宋先生：史密斯先生你坐你坐，吃水果！
史密斯：宋先生你太客气了。
宋先生：哪里，开完会这么累还让你跑过来帮我儿子讲解英文，真是挺不好意思的。
史密斯：小事情。能帮到他我也很开心啊！
宋先生：那就好那就好。你坐一会儿看看电视，或者咱们聊聊天，一会儿饭菜就好了，我太太她速度蛮快的。
史密斯：好的好的。对了，突然想起一件事。可能要听听宋先生的意见。
宋先生：有什么帮得上你的只管讲。
史密斯：我昨天跟家里打电话的时候，我女儿索菲跟我说她对中国非常感兴趣。我感觉她特别好奇，也想过来看看。所以和她商量了之后，准备让她这个暑假来北京读个语言学校，顺便闲暇时间可以四处逛逛，感受一下。想问问你对北京的语言学校有什么了解吗？如果能推荐一下的话那就再好不过了。
宋先生：史密斯先生你还真是问对人了！我之前接待好多美国人，他们也想去语言学校，我还专门去调查过几个学校。
史密斯：宋先生您真是敬业啊！
宋先生：哪里哪里。我建议三所学校：北京语言大学是非常好的，平常都有开设短期培训班；北京师范大学汉语文化学院也很不错，很正规；另外，北京国际汉语学院也可以考虑。
史密斯：我这一下子记不住，我拿手机记一下吧。
宋先生：不用不用，回头我给你发邮件，把这些学校的信息和网站发给你。这样你女儿也方便做个比较。
史密斯：宋先生您真是太好了，我都不知道怎么感谢你啊。
宋先生：谢什么，这次我的任务，就是招待好你们，让你们满意而归嘛！来来，饭菜都准备好了。我们开饭吧！
史密斯：我还没有到中国人家里吃过饭，这是第一次。中国人是不是一般喜欢请别人在外面吃？
宋先生：是的，在外面吃我们叫“应酬”。一般商务谈判啊，工作伙伴啊，礼尚往来的肯定都是外面吃，只有关系非常好的私交朋友才会叫到家里吃饭。
史密斯：看来宋先生已经把我当很好的朋友了啊！
宋先生：这次我被安排专门招待来开会的外国友人，正好认识史密斯先生你，也是缘分啊！说起来，你来中国也有一个月了，时间过得真快。
史密斯：是啊，快回去了，真是有点舍不得。
宋先生：以后肯定还会再来的，到时候记得联系我啊。
史密斯：一定一定。
Sòng xiānsheng: Shǐmìsī xiānsheng nǐ zuò nǐ zuò, chī shuǐguǒ!
Shǐmìsī: Sòng xiānsheng nǐ tài kèqile.
Sòng xiānsheng: Nǎlǐ, kāiwán huì zhème lèi hái ràng nǐ pǎoguòlai bāng wǒ érzi jiǎngjiě yīngwén, zhēnshì tǐng bùhǎoyìsi de.
Shǐmìsī: Xiǎo shìqing. Néng bāngdào tā wǒ yě hěn kāixīn a!
Sòng xiānsheng: Nà jiù hǎo nà jiù hǎo. Nǐ zuò yìhuǐr kànkan diànshì, huòzhě zánmen liáoliaotiān, yìhuǐr fàncài jiù hǎole, wǒ tàitai tā sùdù mán kuài de.
Shǐmìsī: Hǎo de hǎo de. Duìle, tūrán xiǎngqǐ yí jiàn shì. Kěnéng yào tīngting Sòng xiānsheng de yìjiàn.
Sòng xiānsheng: Yǒu shénme bāngdeshàng nǐ de zhǐ guǎnjiǎng.
Shǐmìsī: Wǒ zuótiān gēn jiālǐ dǎ diànhuà de shíhou, wǒ nǚér Suǒfēi gēn wǒ shuō tā duì Zhōngguó fēicháng gǎn xìngqu. Wǒ gǎnjué tā tèbié hàoqí, yě xiǎng guòlái kànkan. Suǒyǐ hé tā shāngliangle zhīhòu, zhǔnbèi ràng tā zhège shǔjià lái Běijīng dú ge yǔyán xuéxiào, shùnbiàn xiánxiá shíjiān kěyǐ sìchù guàngguang, gǎnshòu yíxià. Xiǎng wènwen nǐ duì Běijīng de yǔyán xuéxiào yǒu shénme liǎojiě ma? Rúguǒ néng tuījiàn yíxià de huà nà jiù zài hǎo bú guòle.
Sòng xiānsheng: Shǐmìsī xiānsheng nǐ hái zhēnshì wèn duì rén le! Wǒ zhīqián jiēdài hǎo duō Měiguórén, tāmen yě xiǎng qù yǔyán xuéxiào, wǒ hái zhuānmén qù diàocháguo jǐ ge xuéxiào.
