5:30
妈妈看了《给阿嬷的情书》
Mom Watched 'Letters to Grandma'
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.
今天我妈妈看了一个电影。
Today my mom watched a movie.
她回家跟我说。
She came home and told me.
我问：
I asked:
"妈妈，是什么电影？
"Mom, what movie?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"叫《给阿嬷的情书》。
"It's called Letters to Grandma."
"是一个很好的电影。
"It's a really good movie."
我问：
I asked:
"阿嬷是谁？
"Who is Amma?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"阿嬷就是奶奶。
"Amma is grandma."
"爸爸的妈妈，就是奶奶。
"Dad's mom is grandma."
我说：
I said:
"我懂了。
"I get it."
我问：
I asked:
"电影里的奶奶叫什么？
"What's the grandma in the movie called?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"她叫淑柔。
"Her name is Shurou."
"她很大了。
"She's very old."
"她一个人在家。
"She lives alone at home."
我问：
I asked:
"她的丈夫呢？
"What about her husband?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"她的丈夫不在家。
"Her husband isn't home."
我问：
I asked:
"丈夫是什么？
"What's a husband?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"男的爸爸，就是丈夫。
"The man-dad is a husband."
"我的丈夫，是你的爸爸。
"My husband is your dad."
我说：
I said:
"我懂了。
"I get it."
我问：
I asked:
"奶奶的丈夫在哪儿？
"Where is grandma's husband?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"他在很远的地方。
"He's in a faraway place."
"他在泰国。
"He's in Thailand."
"泰国是一个国家。
"Thailand is a country."
"泰国不是中国。
"Thailand isn't China."
"他去那边工作。
"He went there to work."
"他在那边有钱了。
"He had money there."
"他给家里钱。
"He sent money home."
我问：
I asked:
"他怎么给？
"How did he send it?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"他写字。
"He wrote."
"他写：
"He wrote:"
"'我有钱了。
"'I have money now."
我给你钱。
I'll give you money.
"'我爱你。
"'I love you."
我想你。
I miss you.
我问：
I asked:
"他写了多少？
"How much did he write?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"很多很多。
"A lot, a lot."
"一年，两年，十年，三十年。
"One year, two years, ten years, thirty years."
我说：
I said:
"很多年。
"That's many years."
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"奶奶也写。
"Grandma wrote too."
"奶奶写：
"Grandma wrote:"
"'我也爱你。
"'I love you too."
"'我也想你。
"'I miss you too."
"'你什么时候回家？
"'When are you coming home?"
我问：
I asked:
"他回家吗？
"Is he coming home?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"他不回家。
"He's not coming home."
我问：
I asked:
"为什么？
"Why?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"因为他不在了。
"Because he's gone."
"不在了就是没有人了。
"Gone means he's not there anymore."
我问：
I asked:
"奶奶知道吗？
"Does grandma know?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"奶奶不知道。
"Grandma doesn't know."
我问：
I asked:
"那是谁写字？
"Then who's writing?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"是他的一个朋友。
"A friend of his."
"朋友是女的。
"The friend is a woman."
"她叫南枝。
"Her name is Nanzhi."
"南枝是泰国人。
"Nanzhi is from Thailand."
"南枝知道：他不在了。
"Nanzhi knew: he was gone."
"可是南枝不要奶奶不高兴。
"But Nanzhi didn't want grandma to be sad."
"南枝就给奶奶写。
"So Nanzhi wrote to grandma."
我问：
I asked:
"南枝写什么？
"What did Nanzhi write?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"南枝写：
"Nanzhi wrote:"
"'我有钱了。
"'I have money now."
我给你钱。
I'll give you money.
"'我爱你。
"'I love you."
我想你。
I miss you.
我问：
I asked:
"奶奶看了？
"Did grandma see them?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"奶奶看了。
"Grandma saw them."
"奶奶想：是我的丈夫给我写的。
"Grandma thought: my husband wrote these."
我问：
I asked:
"南枝写了多少年？
"How many years did Nanzhi write?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"很多年。
"Many years."
"十年，二十年，三十年。
"Ten years, twenty years, thirty years."
