Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Intro

Nicole: 大家好(daai6 gaa1 hou2). I'm Nicole.
Matt: Hi, everybody. I'm Matt, and welcome back to CantoneseClass101.com Absolute Beginner Season 1, Lesson 25.
Nicole: That's right, welcome back. So what are we looking at today?
Matt: Today is a special day, Nicole, since we have lesson 25 in our first Absolute Beginner series!
Nicole: Yeah, this is the last lesson we have.
Matt: That's right. Don't get too excited, we're almost there! Now, in this lesson you will learn how to treat a friend to drinks which you should be doing to me after we get done here.
Nicole: The conversation takes place at an office.
Matt: It's between two colleagues who like each other somewhat.
Nicole: The speakers are friends, so they're speaking casual Cantonese.
Matt: All right, Nicole, let's move right into the dialogue.

Lesson conversation

今晚去酒吧飲酒?(gam1 maan1 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
啊.. (aa6...)
我請。(ngo5 ceng2.)
一定到。(jat1 ding6 dou3.)
English Host: One more time, a bit slower.
今晚去酒吧飲酒?(gam1 maan1 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
啊.. (aa6...)
我請。(ngo5 ceng2.)
一定到。(jat1 ding6 dou3.)
English Host: And now with the English translation.
今晚去酒吧飲酒?(gam1 maan1 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
Matt: Let's have a drink in the bar tonight.
啊.. (aa6...)
Matt: Uh...
我請。(ngo5 ceng2.)
Matt: My treat.
一定到。(jat1 ding6 dou3.)
Matt: I'll definitely be there.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Matt: Everybody likes a free drink. And as we can see here, our second speaker didn't change his mind until after he heard that the first one was treating.
Nicole: My treat! 我請! (ngo5 ceng2!)
Matt: You can make a lot of friends with these words.
Nicole: 我請! (ngo5 ceng2!)
Matt: Okay everyone. Drinks are on Nicole after this lesson!
Nicole: 咩話? (me1 waa2?)
Matt: We'll see you at the Victoria Hotel. Drinks on Nicole!
Nicole: Ha ha ha. That's a really nice bar.
Matt: And that's why you're treating us. It has a great washroom too.
Nicole: Anyway, it's about time for our vocab section.
Matt: Which is all about time!
Nicole: That's right. Let's start.
VOCAB LIST
Nicole: 夜晚(je6 maan5) [natural native speed]
Matt: Night.
Nicole: 夜晚(je6 maan5) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 夜晚(je6 maan5) [natural native speed]. 白日(baak6 jat6) [natural native speed]
Matt: Day.
Nicole: 白日(baak6 jat6) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 白日(baak6 jat6) [natural native speed]. 今晚(gam1 maan1) [natural native speed]
Matt: Tonight.
Nicole: 今晚(gam1 maan1) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 今晚(gam1 maan1) [natural native speed]. 聽晚(ting1 maan1) [natural native speed]
Matt: Tomorrow night.
Nicole: 聽晚(ting1 maan1) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 聽晚(ting1 maan1) [natural native speed]. 尋晚 (cam4 maan5)[natural native speed]
Matt: Last night.
Nicole: 尋晚(cam4 maan5) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 尋晚(cam4 maan5) [natural native speed]. 今日(gam1 jat6) [natural native speed]
Matt: Today.
Nicole: 今日(gam1 jat6) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 今日(gam1 jat6) [natural native speed]. 聽日(ting1 jat6) [natural native speed]
Matt: Tomorrow.
Nicole: 聽日(ting1 jat6) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 聽日(ting1 jat6) [natural native speed]. 尋日(cam4 jat6) [natural native speed]
Matt: Yesterday.
