Traditional Chinese course

Lesson 177 of 240

New here? This is lesson 177 of a free 240-lesson Traditional Chinese course.

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Wait, what? in Traditional Chinese

A-Li unfolds a map of Banyan Lane and circles the breakfast shop. Your face does the talking now: stop him, ask what he did, and press for the next beat.

Lesson 78 was the first jolt. Here you follow up, check if it is serious, and ask how someone knows.

Keep the fortune unsolved. His soy milk still sits unfinished on the table.

By the end of this lesson

Follow up on a surprise: stop someone, ask what happened, check if it is serious, and press for the next beat.

  • 等等，什麼？Wait, what?
  • 他做了什麼？What did he do?
  • 認真的嗎？Seriously?
  • 你怎麼知道的？How do you know?
  • 然後呢？And then?
  • 不會是真的吧It can't be true.

Scene — a circled shop

Morning at Banyan Breakfast. A-Li sits at the back on two stools, a paper map of the lane spread beside his soy milk. A small pencil circle marks the shop.

Auntie Lin saw him draw it. Maya has not. The fortune stays in the till; nobody reads it aloud today.

Morning light fills Banyan Breakfast as A-Li sits at the back over a paper map while Auntie Lin watches from the counter and Maya sits up front, not looking.

Learn — follow up a surprise

These six lines help you follow a surprise. Stop someone, ask what happened next, and check if it can be true.

Listen for the light tone on 的 and 吧. They soften a question or a guess.

  1. Maya jerks upright at her table with chopsticks frozen in the air, startled by the news.

    等等，什麼？

    Wait, what?

    When to use it: Use this to stop someone when you missed a word.

  2. Maya twists toward the back with both palms open, looking at A-Li beside the paper map.

    他做了什麼？

    What did he do?

    When to use it: Ask what someone already did.

    了 marks a finished event, not something still going on.

    Say it: 了 is a light neutral tone after the verb.

  3. Maya leans over the table with one palm flat on the wood, skeptical, while Auntie Lin pours soy milk.

    認真的嗎？

    Seriously?

    When to use it: Check whether the speaker really means it.

  4. Maya lifts one hand toward Auntie Lin in a how-do-you-know gesture while Auntie Lin glances toward A-Li at the back.

    你怎麼知道的？

    How do you know?

    When to use it: Ask how someone learned a fact.

    The 的 at the end asks how the knowing happened.

  5. Maya has scooted her stool forward with fingers splayed on the table edge while Auntie Lin lifts a ladle mid-story.

    然後呢？

    And then?

    When to use it: Ask for the next beat after a pause.

    呢 keeps the question open for the next part.

  6. Maya walks from her front table down the aisle toward A-Li at the back stools.

    不會是真的吧

    It can't be true.

    When to use it: Show you doubt a surprising claim.

    吧 softens the guess so it is not a hard no.

    Say it: 不 rises before a falling-tone syllable.

Story — a map on the table

Listen as Auntie Lin tells Maya about A-Li's map. Maya's face asks every follow-up.

A-Li stays at the back table. His drink is still unfinished.

  1. Auntie Lin阿犛拿出一張地圖。A-Li took out a map.
  2. Maya等等，什麼？Wait, what?
  3. Auntie Lin巷子的地圖，上面有一個圈。A map of the lane, with a circle on it.
  4. Maya他做了什麼？What did he do?
  5. Auntie Lin他把我們店圈起來了。He circled our shop.
  6. Maya認真的嗎？Seriously?
  7. Auntie Lin對啊，圈就在店上面。Yeah, the circle is right on the shop.
  8. Maya你怎麼知道的？How do you know?
  9. Auntie Lin我早上看到他在後面畫。I saw him drawing it at the back this morning.
  10. Maya然後呢？And then?
  11. Auntie Lin然後地圖就放在桌上。Then the map was left on the table.
  12. Maya walks over to A-Li's table.
  13. Maya發生什麼事了？What happened?
  14. A-Li我剛剛把店圈起來了。I just circled the shop.
  15. Maya不會是真的吧It can't be true.
  16. A-Li豆漿還沒喝完。The soy milk still isn't finished.

Practice — ask what happened

Work through these short drills to stop a story, ask what someone did, and then press for the next part.

After each item, read why the other options fail, then say the winning line out loud once more.

0 of 10 done

  1. What does it mean?

    等等，什麼？

  2. What do you say?

    Auntie Lin says A-Li finished an action at the back table. Ask what that action was.

  3. Fill the gap

    Seriously?

    認真的____？

  4. Swap the word

    Auntie Lin already knows about the map. Ask how she learned that.

    你怎麼知道____？

  5. What did you hear?

  6. Build the line

    It can't be true.

    Tap the words in order.

  7. Pick the reply

    A-Li says:

    剛剛店裡好像發生了一件事。

    Something just seemed to happen in the shop.

    And you reply with:

  8. What does it mean?

    真的嗎？

  9. Match the pairs

    Traditional Chinese

    等等，什麼？Drop the English here
    認真的嗎？Drop the English here
    然後呢？Drop the English here
    不會是真的吧Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Traditional Chinese, or tap one and then the other.

  10. What does it mean?

    不會吧！

Say it — your follow-ups

You play Maya at the counter. Auntie Lin has just seen the map. Listen to each cue, then ask the follow-up out loud.

Tap the microphone to speak. You can replay the other line before your turn.

  1. Auntie Lin looks toward A-Li's table and starts to tell you.
  2. Auntie Lin阿犛畫了一張巷子的地圖。A-Li drew a map of the lane.
  3. Maya (you)Stop her; you missed that.

    等等，什麼？

    Wait, what?

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

Traditional ChineseEnglish
等等，什麼？Wait, what?
他做了什麼？What did he do?
認真的嗎？Seriously?
你怎麼知道的？How do you know?
然後呢？And then?
不會是真的吧It can't be true.
Next: lesson 178That must be hard

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