Title: Ｍandarin and Chill (SC) / L5 Keelung

MandarinText: 家乡
PinyinText: jiāxiāng
MandarinSentence: 今天我要回到我的家乡-基隆。
SentencePinyin: Jīntiān wǒ yào huídào wǒ de jiāxiāng —— Jīlóng.
EnglishText: hometown
EnglishSentence: Today I'm going back to my hometown — Keelung.

MandarinText: 二十几号
PinyinText: èrshí jǐ hào
MandarinSentence: 我每个月大概二十几号的时候，都会回家一次。
SentencePinyin: Wǒ měi ge yuè dàgài èrshí jǐ hào de shíhou, dōu huì huí jiā yí cì.
EnglishText: around the 20th
EnglishSentence: I usually go home once a month, around the 20th.
Notes: the words “几” (jǐ) and “多” (duō) are used to express numerical ranges, but they apply to different scales:
- “几” (jǐ): Used for smaller numbers, typically in the range of 1 to 9. For example, “二十几号” (èr shí jǐ hào) refers to a date between 21st and 29th of the month.
- “多” (duō): Used for larger numbers, typically above 10. For example, “一百多” (yì bǎi duō) refers to numbers above 100.

MandarinText: 反正
PinyinText: fǎnzhèng
MandarinSentence: 不说这么多了，反正我回家是为了过母亲节。
SentencePinyin: Bù shuō zhème duō le, fǎnzhèng wǒ huí jiā shì wèile guò Mǔqīnjié.
EnglishText: anyway
EnglishSentence: Anyway, I am going home to celebrate Mother's Day.
Notes: 「反正」 is a very common spoken word that means “anyway” or “either way.” You can think of it like this: 反 means the flip side, and 正 means the upright side. So together, 反正 literally means “flip side or upright side,” which gives the sense of whatever happens, the result doesn’t change.

MandarinText: 五月的第二个礼拜日
PinyinText: wǔyuè de dì-èr ge lǐbàirì
MandarinSentence: 母亲节是五月的第二个礼拜日。
SentencePinyin: Mǔqīnjié shì wǔyuè de dì-èr ge lǐbàirì.
EnglishText: the second Sunday of May
EnglishSentence: Mother's Day is the second Sunday of May.

MandarinText: 过母亲节
PinyinText: guò Mǔqīnjié
MandarinSentence: 我回家乡基隆过母亲节，要请妈妈吃饭。
SentencePinyin: Wǒ huí jiāxiāng Jīlóng guò Mǔqīnjié, yào qǐng māmā chīfàn.
EnglishText: celebrate Mother’s Day
EnglishSentence: I'm going back to my hometown Keelung to celebrate Mother's Day and treat my mom to a meal.

MandarinText: 市区
PinyinText: shìqū
MandarinSentence: 刚好今天在基隆市区也有一个免费的摇滚演唱会。
SentencePinyin: Gānghǎo jīntiān zài Jīlóng shìqū yě yǒu yí ge miǎnfèi de yáogǔn yǎnchànghuì.
EnglishText: downtown
EnglishSentence: There happened to be a free rock concert in downtown Keelung today.

MandarinText: 摇滚演唱会
PinyinText: yáogǔn yǎnchànghuì
MandarinSentence: 刚好今天在基隆市区也有一个免费的摇滚演唱会。
SentencePinyin: Gānghǎo jīntiān zài Jīlóng shìqū yě yǒu yí ge miǎnfèi de yáogǔn yǎnchànghuì.
EnglishText: rock concert
EnglishSentence: There happened to be a free rock concert in downtown Keelung today.

MandarinText: 请妈妈吃饭
PinyinText: qǐng māma chīfàn
MandarinSentence: 要请妈妈吃饭，顺便跟他们聊一些稍微比较深入的话题。
SentencePinyin: Yào qǐng māma chīfàn, shùnbiàn gēn tāmen liáo yìxiē shāowéi bǐjiào shēnrù de huàtí.
EnglishText: treat mom to a meal
EnglishSentence: I want to treat mom to a meal and talk about some deeper topics.

