.(Xièxiè nǐ, wǒ qù chákàn yīxià hàomǎ, zhù nǐ zhōumò yúkuài.) Thank you. I will check the number. Hope you have a good weekend. 

林洁: 没事啊，祝你周末愉快. (Méishì a, zhù nǐ zhōumò yúkuài.) No problem. Hope you have a good weekend. 

骗子: 谢谢，你也是太客气了，很有素质
看你也好像也是华人. (Xièxiè, nǐ yěshì tài kèqìle, hěn yǒu sùzhì kàn nǐ yě hǎoxiàng yěshì huárén).
Thanks, that’s very gracious of you. You have a lot of integrity. 

林洁: 不客气。其实，我不是华人。 土生土长的美国人，但是在中国学习过一段时间. (Qíshí, wǒ bùshì huárén. Tǔshēngtǔzhǎng dì měiguó rén, dànshì zài zhōngguó xuéxíguò yīduàn shíjiān.) You’re welcome. Actually, I’m not Chinese. I was born and raised in the U.S., but I studied in China for a time.

骗子: 不好意思，的确是我输入错了号码，误打误撞发错信息给你了，我的冒失没有打扰到您吧
看你中文很好的，你很厉害👍 (Bù hǎoyìsi, díquè shì wǒ shūrù cuòle hàomǎ, wù dǎ wù zhuàng fā cuò xìnxī gěi nǐle, wǒ de màoshī méiyǒu dǎrǎo dào nín ba kàn nǐ zhōngwén hěn hǎo de, nǐ hěn lìhài 👍)
Sorry, I entered the wrong number and sent you the wrong message by mistake. I hope I didn’t bother you with my recklessness. It seems that your Chinese is very good. That’s awesome👍

林洁: 没事. 我得走了-马上要和家人出去吃饭。 也希望你找到林医生 😁 (Méishì. Wǒ déi zǒule-mǎshàng yào hé jiārén chūqù chīfàn. Yě xīwàng nǐ zhǎodào lín yīshēng 😁
No worries. I need to go – about to head out with my family for dinner. I hope you’re able to find Dr. Lin. 

骗子: 好的，祝你玩得愉快，你有Whats App吗？我加你，以后有空互相学习和交流. (Hǎo de zhù nǐ wán de yúkuài, nǐ yǒu Whats App wǒ jiā nǐ, yǐhòu yǒu kòng hù xiàng xuéxí hé jiāoliú) Okay, Have a good time. If you have Whats App, I will add you. Whenever we’re free later on, we can learn from each other and chat. 

旁白： 第二天 ：五月14号星期天， 下午：5:09 

骗子: 轻轻的问候   深深的祝福 ，昨天的冒失打扰到您了。不好意思，祝你母亲节日快乐. (Qīng qīng de wènhòu shēn shēn de zhùfú, zuótiān de màoshī dǎrǎo dào nín le。 bù hǎoyìsi, zhù nǐ mǔqīn jié rì kuàilè）Gentle greetings and deep blessings. I’m sorry for disturbing you yesterday. I wish you a happy Mother’s Day.

旁白：五月16号星期二，下午 3:59

 骗子: 谢谢！您是个善良有素质的人，我在加州，您在哪个州，出门在外注意安全
(Xièxiè nín shìgè shànliáng yǒu sùzhì de rén, wǒ zài jiāzhōu, nín zài nǎge zhōu, chūmén zàiwài zhùyì ānquán). Thank you for being a kind and quality person. I am in California. Which state are you in? Safe Travels.

Wrong Number (Intermediate)

5. 你上什么学校？

This is music for chinese new year 2018, beautiful chinese music for videos or background chinese songs for video projects.
We have composed a lot of chinese tracks for background or for commercial projects.#chinesemusic

You can subscribe to our channel to receive more videos of Chinese music and other styles, we are making music continuously.

You can license this song here : https://goo.gl/uXQYop

You can suscribe to listen more royaltyfree music and you can get chinese royaltyfree music for videos at: http://goo.gl/VOaiKf
Enjoy with The Chinese Spring Festive Music and Dragon Dance Music.

#chinamusic, # china, #backgroundmusic, #royaltyfreemusic ,#chinesenewyearmusic #龙舞音乐


中国新年音乐 - 中国背景音乐 - 中国美歌

这是2018年中国新年的音乐，用于视频的美丽的中国音乐或用于视频项目的背景中国歌曲。
我们为背景或商业项目编写了很多中文曲目。

你可以订阅我们的频道，收到更多的中国音乐和其他风格的视频，我们正在不断地做音乐。

您可以在这里许可这首歌曲：https：//goo.gl/uXQYop

您可以订阅听更多的免版税音乐，您可以在http://goo.gl/VOaiKf上获得中国免版税的音乐视频


享受中国春节欢乐音乐和龙舞音乐。

Chinese Sun -  Chinese Background music - Royaltyfreemusic - 优美的音乐

Beautiful Chinese Music Traditional - Best Instrument Bamboo Flute Zither

This podcast series is a collection of talk show style lessons, created to help English speakers better understand Chinese language and culture.  A long time student of Chinese, I am joined in this series by Vicky Zhang, an experienced Chinese teacher and new host of the show.  Also joining us for some special episodes is Dr. Zhang Yong Ling, UNCC professor of Chinese Language and Culture, professional translator, and all around language lover.  We wanted our lessons to be casual and fun as well as informative - hope you enjoy learning Chinese with us.  New Episodes are available every other week.

Wrong Number (Intermediate)

Chinese Language Convo Club

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