Vegetables 蔬菜（1）

B: Better start with the basics, what is the word for vegetable?

Y: It’s 蔬菜 shu1 cai4.

B: shu1 cai4. Now let’s go looking for some. Where’s a veggie market?

Y: you may say:哪儿有菜市场 na2er you3 cai4 shi4 chang3?

B: na2er you3 cai4 shi4 chang3?

Y:哪儿有 na2er you3 literally means where have,

B: na2er you3,

Y:菜 cai4 is short for 蔬菜 shu1 cai4,which means vegetable,

B: cai4,

Y:市场 shi4 chang3 means market,

B: shi4 chang3,

Y:哪儿有菜市场 na2er you3 cai4 shi4 chang3?

B: na2er you3 cai4 shi4 chang3? Where’s the vegetable market?

Conversation 1

A:哪有菜市场?

B:前面小区里就有。.

B: Wow, here at the market there are so many interesting looking veggies. Some I know, and many I don’t. Let’s learn some of their names. Those familiar red ones look fresh.

Y: You mean the tomatoes,西红柿 xihongshi.

B: xi1 hong2 shi4.

Y: there is another name for it:番茄 fan1 qie2.

B: fan1 qie2. And I’d love to ask, how fresh are they?

Y: you can say:新不新鲜 xin1 bu xin1 xian?

B: xin1 bu xin1 xian?

Y:新鲜 xin1 xian means fresh,

B: xin1 xian,

Y: so the first 新 xin1 is short for xin1 xian, which means fresh,

B: I see. And 不 bu means not,

Y: so you may ask the seller:新不新鲜 xin1 bu xin1 xian?

B: xin1 bu xin1 xian? How fresh are they? Or are they fresh?

Conversation 2

A:买点西红柿吧,很便宜的。

B:新不新鲜?

A:当然新鲜了。这是今天刚采的。

B: What’s that interesting purple, egg-shaped vegetable over there Y?

Y: That’s an eggplant,茄子 qie2 zi.

B: qie2 zi. and, next to it, they’re what we call Chinese cabbages, what do you call them?

Y: you can say:大白菜 da4 bai2 cai4.

B: da4 bai2 cai4.

Y:大 da4 literally means huge,

B: da4,

Y:白 bai2 means white,

B: bai2,

Y:菜 cai4 means cabbage,

B: cai4,

Y:大白菜 da4 bai2 cai4,

B: da4 bai2 cai4, Chinese cabbages

Conversation 3

A:你还需要买什么?

B:茄子和大白菜。.

B: Now, to buy things, How do ask for how much are the tomatoes Y?

Y: Well for xihongshi, the tomatoes, we buy them in half kilo measures called jin. Remember to always ask the price first, you can say:多少钱一斤 duo1 shao3 qian2 yi4 jin1?

B: duo1 shao3 qian2 yi4 jin1?

Y:多少钱 duo1 shao3 qian2 means how much,

B: duo1 shao3 qian2

Y:一斤 yi4 jin1 means half kilo,

B: yi4 jin1,

Y:多少钱一斤 duo1 shao3 qian2 yi4 jin1?

B: duo1 shao3 qian2 yi4 jin1? How much for one jin?

Conversation 4

A:多少钱一斤?

B:3块。

A:便宜点儿吧。

B:最低2块。