MandarinText: 顺便
PinyinText: shùnbiàn
MandarinSentence: 要请妈妈吃饭，顺便跟他们聊一些稍微比较深入的话题。
SentencePinyin: Yào qǐng māma chīfàn, shùnbiàn gēn tāmen liáo yìxiē shāowéi bǐjiào shēnrù de huàtí.
EnglishText: incidentally; by the way
EnglishSentence: I want to treat mom to a meal and talk about some deeper topics.
Notes: 「顺便」 is a common spoken word that means “while you’re at it” or “incidentally”. It’s used when you do one thing and take the opportunity to do something else at the same time.

MandarinText: 稍微
PinyinText: shāowéi
MandarinSentence: 聊一些稍微比较深入的话题。
SentencePinyin: Liáo yìxiē shāowéi bǐjiào shēnrù de huàtí.
EnglishText: a little bit
EnglishSentence: Talk about some slightly deeper topics.

MandarinText: 深入的话题
PinyinText: shēnrù de huàtí
MandarinSentence: 聊一些稍微比较深入的话题。
SentencePinyin: Liáo yìxiē shāowéi bǐjiào shēnrù de huàtí.
EnglishText: deeper topics
EnglishSentence: Talk about some slightly deeper topics.

MandarinText: 左侧开门
PinyinText: zuǒcè kāimén
MandarinSentence: 捷运下一站到站的时候，会由左侧开门。
SentencePinyin: Jiéyùn xià yí zhàn dàozhàn de shíhou, huì yóu zuǒcè kāimén.
EnglishText: doors will open on the left
EnglishSentence: At the next MRT station, the doors will open on the left.

MandarinText: 车厢
PinyinText: chēxiāng
MandarinSentence: 下车时请注意月台与车厢间的空隙。
SentencePinyin: Xiàchē shí qǐng zhùyì yuètái yǔ chēxiāng jiān de kòngxì.
EnglishText: train car
EnglishSentence: Please watch the gap between the platform and the train when getting off.

MandarinText: 空隙
PinyinText: kòngxì
MandarinSentence: 下车时请注意月台与车厢间的空隙。
SentencePinyin: Xiàchē shí qǐng zhùyì yuètái yǔ chēxiāng jiān de kòngxì.
EnglishText: gap
EnglishSentence: Please watch the gap between the platform and the train when getting off.

MandarinText: 直达车
PinyinText: zhídá chē
MandarinSentence: 从头城到基隆火车站没有直达车。
SentencePinyin: Cóng Tóuchéng dào Jīlóng huǒchēzhàn méiyǒu zhídá chē.
EnglishText: direct train
EnglishSentence: There’s no direct train from Toucheng to Keelung Station.

MandarinText: 转车
PinyinText: zhuǎnchē
MandarinSentence: 所以我们现在在八堵火车站转车。
SentencePinyin: Suǒyǐ wǒmen xiànzài zài Bādǔ huǒchēzhàn zhuǎnchē.
EnglishText: transfer (trains)
EnglishSentence: So we’re transferring trains at Badu Station.

MandarinText: 区间车
PinyinText: qūjiān chē
MandarinSentence: 我刚刚搭的这个火车是区间车，区间车就是他每一站都会停。
SentencePinyin: Wǒ gānggāng dā de zhège huǒchē shì qūjiān chē, qūjiān chē jiùshì tā měi yí zhàn dōu huì tíng.
EnglishText: local train
EnglishSentence: The train I took is a local train — it stops at every station.

MandarinText: 信息
PinyinText: zīxùn
MandarinSentence: 刚刚看了一下火车转车的资讯。
SentencePinyin: Gānggāng kànle yíxià huǒchē zhuǎnchē de zīxùn.
EnglishText: information
EnglishSentence: I just checked the transfer information.

MandarinText: 北上
PinyinText: běishàng
MandarinSentence: 我们现在要北上。
SentencePinyin: Wǒmen xiànzài yào běishàng.
EnglishText: head north
EnglishSentence: We're heading north now.

MandarinText: 前往
PinyinText: qiánwǎng
MandarinSentence: 我们现在要前往第三月台上车。
SentencePinyin: Wǒmen xiànzài yào qiánwǎng dì-sān yuètái shàngchē.
EnglishText: head to / go to
EnglishSentence: We’re heading to Platform 3 to get on the train.