Nicole: 尋日(cam4 jat6) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 尋日(cam4 jat6) [natural native speed]. 酒吧(zau2 baa1) [natural native speed]
Matt: Bar.
Nicole: 酒吧(zau2 baa1) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 酒吧(zau2 baa1) [natural native speed]. 我請(ngo5 ceng2) [natural native speed]
Matt: My treat.
Nicole: 我請(ngo5 ceng2) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 我請(ngo5 ceng2) [natural native speed]. 一定(jat1 ding6) [natural native speed]
Matt: Definitely.
Nicole: 一定(jat1 ding6) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 一定(jat1 ding6) [natural native speed]. 到(dou3) [natural native speed]
Matt: To arrive.
Nicole: 到(dou3) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. 到(dou3) [natural native speed]
KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES
Matt: Wow, a lot of vocabulary today, Nicole.
Nicole: Yeah.
Matt: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of these words and phrases from today's lesson.
Nicole: All right. The first one is 今晚 (gam1 maan1)
Matt: This means tonight.
Nicole: 今晚 (gam1 maan1)
Matt: Literally, it's "today night."
Nicole: Right. This is a shorter way of saying 今日夜晚 (gam1 jat6 je6 maan5)
Matt: Which is "today at night."
Nicole: 今日夜晚(gam1 jat6 je6 maan5)... 今晚(gam1 maan1).
Matt: And that's what we heard in the dialogue. Want to go to a bar tonight?
Nicole: 今晚去酒吧飲酒?(gam1 maan1 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
Matt: But it's hard to invite someone out tonight because they don't really have time to prepare.
Nicole: Yeah, it's sort of last minute.
Matt: So how do we say tomorrow night?
Nicole: 聽晚 (ting1 maan1)
Matt: Tomorrow night.
Nicole: 聽晚(ting1 maan1)
Matt: And again this also is a contraction.
Nicole: Right. It is 聽日夜晚 (ting1 jat6 je6 maan5.)
Matt: Literally, tomorrow.
Nicole: 聽日 (ting1 jat6.)
Matt: Evening.
Nicole: 夜晚(je6 maan5). So 聽日夜晚 (ting1 jat6 je6 maan5), is 聽晚(ting1 maan5)[*or ting1 maan1]
Matt: So how do we ask someone out tomorrow night?
Nicole: 聽晚去酒吧飲酒?(gam1 maan1 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
Matt: Do you have time tomorrow night?
Nicole: 聽晚得唔得閒呀?(ting1 maan1 dak1 m4 dak1 haan4 aa3?)
Matt: And of course, remember this word.
Nicole: 我請 (ngo5 ceng2)
Matt: If they seem reluctant, make sure you tell them "Hey, my treat."
Nicole: 我請 (ngo5 ceng2)
Matt: It's my treat!
Nicole: 我請 (ngo5 ceng2)
Matt: Is it polite to buy drinks for people in Hong Kong?
Nicole: Of course it is!
Matt: So we should tell you that you're very polite, Nicole since you're treating us all to drinks at Victoria tonight. So if you meet someone, you can say "Would you like a drink? My treat."
Nicole: 想唔想飲酒,我請 (soeng2 m4 soeng2 jam2 zau2, ngo5 ceng2.)
Matt: In some parts of the US, people expect to buy their own drinks when they go out.
Nicole: Well, it's no problem in Hong Kong. Just say 想唔想飲酒,我請 (soeng2 m4 soeng2 jam2 zau2, ngo5 ceng2.)
Matt: Would you like a drink, my treat?
Nicole: Right.
Matt: Or we can order specific drinks.
Nicole: Right. 兩支啤酒,我請 (loeng5 zi1 be1 zau2, ngo5 ceng2).
Matt: Two bottles of beer, my treat!
Nicole: 兩杯威士忌,我請 (loeng5 bui1 wai1 si6 gei2, ngo5 ceng2).
Matt: Two glasses of whiskey, my treat!
Nicole: That's right. And whiskey here is 威士忌(wai1 si6 gei2), sounds quite similar to the English word.
Matt: You're right, it does. Now what should we say if someone buys us a drink?
Nicole: You either say 唔該 (m4 goi1.)
Matt: Thank you.
Nicole: Or you can say 正!(zeng3 !)
Matt: "Great!”

