8:01
伦敦马拉松：他跑进了两小时
London Marathon: He Ran Under Two Hours
HSK 1 Chinese listening practice. Sebastian Sabbe from Kenya runs a marathon in under 2 hours at London — the fastest time ever.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 8 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 18 key vocabulary words such as 跑、快、时间 and walks through 6 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.
说到一个跑得很快的人，今天我们来说说他。
Speaking of a person who runs very fast, today we'll talk about him.
有一个人。
There is a person.
他的名字叫萨维。
His name is Sabbé.
他不是中国人。
He is not Chinese.
他是一个外国人。
He is a foreigner.
他来自一个国家。
He comes from a country.
这个国家叫肯尼亚。
This country is called Kenya.
肯尼亚在很远的地方。
Kenya is in a very far place.
萨维今年三十一岁。
Sabbé is thirty-one years old this year.
他不太大，也不太小。
He's not too big, and not too small.
他很高。
He is very tall.
萨维做一个工作。
Sabbé does a job.
他的工作是跑。
His job is running.
跑是什么？
What is running?
跑就是用脚很快地走。
Running is using your feet to walk very fast.
你走得不快。
You don't walk fast.
你跑得很快。
You run fast.
萨维跑得很快很快。
Sabbé runs very, very fast.
比一般的人都快。
Faster than ordinary people.
他每天都跑。
He runs every day.
他的工作就是跑。
His job is running.
有一天，很多人来到一个地方。
One day, many people came to a place.
这个地方叫伦敦。
This place is called London.
伦敦不在中国。
London is not in China.
伦敦在一个国家。
London is in a country.
这个国家叫英国。
This country is called England.
他们来伦敦做什么？
What did they come to London for?
他们来跑。
They came to run.
他们来比一比。
They came to compete.
比一比就是看谁第一。
"To compete" means to see who is first.
谁跑得最快，谁就是第一。
Whoever runs the fastest is first.
这一天的日子是四月二十六日。
The date that day was April twenty-sixth.
那一天，天气不太冷，也不太热。
That day, the weather was not too cold, and not too hot.
人很多，很多很多。
There were many people, very many.
大家都来看。
Everyone came to watch.
他们要跑一个很长的路。
They were going to run a very long distance.
这个路很长。
This distance is very long.
我们叫这个跑“马拉松”。
We call this run a "marathon."
马拉松是一个很长的跑。
A marathon is a very long run.
不是一百米，也不是一千米。
It's not one hundred meters, or one thousand meters.
是四十二个一千米。
It is forty-two times one thousand meters.
这个跑很长，很长，很长。
This run is very, very, very long.
一般的人不能跑这么长。
Ordinary people cannot run this far.
萨维能跑。
Sabbé can run it.
萨维不只是想跑得长。
Sabbé didn't just want to run far.
他还想跑得快。
He also wanted to run fast.
他想用很少的时间跑完。
He wanted to use very little time to finish.
萨维开始跑了。
Sabbé started running.
他跑得很快。
He ran very fast.
他跑啊跑，跑啊跑。
He ran and ran, ran and ran.
他跑了一个小时。
He ran for one hour.
小时就是一个时间。
An hour is a kind of time.
六十分钟是一个小时。
Sixty minutes is one hour.
他跑了一个小时，没有停。
He ran for one hour, without stopping.
他还跑。
He kept running.
他跑了五十九分钟。
He ran for fifty-nine minutes.
他还没跑完。
He hadn't finished yet.
他还跑。
He kept running.
他跑了三十秒钟。
He ran for thirty seconds.
然后，他跑完了。
Then, he finished.
他用了多少时间？
How much time did he use?
一个小时五十九分三十秒。
One hour, fifty-nine minutes, and thirty seconds.
这个时间是什么意思？
What does this time mean?
两个小时是六十分钟加六十分钟。
Two hours is sixty minutes plus sixty minutes.
一个小时五十九分三十秒比两个小时少。
One hour fifty-nine minutes thirty seconds is less than two hours.
少了三十秒。
Less by thirty seconds.
也就是说，萨维不到两个小时就跑完了。
In other words, Sabbé finished in less than two hours.
这个事情，以前没有人能做到。
This thing — no one had ever been able to do it before.
以前所有的人都用了两个小时多。
Before, all people used more than two hours.
萨维是第一个。
Sabbé is the first.
第一个！
The first!
他是第一个。
He is the first.
比萨维以前的人都快。
Faster than everyone before him.