MandarinText: 我就问
PinyinText: wǒ jiù wèn
MandarinSentence: 这个大雨是什么意思，我就问？
SentencePinyin: Zhège dàyǔ shì shénme yìsi, wǒ jiù wèn?
EnglishText: I'm just asking
EnglishSentence: What’s with this heavy rain? seriously?
Notes: 「我就问」 is slang used when you feel speechless, annoyed, or frustrated about something. It’s like saying “Seriously?!” or “I’m just asking, but…” with a sarcastic tone. People use it to point out something unreasonable, almost like “Come on, why is it like this?” in English.

MandarinText: 很好笑的是
PinyinText: hěn hǎoxiào de shì
MandarinSentence: 很好笑的是，虽然我是基隆人，但我超不熟这个新盖的火车站。
SentencePinyin: Hěn hǎoxiào de shì, suīrán wǒ shì Jīlóng rén, dàn wǒ chāo bù shóu zhège xīn gài de huǒchēzhàn.
EnglishText: the funny thing is
EnglishSentence: The funny thing is, even though I’m from Keelung, I’m really unfamiliar with this newly built station.

MandarinText: 不熟
PinyinText: bù shú
MandarinSentence: 我超不熟这个新盖的火车站。
SentencePinyin: Wǒ chāo bù shú zhège xīn gài de huǒchēzhàn.
EnglishText: not familiar
EnglishSentence: I'm really unfamiliar with this newly built train station.

MandarinText: 刚刚
PinyinText: gānggāng
MandarinSentence: 刚刚还在找出口。
SentencePinyin: Gānggāng hái zài zhǎo chūkǒu.
EnglishText: just now
EnglishSentence: I was looking for the exit earlier.

MandarinText: 算是蛮深入的话题吧
PinyinText: suànshì mán shēnrù de huàtí ba
MandarinSentence: 今天等一下要问爸妈一些算是蛮深入的话题吧，有点害羞。
SentencePinyin: jīntiān děng yíxià yào wèn bàmā yīxiē suànshì mán shēnrù de huàtí ba, yǒudiǎn hàixiū.
EnglishText: it's kind of a deep topic
EnglishSentence: Today I’m going to ask my parents some pretty deep questions, which makes me a bit shy.
Notes: In Taiwanese Mandarin, people often use phrases like “算是…吧” to soften statements or avoid sounding too direct or strong.
- 算是 literally means “can be considered” or “sort of.”
- 吧 at the end adds a tentative, polite, or uncertain tone, like “I guess” or “probably.”

MandarinText: 桌游
PinyinText: zhuōyóu
MandarinSentence: 这种可以抽题目问别人的牌卡，算是桌游吗？
SentencePinyin: zhè zhǒng kěyǐ chōu tímù wèn biérén de páikǎ, suànshì zhuōyóu ma?
EnglishText: board game
EnglishSentence: Is this kind of question-drawing card game considered a board game?

MandarinText: 牌卡
PinyinText: páikǎ
MandarinSentence: 这种可以抽题目问别人的牌卡，算是桌游吗？
SentencePinyin: zhè zhǒng kěyǐ chōu tímù wèn biérén de páikǎ, suànshì zhuōyóu ma?
EnglishText: card
EnglishSentence: Is this kind of question-drawing card game considered a board game?

MandarinText: 电子版的
PinyinText: diànzǐbǎn de
MandarinSentence: 我还没有收到这副牌卡，所以我先用电子版的。
SentencePinyin: wǒ hái méiyǒu shōudào zhè fù páikǎ, suǒyǐ wǒ xiān yòng diànzǐbǎn de.
EnglishText: digital version
EnglishSentence: I haven’t received this deck of cards yet, so I’m using the digital version first.
Notes: 「电子版」 literally means “electronic version” and refers to a digital format of something, like a book, magazine, or document that you can read on a computer, tablet, or phone.
On the other hand, 「纸本zhǐ běn」 literally means “paper version” and refers to the physical printed version of the same item.

MandarinText: 趁...的时候
PinyinText: chèn... de shíhòu
MandarinSentence: 我觉得真的是要趁爸妈还在的时候，多多了解他们。
SentencePinyin: wǒ juéde zhēn de shì yào chèn bàmā hái zài de shíhòu, duōduō liǎojiě tāmen.
EnglishText: while..., take the opportunity when...
EnglishSentence: I really think we should take the chance to understand our parents more while they’re still around.
Notes: It’s very common in everyday speech to suggest doing something before the opportunity is gone.