Shǐmìsī: Sòng xiānsheng nín zhēnshì jìngyè a!
Sòng xiānsheng: Nǎlǐ nǎlǐ. Wǒ jiànyì sān suǒ xuéxiào: Běijīng Yǔyán Dàxué shì fēicháng hǎo de, píngcháng dōu yǒu kāishè duǎnqī péixùnbān；Běijīng Shīfàn Dàxué Hànyǔ Wénhuà Xuéyuàn yě hěn búcuò, hěn zhèngguī；lìngwài, Běijīng Guójì Hànyǔ Xuéyuàn yě kěyǐ kǎolǜ.
Shǐmìsī: Wǒ zhè yíxiàzi jìbuzhù, wǒ ná shǒujī jì yíxià ba.
Sòng xiānsheng: Bú yòng bú yòng, huítóu wǒ gěi nǐ fā yóujiàn, bǎ zhèxiē xuéxiào de xìnxī hé wǎngzhàn fāgěi nǐ. Zhèyàng nǐ nǚér yě fāngbiàn zuò ge bǐjiào.
Shǐmìsī: Sòng xiānsheng nín zhēnshì tài hǎole, wǒ dōu bù zhīdào zěnme gǎnxiè nǐ a.
Sòng xiānsheng: Xiè shénme, zhècì wǒ de rènwu, jiù shi zhāodàihǎo nǐmen, ràng nǐmen mǎnyì ér guī ma! Lái lái, fàncài dōu zhǔnbèihǎole. wǒmen kāifàn ba!
Shǐmìsī: Wǒ hái méi yǒu dào Zhōngguórén jiālǐ chīguo fàn, zhè shi dì-yī cì. Zhōngguórén shì bu shì yìbān xǐhuān qǐng biérén zài wàimian chī?
Sòng xiānsheng: Shì de, zài wàimian chī wǒmen jiào "yìngchou". Yìbān shāngwù tánpàn a, gōngzuò huǒbàn a, lǐshàng wǎnglái de kěndìng dōu shì wàimian chī, zhǐ yǒu guānxi fēicháng hǎo de sījiāo péngyou cái huì jiào dào jiālǐ chīfàn.
Shǐmìsī: Kànlái Sòng xiānsheng yǐjīng bǎ wǒ dàng hěn hǎo de péngyou le a!
Sòng xiānsheng: Zhè cì wǒ bèi ānpái zhuānmén zhāodài lái kāihuì de wàiguó yǒurén, zhènghǎo rènshi Shǐmìsī xiānsheng nǐ, yě shì yuánfèn a! Shuōqǐlái, nǐ lái Zhōngguó yě yǒu yí ge yuè le, shíjiān guòde zhēn kuài.
Shǐmìsī: Shì a, kuài huíqule, zhēnshì yǒudiǎn shěbudé.
Sòng xiānsheng: Yǐhòu kěndìng hái huì zài lái de, dào shíhou jìde liánxì wǒ a.
Shǐmìsī: Yídìng yídìng.
Vocab and notes
水果 shuǐguǒ ‘fruit’
你太客气了 nǐ tài kèqile ‘you’re too good/kind to me’
哪里 nǎlǐ ‘not at all’ (when refusing thanks or a compliment; often repeated)
开完会 kāiwán huì ‘after (finishing) the meeting’. 完 Wán ‘finish’ is a resultative complement.
这么累 zhème lèi ‘so tired’
还 hái ‘still; also’
让 ràng ‘cause, let, ask’
跑过来 pǎoguòlai ‘come here’. 跑 Pǎo on its own means ‘run’. Other examples: 她特地跑过来看望我。 Tā tèdì pǎoguòlai kànwàng wǒ. ‘She came to see me specially.’ It is sometimes abbreviated to 跑来 pǎolái, e.g. 他跑来找我借钱。 Tā pǎolái zhǎo wǒ jié qián. ‘He came here to borrow money from me.’
儿子 érzi ‘son’
讲解 jiǎngjiě ‘explain’
真是 zhēnshì ‘really’
不好意思 bùhǎoyìsi ‘embarrassing, sorry’
小事情。Xiǎo shìqing. ‘It’s a small thing. It doesn’t matter.’
帮到 bāngdào ‘help’. 到 Dào is a resultative complement indicating successful completion of an action.
