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Mom Watched 'Letters to Grandma' — episode cover art
5:30

妈妈看了《给阿嬷的情书》

Mom Watched 'Letters to Grandma'

About this story

Mom Watched 'Letters to Grandma'. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 6 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 12 key vocabulary words such as 电影、朋友、钱 and walks through 4 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.

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原文

Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.

今天我妈妈看了一个电影。
她回家跟我说。
我问：
"妈妈，是什么电影？
妈妈说：
"叫《给阿嬷的情书》。
"是一个很好的电影。
我问：
"阿嬷是谁？
妈妈说：
"阿嬷就是奶奶。
"爸爸的妈妈，就是奶奶。
我说：
"我懂了。
我问：
"电影里的奶奶叫什么？
妈妈说：
"她叫淑柔。
"她很大了。
"她一个人在家。
我问：
"她的丈夫呢？
妈妈说：
"她的丈夫不在家。
我问：
"丈夫是什么？
妈妈说：
"男的爸爸，就是丈夫。
"我的丈夫，是你的爸爸。
我说：
"我懂了。
我问：
"奶奶的丈夫在哪儿？
妈妈说：
"他在很远的地方。
"他在泰国。
"泰国是一个国家。
"泰国不是中国。
"他去那边工作。
"他在那边有钱了。
"他给家里钱。
我问：
"他怎么给？
妈妈说：
"他写字。
"他写：
"'我有钱了。
我给你钱。
"'我爱你。
我想你。
我问：
"他写了多少？
妈妈说：
"很多很多。
"一年，两年，十年，三十年。
我说：
"很多年。
妈妈说：
"奶奶也写。
"奶奶写：
"'我也爱你。
"'我也想你。
"'你什么时候回家？
我问：
"他回家吗？
妈妈说：
"他不回家。
我问：
"为什么？
妈妈说：
"因为他不在了。
"不在了就是没有人了。
我问：
"奶奶知道吗？
妈妈说：
"奶奶不知道。
我问：
"那是谁写字？
妈妈说：
"是他的一个朋友。
"朋友是女的。
"她叫南枝。
"南枝是泰国人。
"南枝知道：他不在了。
"可是南枝不要奶奶不高兴。
"南枝就给奶奶写。
我问：
"南枝写什么？
妈妈说：
"南枝写：
"'我有钱了。
我给你钱。
"'我爱你。
我想你。
我问：
"奶奶看了？
妈妈说：
"奶奶看了。
"奶奶想：是我的丈夫给我写的。
我问：
"南枝写了多少年？
妈妈说：
"很多年。
"十年，二十年，三十年。
我说：
"南枝是好人。
妈妈说：
"南枝是很好的人。
"南枝也给钱。
"很多很多钱。
"奶奶用钱给爸爸上学。
我问：
"爸爸是谁？
妈妈说：
"奶奶的孩子，就是爸爸。
"爸爸上了大学。
我问：
"南枝认识爸爸吗？
妈妈说：
"南枝不认识。
"南枝没有见过爸爸。
我问：
"奶奶今天知道了吗？
妈妈说：
"今天奶奶知道了。
"晓伟告诉了她。
我问：
"晓伟是谁？
妈妈说：
"晓伟是奶奶的孩子的孩子。
"晓伟去了泰国。
"晓伟想找奶奶的丈夫。
"他没有找到。
"他看见了南枝。
我问：
"南枝怎么说？
妈妈说：
"南枝告诉晓伟：
"'你的爷爷不在了。
"'是我给你的奶奶写字。
我问：
"晓伟回家了？
妈妈说：
"晓伟回家了。
"他告诉了奶奶。
我问：
"奶奶哭了吗？
妈妈说：
"奶奶没有哭。
我问：
"她做什么？
妈妈说：
"她去看吃的东西。
"她想：菜冷了吗？
我说：
"她想菜？
妈妈说：
"她想菜。
"她也想南枝。
"她说：
"'南枝是我的好朋友。
"'南枝也是我的家人。
我问：
"奶奶一个人吗？
妈妈说：
"奶奶不一个人。
"她有南枝。
我说：
"电影很好。
"我也想看。
妈妈说：
"好。
明天我们一起看。
"明天我们一起看《给阿嬷的情书》。
我说：
"好的。
English transcript reference

Today my mom watched a movie.

She came home and told me.

I asked:

"Mom, what movie?"

Mom said:

"It's called Letters to Grandma."

"It's a really good movie."

I asked:

"Who is Amma?"

Mom said:

"Amma is grandma."

"Dad's mom is grandma."

I said:

"I get it."

I asked:

"What's the grandma in the movie called?"

Mom said:

"Her name is Shurou."

"She's very old."

"She lives alone at home."

I asked:

"What about her husband?"

Mom said:

"Her husband isn't home."

I asked:

"What's a husband?"

Mom said:

"The man-dad is a husband."

"My husband is your dad."

I said:

"I get it."

I asked:

"Where is grandma's husband?"

Mom said:

"He's in a faraway place."

"He's in Thailand."

"Thailand is a country."

"Thailand isn't China."

"He went there to work."

"He had money there."

"He sent money home."

I asked:

"How did he send it?"

Mom said:

"He wrote."

"He wrote:"

"'I have money now."

I'll give you money.

"'I love you."

I miss you.

I asked:

"How much did he write?"

Mom said:

"A lot, a lot."

"One year, two years, ten years, thirty years."

I said:

"That's many years."

Mom said:

"Grandma wrote too."

"Grandma wrote:"

"'I love you too."

"'I miss you too."

"'When are you coming home?"

I asked:

"Is he coming home?"

Mom said:

"He's not coming home."

I asked:

"Why?"

Mom said:

"Because he's gone."