MandarinText: 多多...
PinyinText: duōduō...
MandarinSentence: 我觉得真的是要趁爸妈还在的时候，多多了解他们。
SentencePinyin: wǒ juéde zhēn de shì yào chèn bàmā hái zài de shíhòu, duōduō liǎojiě tāmen.
EnglishText: a lot more (do something)
EnglishSentence: I really think we should take the chance to understand our parents more while they’re still around.
Notes: 「多了解」 and 「多多了解」 both mean “understand more”, but the tone and emphasis are different.
- 多了解 (single 多) is more neutral, just stating that you should increase your understanding. It’s straightforward and factual.
- 多多了解 (reduplicated 多多) is softer, warmer, and more encouraging. The repetition adds a sense of care, attention, or urging someone to do it a lot. It’s very common in spoken Mandarin, especially in Taiwan, to make the sentence sound friendly or emotionally engaged.

MandarinText: 长大
PinyinText: zhǎngdà
MandarinSentence: 我小时候其实没有很喜欢自己长大的地方，但是最近这几年来真的改善很多。
SentencePinyin: wǒ xiǎoshíhòu qíshí méiyǒu hěn xǐhuān zìjǐ zhǎngdà de dìfāng, dànshì zuìjìn zhè jǐ nián lái zhēn de gǎishàn hěn duō.
EnglishText: grow up
EnglishSentence: When I was a kid, I didn’t really like the place I grew up, but in recent years it’s improved a lot.

MandarinText: 改善
PinyinText: gǎishàn
MandarinSentence: 我小时候其实没有很喜欢自己长大的地方，但是最近这几年来真的改善很多。
SentencePinyin: wǒ xiǎoshíhòu qíshí méiyǒu hěn xǐhuān zìjǐ zhǎngdà de dìfāng, dànshì zuìjìn zhè jǐ nián lái zhēn de gǎishàn hěn duō.
EnglishText: improve
EnglishSentence: When I was a kid, I didn’t really like the place I grew up, but in recent years it’s improved a lot.

MandarinText: 一...
PinyinText: yì...
MandarinSentence: 一出基隆的火车站有一条河，叫基隆河。
SentencePinyin: yì chū Jīlóng de huǒchēzhàn yǒu yītiáo hé, jiào Jīlóng Hé.
EnglishText: as soon as...
EnglishSentence: As soon as you exit Keelung Station, there’s a river — it’s called Keelung River.

MandarinText: 整个
PinyinText: zhěnggè
MandarinSentence: 那条河以前好像很多人会在里面倒垃圾，一出火车站就整个超臭。
SentencePinyin: nà tiáo hé yǐqián hǎoxiàng hěn duō rén huì zài lǐmiàn dào lèsè, yì chū huǒchēzhàn jiù zhěngge chāo chòu.
EnglishText: the whole thing
EnglishSentence: The river used to be full of trash — the whole area smelled terrible right outside the train station.

MandarinText: 流浪汉
PinyinText: liúlànghàn
MandarinSentence: 我小时候不太喜欢基隆，因为路上有很多流浪汉。
SentencePinyin: wǒ xiǎoshíhòu bù tài xǐhuān Jīlóng, yīnwèi lùshàng yǒu hěn duō liúlànghàn.
EnglishText: homeless person
EnglishSentence: I didn’t like Keelung much as a kid because there were lots of homeless people on the streets.

MandarinText: 老爸
PinyinText: lǎobà
MandarinSentence: 我都叫我爸爸老爸，这样听起来比较亲切。
SentencePinyin: wǒ dōu jiào wǒ bàba lǎobà, zhèyàng tīng qǐlái bǐjiào qīnqiè.
EnglishText: dad (casual)
EnglishSentence: I always call my dad “laoba” — it sounds a bit more affectionate that way.
Notes: In Taiwanese Mandarin, 「老 + X」 can be used not only for family members, like 老爸, but also as a casual nickname for someone by their surname, like 老刘 or 老王. It sounds friendly and familiar, but because 老 literally means “old,” it can sometimes make the person sound a bit older or experienced. People use it all the time in Taiwan to sound approachable and casual.