A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
一个德国人，打了四次才赢
Zverev Wins the French Open After Years of Trying
About this story
The story of German tennis star Alexander Zverev finally winning his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros after losing three prior finals, told one slow step at a time using only beginner-level Chinese. 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 高兴、没关系、我们 and walks through 7 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
Today we'll talk about a thing.
This thing is about a person.
Let's talk about this person.
He is German.
He is not in China.
He is in Germany.
He is called Zverev.
Do you know him?
It's okay if you don't.
We'll go slowly.
He is twenty-nine years old.
Not too big, not too small.
In Germany, many people know him.
In China, some people also know him.
You can know him too.
So what does Zverev do?
What he does is play ball.
The ball he plays is called 'tennis'.
What is 'tennis'?
We'll go slowly.
When you play tennis, two people play.
One person on this side.
One person on that side.
They hit the ball back and forth.
Back and forth, back and forth.
We see who hits well.
Whoever hits well wins.
Whoever hits poorly doesn't win.
This is tennis.
Zverev has played tennis for many, many years.
He plays very well.
When you play, it's also called a 'match'.
A match is like this:
Two people play.
We see who wins.
We see who doesn't win.
Winning is good.
Not winning is not so good.
Zverev has played many matches.
Sometimes he wins.
Sometimes he doesn't win.
But, there are many kinds of matches.
Some matches are small.
Some matches are big.
The biggest kind of match is the most interesting.
Also the most people watch.
To play the biggest match, you have to play for many days.
Day by day, many days.
By the end, only two people are left.
These last two people play one more time.
Whoever wins, that person is the best.
Whoever doesn't win, that person is not the best.
Zverev has reached this last match.
How many times has he reached it?
He has reached it four times.
Four times!
The first time, he didn't win.
He was not happy.
The second time, he didn't win.
He was also not happy.
The third time, he also didn't win.
He was still not happy.
The people who like him were also not happy.
He himself was thinking:
'When will I be able to win?'
He thought about it for many years.
This year, he again reached the last match.
This was the fourth time.
Could he win this time?
The watchers didn't know.
The people who like him didn't know either.
He himself didn't know.
This year's last match was in a place called France.
France is a country.
Zverev had been to this place before.
Before, in this place, he didn't win.
This year he came again.
This year's match was long.
He played for four hours.
Four hours is long.
Within four hours, he played five small matches.
The first small match, he won.
He played very well.
He was thinking: 'It seems I can win this year.'
The second small match, he didn't win.
He was a little unhappy.
The third small match, he won again.
He was a bit happier.
He thought: 'One more win and I've won.'
The fourth small match, almost.
He almost won.
But he didn't win.
The person across from him also played very well.
This person is called Cobolli.
Cobolli is not German.
Cobolli also plays very well.
Cobolli also wants to win.
He is looking at Zverev.
He doesn't want Zverev to win.
The last small match, the fifth one.
Zverev played very well.
Cobolli played not as well.
In the end, Zverev won!
He won.
He won such a big match for the first time.
He waited for many years.
He was happy.
The watchers were all happy.
The people who like him were all happy.
At the end he said a sentence.
He said:
'Before, I was not happy here.
Today, I am happy here.'
Finally, think about this:
Is there something you have done many times and still haven't done well?
Look, he won after playing four times.
You can too.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. Emotional through-line: 不高兴 = unhappy, used many times before the final win.
HSK 1. it doesn't matter.
HSK 1. we; us.
HSK 1. they; them.
HSK 1. what.
HSK 1. today.
Used many times: 我们说一个事 = let's talk about a matter.
Glossed inline: 两个人一起打，一个人在这边，一个人在那边 = two people play, one on each side.
Glossed inline: 比赛就是两个人打。看谁赢 = a match is two people playing, see who wins.
Central verb of the story. 谁打得好，谁就赢 = whoever plays well wins. 没有赢 = didn't win.
HSK 2 contrast connector, used to introduce the turn in the story.
Marks 'almost happened, but didn't'. 他差一点赢 = he almost won.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法Subject + 是 + Noun
Basic 'X is Y' identity sentence.
他是德国人。
兹维列夫不是德国人。
这就是网球。
Subject + 不 / 没有 + Verb
Negation. 不 for general/habitual, 没有 for 'didn't' (completed).
他不在中国。
他没有赢。
他不想兹维列夫赢。
Verb + 得 + Adjective (degree)
Describes HOW well an action is done. V + 得 + 很/不那么 + Adj.
他打得很好。
科博利打得不那么好。
谁打得好。
第 + Number + 次 (ordinal counter)
'the Nth time'. Used to count repeated attempts.
第一次
第二次
第三次
第四次
Subject + 差一点 + Verb
'Almost did X' — the action almost happened but didn't.
他差一点赢。
第四次小比赛，差一点。
...才 + Verb (only just then)
Marks something happening later than expected.
他等了很多年，今天才赢。
他打了四次才赢。
什么是 X 呢? (rhetorical question)
Used to ask 'what is X?' before defining X yourself.
什么是'网球'呢？
那兹维列夫做什么呢？
Proper Nouns
专有名词Free account
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