A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
梅西在白宫见特朗普
Messi Meets Trump at the White House — Inter Miami's Trip to Washington
About this story
Messi meets Trump at the White House with Inter Miami — soccer's biggest star visits Washington as MLS champions. 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 14 key vocabulary words such as 踢足球、衣服、觉得 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.
English transcript reference
Speaking of playing soccer, everyone surely knows Messi.
He is a very famous person.
Recently, he and his friends went to a big house in America.
This house is called the White House.
The White House is the place where the American president works and lives.
Why did Messi want to go there?
Because his soccer team is number one.
His team won in the American competition.
This is why they could go to meet the president.
The current American president is Trump.
Trump saw Messi and felt very happy.
That day, many people were inside that big house.
Messi was wearing black clothes and was very handsome.
Trump said many words to everyone.
He said: “Welcome Messi to the White House.”
He said previous presidents did not have the chance to say this.
Because this is Messi's first time coming here as number one.
Trump also mentioned his son.
Trump has a son.
His son likes watching soccer very much.
The son told his dad: “Do you know who is coming?”
It's Messi!
The son thinks Messi plays the best.
So Trump said to Messi: “You are great.”
Although you could go to other teams, you came here.
The weather here is not bad.
Messi and his friends also gave gifts.
What things did they give to the president?
The first gift was a piece of clothing.
This piece of clothing was pink.
This is the clothing they wear when playing soccer.
The second gift was a soccer ball.
Messi wrote his own name on the soccer ball.
There was also a watch, which was also given to the president.
Messi's boss also went there.
The boss said some things about family.
He said his mom and dad were very hard-working before.
They came to America and worked hard.
Now they have the best team.
This makes them feel very proud.
Everyone took many photos together.
That day everyone was very happy.
What we just spoke about is actually news regarding sports.
Messi's team is called Inter Miami.
They won the championship in 2025.
Because they are the champions, the president invited them to the White House.
This is a very important custom in America.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇A common verb-object phrase. 'Tī' means to kick, and 'zúqiú' means soccer.
General term for clothing. The measure word is 'jiàn' (件).
Used to express an opinion or a physical sensation.
Used to rank competitors. 'Dì' indicates ordinal numbers.
Verb used for wearing clothes, shoes, or socks.
HSK 1-2. why.
HSK 1-2. matter/thing.
Refers to the head of state in a republic.
Verb meaning to win a game, war, or argument.
Adjective usually describing men.
Colloquial adjective meaning excellent or capable.
Something given to someone else. Measure words can be 'gè' (个) or 'fèn' (份).
Describes working hard or enduring hardship. Often used to thank someone for their effort.
Feeling a sense of pride or satisfaction in oneself or others.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法The standard structure for asking and answering 'Why'. 'Wèishéme' asks the question, and 'yīnwèi' introduces the reason.
为什么梅西要去那里呢？因为他的足球队是第一名。
因为他们是冠军，所以总统请他们去白宫。
The preposition 'duì' (towards/to) is used to indicate the target of an action, in this case, speaking.
特朗普对大家说了很多话。
所以特朗普对梅西说：“你很棒。”
A conjunction pair meaning 'Although..., (but)...'. It connects two clauses where the second contrasts with the first.
虽然你可以去别的球队，但是你来了这里。
Preposition meaning 'about' or 'regarding'. It introduces the topic being discussed.
老板说了一些关于家人的事情。
我们刚才说的，其实是关于体育的新闻。
Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
来源Free account
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