There are a couple different usages of 了 in this segment. I tried to explain them in my own words. Compare and contrast them and let me know if you have any questions. 🙂
Mandarin transcript (in pinyin and characters) for Peppa Pig S01E51 “Daddy’s Movie Camera” Part 3:
- xièxie nín gòumǎi diànyǐng sān líng bā líng
- wǒ pòbùjídài xiǎng bāng nín pāi dìyībù yǐngpiàn le
- kěyǐ bǎ zhège shēngyīn guāndiào ma
- wǒ bú tài quèdìng
- xièxie nín gòumǎi diànyǐng sān líng bā líng
- sūxī jiāde shèxiàngjī, nǐ àn zhège ànniǔ, tā jiù búhuì shuōhuà le
- xièxie nín gòumǎi…
- xiànzài tā bù shuōhuà le
- zuò dé hǎo, pèiqí
- wǒmen gāi xiān pāixiē shénme ne
- pāi wǒ ba
- hǎo de pèiqí
- nǐhǎo, wǒ shì pèiqí
- dàjiā dōu guòlái
- 谢谢您购买电影3080
- 我迫不及待想帮您拍第一部影片了
- 可以把这个声音关掉吗
- 我不太确定
- 谢谢您购买电影3080
- 苏西家的摄像机,你按这个按钮,它就不会说话了
- 谢谢您购买…
- 现在它不说话了
- 做得好,佩奇
- 我们该先拍些什么呢
- 拍我吧
- 好的,佩奇
- 你好,我是佩奇
- 大家都过来
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Show Notes for Learn Chinese with Peppa Pig Season 01 Episode 51 Part 3
xièxie nín gòumǎi diànyǐng sān líng bā líng
谢谢 您 购买 电影 3080
Thank you for purchasing Movie 3080.
- 谢谢 = xièxie, thank you.
- 您 = nín, a polite way of saying you.
- 购买 = gòumǎi, a formal way of saying purchase. You usually just use 买.
- 电影 = diànyǐng, movie.
- 三 = sān, three
- 零 = líng, zero
- 八 = bā, eight
- 3080 / 三零八零 = sān líng bā líng, the model number of the movie camera. Usually you’d read out every single digit rather than saying three thousand and eighty. However, if it’s an easier number such as 3000, one could conceivably call it by reading the number as a whole as in 三千 = sānqiān, three thousand.
wǒ pòbùjídài xiǎng bāng nín pāi dìyībù yǐngpiàn le
我 迫不及待 想 帮 您 拍 第一部 影片 了
I can’t wait to help you shoot your first video.
- 我 = wǒ, I
- 迫不及待 = pòbùjídài, eager. In this sentence it’s used as an adverb. Typically to turn an adjective to an adverb you add a 得 at the end. But it’s sometimes omitted, often when the adjective is long.
- 想 = xiǎng, to want
- 帮 = bāng, to help
- 拍 = pāi, to videotape or to photograph
- 第一 = dìyī, first
- 部 = bù, the measure word for a movie
- 影片 = yǐngpiàn, a movie clip
- 了 = le, usually indicating past tense. But in this case it’s just appended to a statement. I think 了 is often added to a statement to imply some activity is about to happen. For example,
- 要下雨了 = yào xià yǔle, it is about rain.
- 我去吃饭了 = wǒ qù chīfànle, I’m going to eat now.
kěyǐ bǎ zhège shēngyīn guāndiào ma
可以 把 这个 声音 关掉 吗
Can somebody turn off this sound?
- 可以 = kěyǐ, can. If you want to ask “Can you…” add 你 in front of 可以
- 这个 = zhège, this
- 声音 = shēngyīn, sound
- 把…关掉 = bǎ … guāndiào, to turn something off. For example, 把灯关掉 = bǎ dēng guān diào, to turn off the lights. It’s also common to use 关了 instead of 关掉.
- 吗 = ma, used to indicate a question
wǒ bú tài quèdìng
我 不 太 确定
I am not so sure.
- 不太 = bú tài, not very much. For example, 我不太明白 = wǒ bù tài míngbái, I don’t fully understand.
- 确定 = quèdìng, sure
- I think “I am not sure” isn’t as commonly used as “I don’t know” by Chinese speakers. 我不知道 = wǒ bù zhīdào, I don’t know.
xièxie nín gòumǎi diànyǐng sān líng bā líng
谢谢 您 购买 电影 3080
Thank you for purchasing Movie 3080.
sūxī jiāde shèxiàngjī, nǐ àn zhège ànniǔ, tā jiù búhuì shuōhuà le
苏西家的摄像机,你按这个按钮,它就不会说话了
For the movie camera at Suzy’s, if you press this button, it’d stop talking
- 苏西 = sūxī, Suzy Sheep
- 家 = jiā, home
- 的 = de, indicating belonging
- 苏西家的 = sūxī jiāde, to describe somthing belongs to Suzy’s family. You probably will come across this expression often, such as 我家的猫 = wǒjiā de māo, my family’s cat.
- 摄像机 = shèxiàngjī, movie camera
- 你 = nǐ, you
- 按 = àn, to press
- 按钮 = ànniǔ, button
- 它 = tā, it
- 就 = jiù, then
- 不会 = búhuì, won’t
- 说话 = shuōhuà, to talk
- 了 = le, I think the usage of the 了 here is similar to the very first sentence above to imply that the movie camera would stop talking as soon as you press a button.
xièxie nín gòumǎi…
谢谢 您 购买…
Thank you for purchasing…
xiànzài tā bù shuōhuà le
现在 它 不 说话 了
Now it has stopped talking
- 现在 = xiànzài, now
- 不说话了 = bù shuōhuà, stopped talking. You may have learned 停 means stop. But you don’t use 停 + verb to express something has stopped. Instead you’d use 不. For example, 我不去上课了 I’ve stopped going to classes. 我不乱花钱了 I’ve stopped spending money lavishly.
- 了 here indicates past tense. The talking has stopped.
zuò dé hǎo, pèiqí
做得好,佩奇
Well done, Peppa.
- 做 = zuò, to do
- 好 = hǎo, good
- 得 = dé, turns an adjective into an adverb
- 佩奇 = pèiqí, Peppa Pig
wǒmen gāi xiān pāixiē shénme ne
我们 该 先 拍些 什么呢
What should we videotape?
- 我们 = wǒmen, we/us
- 该 = gāi, should, less formal than 应该 = yīnggāi, also means should.
- 先 = xiān, first
- 什么 = shénme, something
- 拍些什么 = pāi xiē shénme, to videotape something. 些 indicates the movement (verb) is done casually. For example, 吃些什么 = zhī xiē shénme, to eat something, nothing particular. It can also be a question asking “what do you want to eat?” in a casual way.
- 呢 = ne, often used at the end of a question if you’re asking for a suggestion
pāi wǒ ba
拍 我 吧
- 吧 = ba, indicating a suggestion
hǎo de pèiqí
好的 佩奇
Okay, Peppa.
nǐhǎo, wǒ shì pèiqí
你好,我 是 佩奇
Hello, I am Peppa.
- 是 = shì, am/is/are
dàjiā dōu guòlái
大家 都 过来
Everybody come here!
- 大家 = dàjiā, everybody
- 都 = dōu, all
- 过来 = guòlái, come here