Y: It’s our manners week on Chinese Studio… welcome everyone. Wo shi yajie.
B: da jia hao. Wo shi Brendan. We human beings need to know about good manners… it’s very important wherever you are.
Y: Right, so let’s continue our lessons.

Key words of the day

Do you mind if I smoke? 你介意我抽烟吗？No, I don’t mind. 不介意。
Could you please pass me the ketchup? 请把番茄酱递给我，好吗？All in today’s Chinese Studio

B: Yajie, do you mind if I smoke?
Y: no… I don’t mind… but Brendan, I don’t know you smoke.
B: hehe I don’t… I just want to know how to say it in Chinese.
Y: I see. You can say “ni3 jie4 yi4 wo3 chou1 yan1 ma?”
B: ni3 jie4 yi4 wo3 chou1 yan1 ma?
Y: ni3 means you,
B: ni3,
Y: jie4 yi4 means mind,
B: jie4 yi4,
Y: wo3 means I,
B: wo3,
Y: chou1 yan1 means smoke,
B: chou1 yan1,
Y: ma is often put at the end of a question.
B: ma.
Y: ni3 jie4 yi4 wo3 chou1 yan1 ma?
B: ni3 jie4 yi4 wo3 chou1 yan1 ma? Do you mind if I smoke. 

Conversation 1:
A:你介意我抽烟吗？
B: 不介意。您随便。

B: Yajie, what if a Chinese asks me this question and I want to say “I don’t mind”.
Y: you can say “bu2 jie4 yi4.”
B: bu2 jie4 yi4.
Y: bu2 means not,
B: bu2,
Y: jie4 yi4 means mind,
B: jie4 yi4,
Y: bu2 jie4 yi4
B: bu2 jie4 yi4 I don’t mind. 

Conversation 2:
A: 你介意我抽烟吗？
B: 不介意。

B: Yajie, Could you please pass me the ketchup?
Y: Sure… here you are.
B: thanks. What if the person I ask don’t understand English?
Y: then you can say it in Chinese, like this : 请把番茄酱递给我，好吗？
B: qing3 ba3 fan1 qie2 jiang4 di4 gei3 wo3, hao3ma?
Y: qing3 means please,
B: qing3,
Y: fan1 qie2 means tomato,
B: fan1 qie2.
Y: jiang4 means something paste like jam,
B: jiang4.
Y: fan1 qie2 jiang4, ketchup, 
B: fan1 qie2 jiang4
Y: di4 means pass,
B: di4,
Y: gei3 wo3 means give something to me,
B: gei3 wo3.
Y:  hao3ma, is it okay?
B:  hao3ma
Y: qing3 ba3 fan1 qie2 jiang4 di4 gei3 wo3, hao3ma
B: qing3 ba3 fan1 qie2 jiang4 di4 gei3 wo3,hao3ma Could you please pass me the ketchup?

Conversation3:
A: 请把番茄酱递给我，好吗？
B: 好的。给你，
A：谢谢，
B：不客气。

Key words reminder

Do you mind if I smoke? 你介意我抽烟吗？No, I don’t mind. 不介意。
Could you please pass me the ketchup? 请把番茄酱递给我，好吗？All in today’s Chinese Studio

B: We’ve run out of time already. Let’s get to our question of the day.
Y: Today’s question is, how do you say “Do you mind if I smoke?” in Chinese?
B: Send your answer to Chinese@.  And you might win a prize from us. Ming tian jian!
Y: Ming tian jian!