Chinese For Dummies (69 page)

Shénme shíhòu yǎn wán?
什么时侯演完
? (
甚麼時候演完
?) (shummuh shir-ho yan wahn?) (
What time does the show end?
)

Wǒ yào mǎi yì zhāng dàrén piào, liǎng zhāng értóng piào.
我要买一张大人票
,
两张儿童票
. (
我要買一張大人票
,
兩張兒童票
.)
(waw yaow my ee jahng dah-run pyaow, lyahng jahng are-toong pyaow) (
I'd like to buy one adult ticket and two kid's tickets.
)

Yǒu méiyǒu jīntiān wǎnshàng yǎnchū de piào?
有没有今天晚上演出的票
?
(yo mayo jin-tyan wahn-shahng yan-choo duh pyaow?) (
Are there any tickets to tonight's performance?
)

Zài nǎr kéyǐ mǎidào piào?
在哪儿可以买到票
? (
在哪兒可以買到票
?)
(dzye nar kuh-yee my-daow pyaow?) (
Where can I buy tickets?
)

Asking whether someone has done something

If you're thinking of going out on the town with a new date, and you want to ask them whether they have ever done something so you can plan something special, just add the particle
-guò
过
(
過
)
(gwaw) to the verb and use the question word
ma
吗
(
嗎
)
(mah) or
méiyǒu
没有
(mayo) at the end. Here are some examples:

Nǐ kànguò Jīngjù ma?
你看过京剧吗
? (
你看過京劇嗎
?)
(nee kahn-gwaw jeeng-jyew mah?) (
Have you ever seen Peking Opera?
)

Nǐ chīguò xiā méiyǒu?
你吃过虾没有
? (
你吃過蝦沒有
?)
(nee chir-gwaw shyah mayo?) (
Have you ever eaten shrimp?
)

Nǐ qùguò Měiguó ma?
你去过美国吗
? (
你去過美國嗎
?)
(nee chyew-gwaw may-gwaw mah?) (
Have you ever been to America?
)

To answer any of these questions, you can repeat the verb plus
guò
if the answer is yes, or simply say
méiyǒu,
meaning
No, I haven't.
You can also say
méiyǒu
[verb]
guò
if you want.

If you happen to do something
chángcháng
常常
(chahng-chahng) (
often
) or just
yǒude shíhòu
有的时侯
(yo-duh shir-ho) (
sometimes
), don't be shy about saying so. You can use these adverbs in both the questions and the answers.

Exploring Museums and Galleries

Theatre shows and live musical performances aren't the only forms of entertainment you can see to get your fill of
wénhuà
文化
(one-hwah) (
culture
). One of the nicest, calmest activities to do at your own pace is to visit a
bówùguǎn
博物馆
(
博物館
)
(baw-woo-gwahn) (
museum
) or
huàláng
画廊
(
畫廊
)
(hwah-lahng) (
gallery
).

You can check out anything from
gǔdàide yìshù pǐn
古代的艺术品
(
古代的藝術品
)
(goo-dye-duh ee-shoo peen) (
ancient artifacts
) to
shānshuǐ huà
山水画
(
山水畫
)
(shahn-shway hwah) (
landscape painting
) to
xiàndài yìshù
现代艺术
(
現代藝術
)
(shyan-dye ee-shoo) (
modern art
). Sometimes the best reason to go to a
bówùguǎn
is to buy some
lǐwù
礼物
(
禮物
)
(lee-woo) (
gifts
) and some cool
zhāotiē
招贴
(
招貼
) (jaow-tyeh) (
posters
) for yourself.

Here are some questions you may want to ask in a museum or gallery:

Bówùguǎn jǐdiǎn zhōng kāimén?
博物馆几点钟开门
? (
博物館幾點鐘開門
?) (baw-woo-gwahn jee-dyan joong kye-mun?) (
What time does the museum open?
)

Lǐpǐn shāngdiàn shénme shíhòu guānmén?
礼品商店什么时侯关门
? (
禮品商店甚麼時候關門
?)
(lee-peeng shahng-dyan shummuh shir-ho gwahn-mun?) (
What time does the gift shop close?
)

Nǐmen mài búmài zhāotiē?
你们卖不卖招贴
? (
你們賣不賣招貼
?)
(nee-mun my boo-my jaow-tyeh?) (
Do you sell posters?
)

Talkin' the Talk

George arrives at the local art museum pretty late in the day, so he approaches the clerk to ask some questions. (Track 13)