有一个人，他叫基普图姆。
There is a person named Kiptum.
他也是肯尼亚人。
He is also Kenyan.
他以前跑得最快。
He used to run the fastest.
他用了两个小时多一点。
He used a little more than two hours.
两个小时零三十五秒。
Two hours and thirty-five seconds.
他以前是第一名。
He was the number one before.
现在不是了。
Now he isn't anymore.
现在第一名是萨维。
Now the number one is Sabbé.
萨维比基普图姆还快。
Sabbé is faster than Kiptum.
快了一点儿。
Faster by a little.
那一天还有别的人也跑得很快。
That day there were also other people who ran very fast.
有一个人叫科杰尔查。
There is a person named Kojelcha.
他也用了不到两个小时。
He also took less than two hours.
还有一个人叫基普里莫。
And there's another person named Kiplimo.
他也跑得很快。
He also ran very fast.
他们三个人都比基普图姆以前快。
The three of them all beat Kiptum's previous time.
所以那一天，三个人都很厉害。
So that day, three people were all amazing.
厉害就是很好，很大的好。
"Amazing" means very good — a big good.
大家都很高兴。
Everyone was very happy.
萨维更高兴。
Sabbé was the happiest.
他在最后笑了。
He laughed at the end.
他的朋友都来。
His friends all came.
他们都说：你太厉害了！
They all said: You are amazing!
萨维说：我很高兴。
Sabbé said: I am very happy.
那一天还有一个比赛。
That day there was also another race.
是女的人的比赛。
It was a women's race.
有一个女人叫阿塞法。
There is a woman named Asefa.
她不是肯尼亚人。
She is not Kenyan.
她来自一个叫埃塞俄比亚的国家。
She is from a country called Ethiopia.
这两个国家都在很远的地方。
These two countries are both in very far places.
都不在中国。
Both are not in China.
阿塞法也跑得很快。
Asefa also ran very fast.
她跑了两个小时多一点。
She ran for a little more than two hours.
两个小时十五分四十一秒。
Two hours, fifteen minutes, forty-one seconds.
这个时间，比她以前用的时间少。
This time is less than the time she used before.
少了九秒。
Less by nine seconds.
所以阿塞法也是第一名。
So Asefa is also the number one.
她也很高兴。
She is also very happy.
阿塞法的朋友也都来。
Asefa's friends all came too.
他们都说：好！
They all said: Great!
阿塞法说：谢谢。
Asefa said: Thank you.
现在我们想一想这个事情。
Now let's think about this.
为什么不到两个小时这么重要？
Why is being under two hours so important?
两个小时是一个很大的数。
Two hours is a very big number.
人跑这么长的路，一般要两个小时多。
For a person to run such a long distance, they usually need more than two hours.
不到两个小时，太难，太难，太难。
Less than two hours — too hard, too hard, too hard.
以前的人都说：不可能！
People before said: Impossible!
不可能就是不能做。
"Impossible" means cannot be done.
但是萨维做到了。
But Sabbé did it.
他做到了不可能的事情。
He did the impossible thing.
所以大家都很高兴。
So everyone was very happy.
他们都说：人能做很多事情。
They all said: People can do many things.
我们都能。
We all can.
这个事情还有别的好的地方。
There is another good thing about this.
看比赛的人很多很多。
Many, many people watched the race.
都很高兴。
All very happy.
小朋友也来看。
Children also came to watch.
老人也来看。
Old people also came to watch.
还有的人在家里看电视。
And some people watched on TV at home.
他们都说：我们也想跑。
They all said: We also want to run.
所以现在很多人开始跑。
So now many people are starting to run.
他们说：跑很好。
They say: Running is good.
跑能让人高兴。
Running can make people happy.
跑能让人身体好。
Running can make people's bodies good.
身体好就是没有病。
A good body means no illness.
没有病的人很高兴。
People without illness are very happy.
所以很多人都开始跑。
So many people are starting to run.
不是要跑得最快。
Not to run the fastest.
就是要跑。
Just to run.
跑一点，就好。
Run a little, that's good.
今天的事情说完了。
Today's story is finished.
我们说什么？
What did we talk about?
我们说一个人。
We talked about a person.
他叫萨维。
His name is Sabbé.
他来自肯尼亚。
He is from Kenya.
他在伦敦跑。
He ran in London.
他跑得很快。
He ran very fast.
他用了一个小时五十九分三十秒。
He used one hour, fifty-nine minutes, thirty seconds.
这个时间，以前没有人做到过。
This time — no one had ever done it before.
