Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Well, bring pets into the cinema in China.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: Another lesson with verb plus how many are we going to learn about?
[00:00:28] Speaker A: Long time no see.
Hsk3.
Emily. Sorry, Shopping online.
[00:01:17] Speaker B: Who doesn't like exactly.
How does the action happen?
[00:01:50] Speaker A: It sounds a bit abstract.
[00:02:59] Speaker B: Okay, very good.
[00:03:02] Speaker A: So today we're learning how to use Today we're learning how to use to form adverbial complements. So this structure tells us the background or state in which an action happens.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: So the use of the Z shows how the action is carried out by linking two action that happens at the same time. But be careful is not about what is happening, it is about what state is happening in the background.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: Okay, so the main structure is person, verb one, object verb two object.
So the meaning is someone does verb two while doing verb one.
[00:03:59] Speaker B: Okay, so let's look at the example directly.
So the one we have in the dialogue is.
So I work while listening to the music. The key idea, the main, the main action that we're focusing on right now is the second verb, which is the most important one. The most important is you're working, but what happens in the background is that you're listening to the music while working.
Okay, so the sentence really means that I'm working where there is music in the background. So the focus is not on listening to music, it's on working.
[00:04:44] Speaker A: Okay, so other examples from the dialogue.
Okay, so these all follow the same logic as Emily has explained. One main action plus one background state.
Kan Yojiang I check emails while eating snacks. So the main action is to check the email and they state the background state is eating snacks and we can have meetings while drinking coffee. So the main action is.
[00:05:27] Speaker B: To have.
[00:05:27] Speaker A: Meetings and the background state is drinking coffee.
[00:05:35] Speaker B: Okay, great. So so far so good.
Let's compare to another another structure and also in the level of HSK3 which is verb1 plus verb2.
So for example, if I say.
Which means also means that I work and listen to music at the same time. So the two actions are equally important and happen at the same time.
So another example we have here, Melanie.
[00:06:16] Speaker A: Another example is in Y, I, I work while listening to music.
So we have two actions, but actually the main action is to work and actually is the background state.
[00:06:38] Speaker B: Very good, thank you. So we have another example here.
So the first one is so and they're both equally important.
While on the other hand, the only main action here is SO is less important than the other one.
[00:07:05] Speaker A: So Qing Ji De, remember, please remember is not introducing a new action. It shows that an action is ongoing and works at the current state.
[00:07:19] Speaker B: Okay, so now it's your turn. Let's check if you really understood the difference between the main action and the background state. So how would you say she studies while drinking coffee?
[00:07:34] Speaker A: Please have a try and we'll give you the answer later in this episode.
Okay, let's move back to our dialogue.
[00:07:44] Speaker B: So please focus on the main grammar here today.
So I'll start first.
Melanie, Do you like to listen to music when you work?
[00:08:07] Speaker A: Yes, I often work while listening to music. It feels less tiring.
[00:08:19] Speaker B: Me too. Sometimes I check emails while eating snacks.
[00:08:27] Speaker A: Do you ever attend meetings while eating?
[00:08:35] Speaker B: Dancer eating during the meetings is not allowed. But we can have coffees while attending the meetings.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: What about the bus?
Won't he be unhappy?
[00:09:03] Speaker B: Himself is always drinking the largest cup of the coffee.
[00:09:11] Speaker A: That explains it.
No wonder he's not tired.
[00:09:17] Speaker B: Exactly. Very good.
So are you enjoying this episode? Thank you guys for being here with us.
With our classes, you can make even more progress.
Find out everything at our website hanyuchineschool.com or you can scan the QR code right here, right at this page.
So let's continue.
[00:09:43] Speaker A: Okay, let's move to our cultural insight for today.
Emily, have you watched any movies recently?
Recently there's a movie that has been super popular.
[00:10:12] Speaker B: Oh, I know, I know. Zootopia. Oh, I really want to watch it. I haven't. I haven't had the time though.
[00:10:25] Speaker A: Same here.
But what if I told you that in China now some people are watching Zootopia in a very special way?