开心 kāixīn ‘happy’
一会儿 yìhuǐr ‘(in a) while’
看电视 kàn diànshì ‘watch the television’
聊天 liáotiān ‘chat’
饭菜 fàncài ‘meal’
太太 tàitai ‘wife’
速度 sùdù ‘speed’
蛮快 mán kuài ‘quite quick’
对了，突然想起一件事。 Duìle, tūrán xiǎngqǐ yí jiàn shì. ‘Mm, I suddenly thought of something.’ 件 Jiàn is a measure word for things.
可能 kěnéng ‘perhaps’
听 tīng ‘listen
意见 yìjiàn ‘opinion’
帮得上 bāngdeshàng ‘can help’. 上 Shàng is a potential complement. Other examples: 这件事我也帮不上什么。 Zhè jiàn shì wǒ yě bāngbushàng shénme. ‘I can't help you at all with this.’ 如果帮得上我早就帮了。 Rúguǒ bāngdeshàng wǒ zǎojiù bāngle. ‘If I could have helped you，I would have done it long since.’
只管 zhǐguǎn ‘simply’
讲 jiǎng ‘speak’
昨天 zuótiān ‘yesterday
家里 jiālǐ ‘home, my family’
跟…打电话 gēn … dǎ diànhuà ‘to telephone …’
… 的时候 … de shíhou ‘when …’
女儿 nǚér ‘daughter’
对感兴趣 duì … gǎn xìngqu ‘be interested in …’
感觉 gǎnjué ‘feel, think that’
特别好奇 tèbié hàoqí ‘especially curious
过来 guòlai ‘come over’
和她商量了之后 hé tā shāngliangle zhīhòu ‘after discussing with her’
准备 zhǔnbèi ‘prepare’
让 ràng ‘cause, let’
暑假 shǔjià ‘summer holiday’
读个语言学校 dú ge yǔyán xuéxiào ‘go to a language school’
顺便 shùnbiàn ‘at her etc. convenience’
闲暇时间 xiánxiá shíjiān ‘leisure time’
四处逛逛 sìchù guàngguang ‘visit everywhere’
感受 gǎnshòu ‘get a feeling about, take a view about, experience’. Other examples: 这里的冬天极其寒冷，你可以感受一下。Zhělǐ de dōngtiān jíqí hánlěng, nǐ kěyǐ gǎnshòu yíxià. ‘The winter here is very cold, you can feel it yourself.’ 让我们感受一下北京的文化。Ràng wǒmen gǎnshòu yíxià Běijīng de wénhuà. ‘Let’s experience the culture of Beijing.’
了解 liǎojiě ‘understanding’
推荐 tuījiàn ‘recommend’
在好不过 zài hǎo bú guò 'could not be better'
你还真是问对人了！ Nǐ hái zhēnshì wèn duì rén le! ‘You’re talking to the right person!’
之前 zhīqián ‘previously’
接待 jiēdài ‘entertain, look after’
专门 zhuānmén ‘specially’
调查 diàochá ‘check out, investigate’
敬业 jìngyè ‘dedicated’
所 suǒ (measure word for organizations)
建议 jiànyì ‘suggest’
平常 píngcháng ‘usually’
开设 kāishè ‘set up’
短期培训班 duǎnqī péixùnbān ‘short training courses’
师范 shīfàn ‘normal, teacher-training’
文化学院 wénhuà xuéyuàn ‘cultural institute’
不错 búcuò ‘good’
正规 zhèngguī ‘official, standard’. 正规 means it is run by the official authorities, or has official permission and license. It is frequently used in China, e.g. 正规医院 zhèngguī yīyuàn ‘official hospital’, 正规药店 zhèngguī yàodiàn ‘licensed chemist’, 正规旅行团 zhèngguī lǚxíngtuán ‘ofiicial tour group’.
另外 lìngwài ‘in addition’
国际 guójì ‘international’
考虑 kǎolǜ ‘consider’
一下子 yíxiàzi ‘all of a sudden’
记不住 jìbuzhù ‘can’t remember’
手机 shǒujī ‘mobile phone’
记 jì 'enter/put in (data)'
回头我给你发邮件 huítóu wǒ gěi nǐ fā yóujiàn ‘I’ll send an email to you later’
信息和网站 xìnxī hé wǎngzhàn ‘information and websites’
方便 fāngbiàn ‘convenient’
比较 bǐjiào ‘comparison’
感谢 gǎnxiè ‘to thank’
任务 rènwu ‘responsibility’
招待好 zhāodàihǎo ‘receive, entertain’. 好 Hǎo is a resultative complement.