Lesson focus

Nicole: Now, let's move on to our grammar section.
Matt: All right, Nicole. I'm a little sad.
Nicole: Why?
Matt: Well because this is our last grammar point in our first Absolute Beginner series.
Nicole: So you can treat us drinks and that will make you happy and us happy.
Matt: I think that will make me even more sad. I'm sad because all of our listeners are graduating to the next level of Cantonese. But I'm also happy for them.
Nicole: Me too.
Matt: So let's get right into this one. The last grammar point…
Nicole: …and it's a good one.
Matt: Right. In the dialogue we heard this line.
Nicole: 今晚去酒吧飲酒?(gam1 maan1 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
Matt: Do you want to do to a bar tonight to drink?
Nicole: 今晚去酒吧飲酒?(gam1 maan1 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
Matt: What's new here is our time word that we've added in.
Nicole: 今晚(gam1 maan1)
Matt: Tonight.
Nicole: 今晚去酒吧飲酒?(gam1 maan1 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
Matt: And our grammar point is very easy. It's where to put time words in sentences.
Nicole: Very easy. Just stick them at the beginning of the sentence.
Matt: Easy enough, just drop it in there.
Nicole: Right. Like 我而家口渴 (ngo5 ji4 gaa1 hau2 hot3).
Matt: I am thirsty right now.
Nicole: 我而家口渴 (ngo5 ji4 gaa1 hau2 hot3.)
Matt: I am thirsty right now.
Nicole: Or 你今日忙唔忙?(nei5 gam1 jat6 mong4 m4 mong4?)
Matt: Are you busy today?
Nicole: Right 你今日忙唔忙?(nei5 gam1 jat6 mong4 m4 mong4?)
Matt: Now, technically, we can put time words either before or after our subject.
Nicole: That's right.
Matt: In our dialogue, our subject was implied. It was "we."
Nicole: 我哋(ngo5 dei6). 我哋今晚去酒吧飲酒?(ngo5 dei6 gam1 maan1 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
Matt: We could also say?
Nicole: 今晚我哋去酒吧飲酒?(gam1 maan1 ngo5 dei6 heoi3 zau2 baa1 jam2 zau2?)
Matt: So all we did is reverse the position of the subject and the time word and both will work.
Nicole: That's right.
Matt: So let's practice making some sentences with time words, Nicole.
Nicole: Okay.
Matt: And let's make this a game. First Nicole is going to say a sentence. We want you to try to translate it out loud before I do.
Nicole: 我夜晚去酒吧。(ngo5 je6 maan5 heoi3 zau2 baa1)
Matt: I go to bars at night.
Nicole: 我夜晚去酒吧。(ngo5 je6 maan5 heoi3 zau2 baa1)
Matt: I go to bars at night. And the time word here is night.
Nicole: 夜晚(je6 maan5). Next one, 佢白日做嘢。(keoi5 baak6 jat6 zou6 je5.)
Matt: He works in the day.
Nicole: 佢白日做嘢 (keoi5 baak6 jat6 zou6 je5).
Matt: He works in the day. And the time word is day.
Nicole: 白日(baak6 jat6) One more. 我尋晚去咗 (ngo5 cam4 maan5 heoi3 zo2)
Matt: I went out last night.
Nicole: 我尋晚去咗。(ngo5 cam4 maan5 heoi3 zo2.)
Matt: I went out last night. And the time word here is last night.
Nicole: 尋晚 (cam4 maan5)
Matt: Just remember to put your time word at the beginning of the sentence.
Nicole: Either before or after the subject.
Matt: And that's it.
Nicole: Easy.
Matt: And that brings us to the end of our first season of lessons for Absolute Beginners to Cantonese.
Nicole: You do sound sad.
Matt: I'm going to cry.
Nicole: So keep listening and soon you'll be at the elementary level.
Matt: Remember to get your hands on the PDFs and other tools.
Nicole: At CantoneseClass101.com.
Matt: And that just about does it for today. Remember, you can always leave us a comment on this lesson.
Nicole: So if you have a question or some feedback, please, please leave us a comment!
Matt: It's very easy to do. Just stop by CantoneseClass101.com,
Nicole: ...click on comment,
Matt: ...enter your comment and name,
Nicole: ...and that's it!
Matt: No excuses. We're looking forward to hearing from you!
Nicole: Thank you for tuning in. I'm Nicole.
Matt: And I'm Matt. Bon voyage.
Nicole: Bye-bye.

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