我说：
I said:
"南枝是好人。
"Nanzhi is a good person."
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"南枝是很好的人。
"Nanzhi is a really good person."
"南枝也给钱。
"Nanzhi sent money too."
"很多很多钱。
"Lots and lots of money."
"奶奶用钱给爸爸上学。
"Grandma used the money to send dad to school."
我问：
I asked:
"爸爸是谁？
"Who is dad?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"奶奶的孩子，就是爸爸。
"Grandma's child is dad."
"爸爸上了大学。
"Dad went to college."
我问：
I asked:
"南枝认识爸爸吗？
"Does Nanzhi know dad?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"南枝不认识。
"Nanzhi doesn't know him."
"南枝没有见过爸爸。
"Nanzhi has never met dad."
我问：
I asked:
"奶奶今天知道了吗？
"Does grandma know now?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"今天奶奶知道了。
"Today grandma found out."
"晓伟告诉了她。
"Xiaowei told her."
我问：
I asked:
"晓伟是谁？
"Who is Xiaowei?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"晓伟是奶奶的孩子的孩子。
"Xiaowei is grandma's grandchild."
"晓伟去了泰国。
"Xiaowei went to Thailand."
"晓伟想找奶奶的丈夫。
"Xiaowei wanted to find grandma's husband."
"他没有找到。
"He didn't find him."
"他看见了南枝。
"He found Nanzhi."
我问：
I asked:
"南枝怎么说？
"What did Nanzhi say?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"南枝告诉晓伟：
"Nanzhi told Xiaowei:"
"'你的爷爷不在了。
"'Your grandpa is gone."
"'是我给你的奶奶写字。
"'I'm the one writing to your grandma."
我问：
I asked:
"晓伟回家了？
"Did Xiaowei come home?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"晓伟回家了。
"Xiaowei came home."
"他告诉了奶奶。
"He told grandma."
我问：
I asked:
"奶奶哭了吗？
"Did grandma cry?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"奶奶没有哭。
"Grandma didn't cry."
我问：
I asked:
"她做什么？
"What did she do?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"她去看吃的东西。
"She went to check the food."
"她想：菜冷了吗？
"She thought: has the food gotten cold?"
我说：
I said:
"她想菜？
"She thought about food?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"她想菜。
"She thought about food."
"她也想南枝。
"She also thought about Nanzhi."
"她说：
"She said:"
"'南枝是我的好朋友。
"'Nanzhi is my good friend."
"'南枝也是我的家人。
"'Nanzhi is also my family."
我问：
I asked:
"奶奶一个人吗？
"Is grandma alone?"
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"奶奶不一个人。
"Grandma isn't alone."
"她有南枝。
"She has Nanzhi."
我说：
I said:
"电影很好。
"The movie is really good."
"我也想看。
"I want to see it too."
妈妈说：
Mom said:
"好。
"Okay."
明天我们一起看。
Tomorrow we'll watch it together.
"明天我们一起看《给阿嬷的情书》。
"Tomorrow we'll watch Letters to Grandma together."
我说：
I said:
"好的。
"Okay."
A film. Used throughout the conversation to refer to the movie 《给阿嬷的情书》 (Letters to Grandma).
A friend. In the story, Nanzhi is grandma's husband's 朋友 — but she becomes more than that over thirty years.
Money. Used to describe what grandma's husband (and later Nanzhi) sent home from Thailand.
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.
To love. The letters say 我爱你 (I love you) — the same phrase you'd say to family or a partner.
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.
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.
Standard Mandarin for paternal grandmother. Mom explains the dialect 阿嬷 as just 奶奶.
Husband. Mom explains it as '男的爸爸' — 'the man-dad' — using only HSK 1 words she knows the child already understands.
To tell (someone something). In the film, Nanzhi 告诉 Xiaowei the truth; Xiaowei 告诉 grandma; grandma listens.
To cry. The most striking moment: grandma 没有哭 (didn't cry) — she went to check the food instead.
Why? Common question word. HSK 1 has 怎么 (how) but 为什么 (why) is HSK 2.
* beyond level超纲词
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。