Mini-conversations:
texts and audio
Newest
Fall
2012
1. 9/10/2012
A. Hi, my name is Jenny. What's your name?
B. Hi, Jenny. I'm Jason. Nice to meet you!
A. Nice to meet you too!
2. 9/12/2012
A. Hi, Jason. What department are you in?
B. Hi, Jenny. I'm in the chemistry department. How about you?
A. I'm a psychology major.
3. 9/17/2012
A. Hi, Debbie. How are you?
B. Not too bad, Jim. And yourself?
A. Pretty good, thanks. Did you have a good weekend?
B. Yeah, it was great. I caught up on some sleep and some work.
OR:
B. Yeah, it was great. I went out with some friends.
4. 9/19/2012
A. What day is it today?
B. Wednesday.
A. Almost over the hump!
Bonus sentence: No garbage pick-up today.
5. 9/24/2012
A. How many credits do you have this semester?
B. 32.
A. 32!? Are you crazy?
B. A little, I guess. How about you?
A. 28.
B. Oh, that sounds so much more manageable.
6. 9/26/2012
A. So what should we do for lunch today?
B. We don't have much time. Let's just go to the student center cafeteria.
A. OK. I like that one anyway — they have lots of veggies.
B. And it's on our way to the Gongtong Building.
7. 10/01/2012
A. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
B. Happy Moon Festival!
A. But no moon cakes for me this time. Too fattening.
B. But the pomelos are delicious.
8. 10/03/2012
A. I'm sorry I won't be able to make it to class next Monday.
I have to attend my grandmother's funeral in Gaoxiong.
B. I'm so sorry to hear this news. Make sure you get the assignments from a
classmate.
A. I will, thank you.
9. 10/08/2012
A. So what
are you doing on our day off?
B. I think I'll sleep, then I'll get up to
eat, then I'll do nothing for a while,
and then maybe I'll take a nap. How about you?
A. Nothing I could come up with could top that.
10. 10/15/2012
A. OK, now tell me
all about all the sleeping and eating you did on our day off.
B. Some vacation! I was at the pc doing homework almost the whole time!
A. I'm not saying
a thing about those 32 credits.
B. Smart decision.
11.
10/17/2012
B.
So what did you do?
A. I took a bus out to Sanxia and shopped on the Old Street there.
B. What'd you get?
A. A pretty camphor
wood carving for the wall.
B. We should go out there together sometime.
A. Yeah, that would be fun.
12.
10/22/2012
A.
Do you have time for coffee?
B. Sure, but I'd better stick with juice or tea, or I'll be up all night.
A. Caffeine doesn't seem to affect me that much...
A small latte, hot, please, for here.
B. One small mango smoothie, please, for here. Here's my NTU ID.
A. And here's mine.
13.
10/24/2012
A. Are you keeping up with
everything OK?
B. I was pretty frazzled the first two weeks of the semester.
A. But now?
B. I'm almost caught up in all my classes.
Being busy sure forces you
to find ways to be more efficient.
14.
10/29/2012
A.
I'm tired of cafeteria food. Let's do something different tonight.
B.
Have anything particular in mind?
A. There's a place on Dingzhou Road that has good steam-fried chive rolls.
B. But they don't have any place to sit.
A. We can bring them back to the Student Center to eat.
B. OK. Let's go.
15.
10/31/2012
A.
There's always a ridiculously long line for the red bean cakes.
B. I know — it's weird. I tried them once, and couldn't for the life of
me
figure out what was so special about them.
A. We're lucky they don't all like the chive rolls instead. No waiting!
B. Ten chive rolls, please.
C. Here you are. Be careful
— they're hot! ... That'll be 130 NT
dollars.
B. Thanks! ...
A. I'm stuffed! Those things are really filling!
16.
11/05/2012
A.
Just now I thought someone
had brought their little kid with them here.
B. Why?
A. I heard this really high, tiny, sweet voice.
Then I turned to have a look at her, and saw that she was
about 19 years old.
B. I wonder if she talks like that on purpose, or if it's just her natural voice.
(Discussion by Westerners and others about Taiwanese girls with high voices
here
and here.)
17.
11/07/2012
A.
What's that song they're playing?
I love it!
B. I have no idea. But it is nice. Wonder what it is and who the singer
is.
A. I'll jot down a couple lines of the lyrics and Google it.
B. That usually works.
18.
11/12/2012
A.
We visited my uncle's family and my
grandma in
New Taipei City this weekend.
B. How was it?
A. It was nice. My uncle cooked for us and we all caught up on each other.
B. It's good to spend time with family. I wish my grandparents lived closer.
19.
11/14/2012
B. How's your grandma doing?
A. She forgets things very quickly. She asks us the same questions over and
over.
B. Do you find that frustrating, or tiring?
A. No. We just have the same conversation again
as though it were the first time.
We don't know how much longer she'll be with us,
so I try to make the best of every minute with her.
20.
11/19/2012
B. I
can't find my bike.
A. Think back
— where
did you last park it?
B. Right here. But it's not here.
A. What does that message
written
in
chalk on
the asphalt say?
B.
"Illegally
parked bicycles towed to Shuiyuan campus 11/19."
21.
11/21/2012
B.
Really, there was no other place to park. Every slot in the rack was already
taken.
A.
Is this the first time your bike's been impounded?
B. Uh, second. But I don't think they start charging till the third offense.
A. But going to reclaim your bike is such a hassle.
B. Hey,
what the heck — let's have some Mexican food while we're in the area.
