Learn Chinese L17: My stomach aches very badly.

Dachuan is wakened by the alarm clock in the morning. He doesn't want to attend class, so he rings his teacher Mr. Zhang and tells him that he is sick.

Dialogue One

zhāng　 lǎo　shī　nǐ　 hǎo
张　　　老　 师， 你　好！
wǒ　jīn　tiān　 bù　néng　qù　 shàng　kè　 le
我　 今　天　　不　 能　　去　　上　　课　了。
Hello, Mr. Zhang. I can't go to class today.
nǐ　zěn　me　le
你　怎　 么　 了？
What's wrong?
wǒ　 gǎn　mào　 le
我　　感　 冒　　了。
I've caught a cold.
nà　nǐ　hǎo　hāo　xiū　 xi　ba
那　你　好　　好　 休　 息　吧！
Then have a good rest.
Dialogue Two
nǐ　　nǎr　bù　shū　fu
你　 哪儿　不　 舒　 服？
What's wrong with you?
wǒ　dù　zi　téng　 de　lì　 hai　 wǒ　zǎo　shang　chī　le　sān　gè
我　 肚　子　疼　　得　厉　害。 我　 早　　 上　　 吃　了　三　 个
píng　guǒ　bàn　jīn　pú　tao　hé　hěn　duō　 bīng　qí　 lín
苹　　果、　半　 斤　葡　萄　 和　 很　　多　　冰　 淇　淋。
My stomach aches. I ate three apples, a half a kilo grapes and several pints of icecream.
méi　guān　 xi　chī　liǎng　tiān　yào　 jiù　huì　hǎo　de
没　　关　　系。吃　 两　　天　 药　　就　会　 好　 的。
Don't worry. You'll be fine after taking this medicine for two days.
hǎo　 de　 xiè　xie
好　　的， 谢　谢。
Ok. Thanks.
Explanation of difficult points


1. 能
"能" (néng) means "can/to be able to" do something and indicates ability (that is not an acquired skill, in which case "会" (huì) would be used instead). "能" and "可以" (kě yǐ) have similar meanings, but "能" refers to the ability to do something, while "可以"refers more to the willingness to do something. Also, "可以" has a slightly softer tone.

2. reduplicative word
"好好" (hǎo hāo) is an example of the Chinese convention of repeating an adjective or adverb for added emphasis. If the term is made of two words, the repetition is in this form: repeat the first word twice, then the second word twice. For example: "高兴" (gāo xìng) when replicated turns into "高高兴兴" (gāo gāo xìng xìng).

3. units of quantity
Chinese units of mass measurement do not entirely follow metric or standard conventions. The two most commonly used units in the traditional measuring system are the "两" (liǎng) and the "斤" (jīn). One "两" is approximately equivalent to 50g or 1.764oz and one "斤" is 10 "两", or approximately 500g or 1.102lb. For a frame of reference, 1 "斤" is approximately the mass of 3 average sized apples. This is the traditional measuring unit, but kilograms "公斤" (gōng jīn) are used as well. These units are commonly used when buying fruit, vegetables, and meat. The traditional system is used more often by street vendors and the metric system is used in larger supermarkets. In smaller villages, the traditional system is more prevalent. In cities, both the traditional and metric systems are used.