Intermediate - Shopping for the Husband (C1809)

A: 娜娜,娜娜!
Nàna, Nàna!
Nana, Nana!
B: 啊!怎么了?
ǎ! zěnmele?
Yeah! What is it?
A: 你在想什么呢?
nǐ zài xiǎng shénme ne?
What are you thinking about?
B: 哦,下周是我老公的三十岁生日,我在想送什么给他好?
ò, xiàzhōu shì wǒ lǎogōng de sānshí suì shēngrì, wǒ zài xiǎng sòng shénme gěi tā hǎo?
Oh, next week is my husband's 30th birthday. I'm thinking about what to give him.
A: 男人嘛,领带啊,皮带啊,钱包啊,都可以,也比较实用。
nánrén ma, lǐngdài a, pídài a, qiánbāo a, dōu kěyǐ, yě bǐjiào shíyòng.
You know men... ties, belts, and wallets are all good. They're also all quite practical.
B: 这些我都送过了。
zhèxiē wǒ dōu sòng guo le.
I've given all of those before.
A: 要么送电子产品,男人都迷这个。
yàome sòng diànzǐ chǎnpǐn, nánrén dōu mí zhè ge.
Then why don't you give him something electronic? All men love those things.
B: 对哦,我老公爱摄影,他那个单反机都用了好几年了。这次正好可以买个送给他。
duì ò, wǒ lǎogōng ài shèyǐng, tā nàge dānfǎnjī dōu yòng le hǎo jǐ nián le. zhècì zhènghǎo kěyǐ mǎi ge sònggěi tā.
That's right, my husband loves photography. He's used his SLR camera for so many years. This is a great time to buy him a new one.
A: 你真是个好老婆!哎,好像我老公的生日也快到了。
nǐ zhēn shì ge hǎo lǎopó! ái, hǎoxiàng wǒ lǎogōng de shēngrì yě kuài dào le.
You really are a great wife! Agh, I think my husband's birthday is also coming up.
B: 那你也买一个吧。一起买,还能便宜点儿。
nà nǐ yě mǎi yī ge ba. yīqǐ mǎi, hái néng piányi diǎnr.
You should get your husband one, too. If we buy them together, we can get them a bit cheaper.
A: 算了。太贵了,我买条牛仔裤意思意思就行了。
suànle. tài guì le, wǒ mǎi tiáo niúzǎikù yìsi yìsi jiù xíng le.
Forget it, it's too expensive. I'll just buy him a pair of jeans to show him I remembered.

Key Vocabulary

老公 lǎogōng husband
hǎo suitable, appropriate
ma [attracts attention]
领带 lǐngdài necktie
皮带 pídài belt
钱包 qiánbāo wallet
a [emphatic sound]
比较 bǐjiào relatively
实用 shíyòng practical
要么 yàome how about
电子产品 diànzǐ chǎnpǐn electronic product
to like, to be a fan of
摄影 shèyǐng photography
单反机 dānfǎnjī SLR camera
正好 zhènghǎo just right
老婆 lǎopó wife
好像 hǎoxiàng to seem as if
意思 yìsi to submit a token of appreciation

Supplementary Vocabulary

或者 huòzhě or
红包 hóngbāo red envelope
婚礼 hūnlǐ marriage
小气 xiǎoqì stingy
大方 dàfāng generous
重视 zhòngshì to attach importance to
举例 jǔlì to give an example
cloth
塑料 sùliào plastic

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