Let's hear a line-by-line translation of the dialogue from lesson 14, and then practice with a Q&A.

At the end of the lesson, I suggest that you can practice answering the questions yourself, and can even send me your answers -- either written (pinyin or Chinese characters) or, better yet, as a recording of yourself speaking! Don't be afraid of making mistakes, and if you want to copy part or even all of A-Ming's answers as your own, that is fine! When learning a language, imitation is golden.

Lesson Outline:

1. [00:21] Introduction
2. [01:46] Translation of the dialogue
3. [10:17] Questions and answers with A-Ming

Scroll down for: 

• Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters)
• Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation)
• Questions and answers (Chinese characters)
• Questions and answers (w/ pinyin and translation)

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.

Questions and answers (Chinese characters only):

• (Q1) 問題：在你的國家，坐計程車很貴嗎？
• (A1) 阿明：還好，在台北剛上車要七十塊。從A到B，要差不多一到兩百塊吧。
• (Q2) 問題：你結婚了嗎？
• (A2) 阿明：呵呵… 還沒。為什麼這樣問？
• (Q3) 問題：你上次約會的時候，你去了哪裡？
• (A3) 阿明：我上次約會… 我們去山上騎腳踏車！
• (Q4) 問題：在你的國家，學生很辛苦嗎？
• (A4) 阿明：非常辛苦！我小時候每一天八點就要上課，下午五點才下課，晚上還要去補習班！
• (Q5) 問題：你會煮飯嗎？你最會煮什麼？
• (A5) 阿明：呃… 我會煮泡麵！
• (Q6) 問題：你會邀請朋友來你家吃飯嗎？
• (A6) 阿明：來我家吃泡麵嗎？去外面吃比較好吧。

Questions and answers (w/ pinyin and translation):

• (Q1) 問題：在你的國家，坐計程車很貴嗎？
  • Zài nǐ de guójiā, zuò jìchéngchē hěn guì ma?
  • In your country, is taking a taxi expensive? 
• (A1) 阿明：還好，在台北剛上車要七十塊。從A到B，要差不多一到兩百塊吧。
  • Hái hǎo, zài táiběi gāng shàng chē yào qīshí kuài. Cóng A dào B, yào chàbùduō yī dào liǎng bǎi kuài ba.
  • Not really, in Taipei just after getting in the car it's 70 kuai. From A to B, it's around one to two hundred, I guess. 
• (Q2) 問題：你結婚了嗎？
  • Nǐ jiéhūnle ma?
  • Are you married? 
• (A2) 阿明：呵呵… 還沒。為什麼這樣問？
  • Hēhē… hái méi. Wèishéme zhèyàng wèn?
  • Heh heh... not yet. Why do you ask? 
• (Q3) 問題：你上次約會的時候，你去了哪裡？
  • Nǐ shàng cì yuēhuì de shíhòu, nǐ qùle nǎlǐ?
  • Last time you had a date, where did you go? 
• (A3) 阿明：我上次約會… 我們去山上騎腳踏車！
  • Wǒ shàng cì yuēhuì… wǒmen qù shānshàng qí jiǎotàchē!
  • Last time I had a date... we went to the mountains to ride bikes!
• (Q4) 問題：在你的國家，學生很辛苦嗎？
  • Zài nǐ de guójiā, xuéshēng hěn xīnkǔ ma?
  • In your country, are students xīnkǔ (exhausted / arduous / tired / working hard)? 
• (A4) 阿明：非常辛苦！我小時候每一天八點就要上課，下午五點才下課，晚上還要去補習班！
  • Fēicháng xīnkǔ! Wǒ xiǎoshíhòu měi yītiān bā diǎn jiù yào shàngkè, xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn cái xiàkè, wǎnshàng hái yào qù bǔxí bān!
  • Extremely xīnkǔ! When I was a kid, I had to start class every day at eight, and only got out of class at five in the afternoon. In the evening I also had to go to cram school! 
• (Q5) 問題：你會煮飯嗎？你最會煮什麼？
  • Nǐ huì zhǔ fàn ma? Nǐ zuì huì zhǔ shénme?
  • Can you cook? What are you best at making? 
• (A5) 阿明：呃… 我會煮泡麵！
  • È… wǒ huì zhǔ pào miàn! 
  • Uh... I can make instant noodles! 
• (Q6) 問題：你會邀請朋友來你家吃飯嗎？
  • Nǐ huì yāoqǐng péngyǒu lái nǐ jiā chīfàn ma?
  • Do you ever invite friends to come to your house to eat? 
• (A6) 阿明：來我家吃泡麵嗎？去外面吃比較好吧。
  • Lái wǒjiā chī pào miàn ma? Qù wàimiàn chī bǐjiào hǎo ba.
  • Come to my house to eat instant noodles? Going outside to eat is better, I think. 

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