Chinese For Dummies (128 page)

kuh-yee.

Yes.

Carl:

Yóuqíshì zhèige wūdiǎn. Néng bùnéng qùdiào?

yo-chee-shir jay-guh woo-dyan. nung boo-nung chyew-dyaow?

Especially this stain. Can it be removed?

Housekeeper:

Méiyǒu wèntí.

mayo one-tee.

No problem.

Carl:

Hǎo. Xièxiè.

how. shyeh-shyeh.

Great. Thanks.

As you can see in the previous Talkin' the Talk dialogue, the coverb
bǎ
把
(bah) often appears right after the subject of the sentence, separating it from the direct object, which is always something concrete rather than an abstract idea. It separates the indirect and direct objects.

You don't have the following sentence pattern:

Subject + Verb + Complement (+ Indirect Object) + Object

Instead, you have this one:

Subject +
bǎ
+ Object + Verb + Complement (+ Indirect Object)

Here are some examples:

Qǐng nǐ bǎ nǐde hùzhào ná gěi qiántái fúwùyuán.
请你把你的护照拿给前台服务员
. (
請你把你的護照拿給前台服務員
.) (cheeng nee bah nee-duh hoo-jaow nah gay chyan-tye foo-woo-ywan.) (
Please give your passport to the front desk clerk.
)

Wǒ bǎ shū jiè gěi nǐ.
我把书接给你
. (
我把書借給你
.) (waw bah shoo jyeh gay nee.) (
I'll loan you the book.
)

Checking Out Before Heading Out

That oh-so-depressing time has come again. Time to say goodbye. Time to
téngchū
腾出
(
騰出
) (tuhng-choo) (
vacate
) your hotel room and
tuìfáng
退房
(tway-fahng) (
check out
).

You may need to say some of the following as you begin the end of your stay:

Jiézhàng yǐhòu wǒ néng bùnéng bǎ bāoguǒ liú zài qiántái?
结帐以后我能不能把包裹留在前台
? (
結帳以後我能不能把包裹留在前台
?) (jyeh-jahng ee-ho waw nung boo-nung bah baow-gwaw lyo dzye chyan-tye?) (
After checking out, may I leave my bags at the front desk?
)

Nǐmen jiēshòu shénme xìnyòng kǎ?
你们接收什么信用卡
? (
你們接收甚麼信用卡
?) (nee-men jyeh-show shummuh sheen-yoong kah?) (
Which credit cards do you accept?
)

Wǒ bù yīnggāi fù zhè xiàng.
我不应该付这项
. (
我不應該付這項
.)
(waw boo eeng-gye foo jay shyahng.) (
I shouldn't be charged for this.
)

Wǒ yào fù zhàng.
我要付账
. (
我要付賬
.) (waw yaow foo jahng.) (
I'd like to pay the bill.
)

Yǒu méiyǒu qù fēijīchǎng de bānchē?
有没有去飞机场的班车
? (
有沒有去飛機場的班車
?) (yo mayo chyew fay-jee-chahng duh ban-chuh?) (
Is there a shuttle to the airport?
)

Zhè búshì wǒde zhāngdàn.
这不是我的账单
. (
這不是我的賬單
.) (jay boo-shir waw-duh jahng-dahn.) (
This isn't my bill.
)

Talkin' the Talk

Nancy is ready to check out after her three-day stay at a five-star hotel in Shanghai. She approaches the reception clerk to check out.

Nancy:

Nǐ hǎo. Wǒ jīntiān yào tuìfáng, suǒyǐ yào fù zhàng.

nee how. waw jin-tyan yaow tway-fahng, swaw-yee yaow foo jahng.

Hello. I'd like to check out today, so I'd like to pay the bill.

Clerk:

Qǐngwèn, nín de fángjiān hàomǎ shì duōshǎo?

cheeng-one, neen duh fahng-jyan how-mah shir dwaw-shaow?

May I ask, what's your room number?

Nancy:

Wǔlíngliù hào fángjiān.

woo-leeng-lyo how fahng-jyan.

Room 506.

Clerk:

Hǎo. Zhè shì nínde zhàngdān. Yígòng yìqiān wǔbǎi kuài.

how. jay shir neen-duh jahng-dahn. ee-goong ee-chyan woo-bye kwye.

Okay. This is your bill. It's $1,500 altogether.

Nancy pays the bill with her credit card.

Nancy:

Zhè shì wǒmen fángjiān de yàoshi.

jay shir waw-mun fahng-jyan duh yaow-shir.

This is my room key.

Clerk:

Xièxiè.

shyeh-shyeh.

Thank you.

Nancy:

Jiézhàng yǐhòu wǒ néng bùnéng bǎ bāoguǒ liú zài qiántái?

jyeh-jahng ee-ho waw nung boo-nung bah baow-gwaw lyo dzye chyan-tye?

After checking out, may I leave my bags at the front desk?

Clerk:

Kěyǐ. Méiyǒu wèntí.

kuh-yee. mayo one-tee.

Yes. No problem.