[00:10:37] Speaker B: What is that? Wait, don't tell me.
[00:10:41] Speaker A: Yes, in some Chinese cities, you can actually bring your pet into the cinema with you.
[00:10:48] Speaker B: No way. Watching Zootopia with your own pet. Oh, that's the dream. That's the dream.
[00:10:57] Speaker A: Okay, so exactly these cinemas are called pet friendly cinemas. The yearly organized special screenings just for pet owners and the volume is lower, there's more space between seats and the pets have to follow certain rules.
[00:11:19] Speaker B: So this train didn't appear out of nowhere.
In big Chinese cities, more and more young people live alone and pets are often treated like a family member like me and my cat.
So sometimes even like children.
So activities that used to be like humans only cafes, hotel, now even cinema are slowly become into like pet friendly environment.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: So what's also very interesting is how social media drives the trend on platform platforms like Xiaohongshu. I will have talked about that and Dao Yin, a Chinese TikTok. People love sharing photos and videos of their pets watching Zootopia.
[00:12:04] Speaker B: Oh, it sounds so nice. And I know like some cinemas even prepare special scenes, pet snacks or steam decorations.
And not. It's not just about watching a movie. It's like having the experience that you can do whatever with your pets around, right?
[00:12:21] Speaker A: Yeah. With your family members. So it's not for everyone. Some people worry about noise, hygiene or pets getting stressed.
[00:12:33] Speaker B: Yeah. So that's why these screens are currently labeled.
If you don't want to sit next to the dog, simply choose a normal selection. Like don't choose the pet ones.
But I feel like it's nice. It's not. I always feel like the volumes of the movies in the cinema are way too, way too loud. So I would prefer a pet one. And besides sitting next to a cat or a dog. Oh, I want that.
[00:13:03] Speaker A: That's true. And also the light might be too strong to the animals, I think.
[00:13:10] Speaker B: Yeah, true, true. Like I. I wanted to take my cat though.
But no, he. He's way too late. He's always getting grumpy or he's easily to get like frightened. So yeah, not an option. But I. It would be nice if I could. If I could touch others pets if they allow me.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: My lady cat, she is too shy to go to a cinema with the public.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: She.
[00:13:41] Speaker A: She is. She's introverted.
[00:13:49] Speaker B: As for my cat as well. That is true.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: Yeah. But overall, this trend tells us a lot about modern urban life in China. Well, very fashionable.
[00:14:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Pets are no longer just pets, they are companies. They sometimes even be part of your social life.
I would say they are a huge part in our life recently.
Very good.
So let's take a look at the question that we hand out earlier.
So we asked, how would you say she studies while drinking coffee?
[00:14:35] Speaker A: The answer is.
[00:14:42] Speaker B: Very good. So remember, the main action here is studying.
Drinking coffee is just a background state. It's not. It's not equally important as.
[00:15:00] Speaker A: Now it's your turn. Look around you right now and describe what you are doing.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: So can you make a sentence using verb?
If you have anything that any details that you could ask, add, please add it after the verb. So for example, Or write your sentence down in the comment section down below. We would love to read them.
[00:15:35] Speaker A: Have a try.
Okay. Thanks for staying tuned with us until the end. If you want to truly learn Chinese with real teachers and a clear method. Welcome to Visit our website hanyuchineschool.com and book your free class. We have courses starting from just €39. We have live classes, recordings and a complete platform to help you progress step by step. And please subscribe and give us a like it really help us make this kind of content.
See you in class.
[00:16:13] Speaker B: See you guys in class.
[00:16:16] Speaker A: Okay, so today we have learned how to use to form adverbial complements showing the background state of an action.
[00:16:26] Speaker B: We also talked about a fun culture trend in China which is watching Zootopia in the pet friendly cinema and how pets are becoming part of the live every day right now.
[00:16:41] Speaker A: Next time we'll learn a very useful structure to talk about change.
[00:16:48] Speaker B: So it's perfect for describing trends, habits, things that keep changing over time. So you won't want to miss it.
[00:16:56] Speaker A: So see you next time.
