S: Wo shi Stuart. Repeat everything. Women mashang, immediately, mashang kaishi, start. Women bu yao langfei shijian.

M: 为什么，wei shenme?

S: 因为我饿了, yinwei wo e le.

M: 哦, 你饿了，ni e le!

S: 是的，非常饿, feichang e.

M: 好，我们吃饭去, women chi fan qu.

S: Hao zhuyi.

M: And what did that all mean?

S: Let’s dissect what we said. 我们马上开始。

M: Women mashang kaishi. Women kaishi, we know means ‘we start’. Mashang MA SHANG mashang. Hear the tones? Dui le, mashang, 3rd, 4th. Mashang means ‘immediately’, ‘at once’.

S: It literally means, ‘horse’, ma, the type you ride, and ‘on’, shang. If you jump on a nervous horse, it immediately gallops off, maybe that’s the origin of ma shang. Ok, now try to say, ‘we start immediately’.

M: Dui le, Women mashang kaishi. Women mashang kaishi.

S: Now try, ‘we go at once’.

M: Hen hao. 我们马上去, women mashang qu.

S: Did any of you say, ‘我们马上走, women mashang zou’? Both are ok.

M: But zou and qu, remember, have slightly different meanings. If you say, Wo zou, it means you might or might not have a specific place or purpose in mind. But if you say, wo qu, then you do have a specific place or purpose in mind.

S: For example, if you’re angry, and just want to get away, you might say, Hao ba, wo zou!

M: But if someone asks, ‘who’ll go to rescue Mother from those dangerous criminals?’ you could say,

S: Ni, ni qu.

M: Back again! We also said:

S: Don’t waste time. Bu yao langfei shijian.

M: Why? 为什么，wei shenme?

S: Because, 因为, 因为我饿了.

M: yinwei ta e le. Poor Stuart. e E e, means ‘hungry’. The sound comes right from the back of the mouth. Try it. E e e.

S: Now, sound hungry, and complain that, 我饿了, wo e le. We usually add the little le at the end.

M: Now you’re really hungry. 我非常饿, wo feichang e.

S: So let’s go eat. 我们吃饭去.

M: Hao, women chi fan qu. 吃CHI chi, 1st tone, to eat, chi. 饭FAN fan, 4th tone, means ‘rice’ or ‘food’, like in fandian, restaurant. Chi fan, to eat, chi fan.

S: Chi fan qu, qu, we know, is to go. Women chi fan qu. We’re going to eat.

M: Hao, women chi fan qu, women chi fan qu.

S: Hao zhuyi.

S: Good. We’ll finish by asking you some questions. You answer first, then we’ll do it for you. Pretend you’re hungry, then really hungry..

M: 你饿吗? Ni e ma? ……

S: 是的，我饿了，wo e le, 我非常饿, wo feichang e.

M: 你想吃饭吗, ni xiang chi fan ma?

S: 是的，我想吃饭, wo xiang chi fan.

M: Hao, women chi fan qu.

S: So, we’ll go eat in two lessons time.

M: Cos the next one is a fuxi ke, revision lesson. Zai jian.