Shopping in a supermarket
Lilly and Xiao Wu are shopping in Auchan supermarket and take advantage of some special offers.
Click on either pinyin or characters to listen to individual words. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the dialogue.
Hover the mouse over the Chinese characters for a second to see the pinyin version of that line. You can also click on the right-hand button for all pinyin to be displayed.
Wu:
莉莉，我要去欧尚买点东西，你想不想一起去？我们从办公室走过去就行。欧尚是一个大卖场，那里有食物、衣服、化妆品、电器、运动器材、书籍、影碟，各式各样，应有尽有。
Lilly:
好啊，我们一起去吧。事实上我也有些东西要买。
(At Auchan)
Lilly:
哇，这里真大，而且人山人海。你平时常来这里购物吗？
Wu:
是啊，我的日常用品和食物大都是这里买的。这里物美价廉，而且常有促销。你看这些沙琪玛，通常是15元一盒，但是今天促销才10元一盒。
Lilly:
小吴，沙琪玛是什么东西？
Wu:
是一种油炸的零食，用面团做的，非常好吃，又酥又甜。我拿几盒，然后给你一些尝尝。
Lilly:
谢谢！看，这块牌子上写着蛋黄派买一送一。我最爱蛋黄派了！我拿四盒吧。蛋黄派的保质期很长。
Announcement:
顾客朋友们晚上好! 欧尚，您最喜爱的超市，现正举行果汁和茶饮的限时特卖。如果您今日购买各类娃哈哈果汁和茶饮一箱，均可享受半价优惠！千真万确：今日所有娃哈哈果汁和茶饮均半价优惠。请把握机会抓紧购买，欧尚给予您七日内未消费无条件退款的承诺！
Wu:
莉莉，你要买饮料吗？
Lilly:
我们过去看一下吧，看看有没有喜欢的口味。
Wu:
这些都只是果汁味的饮料，我比较爱喝纯果汁。我买一箱冰红茶吧。
Lilly:
我拿一些奶茶。我很喜欢这个牌子的奶茶。我还得买一些电池，这里有卖电池的吗？
Wu:
嗯……估计在电器那边，在卖场的最里面，衣服和体育器材的后边。这样吧，莉莉，我还有些别的东西要买，我们十分钟后在那边的付款处等，怎么样？
Wu:
Lilly, I need to go to Auchan and do some shopping. Would you like to come with me? It is within walking distance from the office. Auchan is a big supermarket, and it has got all kinds of food, clothes, cosmetics, electrical goods, sports gear, books, DVDs, you name it…!
Lilly:
OK, I'd love to come with you. I actually need to buy a few things myself.
(At Auchan)
Lilly:
Wow, this is really an enormous place and quite crowded too. Do you often do your shopping here?
Wu:
Yes, I buy most of my daily essentials and food here. It is good value and there are some good promotions from time to time. Just like these sachima here. They would normally be 15 yuan per pack, but in the promotion today they are only 10 yuan per pack.
Lilly:
What is sachima, Xiao Wu?
Wu:
It is a kind of fried snack, made of dough, it is very, very nice, crispy and sweet! I'll get a few of them and give you some to try.
Lilly:
Thanks! Look, it says on this board buy one pack of egg pies, get one free. I do love egg pies! I think I’ll take 4 packs. Egg pies keep for a long time.
Announcement:
Good evening customers! Auchan, your favourite supermarket, is offering you a special promotion on fruit juices and tea drinks for a limited period only. Today, you can buy a case of 12 bottles of Wahaha fruit drinks or tea drinks with a 50% discount! Yes you have heard correctly: Wahaha fruit drinks and tea drinks are half price for today only. Don’t miss this first class offer and still benefit from the Auchan promise of 'satisfied or refunded within seven days'.
Wu:
Lilly, did you want any soft drinks?
Lilly:
Well, let’s go and see if there are any flavours that we like.