他是第一个。
He is the first.
还有一个女人叫阿塞法。
There is also a woman named Asefa.
她也跑得很快。
She also ran very fast.
这个比赛叫马拉松。
This race is called the marathon.
马拉松是一个很长的跑。
The marathon is a very long run.
四十二个一千米。
Forty-two times one thousand meters.
这个比赛在四月二十六日。
This race was on April twenty-sixth.
那一天是一个好日子。
That day was a good day.
今天我们的故事说完了。
Today our story is finished.
The main verb of the episode. Walking is 走 (zǒu); running 跑 is faster. Common patterns: 跑得快 (run fast), 跑完 (finish running). Often used with 步: 跑步 = jogging.
Adjective for speed. Opposite is 慢 (slow). Used as 跑得快 (runs fast), 很快 (very fast), 快了 (became faster). Also means 'soon/almost' as in 快到了 (almost there).
Refers to a span of time. 用了多少时间? = How much time did it take? Pair with 小时 (hour), 分钟 (minute), 秒 (second).
Measure word for time duration. 一个小时 = one hour, 两个小时 = two hours. Note: must use 个 between number and 小时.
60 分 = 1 小时. In times like 三十分 = 30 minutes. Also means 'point/score' or to divide. The full form is 分钟 (the listener will also hear 分钟 used).
Common HSK 1-2 noun. 我们的国家 = our country. China = 中国, England = 英国. The literal meaning is 'state' + 'family.'
Used both as a verb (比一比 = let's compare) and a comparison particle. A 比 B 快 = A is faster than B. Crucial for the structure 萨维比基普图姆快.
Very general HSK 1 verb. 做工作 = do work, 做到了 = managed to do it / accomplished it. 做到 carries the sense of 'achieving.'
HSK 1 emotion word. 我很高兴 = I am very happy. 更高兴 = even happier. Often paired with 看到/见到 (happy to see).
Two senses. 想跑 = want to run. 想一想 = think about (it). Reduplicated 想一想 softens the verb to 'think for a moment.'
Ordinal number. 第一个 = the first one, 第一名 = first place. The prefix 第 turns a cardinal number into an ordinal: 第二 = second, 第三 = third.
Noun and verb. The 比 here is the same character as 比较 (compare). 一场比赛 = one match (measure word 场).
Phonetic loanword from English. The race is 42.195 km. The episode also uses it metaphorically for 'something very long and tough.'
Casual praise word. 你太厉害了 = you're amazing! Originally 厉害 meant 'severe/fierce,' but the modern colloquial usage is overwhelmingly positive.
Time word. 以前 + verb = in the past did X. Opposite is 以后 (after). Often paired with 现在 (now) for past/present contrast.
Modal of possibility. 不可能 = impossible — a key phrase repeated in the episode. As a noun: 一个可能 = one possibility.
Common connector. Often paired with 因为 (because): 因为...所以... Even when 因为 is dropped, 所以 alone introduces a result.
Refers to one's physical body, but very often used to mean 'health.' 身体好 = healthy. 身体不好 = in poor health.
* beyond level超纲词
Subject + 是 + Noun
The most basic 'A is B' sentence in Mandarin. 是 connects two nouns to identify or define.
他是一个外国人。
这个国家叫肯尼亚。
他叫萨维。
Verb + 得 + Adverbial
The 得 (de) complement describes how an action is performed. 跑得很快 = runs very fast. The complement comes after the verb, not before.
萨维跑得很快很快。
他用了很少的时间跑完。
他跑得最快。
A 比 B + Adjective
The comparison structure. The thing being compared comes after 比, then the adjective. No need for a 'than' word — 比 already does that work.
萨维比基普图姆还快。
比一般的人都快。
一个小时五十九分三十秒比两个小时少。
Verb + 完
完 attached to a verb means 'finish doing it.' 跑完 = finish running, 说完 = finish speaking. A common HSK 1-2 resultative.
他跑完了。
他还没跑完。
今天的事情说完了。
X 就是 Y (definitional)
Used to define or explain a word. Literally 'X just is Y.' This is the workhorse pattern for in-line glossing of new vocabulary in this episode.
跑就是用脚很快地走。
比一比就是看谁第一。
不可能就是不能做。
也 (also)
Adverb meaning 'also/too.' Comes BEFORE the verb, not before the noun. 我也喜欢 = I also like (it), not 也我喜欢.
他也是肯尼亚人。
她也跑得很快。
老人也来看。