3 Lesson 9 Dialogue 1: 怎么走

Dialogue:

（Jenny想到北海公园去玩儿，可是她不知道怎么走。）
Jenny：大爷，请问到北海公园去怎么走？
大爷：你先坐一路公共汽车，坐四站；再换二十三路车，坐两站。你一下车就到了。
Jenny：那一路公共汽车站在哪儿？
大爷：就在那儿，看见那个站牌了吗？那儿就是。
Jenny：车票多少钱？
大爷：三块钱。
Jenny：谢谢您，大爷！
大爷：别客气。
(从北海公园出来以后，她想去北京大学找同学。）
Jenny：叔叔，请问，去北京大学怎么走？
叔叔：打车或者坐地铁都可以。你想打车还是坐地铁？
Jenny：打车得多久？
叔叔：打车10分钟，很快，也很方便，但是有点儿贵。
Jenny：那我还是坐地铁吧。您能告诉我怎么走吗？
叔叔：没问题。你先坐地铁10号线，坐一站，然后换4号线，坐两站，到北大站下车。最后你走5分钟就到了。
Jenny：叔叔，太谢谢您了！
叔叔：不用谢。

Vocabulary:

Grammar Notes:

1. Modes of transportation:
   车chē, vehicle
   汽车 qì chē, literally “steamed vehicle”, often used interchangeably with 车
   公共汽车    gōng gòng qì chē, literally “public vehicle”, meaning “bus”
   出租汽车    chū zū qì chē, literally “rent-out vehicle”, meaning “taxi”
   的士    dī shì, taxi, originated from the Cantonese dialect
   大巴    dà bā, mega bus
   地铁    dì tiě, subway
   高铁    gāo tiě, high-speed train
   飞机    fēi jī, airplane
   火车    huǒ chē, literally “fire-driven vehicle”
2. The question word 怎么走 in the sentence 请问到北海公园怎么走
   This phrase 怎么走 means “how to get there”, used to ask for directions. The structure is “Destination + 怎么走？“ For example:
   图书馆怎么走？(How to get to the library?)
   我想去老师的办公室，请问怎么走？(I would like to go to the teacher’s office. Could you tell me how to get there?)
3. The expression一… 就… in the sentence 你一下车就到了
   This expression means “as soon as…”, used to describe two different actions, one happens immediately after the other. The structure is “一 + action 1 + 就 + action 2″. In the sentence 你一下车就到了, action 1 is 下车 and action 2 is 到了. The sentence means “As soon as you get off, you will arrive.” Note that the subjects of the two actions may be the same or different. For example:
   我一下课就回家。(As soon as I finished my class, I went home.) In this example, there are two actions 下课 and 回家, 回家 happens right after 下课.
   我一回家，他就走了。(As soon as I got home, he left.) In this sentence, the two actions 回家 and 走了 have two different subjects, and they occur one after another.
4. The word 或者 in the sentence “打车或者坐地铁都可以”
   This word 或者 means “or”, used to connect words or phrases when offering or considering choices. In the sentence above, two options are offered: 打车 and 坐地铁. The sentence means “Either taking a taxi or riding on subway is okay.” Here are more examples:
   打车或者坐车都可以。(Either taking a taxi or riding on a bus is okay.)
   我去上海或者北京。(I will go to either Shanghai or Beijing.)
   Note: 或者 is used in an “or” statement; while 还是 is used in an “or” question. Compare:
   你打车还是坐车？(Will you take a taxi or ride a bus?)
   我打车或者坐车都行。(Taking a taxi or riding a bus works for me.)
5. The expression 还是…吧 in the sentence “那我还是坐地铁吧”
   This expression means “had better, it’s better to choose…”, used to make a choice when considering two or more options. The sentence 那我还是坐地铁吧 means “In that case I had better take a subway.” The structure is “Subject + 还是 + Verb phrase + 吧”. For example:
   打车太贵了，我还是坐车吧。(Taking a taxi is too expensive. I had better ride a bus.)
   明天我没空，我还是周末去公园吧。(Tomorrow I won’t have time. I had better go to the park on weekends.)

Culture Notes:

How should you appropriately address Chinese strangers on the street when you want to talk to them? Using “先生” / “小姐 (女士)” usually sounds too formal, and it is hard to break the ice. What should you do? Here are some tips:

1. Addressing the people who are older than you:

When talking to people who are obviously as old as your grandparents, you can address them as “大爷”(dà yé, a kinship name for elderly men) or “老爷爷”( lǎo yéye, old grandpa) for a man, and  “大妈”(dà mā, a kinship term for elderly women) or “老奶奶” (lǎo nǎinai, old grandma) for a woman. You can also use a neutral term such as “老人家”( lǎo rén jiā) to address either an elderly male or female.

When talking with people who are of your parents’ age, you can use “叔叔”(shū shu, uncle) or “大叔”(dà shū, big uncle) for a man or “阿姨”(ā yí, aunt) for a woman. You can also use “大哥”(dà gē, big brother)/ “哥”(gē) or “大姐”(dà jiě, big sister)/ “姐”( jiě) for people who are not much older than you.

2. Addressing younger people:

When talking to people who are younger than you, you can use “小伙子” (xiǎo huǒzi, young fellow) for a young man and “小姑娘”(xiǎo gūniang, little girl) or “小妹妹” (xiǎo mèimei, little sister) for a young girl. If you are in the same generation, you can also call them “帅哥” (shuài gē, handsome bro) or “美女”(měi nǚ, pretty girl/woman). The recent trend is to refer to people with “小姐姐” (xiǎo jiějie, little older sister) and “小哥哥” (xiǎo gēge, little older brother).