你给你爸爸买礼物了吗?
nǐ gěi nǐ bàba mǎi lǐwù le ma ?
Have you bought your father a present?
Blithely ignoring the fact it's nowhere near Father's Day, let us address a more pressing question several
of you have asked via email: yes, one of our male voice actors goes by the English name Bunny. We
did a double-take the first time we heard it too: such is life in China, and you'll just have to get used to it.
Moving on to more practical matters, we think you'll find this lesson fiendishly difficult, since it's probably
the most difficult lesson we've released at this level to date. We still think it's worth getting through for a
simple reason though: it will teach you how to answer a question with another question, a tremendously
useful stonewalling tactic for when you're dealing with the Entry/Exit bureau and have a visa that expired
several months ago.
nǐ gěi nǐ bàba mǎi lǐwù le ma ?
Have you bought your father a present?
wèishénme ?
Why?
yīnwèi Fùqinjié !
Because of Father's Day!
wǒ mǎi le yī duī méiguīhuār 。
I bought a pile of roses.
méiguīhuār ...?
Roses...?
nǐ
you
pronounwǒ
I
pronounmāma
mother
nounbàba
father
nounmǎi
to buy
verbgěi
to give
verblǐwù
gift
nounma
question particle
particlewèishénme
why
question