Listening: short dialogues
Later listening parts play a short dialogue between a man and a woman, then ask a question about it. The questions are formulaic, and recognising the formula is half the answer.
The question words
How the questions are put.
Every question names a speaker: 男的 or 女的. Before the recording starts, look at the options and note which speaker the question is about.
A dialogue and its question
A typical item.
The questions use a small set of shapes: what does the man want, where is the woman, when, why. Learn the shapes and you know what to listen for before the dialogue begins.
The usual shapes
Questions you will hear.
Four shapes cover most questions: what, when, where, why. Each one tells you which part of the dialogue to listen hardest to.
The options are printed before the recording plays. Reading them first tells you what kind of answer to expect: three places, three times, three foods. Then the dialogue only has to tell you which one.
8 questions. Get 5 right to finish the day.
为什么？ means…
- question: (asked)
- why?
- rice
- what does the man want to do?
Show the answer
why? 为什么？ means why?.
女的 means…
- the woman
- where are they?
- Woman: what do you want to eat? Man: I'd like rice.
- rice
Show the answer
the woman 女的 means the woman.
问 means…
- why?
- where are they?
- the woman
- question: (asked)
Show the answer
question: (asked) Printed before each question: 问：.
米饭 means…
- rice
- to want to
- Woman: what do you want to eat? Man: I'd like rice.
- question: (asked)
Show the answer
rice The answer is the man's line, not the woman's.
Type the pinyin for 想.
Show the answer
xiǎng 男的想做什么？.
Which one means "Question: what does the man want to eat?"?
- 他们在哪儿？ tāmen zài nǎr?
- 男的想做什么？ nán de xiǎng zuò shénme?
- 问：男的想吃什么？ wèn: nán de xiǎng chī shénme?
- 男的 nán de
Show the answer
问：男的想吃什么？ 问：男的想吃什么？ means Question: what does the man want to eat?.
Which one means "Woman: what do you want to eat? Man: I'd like rice."?
- 女：你想吃什么？男：我想吃米饭。 nǚ: nǐ xiǎng chī shénme? nán: wǒ xiǎng chī mǐfàn.
- 男的 nán de
- 问 wèn
- 米饭 mǐfàn
Show the answer
女：你想吃什么？男：我想吃米饭。 女：你想吃什么？男：我想吃米饭。 means Woman: what do you want to eat? Man: I'd like rice..
Type the Chinese or pinyin for "the man".
Show the answer
nán de The paper's way of naming the speakers.
Question 1 of 8