Sentences in The Week
In the past week, we learned how to say sorry - 对不起 or 抱歉. The response is usually 没关系 or 没什么. Then, we learned a popular phrase怎么了 means: What’s wrong with you? 你怎么了？What’s up with him? 他怎么了 And finally, we learned how to give a suggestion or ask for an opinion. ‘好吗’, 行吗, 可以吗, 怎么样, 好不好, which all mean ‘Is it OK?’.
 
Cam: We learned quite a lot, didn’t we?
Yajie: (silence)
Cam: Hey, Yajie, wake up.
Yajie: Oh, 对不起. 抱歉。I didn’t hear you.
Cam: Oh well. That doesn’t matter – Mei Guan Xi. Mei Shen Me. But what’s wrong with you? Ni Zen Me Le?
Yajie: I hate getting up early on Sunday!  Anyway I’m awake now… and I hope our listeners won’t forget how to ask what’s wrong with somebody or something.
Cam: That's right. It’s ‘Somebody or something + 怎么了(Zen Me Le)’. Listen to this:

Conversation 1:

Yajie: 怎么了 means ‘What happened’, ‘What’s wrong with…’.
Cam: Ni Zen Me Le? What’s wrong with you?
Yajie: 我有点儿头疼。I have a little bit of a headache. 头疼 is headache.
Cam: 我有点儿头疼。(wo yo diar tou teng)
Yajie: So how do you say ‘What’s wrong with him’?
Cam: Easy. Ta Zen Me Le? And I also remember摔伤 (shuai shang) means to hurt yourself in a fall. The whole conversation is: 他怎么了？(ta zen me le) What’s wrong with him? 他摔伤了. (ta shuai shang le) He hurt himself in a fall. Yajie:  他怎么了？他摔伤了In this case, 他 in the reply can be omitted. So the answer can be shortened to just 摔伤了.去医院。Go to the hospital. We can change it into a question that actually gives a suggestion or asks for an opinion.
Cam: The key is to put at its end 好吗, 行吗, 可以吗, 怎么样, 好不好, which all mean ‘Is it OK?’, ‘How is it?’

Conversation 2:

Yajie: 坐, means ‘to sit’.我坐这儿，行吗 means “May I have a seat?”
Cam: 我坐这儿，行吗？(wo zuo zher xing ma)
Yajie: Wonderful. If I said 行, it means ‘OK’. In addition, 好的, 可以all mean the same.
Cam: So a positive reply can be: 行, (xing) 好的,(hao de) 可以. (ke yi). 
Yajie: 一起去看电影，好吗? 一起, together. 看电影, to watch a film
Cam: So let’s go to the cinema together, OK? 一起去看电影，好吗? (yi qi qu kan dian ying hao ma)
Yajie: 晚上去泡吧，怎么样? 晚上means evening, 去泡吧, go to a pub. Let’s go to a pub tonight, OK?
Cam:  Yajie,wang shang qu pao ba zen me yang?
Yajie: dui bu qi… I have to work tonight! 
Cam: Yajie!  I guess I’ll have to ask someone else… So dui bu qi is a signal of ‘No’. I guess抱歉 is also appropriate here.
Yajie: Clever. 抱歉 or 对不起 plus an excuse will be a perfect refusal.
Cam:  This is good times Yajie.  I am starting to use some of these phrases. 
Yajie: The secret is to tune into Chinese Studio where everybody can perfect Chinese in only 5 minutes a day.
Cam: I think so. Well, it's time to wind up today’s review lesson – Fu Xi Ke. And today’s question is what you learned on Chinese Studio this past week? One example will be fine.
Yajie: You can write your answer in Chinese or Pinyin, and send us to Chinese@crifm.com. In this way, you’ll have a chance to win a CRI prize. Why not try your luck? Alright, class is over. This is Yajie, 下周见!
Cam: And this is Cam. See you next week. 下周见!

(Written by Wang Anjing)