LISTEN TO THE TEXT

Hi friends, what do you talk when you meet a new friend? I guess that maybe you ask or answer something along the lines of, "Where are you from?". So, today, I would like to offer you some new sentences about this topic and hope they are helpful to your Chinese learning. :-)   


NEW SENTENCES:


No. 088: -- 你是哪里人？
            -- 我是北京人。
            -- Where are you from?
            -- I am from Beijing.

No.089:   --他（她）是哪里人？
            -- 他/她是上海人。
            -- Where is he/she from?
            -- He/she is from Shanghai.

No.090:   -- 你们是陕西人吗?
            -- 是的，我们是。
              -- Are you from Shannxi?
              -- Yes, We are.

No.091:-- 他们是陕西人吗？
            -- 不是，他们不是,
            -- 他们是山西人。
            -- Are they from Shannxi?
            -- No, they aren't.   
            -- They are from Shanxi


NEW WORDSLISTEN TO THE TEXT:

Please click on any Chinese character that you need help with to see its Chinese pinyin, pronunciation and meaning and then read it after me.

CHINESE GRAMMAR --02: How to Use The Copula "Be" in Chinese:

In English, the copula "Be" changes to "am", "are" and "is" depending on the subject. In Chinese things are simpler, we needn't change anything and just use the same word "shi". For example:

I am (shi) a student
You are (shi) a teacher
He is (shi) a doctor
She is (shi) an engieer
We are (shi) friends
They are (shi) colleagues

No matter what the subject is, or whether the subject is singular or plural, you need only use an "is"; That is all. So the main points are:

1. In Chinese, copula "Be" is not affected by its subject being singular and plural.
2. In Chinese, copula "Be" is not be affected by its subject's gender.

I Hope that this is a little help to you in your Chinese learning. :-)

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please write to shirley@ebridge.cn , or shirleyz004@yahoo.com, You are also welcome to publish your opinions in Forum For Friends. :-)   

--Shirley
Written and Recorded On Sat, Feb 25, 2006