After listening to Season 2, Lesson 14, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking five minutes a day to practice listening to and imitating the dialogue. Repetition makes it stick.

README: How to use this recording

You'll hear the dialogue from Lesson 14 twice.

The first time, there will be a short pause after each line. During the pause, try to repeat aloud exactly what you just heard.

Repeating aloud is important, partly because you'll be training your speech muscles to make the sounds of Mandarin, and partly because you'll be getting feedback about how you sound (if you're listening with earbuds, I recommend practicing with one earbud out and one in, or else with both partially in, so that you can hear yourself better).

The second time, there won't be any pauses. Try to "shadow" the sounds simultaneously as they are spoken, also aloud.

This will help you practice stringing the sounds together and further reinforce the muscle memory speech patterns of Mandarin. If it feels way too fast, you can try shadowing only one of the characters each time you listen. However, even then, don't expect to be able to keep up with everything at first.  It takes regular daily practice to start training your ears to have a more nuanced perception of the sounds, and to train your speech muscles to speak at natural speed.

Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only):

• 阿明：哈囉！有人嗎？
• 康太太：喔，這麼早就回來！
• 小李：現在不是七點嗎？
• 康太太：可是我女兒還沒下班呢！
• 莉莉：媽媽，我在這裡！
• 康太太：嚇死我了！莉莉！你什麼時候進來我都不知道！
• 莉莉：我今天坐計程車回家，比較快。
• 康太太：是喔，我都沒聽到你進來的聲音。
• 莉莉：所以這個是你說的那個外國朋友嗎？你好。
• 康太太：啊對！欸你叫什麼名字？我不記得了！
• 小李：你好，我叫小李，我住在隔壁。這個是我朋友阿明。
• 阿明：你好。
• 莉莉：你好，你好。
• 康太太：啊這個小李還沒結婚！你要不要跟他約會？
• 莉莉：媽！不要亂講！不好意思，她年紀大了，講話比較直接。
• 小李：沒事，沒事。謝謝你邀請我們來你家。好香！
• 康太太：沒有！我做得很簡單。炒蘑菇、竹筍、青菜、雞湯、清蒸魚、豬腳、白飯，就這樣而已！
• 阿明：這麼多！
• 康太太：還好啦！
• 莉莉：媽，你這樣太辛苦了！你不用煮這麼多！
• 康太太：還好啦！有客人，當然要準備多一點啊！來，請坐。東西快好了。

Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation): 

• 阿明：哈囉！有人嗎？
  • Hello! Is anyone here?
  • Hā luō! Yǒurén ma?
• 康太太：喔，這麼早就回來！
  • Oh! You’re back so early!
  • Ō, zhème zǎo jiù huílái!
• 小李：現在不是七點嗎？
  • Isn’t it seven o’clock now?
  • Xiànzài bùshì qī diǎn ma?
• 康太太：可是我女兒還沒下班呢！
  • But my daughter hasn’t gotten off work yet!
  • Kěshì wǒ nǚ'ér hái méi xiàbān ne!
• 莉莉：媽媽，我在這裡！
  • Mom, I’m here!
  • Māmā, wǒ zài zhèlǐ!
• 康太太：嚇死我了！莉莉！你什麼時候進來我都不知道！
  • You scared me to death! Lili! I don’t even know when you came in!
  • Xià sǐ wǒle! Lìlì! Nǐ shénme shíhòu jìnlái wǒ dōu bù zhīdào!
• 莉莉：我今天坐計程車回家，比較快。
  • I took a taxi home today, it’s faster.
  • Wǒ jīntiān zuò jìchéngchē huí jiā, bǐjiào kuài.
• 康太太：是喔，我都沒聽到你進來的聲音。
  • Oh. I didn’t even hear you come in.
  • Shì ō, wǒ dōu méi tīngdào nǐ jìnlái de shēngyīn.
• 莉莉：所以這個是你說的那個外國朋友嗎？你好。
  • So, is this the foreign friend you mentioned? Hi.
  • Suǒyǐ zhège shì nǐ shuō de nàgè wàiguó péngyǒu ma? Nǐ hǎo. 
• 康太太：啊對！欸你叫什麼名字？我不記得了！
  • Oh right! Hey, what’s your name? I don’t remember!
  • A duì! Ēi nǐ jiào shénme míngzì? Wǒ bù jìdéle!
• 小李：你好，我叫小李，我住在隔壁。這個是我朋友阿明。
  • Hi, I’m Xiao Li. I live next door. This is my friend, A-Ming.
  • Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào xiǎo lǐ, wǒ zhù zài gébì. Zhège shì wǒ péngyǒu ā míng.
• 阿明：你好。
  • Hi.
  • Nǐ hǎo.
• 莉莉：你好，你好。
  • Hi. Hi.
  • Nǐ hǎo, nǐ hǎo.
• 康太太：啊這個小李還沒結婚！你要不要跟他約會？
  • Oh this Xiao Li isn’t married yet! Why don’t you go on a date with him?
  • A zhège xiǎo lǐ hái méi jiéhūn! Nǐ yào bùyào gēn tā yuēhuì?
• 莉莉：媽！不要亂講！不好意思，她年紀大了，講話比較直接。
  • Mom! Don’t talk nonsense. Sorry, she’s old, she speaks a little directly.
  • Mā! Bùyào luàn jiǎng! Bù hǎoyìsi, tā niánjì dàle, jiǎnghuà bǐjiào zhíjiē.
• 小李：沒事，沒事。謝謝你邀請我們來你家。好香！
  • No worries, no worries. Thanks for inviting us to your house. It smells great!
  • Méishì, méishì. Xièxiè nǐ yāoqǐng wǒmen lái nǐ jiā. Hǎo xiāng!
• 康太太：沒有！我做得很簡單。炒蘑菇、竹筍、青菜、雞湯、清蒸魚、豬腳、白飯，就這樣而已！
  • No it doesn’t! I made it very simply. Stir-fried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green vegetables, chicken soup, steamed fish, pig’s feet, white rice, that’s all!
  • Méiyǒu! Wǒ zuò de hěn jiǎndān. Chǎo mógū, zhúsǔn, qīngcài, jītāng, qīngzhēng yú, zhū jiǎo, báifàn, jiù zhèyàng éryǐ!
• 阿明：這麼多！
  • So much!
  • Zhème duō!
• 康太太：還好啦！
  • Nah…
  • Hái hǎo la!
• 莉莉：媽，你這樣太辛苦了！你不用煮這麼多！
  • Mom, you’re working too hard! You don’t have to cook so much!
  • Mā, nǐ zhèyàng tài xīnkǔle! Nǐ bùyòng zhǔ zhème duō!
• 康太太：還好啦！有客人，當然要準備多一點啊！來，請坐。東西快好了。
  • Nah… when there are guests, of course you should prepare a little more! Come, please sit. It’s almost ready.
  • Hái hǎo la! Yǒu kèrén, dāngrán yào zhǔnbèi duō yīdiǎn a! Lái, qǐng zuò. Dōngxī kuài hǎole.

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