Lesson 169 What subject do you like most?

M: Peng2you3men. Ni3men hao3! Huan1ying2 shou1ting1 Xian4zai4 Xue2 Han4yu3. Wo3 shi4 ML.

S: Da4 jia1 hao3. Wo3 shi4 Stuart. Let's start with a real test. Everybody say, This is my big sister's daughter. She is nine. She goes to primary school, grade 4.

M: Hen3 hao3 这是我姐姐的女儿。她九岁. 她上小学四年级 zhe4 shi4 wo3 jie3jie de nv3er2. Ta1 jiu3 sui4. Ta1 shang4 xiao3xue2 si4 nian2ji2.

S: And do you remember how to say, Who is this? Dui4 le. 这是谁 zhe4 shi4 shei2?

M: Who? 谁 shui2 SHUI shui2, is often pronounced ‘shei2', SHEI, shei2. So you could say, 这是谁？Zhe4 shi4 shei2? Now for a brief conversation, still looking at photos, zhao4pian4.

S: 这是谁 zhe4 shi4 shui2?

M: 这是我哥哥的女儿 zhe4 shi4 wo3 ge1ge de nv3er.

S: 她上中学了吗 ta1 shang4 zhong1xue2le ma?

M: Shi4 de. 二年级 er4 nian2ji2.

S: What subjects does she like most? 她最喜欢什么学科 ta1 zui4 xi3huan1 shen2me xue2ke1?

M: Maths. 她最喜欢数学 ta1 zui4 xi3huan1 shu4xue2.

S: Ah, 这是谁 zhe4 shi4 shei2?

M: 我丈夫的弟弟 wo3 zhang4fu de di4di. 他上大学了 ta1 shang4 da4 xue2le.

S: What does he study? 他学什么 ta1 xue2 shen2me?

M: Zoology, and also chemistry 他学动物学, 也学化学 ta1 xue2 dong4wu xue2, ye3 xue2 hua4xue2.

S: What year will he graduate? 他哪年毕业 ta1 nei3 nian2 bi4ye4?

M: 他明年毕业 ta1 ming2 nian2 bi4ye4.

S: Now for the new things. I asked, 她最喜欢什么学科?

M: ta1 zui4 xi3huan1 shen2me xue2ke1? 最喜欢 , literally, ‘most like', meaning ‘like the most'. The zui4 is the same zui4 as in ‘best' 最好的zui4 hao3 de.

S: Or ‘worst' 最差的 zui4 cha4 de. Everybody say, on your own, ‘this is the worst, that is the best'.

M: Hen3 hao3. 这是最差的，那是最好的 zhe4 shi4 zui4 cha4 de, na4 shi4 zui4 hao3 de.

S: Back to, ta1 zui4 xi3huan1 shen2me xue2ke1?

M: 学科 XUE KE xue2ke1 is an ‘academic subject' xue2ke.

S: So, everybody say, What subject do you like most?

M: Fei1chang2 hao3. 你最喜欢什么学科 ni3 zui4 xi3huan1 shen2me xue2ke1?

S: And many subjects end in 学, like in ‘number xue2, shu4xue2, maths.

M: If 化 HUA hua4 means ‘change' ‘transform', can you guess what 化学 hua4xue2 is? I bet you said ‘chemistry' the science of transforming substances, hua4xue2.

M: And we'll finish with –

S: Ah, who's this? 这是谁 zhe4 shi4 shei2?

M: 我丈夫的弟弟 wo3 zhang4fu de di4di. He goes to university 他上大学了。Ta1 shang4 da4 xue2le.

S: Lastly, I asked, What year will he graduate? 他哪年毕业? 毕业 BI YE bi4ye4, to graduate, bi4ye4.

M: Next year. 他明年毕业 ta1 ming2 nian2 bi4ye4.

S: And we will ming2tian1 jian4.

M: zai4 jian4!