The dream of most younger couples is to find someone to love and be their soul mate, then maybe marry. But, sometimes, work has to come first and many people end up in long-distance relationships where they don’t get to see each other too often. It will be useful to know how to talk about such things if you encounter this sort of situation; who knows, maybe you will have such a relationship too!
In this Podcast, you will learn:
(i) How to discuss a relationship with a friend or colleague
(ii) To ask about how others cope with long-distance love
Dialogue:
（在街上）
(zài jiē shàng)
(on the street)
A:你男朋友最近来北京看你么？
Nǐ nán péng yǒu zuì jìn lái Běi Jīng kàn nǐ me?
Is your boyfriend going to come to Beijing to visit you?
B:不来。他在汕头工作，走不开啊。
Bù lái. Tā zài Shàn Tóu gōng zuò, zǒu bù kāi a.
No, he works in Shantou, he doesn’t have time to leave.
A:那你去看他么？
Nà nǐ qù kàn tā me?
Are you going to visit him then?
B:去不了，我这边也忙啊。
Qù bù liǎo, wǒ zhè biān yě máng a.
I can’t go. I’m busy here, too.
A:我是真挺佩服你俩的。我可坚持不了异地恋。
Wǒ shì zhēn tǐng pèi fú nǐ liǎ de. Wǒ kě jiān chí bù liǎo yì dì liàn.
I really admire you two. I couldn’t hold on to a long-distance relationship.
B:我也快坚持不了了。什么时候是个头儿啊。
Wǒ yě kuài jiān chí bù liǎo le. Shén me shí hou shì ge tóu er a.
I almost can’t hold on to it, either. Sometimes I wonder when will this all come to an end?
Chinese words and phrases mentioned in this Podcast:
男朋友：boyfriend
最近：recently
看：here refers to ‘visit’
汕头：Shantou, a city in Guangdong province
工作：work
走不开：means that the person is very busy
忙：busy
真：really
挺：very much
佩服：admire, regard someone with respect
你俩：you two
坚持：insist, hold on
异地恋：a long-distance relationship
头儿：end
Cultural/Grammar note:
‘头儿’ is a very useful expression in Chinese.
e.g. 我这头走不开。
Wǒ zhè tóu zǒu bù kāi.
I can’t leave from my side.