Lesson 118 - Sports (2)

Yajie:  It’s time to perfect Chinese your way in only five minutes a day.  Welcome to Chinese Studio on China Radio International.  Wo shi Yajie.
Chris:  And wo shi Chris.  We are talking about sports this week Yajie, a topic that I love a lot.
Yajie:  That’s good to know, Chris. Today, we are going to continue with more of that in Chinese.
Chris:  Let’s start with Key Words of the Day.

Key Words of the Day
baseball 棒球(bang4qiu2) American football 橄榄球 (gan3lan3qiu2), Which sports match do you like to watch? 你喜欢看什么体育比赛？(Ni3 xi3huan kan4 shen2me ti3yu4 bi3sai4?) I am a baseball fan. 我是棒球迷。(wo3 shi4 bang4qiu2 mi3.) Can you play rugby? 你打橄榄球吗？(Ni3 hui4 da3 gan3lan3 qiu2 ma?) All in today’s Chinese Studio.

Yajie: As you just heard,  baseball is 棒球(bang4qiu2).
Chris: 棒球(bang4qiu2), and another number one spectator sport in North America is American football, so what’s the Chinese for that?
Yajie: it’s 橄榄球 (gan3lan3qiu2)
Chris: 橄榄球 (gan3lan3qiu2).
Yajie: 橄榄 means olive in Chinese. Thus it gets the name because the shape looks similar to an olive.
Chris: 橄榄球 (gan3lan3qiu2).  Now Yajie, sometimes I want to ask my Chinese friends what kind of sports match they like to watch. But I don’t know how to say that in Chinese.
Yajie: It’s你喜欢看什么体育比赛？(Ni3 xi3huan kan4 shen2me ti3yu4 bi3sai4?))
Chris: 你喜欢看什么体育比赛？(Ni3 xi3huan kan4 shen2me ti3yu4 bi3sai4?))
Yajie: 你 (ni3), means you.
Chris: 你 (ni3)
Yajie: 喜欢 (xi3huan), like to.
Chris: 喜欢 (xi3huan)
Yajie: 看(kan4), to watch.
Chris: 看(kan4)
Yajie: 什么 (shen2me), what.
Chris: 什么 (shen2me)
Yajie: 体育 (ti3yu4), sports.
Chris: 体育 (ti3yu4)
Yajie: 比赛 (bi3sai4), match.
Chris: 比赛 (bi3sai4)
Yajie: 你喜欢看什么体育比赛？(Ni3 xi3huan kan4 shen2me ti3yu4 bi3sai4?))
Chris: 你喜欢看什么体育比赛？(Ni3 xi3huan kan4 shen2me ti3yu4 bi3sai4?) Which sports do you like to watch?

Conversation1:

Chris: Yajie, I like watching baseball, and I’m a baseball fan. What’s the Chinese for that?
Yajie: In Chinese I’m a baseball fan is我是棒球迷。(wo3 shi4 bang4qiu2 mi3.)
Chris:  我是棒球迷。(wo3 shi4 bang4qiu2 mi3.)
Yajie: Right. 我是(wo3 shi4), I am.
Chris: 我是(wo3 shi4)
Yajie: 棒球(bang4qiu2), baseball. We mentioned it just now.
Chris: 棒球(bang4qiu2)
Yajie: 迷 (mi3), means a person who loves something very much, a fan.
Chris: I see, 迷(mi3)
Yajie: 棒球迷(bang4qiu2 mi3), baseball fan.
Chris: 棒球迷(bang4qiu2 mi3)
Yajie: 我是棒球迷。(wo3 shi4 bang4qiu2 mi3.)
Chris: 我是棒球迷。(wo3 shi4 bang4qiu2 mi3.) I am a baseball fan.

Conversation2:

Chris: Can you play American football?
Yajie: Not really… but some of the younger kids that I know they do play American football.
Chris: Cool! And could you please tell me how to ask that in Chinese?
Yajie: Sure. You can say “你会打橄榄球吗？(Ni3 hui4 da3 gan3lan3 qiu2 ma?)”
Chris: 你会打橄榄球吗？(Ni3 hui4 da3 gan3lan3 qiu2 ma?)
Yajie: 你 (ni3), you.
Chris: 你 (ni3)
Yajie: 会，be able to.
Chris: 会. (hui4)
Yajie: 打(da3), d-a, the third tone, here means to play.
Chris: 打(da3)
Yajie: 橄榄球 (gan3lan3 qiu2), American football.
Chris: 橄榄球 (gan3lan3 qiu2)
Yajie: 吗 (ma) is a question mark.
Chris: 吗 (ma)
Yajie: 你会打橄榄球吗？(Ni3 hui4 da3 gan3lan3 qiu2 ma?)
Chris: 你会打橄榄球吗？(Ni3 hui4 da3 gan3lan3 qiu2 ma?) Can you play American football?