M: Peng2you3men. Ni3men hao3! Wo3 shi4 ML.
S: Wo3 shi4 Stuart. Today, more family members.
M: And another way to say lao3shi1, teacher.
S: I knock on Mary's - Mary is played by ML – on Mary's door.
M: Oh, Stuart, ni3 hao3.
S: Ma3li4, ni3 hao3.
M: Please come in 请进 qing3 jin4.
S: Xie4xie4.
M: Sit down please. 请坐 qing3 zuo4.
S: Xie4 xie4. Are all your family home 你的家人都在家吗? ni3 de jia1ren2 dou1 zai4 jia1 ma?
M: 不, 他们都不在 ta1men dou1 bu2 zai4.
S: 他们去哪儿了? ta1men qu4nar3le?
M: Dad's at school 爸爸在学校 ba4ba zai4 xue2xiao4.
S: Your father's at school 你的父亲在学校 ni3 de fu4qin zai4 xue2xiao4. Is he a teacher? 他是教师吗 ta1 shi4 jiao4shi1 ma?
M: Yes, he's a teacher 是的,他是教师 shi4 de, ta1 shi4 jiao4shi1. My mum's also a teacher 我的妈妈也是教师 wo3 de ma1ma ye3 shi4 jiao4shi1.
S: And her mother's a teacher too. 她的母亲也是教师 ta1 de mu3qin1 ye3 shi4 jiao4shi1. What an intellectual family!
S: Ok, I knocked at Mary's door.
M: 请进 please come in, qing3 jin4.
S: Say it everyone, very politely qing3jin4, qing3jin4.
M: 请坐。坐 ZUO zuo3, ‘to sit'. Please sit down 请坐 say it, qing3 zuo4, qing3 zuo4.
S: 你的家人都在家吗?
M: Ni3 de jia1ren2 dou1 zai4 jia1 ma? 家人 JIA REN jia1ren2, literally, ‘family people' and it means ‘family members'. 在家 the same zai4 as in zai4 nar3, zai4 nar4, etc, meaning ‘at'. 家 on its own can mean ‘home'. zai4 jia1, at home. Are all your family at home, 你的家人都在家吗? Say it everybody, Ni3 de jia1ren2 dou1 zai4 jia1 ma?
S: 不, 他们都不在 dou1 bu2 zai4, all not in.
M: Ta1men dou1 bu2 zai4. Say it, ta1men dou1 bu2 zai4. 爸爸在学校。学校 XUE XIAO xue2xiao4 is ‘school' xue2xiao4. Wo3 ba4ba zai4 xue2xiao4.
S: 你的父亲在学校吗?父亲 FU QIN, fu4qin is ‘father' fu4qin. Ba4ba is like ‘dad'. And I asked , Is he a teacher 他是教师吗?
M: ta1 shi4 jiao4shi1 ma? 教师 JIAO SHI jiao4shi1, is ‘teacher' jiao4shi1.
S: 她的母亲也是教师. 母亲 MU QIN mu3qin1 is ‘mother' mu3qin. So we have fu4qin1 and mu3qin1. Her mother's also a teacher. ta1 de mu3qin1 ye3 shi4 jiao4shi1.
S: Let's finish with a brief dialogue.
M: 请进 qing3jin. Ni3hao3, Stuart!
S: 你好,玛丽, 你的家人都在吗 ni3de jia1ren2 dou1 zai4 ma?
M: 都不在, 爸爸和妈妈在学校 ba1ba he2 ma1ma zai4 xue2xiao4.
S: 你的父亲和母亲都是教师吗 ni3 de fu4qin1 he2 mu3qin1 dou1 shi4 jiao4shi1 ma?
M: 是的,他们都是教师 shi4 de, ta1men dou1 shi4 jiao4shi1.
S: Two teachers! Just like us! Zai4 jian4.