A. And then maybe go on a riverside
walk.
22.
11/26/2012
A.
I'll sing soprano, you sing alto, Eugene will sing tenor, and Jason, bass.
B. When do we rehearse, and where?
A. How about near the pond by the law building, if
the weather's nice,
at 6:30 tomorrow evening, right
after supper?
B. OK, but if the weather's not nice?
A. We'll figure something out.
23.
11/28/2012
A.
We all need to
start
learning our parts and memorizing the lyrics, today!
B. What if we're not sure about some of the pronunciations?
A. What else? Use the audio and YouTube files! And Merriam-Webster!
24.
12/03/2012
B.
Very
impressive — you got the only 100% in the whole class!
A. Well, I did study pretty hard for this calc test.
B. You know, I have tickets to the Elton John concert next week, and...
A. You have tickets to the Elton John concert?!
25.
12/05/2012
B.
Yes,
two. I really didn't want to go alone...
A. And...?
B. Well, would you like to go to the concert with me?
A. ... (catches her breath) Wow, yes! ... Thanks for asking me!
B. Maybe we can get a bite to eat before it starts. I'll email you the details.
A. Great! ... Well, I have class now. Talk to you later!
B. See ya.
26.
12/10/2012
A.
I
can't find anything to wear!
Everything in my closet and drawers is short-sleeved and
it's freezing out!
C. Maybe it's time to get your winter clothes out.
A. Mm, yeah...I guess it is... If only I had the time...
27.
12/12/2012
C.
Looks
like you'd better make time, don't you think?
A. Guess I don't have much choice. I can't go out in a tank top in this weather.
C. I'll help you get the boxes out of storage.
A. Thanks. That'll be a good start.
28.
12/10/2012
B.
(On
phone, after seeing a recent Facebook post by A.)
What
are you doing up at this time of night?
A. (Ahem) How about if you answer the
same question first?
B. Uh, well, I really tried to finish my lab report early this time.
But somehow I kept remembering other urgent things that
needed to get done.
A. So now you're going to pull an all-nighter?
B. (sighs) Looks like it.
A. Join the club.
29.
12/10/2012
B.
I can't concentrate any more. I need a break. And fuel!
Would you like to meet somewhere for a quick snack?
A.
I'd
love to, but my work has finally started to flow,
and I don't want to break the momentum.
B. (with self-pity) Guess I'll have to go alone
then.
A. I have some cheese
rolls, and some dried
squid that a family friend gave us.
Oh, and some cut
Asian pear.
Would you like to stop by and pick them up?
No chatting though — work has to come first this time!
B. OK, thanks, I'll be right over, and I promise not to stay too long!
Spring 2013
30. 2/25/2013
A. The switch on this LED lamp I bought online is broken — I can't turn
it off.
B. Is there a number you can call?
A. I'll have a look...Oh, here's a
number,
and a one-year warranty.
But it's in simplified characters!
B.
Well, call the number and see what they say...
Well?
What'd they say?
A. They said to mail it to them.
At first they said I'd have to pay NT$250 for repairs.
But I've only had it for five months!
31. 2/27/2013
B. So did you mention the one-year warranty?
A. Yes, but they said that warranty is only for the PRC,
and that the warranty
in Taiwan
is only for three months.
B. Did you argue with them?
A. Yes. I said that was the only warranty included with the lamp.
And I asked them if they give better service to
their PRC customers
than their Taiwan ones.
B. What'd he say then?
A. He very begrudgingly said, "OK, we'll fix it. Send it over."
So I did. But what lousy service!
32. 3/4/13
A. (Watching TV with B.)
Hey look, that's Angela!
B. Who's Angela?
A. A student in our department from about four years ago.
She's on TV! She looks great! She's singing one of my
favorite songs of hers!
B. So you knew her personally?
A. Yes, a little — we had some friends in common.
She was a top student, but sort of quiet.
She was in France for a year as an exchange student.
B. Then when she returned to Taiwan
she suddenly burst onto the scene as a singer?
33. 3/6/13
A. No, not suddenly. For a while she was translating movie subtitles.
B. Kind of a dead-end job?
A. Yes, she got really tired of it. She couldn't see any future in it.
It didn't pay all that well either,
and the "we need it yesterday" deadlines
were killing her.
B. So then?
A. She started writing her own songs, and performing them in pubs,
accompanying herself on the guitar.
Later she added some more instrumentalists.
B. She has a nice voice. And the lyrics are really thoughtful.
A. She's just put out her second CD. I can get you one if you want.
B. That would be great!
I'll show it off to everybody and tell them
I know somebody who knows somebody famous!
34.
3/11/13
A. (at a campus computer with B.)
Make sure you log out before leaving. This is a public
computer.
B. Doesn't it always log out by itself after a while?
A. Some programs do, but others don't.
Yesterday I opened gmail on this same computer,
and a friend's inbox was right there in front of my
eyes, open on the page.
B. So what did you do? Did you peek at a few of their emails?
35.
3/13/13
A.
I sure
was
tempted. I only saw the list of senders.
B. And then?
A. Well, actually, I did have a quick look at one email...
B. Haha! Snoop!...What did you see?
A. Nothing very exciting at all. But I felt pretty lousy about it.
B. So...
A. So then I logged out for the friend and checked my own mail.
B. And you made sure to log out before you left?
A. I most certainly did.
36.
3/13/13