Lesson 170 It's my birthday today

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

S: Wo3 shi4 Stuart. ML, have you bought a present? 你买了礼物没有？ni3 mai3le li3wu4 mei2 you3?

M: I haven't bought a present！我没有买礼物 wo3 mei2you3 mai3 li3wu4. Why should I buy a present?

S: Because it's my birthday today 因为今天是我的生日 yin1wei2 jin1 tian1 shi4 wo3 de sheng1ri4.

M: 今天是你的生日 jin1 tian1 shi4 ni3 de sheng1ri4. I wish you happy birthday 祝你生日快乐 zhu4 ni3 sheng1ri4 kuai4le4.

S: xie4xie4. But wher's my present? 但是，我的礼物在哪儿 wo3 de li3wu4 zai4 nar3.

M: 好，我去买 wo3 qu4 mai3. What do you want 你要什么礼物 ni3 yao4 shen2me li3wu4.

S: The more expensive, the better. 越贵越好 yue4 gui4 yue4 hao3.

M: Typical Stuart!

S: Hey guys, it's not really my sheng1ri4, but I might get a present out of ML. Ok, the new stuff. I asked 你买了礼物没有?

M: ni3 mai3le li3wu4 mei2 you3? Remember? A 礼物 LI WU li3wu4 is a ‘present', li3wu4.

S: And here we have a common way of making a question. Hear the mei2 you3, instead of the little ma, at the end? It turns, You buy present, into a question, just like 吗ma on the end.
Have you bought a present, ni3 mai3 li3wu4le mei2 you3?

M: Here's some examples. Are you married? 你结婚了没有 ni3 jie2hun1 le mei2 you3?

S: Have you eaten, 你吃了没有? ni3 chi1 le mei2 you3?

M: Back to the text. My simple answer was没有, mei2you3. 我没买礼物 wo3 mei2you3 mai3 li3wu4. Why should I? 我为什么要买礼物? Wo3 wei4 shen2me yao4mai3 li3wu4?

S: 因为今天是我的生日.

M: Oh, I wish you happy birthday 祝你生日快乐. Zhu4 ni3 sheng1ri4 kuai4le4.

S: Actually, you'll often hear this birthday song in China. (sing祝你生日快乐, zhu4 ni3 sheng1ri4 kuai4le4…)

M: Enough, 够了 gou4 le! My poor ears.

M: I asked Stuart what present he wants, ni3 yao4 shen2me li3wu4? Ni3 yao4 shen2me li3wu4? The greedy man said,

S: 越贵越好

M: yue4 gui4 yue4 hao3. 贵 GUI gui4, means ‘expensive' gui4. And the 越 YUE, fourth tone, yue4, here means ‘the more'.

S: Yue4 something yue4 something. Very common. Listen to a few examples: 越大越好 the bigger the better. Yue4 da4 yue4 hao3.

M: 越小越好 the smaller the better, yue4 xiao3 yue4 hao3.

S: And, for my present, 越贵越好. yue4 gui4 yue4 hao3.

M: What a request! Ok, I'll go and see what I can get in the bazaar. Peng2you3men, ming2tian1jian4!

S: Zai4jian4!