第四课 租房子 Lesson Four Apartment Hunting (1)

Lance: Moving to any city in the world, though exciting and new, comes with its share of frustrations and concerns. Topping the list is finding a place to call home. In a city like Beijing, the more you know, the better-off you will be. 

(The panoramic view of Beijing)

(Lance standing at a real estate storefront, with advertisements pasted on the window)

Lance: A real estate agency will have apartment listings and pictures outside its storefront. Now probably the first character you need to look for is this one right here, 租, if you see anything listed under this character, it means houses for lease or rent. Now regarding the apartment rental service, what you need to do is to find out how much rent you need to pay each month, this character right here, 月, you need to look for that, associated with this, then you know is monthly rent. Now when you see this character right here, 万, that means “ten thousand”, and you’ll know you are looking at buying prices. The buying prices for home are usually associated with this character right here, 售, when you see those two together, you know you are looking at buying prices. Now let’s go inside and talk about some rent.

Agent: 您好！
Lance: 您好，我想租房。
Agent: 您需要租个多少钱的？ 
Lance: 月租三千到五千。
Agent: 需要租个几居室？
Lance: 两室一厅的。 
Agent: 带家具吗？ 
Lance: 是。
Agent: 好的，稍等。

GRAPHIC FLASH: 需要租个几居室（的房子）？房子apartment, 居室 room, 几 how many, 个 a measure word, here it’s short for 一个 one, 租 to rent, 需要need, 需要租个几居室？ What kind of apartment do you need?
   
(Shots scenes of most popular places to live for expats in Beijing)

Lance: As for location, do your research. Many working expats tend to settle on the east side of the city such as Guomao, Sanlitun, Changyang and Dongzhimen. To the north of Beijing, there’s Gulou, wher many of its hutongs, bars and cafes are drawing more and more expats who are looking for a more artsy or authentic living environment. In the northwest is Haidian District, and the popular hangout Wudaokou. Many foreign students live in this area, home to many of Beijing’s top universities including Tsinghua and Peking University.

(Inside real estate agency)

Lance: When considering a location, you need to know how far the subway station or bus stop is near your apartment; make sure you live within walking distance from either of the two. The agent says the subway station is walking distance from your apartment, make sure you double check.

Lance: 这儿交通方便吗？ 
Agent: 很方便，到地铁口只需五分钟。  
Lance: 好，我租这套房子。
Agent: 好，我联系一下，让人带您去看房。
Lance: 谢谢。
Agent: 不客气。

GRAPHIC FLASH: 这儿交通方便吗？这儿 here, 交通 transportation, 方便 convenient, 吗 a particle here, 这儿交通方便吗？Is transportation convenient here?