"Gone means he's not there anymore."

I asked:

"Does grandma know?"

Mom said:

"Grandma doesn't know."

I asked:

"Then who's writing?"

Mom said:

"A friend of his."

"The friend is a woman."

"Her name is Nanzhi."

"Nanzhi is from Thailand."

"Nanzhi knew: he was gone."

"But Nanzhi didn't want grandma to be sad."

"So Nanzhi wrote to grandma."

I asked:

"What did Nanzhi write?"

Mom said:

"Nanzhi wrote:"

"'I have money now."

I'll give you money.

"'I love you."

I miss you.

I asked:

"Did grandma see them?"

Mom said:

"Grandma saw them."

"Grandma thought: my husband wrote these."

I asked:

"How many years did Nanzhi write?"

Mom said:

"Many years."

"Ten years, twenty years, thirty years."

I said:

"Nanzhi is a good person."

Mom said:

"Nanzhi is a really good person."

"Nanzhi sent money too."

"Lots and lots of money."

"Grandma used the money to send dad to school."

I asked:

"Who is dad?"

Mom said:

"Grandma's child is dad."

"Dad went to college."

I asked:

"Does Nanzhi know dad?"

Mom said:

"Nanzhi doesn't know him."

"Nanzhi has never met dad."

I asked:

"Does grandma know now?"

Mom said:

"Today grandma found out."

"Xiaowei told her."

I asked:

"Who is Xiaowei?"

Mom said:

"Xiaowei is grandma's grandchild."

"Xiaowei went to Thailand."

"Xiaowei wanted to find grandma's husband."

"He didn't find him."

"He found Nanzhi."

I asked:

"What did Nanzhi say?"

Mom said:

"Nanzhi told Xiaowei:"

"'Your grandpa is gone."

"'I'm the one writing to your grandma."

I asked:

"Did Xiaowei come home?"

Mom said:

"Xiaowei came home."

"He told grandma."

I asked:

"Did grandma cry?"

Mom said:

"Grandma didn't cry."

I asked:

"What did she do?"

Mom said:

"She went to check the food."

"She thought: has the food gotten cold?"

I said:

"She thought about food?"

Mom said:

"She thought about food."

"She also thought about Nanzhi."

"She said:"

"'Nanzhi is my good friend."

"'Nanzhi is also my family."

I asked:

"Is grandma alone?"

Mom said:

"Grandma isn't alone."

"She has Nanzhi."

I said:

"The movie is really good."

"I want to see it too."

Mom said:

"Okay."

Tomorrow we'll watch it together.

"Tomorrow we'll watch Letters to Grandma together."

I said:

"Okay."

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
diànyǐngmovie

A film. Used throughout the conversation to refer to the movie 《给阿嬷的情书》 (Letters to Grandma).

péngyoufriend

A friend. In the story, Nanzhi is grandma's husband's 朋友 — but she becomes more than that over thirty years.

qiánmoney

Money. Used to describe what grandma's husband (and later Nanzhi) sent home from Thailand.

xiěto write

To write. In the episode, 写 is used for writing letters — though the simpler phrase 写字 (write characters) is used since 信 is beyond HSK 1.

àito love

To love. The letters say 我爱你 (I love you) — the same phrase you'd say to family or a partner.

xiǎngto miss / to think

想 has two senses: 'to think' and 'to miss someone.' In 我想你 (I miss you), it's the second sense. Context tells you which.

ā màgrandma (Teochew dialect)

Teochew (Chaoshan-dialect) word for grandma — equivalent to standard Mandarin 奶奶. The movie title uses this regional word because the family in the film is Teochew.

nǎinaigrandma (father's mother)

Standard Mandarin for paternal grandmother. Mom explains the dialect 阿嬷 as just 奶奶.

zhàngfuhusband

Husband. Mom explains it as '男的爸爸' — 'the man-dad' — using only HSK 1 words she knows the child already understands.

gàosuto tell

To tell (someone something). In the film, Nanzhi 告诉 Xiaowei the truth; Xiaowei 告诉 grandma; grandma listens.

kūto cry

To cry. The most striking moment: grandma 没有哭 (didn't cry) — she went to check the food instead.

wèishénmewhy

Why? Common question word. HSK 1 has 怎么 (how) but 为什么 (why) is HSK 2.

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法

Subject + 不在了

他不在了 literally means 'he is no longer here' — but in Chinese this is the gentle, indirect way to say someone has died. The episode never uses 死 (die); it uses 不在了 throughout, matching how Chinese families actually talk about loss.

他不在了。

奶奶的丈夫不在了。

X 就是 Y

就是 is a beginner-friendly way to define one word in terms of another. The mom uses it constantly to explain unfamiliar words: '阿嬷就是奶奶' — 'Amma is exactly grandma.'

阿嬷就是奶奶。

奶奶的孩子，就是爸爸。

X 给 Y 钱

Basic 给 (give) sentence: subject + 给 + recipient + object. Note that 给 here is HSK 2 but appears so often in HSK 1 daily life it's introduced early.

他给家里钱。

南枝给奶奶钱。

S + 没有 + Verb (past negation)

To say 'didn't do something' in the past, use 没有 + verb. The most famous line: '奶奶没有哭' — 'Grandma didn't cry.' Not 不哭, which would mean 'doesn't cry' (general).

奶奶没有哭。

南枝没有见过爸爸。

Proper nouns

专有名词
给阿嬷的情书Gěi Ā Mà de QíngshūLetters to Grandma (movie title)淑柔Shū RóuShurou (grandma's name)南枝Nán ZhīNanzhi (Thai-Chinese woman)晓伟Xiǎo WěiXiaowei (grandma's grandson)泰国Tài GuóThailand中国Zhōng GuóChina

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