Lesson 021 Who Are You Looking for?

S: Ni hao! 现在学汉语。Woshi S.
M: Woshi ML. Well, Stuart, we have a few minutes before we get to your bin'guan.
S: 那好。I'll phone Mary again. Wǒ zài dǎ gè diànhuà gěi Mǎlì. What's her number? Tā de diànhuàhàomǎ shì duōshǎo? Tā de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshǎo?
M: Ta de dianhua haoma shi 4 5 6 7, sì wǔ liù qī. Ta de dianhua haoma shi 4 5 6 7, sì wǔ liù qī.
S: Xiexie. Si wu liu qi.
M: Repeat everything with us. Try to guess the meaning.
VOICE. Wéi. wéi 您找谁？nín zhǎo shéi?
S: Wǒ zhǎo Mǎlì. Wo zhao Mali.
V: 请等一等. Qǐng děng yī děng. Mali, diànhuà!
MY: 是谁呀? Shì shéi ya?
V: 不知道，wǒ bù zhīdào. Wo bu zhidao.
MY: Wéi. 您好.您是哪位? Nín shì nǎ wèi?
S: 我是 Stuart.
M: What was all that about? Let's find out.
VOICE: Wéi. 您找谁？nín zhǎo shéi?
S: Wo zhao Mali.
M: zhǎo shéi? Zhǎo ZHAO zhǎo, to ‘look for'. Shéi SHEI shéi, is ‘who'. Zhǎo shéi? ‘Looking for who?' Nín zhǎo shéi? Nín NIN NIN nín, is the polite form of nǐ. Nín is always singular. We never say ‘nínmen', plural ‘you' is always nǐmen.
S: To be polite, use nín instead of nǐ when talking to strangers, important people, or someone you want to borrow money from. For friends and kids, always use nǐ. To continue ….
V: 请等一等. Qǐng děng yī děng. Mali, diànhuà!
M: qǐng děng yī děng. děng DENG DENG děng, is to ‘wait'. When saying ‘ wait', we always repeat it, děng yi děng. Please wait, qǐng děng yi děng. Try it, qing deng yi deng, qing deng yi deng. Now ….
MY: 是谁呀? shéi ya?
V: 不知道，wǒ bù zhīdào.
M: shì shéi, literally, ‘is who'. The ‘ya' here on the end of the sentence helps to form a question. So the whole sentence means, ‘who is it?' Try it: shì shéi ya, shi shei ya?
V: wo bu zhidao.
M: Wo bu zhidao. Stuart says this all the time! It means, ‘I don't know'.
S: That's not true! I do know. Wo zhidao. Wo zhidao.
M: zhī dào ZHI DAO zhidao, zhidao. Wo zhidao, I know. Bù zhidao, don't know.
V: wo bu zhidao.
M: Mary takes the phone.
MY: Wéi. 您好. 您是哪位. Nín shì nǎ wèi?
S: 我是 Stuart.
M: nǎ wèi? NA WEI na wei, like ‘shéi', means ‘who?', na wei. Nin shi na wei? You are who? Or, ‘who is this?' Nin shi na wei? It means the same as ‘nǐ shì shei?', but ‘nǎ wèi' is more polite than ‘shéi', so, on the phone, say..
MY: ‘nín shì nǎ wèi?' ‘nín shì nǎ wèi?'
S: Wo shi Stuart.
M: And we'll finish the telephone call next lesson.
S: See you next lesson.
M: zaijian.