Learn how to say "should" or "ought to"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Hello and welcome to the Lower Beginner series at CantoneseClass101.com. This is Season 1, Lesson 14, Searching for That Lucky Taxi in Hong Kong. I'm Eric. |
| Teddy: 哈囉！(haa1 lo3!) And I'm Teddy! |
| Eric: In this lesson you’ll learn how to get a taxi. |
| Teddy: This dialogue takes place on the street… |
| Eric: ...between two friends, Jane and Wendy. |
| Teddy: And this is in casual Cantonese. |
| Eric: Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Jane: 邊度有的士？(bin1 dou6 jau5 dik1 si2?) |
| Wendy: 嗰度有架空車。(go2 dou6 jau5 gaa3 hung1 ce1.) |
| Jane: 你應該話「吉車」！(nei5 jing1 goi1 waa6 "gat1 ce1"!) |
| Wendy: 係？點解呀？(hai6? dim2 gaai2 aa3?) |
| Eric: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Jane: 邊度有的士？(bin1 dou6 jau5 dik1 si2?) |
| Wendy: 嗰度有架空車。(go2 dou6 jau5 gaa3 hung1 ce1.) |
| Jane: 你應該話「吉車」！(nei5 jing1 goi1 waa6 "gat1 ce1"!) |
| Wendy: 係？點解呀？(hai6? dim2 gaai2 aa3?) |
| Eric: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| Jane: 邊度有的士？(bin1 dou6 jau5 dik1 si2?) |
| Eric: Where can I find a taxi? |
| Wendy: 嗰度有架空車。(go2 dou6 jau5 gaa3 hung1 ce1.) |
| Eric: There's an empty one over there. |
| Jane: 你應該話「吉車」！(nei5 jing1 goi1 waa6 "gat1 ce1"!) |
| Eric: You should say a "lucky" one! |
| Wendy: 係？點解呀？(hai6? dim2 gaai2 aa3?) |
| Eric: Really? Why is that? |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Eric: Is it common for people to ride in taxis in Hong Kong? |
| Teddy: Oh, yes. Compared to other countries, taxi fares in Hong Kong are quite cheap. |
| Eric: What's the starting fare? |
| Teddy: First you need to pay HK$22 for the first 2 kilometers. |
| Eric: What about after that? |
| Teddy: It'll be an additional $1.60 for every 200 meters. However, if it is long haul, then after the meter reaches $78, the charge will be only $1.00 every 200 meters. |
| Eric: So how much does it usually cost to go downtown from the airport? |
| Teddy: Let's say we want to go to TST or 尖沙咀 (zim1 saa1 zeoi2), which is on the Kowloon peninsula. It'll cost about $250 if the traffic is smooth. It'll be $350 if you go to Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island because there is an extra fee for the cross harbor tunnel. |
| Eric: I see. I wonder if it is very cheap traveling in town since Hong Kong is such a small place. |
| Teddy: It is. It costs around $50 to go from Central to Causeway Bay, or from Mongkok to TST. |
| Eric: Is it easy to get a taxi? |
| Teddy: There are usually a lot of taxis on the street and at taxi stands. But during rush hour, it can be very hard to get a taxi. |
| Eric: Why is that? |
| Teddy: Many people do not drive in Hong Kong. So during rush hour—say, between eight or nine o'clock in the morning when people are going to work, or after work between six and seven o'clock in the evening when people are going out to dinner or going home—it is extremely hard to get a taxi. |
| Eric: Oh, then I'll have to avoid travelling during those hours. |
| Teddy: Right. Not to mention the buses and MTR will be packed as well. |
| Eric: Okay, now let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| The first word we shall see is: |
| 邊度 (bin1 dou6) [natural native speed] |
| where |
| 邊度 (bin1 dou6) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 邊度 (bin1 dou6) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 的士 (dik1 si2) [natural native speed] |
| taxi |
| 的士 (dik1 si2) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 的士 (dik1 si2) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 嗰度 (go2 dou6) [natural native speed] |
| there |
| 嗰度 (go2 dou6) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 嗰度 (go2 dou6) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 空 (hung1) [natural native speed] |
| empty |
| 空 (hung1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 空 (hung1) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 車 (ce1) [natural native speed] |
| car |
| 車 (ce1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 車 (ce1) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 應該 (jing1 goi1) [natural native speed] |
