A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
坏痞兔创造历史
Bad Bunny Makes Super Bowl History with All-Spanish Show as Trump Slams the Halftime
About this story
Bad Bunny sings entirely in Spanish at the Super Bowl, raises Puerto Rico's flag and Trump calls the show terrible. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 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 意思、声音、地方 and walks through 5 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.
Read at your level
原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
We just heard a nice song.
Now we want to talk about a big event.
Do you know the Super Bowl?
This is America's biggest football game.
Many people watch it every year.
People don't just watch the game.
People also watch the halftime show.
This year one singer was very special.
His name is Bad Bunny.
He comes from Puerto Rico.
He sang at the Super Bowl.
What is special about this?
Because he only sang in Spanish.
No one has done this before.
This is the first time.
Usually singers sing in English.
But Bad Bunny is different.
He wants to use his own language.
This makes many people feel proud.
His performance was very wonderful.
He built a house on the stage.
This house looks like a house in his hometown.
This made him feel like he was at home.
His friends also came.
For example, Lady Gaga.
And Ricky Martin.
Everyone sang and danced together.
The scene was very lively.
Although Bad Bunny sang in Spanish.
But he said one sentence in English.
He said "God Bless America".
At this time many people were holding national flags.
There were American flags.
There were also flags of other countries.
This was like a big party.
Everyone is one family.
This is Bad Bunny's meaning.
He hopes everyone unites.
No matter where you are from.
No matter what language you speak.
Love is the most important thing.
Although many people liked this performance.
But there were also people who were not happy.
For example, former President Trump.
He spoke on the internet.
He said this performance was not good to watch.
He said he could not understand.
Because it was Spanish.
But Bad Bunny does not care.
Because he is number one in the world.
He is most popular on Spotify.
Many people love to listen to his songs.
This proves one thing.
Music does not need translation.
Everyone likes good music.
There were many details in this performance.
Bad Bunny climbed to a very high place.
He sang up there.
This was to remember many people.
Because his hometown had a big storm.
Many people were hurt at that time.
He wants to tell everyone.
Do not forget those people.
We need to help each other.
There were also words on his clothes.
This is also a kind of message.
Although he did not scold anyone.
But everyone understands his meaning.
He is supporting his own people.
This is the power of culture.
There are many Spanish speakers in America.
They saw this on TV.
They will feel very happy.
Because this is their culture.
This is also a part of America.
This performance was only fourteen minutes.
But it was very meaningful.
It let us see love.
It also let us see home.
Bad Bunny was very confident.
He walked back and forth on the stage.
His voice was very loud.
He held a ball in his hand.
There were words written on the ball.
Currently meaning "Together, We Are America".
This is a very good message.
We all need love and peace.
This is the function of music.
Next, we are going to listen to another song.
This song is also very popular...
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇Noun. A person who sings. Measure word: 个 (gè) or 位 (wèi).
Can be used as a noun or a verb. To show artistic skills to an audience.
Noun. Spoken or written communication. Measure word: 种 (zhǒng).
Noun. The place where one was born or grew up.
Adjective. Different from what is usual; distinct.
Adjective. Feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements.
HSK 1-2. meaning / interest.
HSK 1-2. voice / sound.
HSK 1-2. place.
HSK 1-2. to tell.
HSK 1-2. to help.
HSK 1-2. to hope.
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法Although... but... (Conjunction pair expressing contrast)
虽然很多人喜欢这个表演，但是也有人不高兴。
坏痞兔虽然唱西班牙语，但是他说了一句英语。
Because... therefore... (Cause and effect relationship)
因为他只唱西班牙语，以前没有人这样做过。(Implied 'so' in context)
No matter... (indicating that the condition doesn't change the result)
不管你来自哪里。
不管你说什么语言。
Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
来源Free account
Keep learning from this story
Create a free account to keep saved words and your preferred level together.
- Keep words with their story context
- Remember your preferred level
- Build your vocabulary over time