Latest / Learn Cantonese with Fexingo / Cantonese at the Wet Market
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey, welcome back to Learn Cantonese with Fexingo. I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. Lucas, I've been thinking about our last episode where we talked about household items. Lucas: Yeah, we had a table, a chair, a bed, and a door. That was fun. Luna: But today, I want to go somewhere fresh. Like a market? We've done the supermarket, but not a real wet market. Lucas: Oh, a wet market. That's a great idea. In Cantonese, we call it 街市. Luna: 街市. 街市. That sounds like a busy, lively place. Lucas: Exactly. It's a traditional market where you can find fresh produce, meat, and fish. Let's go there today. We'll learn how to buy some basics. Luna: Yes, let's do it. So, I'm at the fish stall. How do I say I want to buy fish? Lucas: You say 我想買魚. Let me say it slowly. 我想買魚. It means I want to buy fish. Luna: 我想買魚. 我想買魚. That feels good. But what if I want one fish? Like, one whole fish. Lucas: Ah, that's a useful phrase. For one fish, you say 一條魚. 一條 is a counter for long, fish-shaped things. Luna: 一條魚. So I could say 我想買一條魚. One fish, please. Lucas: Perfect. 我想買一條魚. Let's practice that whole phrase together. 我想買一條魚. Luna: 我想買一條魚. 我想買一條魚. That's a mouthful but I like it. Now, what about vegetables? I also want to buy some leafy greens. Lucas: For vegetables, you say 菜. To say I want to buy vegetables, it's 我想買菜. So same pattern. Luna: Oh, easy. 我想買菜. And maybe I want to buy some specific vegetables? But for now, let's keep it simple. Lucas: Right, keep it simple. Now, when you're at the market, you often buy by weight. The common unit is 一斤, which means half a kilogram. So you ask 幾多錢一斤? That means how much is one catty? Luna: 幾多錢一斤. That's a question, right? So I can ask the vendor 幾多錢一斤 and point at the fish. Lucas: Exactly. 幾多錢一斤? You'll hear that a lot. Let's say it together. 幾多錢一斤? Luna: 幾多錢一斤. 幾多錢一斤. Okay, I think I can use that. So, scenario: I'm at the fish stall, I say 我想買一條魚, then I ask 幾多錢一斤. Perfect. Lucas: That's a great little exchange. The vendor might say a price, and you can decide. Maybe you'll even bargain a bit. Luna: Bargaining is another episode. But for now, let's practice these phrases a bit more. Can we do a quick role-play? Lucas: Sure. I'll be the vendor. You come up and say your lines. Luna: Hi, I want to buy one fish. 我想買一條魚. How much is a catty? 幾多錢一斤? Lucas: That was smooth. The vendor would understand you perfectly. Now let's switch. You're the vendor and I'm the customer. Luna: Okay, I'm the vendor. What do you want? Lucas: 我想買一條魚. 幾多錢一斤? Luna: Oh, that's cool. I understood you. I'd say, thirty dollars a catty. But wait, how do I say that in Cantonese? Lucas: We haven't covered numbers for prices yet. Let's not get ahead. But you can say 三十蚊一斤. That's thirty dollars a catty. But for now, we'll stick with the question. Luna: Good point. Let's keep it small. So we have 街市, 我想買魚, 一條魚, 我想買菜, and 幾多錢一斤. That's a nice set. Lucas: And remember, these are the building blocks. You can swap fish for vegetables. Just say 我想買菜 and ask 幾多錢一斤. Luna: So practical. I love it. But before we go, I have to mention something. You know how we've been doing this show for over two hundred episodes? Lucas: Yeah, it's been a journey. And we've kept it ad-free the whole time. That's thanks to a small group of listeners who support us. Luna: Right. If you've been learning with us and Fexingo has helped you make progress, consider chipping in. It's as easy as buying us a coffee. Lucas: You can do that at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Every little bit helps us keep making these episodes. Luna: And we appreciate every one of you, whether you support us or not. Now, back to the market. Let's imagine you're at the vegetable stall. Lucas: Yes, you point at some leafy greens and say 我想買菜. The vendor asks 幾多錢? But that's a bit different. For now, you ask 幾多錢一斤? Luna: So I say 我想買菜, then 幾多錢一斤? That's like, I want to buy vegetables, how much per catty? Lucas: Exactly. And maybe you also want to buy some fish. So you walk to the fish stall and say 我想買一條魚. Luna: Then 幾多錢一斤. I'm feeling confident. Let's do a final round of repetition. Repeat after me, everyone: 街市. Lucas: 街市. And 我想買魚. Luna: 我想買魚. 一條魚. Lucas: 一條魚. 我想買菜. Luna: 我想買菜. 幾多錢一斤? Lucas: 幾多錢一斤? Great job. You're ready for the wet market. Luna: I can't wait to try these out. Thanks for joining us. Remember to practice, and we'll see you next time. Lucas: Bye for now. Keep learning with Fexingo.