B: It's a laptop I need, a bi3 ji4 ben3 dian4 nao3. How do we ask about the operating system?
Y: okay… 操作系统是什么的?cao1 zuo4 xi4 tong3 is operating system,
B: 操作系统 cao1 zuo4 xi4 tong3
Y: 操作 cao1 zuo4 means operating,
B: cao1 zuo4
Y: 系统 xi4 tong3 means system,
B: xi4 tong3
Y: 操作系统 cao1 zuo4 xi4 tong3
B: cao1 zuo4 xi4 tong3 operating system,
Y: so you can ask: 操作系统是什么的?cao1 zuo4 xi4 tong3 shi4 shen2 me2 de?
B: cao1 zuo4 xi4 tong3 shi4 shen2 me de?
Y: 是 shi4 means is, and 什么 shen2 me2 de means what?
B: got it.
Y: 操作系统是什么的?cao1 zuo4 xi4 tong3 shi4 shen2 me2 de?
B: cao1 zuo4 xi4 tong3 shi4 shen2 me2 de? What is the operating system?
Conversation 1
A: 操作系统是什么的?
B: Windows XP.
B: Next thing to consider is the hard drive.
Y: You mean, 硬盘驱动。But usually we just say: 硬盘 ying4 pan2.
B: ying4 pan2
Y: 硬 ying4 means hard
B: ying4
Y: 盘 pan2 means disk,
B: pan2
Y: 硬盘 ying4 pan2
B: ying4 pan2, hard drive. And I wanna know how much memory there is.
Y: Memory is 内存 nei4 cun2. as 内 nei4 means internal, and 存 cun2 means memory,
B: nei4 cun2.
Y: And how much memory is there? We can say: 内存有多大?nei4 cun2 you3 duo2 da4?
B: nei4 cun2 you3 duo1 da4?
Y: we learned 多大 duo1 da4 in our previous lesson, and it means how much,
B: yes… duo1 da4,
Y: 内存有多大?nei4 cun2 you3 duo1 da4?
B: nei4 cun2 you3 duo1 da4? How much memory is there?
Conversation 2
A: 内存有多大?
B: 512兆。
A: 硬盘有多大?
B: 40G。
B: hmm…40 GB, is that enough I wonder.
Y: It is for most things.
B: Probably right. There's a few other parts I haven't learnt to say yet. What's the keyboard? Is it anything to do with yaoshi, the word for key?
Y: I'm afraid not… keyboard is called 键盘 jian4 pan2.
B: jian4 pan2.
Y: it could also mean the keyboard of piano or any similar musical instruments…键盘 jian4 pan2.
B: jian4 pan2.
B: And that cute pet that usually goes with a computer, the mouse, what's that?
Y: The same word as the animal 鼠 shu3, and that of course is 鼠标 shu3 biao1.
B: shu3 biao1.
Y: 标 biao1 means mark,
B: biao1,
Y: 鼠标 shu3 biao1.
B: shu3 biao1. the mouse.
Conversation3
(1)A: 键盘失灵了。
B: 那得换个新的键盘。
(2)A: 你想买个什么样的鼠标?
B: 我想买个光电鼠标。
