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dk
S: Wǒ shì Stuart.
M: Stuart, 今天我们学什么? jīn tiān wǒ men xué shén me?
S: Well, we’ve learnt things like 昨天 yesterday, zuó tiān, and 明天 tomorrow míng tiān, and 明年next year, míng nián, so today we’ll learn ‘the day before yesterday’. And a few other things, like ‘my boyfriend left me’. Get ready to act, ML.
M: Oh dear.
S: Dear listeners, prepare to cry.
S: ML, why are you crying? 你怎么哭了 nǐ zěn me kū le?
M: Because the day before yesterday my boyfriend left me. 因为，前天我的男朋友离开了我 yīn wèi qián tiān wǒ de nán péng you lí kāi le wǒ.
S: 前天你的男朋友离开了你。为什么? Qián tiān niǐ de nán péng you lí kāi le nǐ. Wèi shén me?
M: He has a new girlfriend. 他有了一个新的女朋友 tā yǒu yí gè xīn de nǚ péng you.
S: A new girlfriend一个新的女朋友 yí gè xīn de nǚ péng you!
Good heavens我的天啊! We’d better go over the new stuff before you collapse, ML.
S: Why are you crying? 你怎么哭了?
M: nǐ zěn me kū le? 怎么 ZEN ME zěn me, means ‘why’ or ‘how’.
S: Zěn me is used frequently in such expressions as 你怎么了？nǐ zěn me le? Meaning, ‘what’s the matter with you?’ nǐ zěn me le? Nǐ zěn me le?
M: 你怎么哭了？nǐ zěn me kū le? Means ‘why are you crying?’
S: Say it, nǐ zěn me kū le, nǐ zěn me kū le?
M: Because the day before yesterday my boyfriend left me. Remember 离开 lí kāi? Yes, it means ‘to leave’, lí kāi. So ‘left me’ is lí kāi le wǒ, lí kāi le wǒ. Now try to pick out the words for ‘day before yesterday’ and ‘boyfriend’.
因为，前天我的男朋友离开了我 yīn wèi，qián tiān wǒ de nán péng you lí kāi le wǒ.
S: 前天你的男朋友离开了你。为什么? Qián tiān nǐ de nán péng you lí kāi le nǐ.
M: Did you hear the words for ‘day before yesterday’ and ‘boyfriend’? Duì le. ‘Day before yesterday’ is 前天 QIAN TIAN qián tiān, 2nd tone 1st tone, qián tiān, qián tiān.
S: And ‘boyfriend’? Duì le. 男朋友 男 NAN nán, 2nd tone, means ‘male’, while 女NU nǚ, with the ‘ǚ’ sound, means ‘female’. Easy, ‘male’ ‘female’, 男，女nán nǚ nán nǚ.
M: So say, ‘her boyfriend’. Dui4 le. 她的男朋友 tā de nán péng you.
S: Now say, ‘my girlfriend’. Hěn hǎo. 我的女朋友 wǒ de nǚ péng you.
M: A new girlfriend! 一个新的女朋友 yí gè xīn de nǚ péng you. 他有了一个新的女朋友 tā yǒu yí gè xīn de nǚ péng you.
S: 他有了一个新的女朋友 tā yǒu le yí gè xīn de nǚ péng you! Poor ML!
S: Let’s hear the sad story again, and we’ll continue next lesson.
S: ML, nǐ zěn me kū le?
M: yīn wèi qián tiān wǒ de nán péng you lí kāi le wǒ.
S: Qián tiān nǐ de nán péng you lí kāi le nǐ. Wèi shén me?
M: tā yǒu le yí gè xīn de nǚ péng you.
S: tā yǒu le yí gè xīn de nǚ péng you! Poor ML. We’d better xiè kè now. Zài jiàn.