满意而归 mǎnyì ér guī ‘go home satisfied’ Cf. 满载而归 mǎnzài ér guī ‘come back with fruitful results’
嘛 ma (sentence final particle adding the idea of "is it not the case that")
开饭 kāifàn 'serve a meal'
家里 jiālǐ ‘home’
第一次 dì-yī cì ‘the first time’
一般 yìbān ‘generally’
别人 biérén ‘other people’
外面 wàimian ‘out(side)’
应酬 yìngchou ‘social niceties’
商务谈判 shāngwù tánpàn ‘business negotiations’
工作伙伴 gōngzuò huǒbàn ‘working partner(ship)’
礼尚往来 lǐshàng wǎnglái ‘return politeness for politeness, reciprocity’
肯定 kěndìng ‘certainly’
关系 guānxi ‘relationship’
私交朋友 sījiāo péngyou ‘close personal friend’
看来 kànlai ‘apparently, it seems that’
当 dàng is short for 当做 dàngzuò ‘regard/treat as. Other examples: 他把我当他妹妹一样对待。 Tā bǎ wǒ dàng tā mèimei yíyàng duìdài. ‘He treats me like his sister.’ 他当我不存在一样。 Tā dàng wǒ bù cúnzài yíyàng. ‘He treats me as if I don’t exist.‘
安排 ānpái ‘arrange, assign’
外国友人 wàiguó yǒurén ‘foreign friends’
正好 zhènghǎo ‘just in time, by chance’
认识 rènshi ‘(get to) know’
缘分 yuánfèn ‘destiny, fate, predestined affinity’
说起来 shuōqǐlái ‘put it this way, speaking of that’
快回去了 kuài huíqule ‘I’ll be going home soon’. Note the use of 快 …了 kuài … le or 要 … 了 yào … le with a future meaning.
你来中国也有一个月了，时间过得真快。 Nǐ lái Zhōngguó yě yǒu yí ge yuè le, shíjiān guò de zhēn kuài. You have already been in China for a month, time flies!
也 Yě shows a feeling of surprise, or a sense of emotion.
舍不得 shěbudé ‘reluctant, begrudge’
以后 yǐhòu ‘later, in the future’
肯定 kěndìng ‘certainly’
到时候 dào shíhou ‘at that time’
记得 jìde ‘remember’
联系 liánxì ‘to contact’
一定 yídìng ‘certainly’
Mr Song: Mr Smith, please take a seat and have some fruit.
Mr Smith: You’re too kind to me.
Mr Song: Not at all, you are so tired after the meeting and I’m still asking you to come over and help explain English to my son, I really feel quite embarrassed.
Mr Smith: It’s only a small thing. If I’m able to help him I’ll be really happy!
Mr Song: That’s really good. Let’s sit and watch the television for a while, or we can chat and dinner will be ready in a while. My wife works quite quickly.
Mr Smith: All right. Mm, I just thought of something. Perhaps I should ask your opinion.
Mr Song: If there’s something I can help you with, just say so.
Mr Smith: When I phoned home yesterday, my daughter, Sophie told me she was really interested in China. I think she’s really curious about it and thinking of coming over and having a look around. So after discussing it with her I'm preparing to let her come to Beijing this summer holiday and study at a language school. In her free time she could travel around everywhere at her convenience and get experience. I wanted to ask you whether you knew about language schools in Beijing? If you could recommend some that would be the best thing.
Mr Song: Mr Smith, you’re really talking to the right person! Previously I’ve looked after quite a few Americans, they also wanted to go to language schools and so I went specially to survey several schools.
Mr Smith: Mr Song, you are very dedicated!
Mr Song: Not really. I suggest three schools: Beijing Language [and Culture] University is very good and usually sets up short-term training courses; the College of Chinese Language & Culture, Beijing Normal University is also good and has official status; in addition, Beijing International Chinese College may also be considered.
Mr Smith: I can’t remember all that at once, let me type it into my phone.
Mr Song: You don’t need to; I’ll send you an e-mail later with information about and the websites of the schools. That way your daughter can conveniently make a comparison.
Mr Smith: Mr Song, you’re too good to me; I don’t know how to thank you.
Mr Song: There’s no need to thank me for that, as it is my duty to look after you and make you satisfied! Come, the meal is ready; let's eat!
Mr Smith: I’ve never yet had a meal in a Chinese person’s home; it’s my first time. Don’t Chinese people generally like to eat out with other people?
Mr Song: Yes, we call eating out “yingchou (social niceties)”. In general for reciprocity such as business negotiations, work partnerships etc. we certainly eat out and only close personal friends we get on with well are asked home for dinner.
Mr Smith: It looks like you already regard me as a good friend!
Mr Song: It was lucky that I was assigned specially to look after foreign friends coming for a conference and met you and it’s also fate! Talking of which, you’ve already been in China for a month; the time is passing very quickly.
Mr Smith: Yes, I’ll be going back soon; I really feel a little reluctant to go.
Mr Song: You’ll certainly come again in the future and remember to contact me at that time.
Mr Smith: I certainly will.