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Happy birthday

M: Péngyǒumen. Nǐmen hǎo! Huān yíng shōu tīng Xiàn zài Xué Hàn yǔ. Wǒ shì
ML.

S: Wǒ shì Stuart. ML, have you bought a present? 你买了礼物没有？nǐ mǎile lǐwù
méi yǒu?

M: I haven't bought a present！我没有买礼物 wǒ méiyǒu mǎi lǐwù. Why should I

buy a present?

S: Because it's my birthday today 因为今天是我的生日 yīnwéi jīn tiān shì wǒ

de shēng1rì.

M: 今天是你的生日 jīn tiān shì nǐ de shēngrì. I wish you happy birthday 祝你生日
快乐 zhù nǐshēngrì kuàilè.

S: xièxiè. But where's my present? 但是，我的礼物在哪儿 wǒ de lǐwù zài nǎr.

M: 好，我去买 wǒ qù mǎi. What do you want 你要什么礼物 nǐ yào shénme lǐwù.

S: The more expensive, the better. 越贵越好 yuè guì yuè hǎo.

M: Typical Stuart!

S: Hey guys, it's not really my shēngrì, but I might get a present out of ML. Ok,
the new stuff. I asked 你买了礼物没有?

M: nǐ mǎile lǐwù méi yǒu? Remember? A 礼物 LI WU lǐwù is a ‘present', lǐwù

S: And here we have a common way of making a question. Hear the méi yǒu,
instead of the little ma, at the end? It turns, You buy present, into a question,
just like 吗 ma on the end. Have you bought a present, nǐ mǎi lǐwùle méi yǒu?

M: Here's some examples. Are you married? 你结婚了没有 nǐ jiéhūn le méi yǒu?

S: Have you eaten, 你吃了没有? nǐ chī le méi yǒu?

M: Back to the text. My simple answer was 没有, méiyǒu. 我没买礼物 wǒ méiyǒu
mǎi lǐwù. Why should I? 我为什么要买礼物? Wǒwèi shénme yàomǎi lǐwù?

Coryright 2007 cchello.com

 www.cchello.com

S: 因为今天是我的生日.

M: Oh, I wish you happy birthday 祝你生日快乐. Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè.

S: Actually, you'll often hear this birthday song in China. (sing 祝你生日快乐, Zhù
nǐ shēngrì kuàilè…)

M: Enough, 够了 gòu le! My poor ears.

M: I asked Stuart what present he wants, nǐ yào shénme lǐwù? nǐ yào

shénme lǐwù? The greedy man said,

S: 越贵越好

M: yuè guì yuè hǎo. 贵 GUI guì, means ‘expensive' guì. And the 越 YUE, fourth
tone, yuè, here means ‘the more'.

S: Yuè something yuè something. Very common. Listen to a few examples: 越

大越好 the bigger the better. Yuè dà yu hǎo.
M: 越小越好 the smaller the better, yuèxiǎo yuè hǎo.

S: And, for my present, 越贵越好. yuè guì yuè hǎo.

M: What a request! Ok, I'll go and see what I can get in the bazaar.
Péngyǒumen, míngtiān1jiàn!

S: Zàijiàn!

Coryright 2007 cchello.com