Wu:
These are all just fruit-flavoured soft drinks, I prefer pure fruit juices. But I’ll buy a case of iced black tea.
Lilly:
I'll take some milk tea. I like this brand's milk tea very much. And now I need some batteries, do they sell batteries here?
Wu:
Umm…perhaps where the electrical goods are, at the other end of the shop, past the clothes and sports gear. Look Lilly, I still need a few other things, I'll meet you at the tills over there in ten minutes. OK?
These are notes about potentially difficult key expressions. They are listed in the order in which they appear in the dialogue.
1. 书籍
那里有食物、衣服……书籍、影碟…… There are food, clothes… books, DVDs…
书籍 means 'books' and it is a collective noun, thus it cannot be counted. To say a/one book, one must use 一本书. 书 is the word for 'book'.
2. 各式各样
各式各样 is a four-character idiom. It means 'all kinds of ', (lit. various | styles | various | kinds).
这家商店有各式各样的商品。This shop has all kinds of products.
Other four-character idioms from this dialogue are:
应有尽有, meaning 'there is everything (you can think of)', (lit. should | have | totally | have).
这里应有尽有。There is everything here. 这里 means 'here'.
人山人海, meaning 'extremely crowded ', (lit. people | mountain | people | sea).
国庆节的时候，天安门广场上人山人海 。On National Day, Tian'anmen Square is extremely crowded.
物美价廉, meaning 'of good value', (lit. thing | nice | price | inexpensive).
这条街上的东西大都物美价廉。Things in this street are mostly of good value.
千真万确, meaning 'absolutely true', (lit. thousand | real | ten thousand | confirmed).
这个消息千真万确。This news is absolutely real.
3. 用……做的
沙琪玛是用面团做的。Sachima is made of dough.
用……做的 means 'to be made of '. e.g. 这个是用什么做的？ What is this made of? 这个是用豆腐做的。This is made of tofu.
4. 写着
这块牌子上写着蛋黄派买一送一。 It says on this board buy one pack of egg pies, get one free. (lit. On this board | written | buy one pack of egg pies, get one free.)
着 is put after the action verb 写 'to write' to describe a status.
Compare 请关门。Please close the door. (lit. Please | close | door.) with 门关着。The door is closed. (lit. Door | close | 'zhe'.)
5. 卖电池的
这里有卖电池的吗？ Do they sell batteries here?
卖电池 means 'to sell batteries'. Adding the particle 的, it becomes 卖电池的, a noun phrase, meaning a counter/person that sells batteries. Therefore the sentence lit. is Do they have a counter/person that sells batteries?
6. 在……边/面
估计在电器那边，在卖场的最里面，衣服和体育器材的后边。Perhaps where the electrical goods are, at the other end of the shop, past the clothes and sports gear.
在……边/面 means 'on…side'. 边 and 面 are interchangeable.
在左边 on the left side
在这边 on this side
在前面 on the front side
在里面 on the inside
在右边 on the right side
在那边 on that side
在后面 on the back side
在外面 on the outside
Shopping trip
Listen to the dialogue 'Shopping in a supermarket' and complete the following paragraph by dragging the suitable expressions into the blanks. You can listen to the audio to check your answers. Click on 帮助 if you need to access the English translation.
You require the latest flash player to view this activity
True or False
Decide whether the following statements are true, false or not mentioned in the dialogue 'Shopping in a supermarket'. Click on the audio button to hear each statement. You can also click on 帮助 to see the English translation. Check your answers.
hint 1
Sachima is a kind of fried snack, crisp and sweet.
hint 2
The promotional price of sachima is 15 yuan per pack.
hint 4
Soft drinks of all brands in the supermarket are half price.
hint 6
Auchan has a promise of 'satisfied or refunded within seven days'.
hint 7
Clothes are at the end of the supermarket, next to sports equipment.
hint 9
Xiao Wu does not like fruit-flavoured soft drinks.
check Answers
reset Answers