| should |
| 應該 (jing1 goi1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 應該 (jing1 goi1) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 吉 (gat1) [natural native speed] |
| lucky, auspicious |
| 吉 (gat1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 吉 (gat1) [natural native speed] |
| And Last: |
| 點解 (dim2 gaai2) [natural native speed] |
| why |
| 點解 (dim2 gaai2) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 點解 (dim2 gaai2) [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Eric: Let's take a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. What are we starting with? |
| Teddy: 邊度 (bin1 dou6). |
| Eric: I remember this is one of the interrogative words we talked about before. |
| Teddy: Yes. 邊度 (bin1 dou6) means "where." |
| Eric: What does each character mean? |
| Teddy: 邊 (bin1) means "which" in Cantonese, and 度 (dou6) is "spot," "degree," or "exact point" when you measure something. |
| Eric: When you put the two words together… |
| Teddy: 邊度 (bin1 dou6) means "which exact point" so it means "where." |
| Eric: That makes sense. |
| Teddy: When we ask 邊度有 (bin1 dou6 jau5), it means, "Where would there be..." |
| Eric: I see. So for, "Where would there be a taxi?" |
| Teddy: We'll say, 邊度有的士? (bin1 dou6 jau5 dik1 si2?) |
| Eric: How about, "Where would there be a toilet?" Or simply, "Where can I find a toilet?" |
| Teddy: 邊度有廁所？ (bin1 dou6 jau5 ci3 so2?) |
| Eric: Ok. Then how do we answer questions like that? |
| Teddy: We use 嗰度 (go2 dou6) to say "there" or "over there." So if we were to say, "There is a taxi over there," then we say 嗰度有的士. (go2 dou6 jau5 dik1 si2.) |
| Eric: Can you repeat the question and the answer please? |
| Teddy: 邊度有的士? (bin1 dou6 jau5 dik1 si2?) [pause] 嗰度有的士. (go2 dou6 jau5 dik1 si2.) |
| Eric: "Where can I find a taxi? There is a taxi." |
| Teddy: Excellent! And to say "here," we use 呢度 (ni1 dou6.) For example, 邊度有廁所？ (bin1 dou6 jau5 ci3 so2?) |
| Eric: "Where can I find a toilet?" |
| Teddy: 呢度有廁所. (ni1 dou6 jau5 ci3 so2.) |
| Eric: "There’s a toilet here." Teddy, please repeat the words for "where," "there," and "here." Listeners, repeat after Teddy. |
| Teddy: 邊度. (bin1 dou6.) [pause] |
| Eric: "Where." |
| Teddy: 嗰度. (go2 dou6.) |
| Eric: "There." |
| Teddy: 呢度. (ni1 dou6.) |
| Eric: "Here." Okay, now onto the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Eric: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say “should” or "ought to." |
| Teddy: Yes, when we try to correct someone, we say you should, or you ought to. This phrase in Cantonese is 應該. (jing1 goi1.) |
| Eric: Do you put this phrase in front of the verb as well? |
| Teddy: Yes. 你應該食 (nei5 jing3 goi1 sik6) means, "You should eat." |
| Eric: What about, "You should sleep?" |
| Teddy: 你應該瞓 or 你應該瞓覺 (nei5 jing3 goi1 fan3 or nei5 jing3 goi1 fan3 gaau3) |
| Eric: For, "You should speak…" |
| Teddy: 你應該講. (nei5 jing3 goi1 gong2.) |
| Eric: In the dialogue, Jane says, "You should say…" |
| Teddy: Depending on the situation, it can be 你應該講 or 你應該話. (nei5 jing3 goi1 gong2 or nei5 jing3 goi1 waa6.) |
| Eric: How about, "You should not do something?" Where do we put the "not?" |
| Teddy: We'd say 唔應該 (m4 jing3 goi1), or "should not." |
| Eric: So to say, "You should not eat," it’d be... |
| Teddy: 你唔應該食 (nei5 m4 jing3 goi1 sik6) |
| Eric: "You should not sleep." |
| Teddy: 你唔應該瞓 (nei5 m4 jing3 goi1 fan3) |
| Eric: "You should not say…" |
| Teddy: 你唔應該話... (nei5 m4 jing3 goi1 waa6 ...) |
| Eric: "You should not say, 'Sorry!'" |
| Teddy: 你唔應該講對唔住! (nei5 m4 jing3 goi1 gong2 deoi3 m4 zyu6 !) |
| Eric: Ok, let's hear the set phrase "should" again. Listeners, repeat after Teddy. |
| Teddy: 應該. (jing1 goi1.) [pause] |
| Eric: "Should; ought to." |
| Teddy: 唔應該. (m4 jing3 goi1 .) [pause] |
| Eric: "Should not; ought not." |
Outro |
| Eric: And that's it for this lesson! Now we should say goodbye to our listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone! |
| Teddy: 應該講拜拜! 拜拜! (jing3 goi1 gong2 baai1 baai3 ! baai1 baai3 !) |
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