Buying Strawberries at the Farmers Market
IntermediateShopping
A shopper haggles with a fruit vendor over the price of freshly picked strawberries and asks which ones are the sweetest.
L
LiW
WeiL
老板，你这草莓看着挺新鲜的，是今天早上刚摘的吗？
lǎobǎn, nǐ zhè cǎoméi kànzhe tǐng xīnxiān de, shì jīntiān zǎoshang gāng zhāi de ma?
Boss, your strawberries look pretty fresh—were they just picked this morning?
W
没错，全是今早刚从地里摘的，你瞧这颜色，多红啊！
méicuò, quán shì jīnzǎo gāng cóng dì lǐ zhāi de, nǐ qiáo zhè yánsè, duō hóng a!
That's right, they were all just picked from the field this morning—look at this color, so red!
L
确实红得诱人。你这几种里，哪种最甜啊？我想买给孩子吃。
quèshí hóng de yòurén. nǐ zhè jǐ zhǒng lǐ, nǎ zhǒng zuì tián a? wǒ xiǎng mǎi gěi háizi chī.
They really are temptingly red. Among these varieties, which one is the sweetest? I want to buy some for my kids.
W
左边这筐个头小点儿的最甜，一般越小的越甜，小孩儿准爱吃。
zuǒbiān zhè kuāng gètóu xiǎo diǎnr de zuì tián, yìbān yuè xiǎo de yuè tián, xiǎoháir zhǔn ài chī.
The smaller ones in this basket on the left are the sweetest—generally the smaller they are, the sweeter, and kids are sure to love them.
L
那这种多少钱一斤啊？
nà zhè zhǒng duōshǎo qián yì jīn a?
So how much is this kind per jin (half kilo)?
W
二十块一斤，这价儿在市场上算便宜的了。
èrshí kuài yì jīn, zhè jiàr zài shìchǎng shàng suàn piányi de le.
Twenty yuan a jin—that price is considered cheap for the market.
L
二十还是有点儿贵，能不能便宜点儿？我一下买两斤呢。
èrshí háishì yǒudiǎnr guì, néng bu néng piányi diǎnr? wǒ yíxià mǎi liǎng jīn ne.
Twenty is still a bit pricey—could you make it a little cheaper? I'm buying two jin at once.
W
行，你要买两斤，那我给你算十八一斤。
xíng, nǐ yào mǎi liǎng jīn, nà wǒ gěi nǐ suàn shíbā yì jīn.
Alright, if you're buying two jin, I'll give you eighteen a jin.
L
十五行不行？要是好吃，我下周还来照顾你生意。
shíwǔ xíng bu xíng? yàoshi hǎochī, wǒ xiàzhōu hái lái zhàogù nǐ shēngyì.
How about fifteen? If they're tasty, I'll come back next week and give you more business.
W
十五太低了，这样吧，十六成交，我再多给你抓几颗，怎么样？
shíwǔ tài dī le, zhèyàng ba, shíliù chéngjiāo, wǒ zài duō gěi nǐ zhuā jǐ kē, zěnmeyàng?
Fifteen is too low. How about this—we settle on sixteen, and I'll grab you a few extra ones, sound good?
L
好，就十六，那麻烦你帮我挑些甜的、熟透的。
hǎo, jiù shíliù, nà máfan nǐ bāng wǒ tiāo xiē tián de, shútòu de.
Okay, sixteen it is. Then could you please help me pick out the sweet, fully ripe ones.
W
没问题，保证给你挑最好的，回家用水冲一冲就能吃了。
méi wèntí, bǎozhèng gěi nǐ tiāo zuì hǎo de, huí jiā yòng shuǐ chōng yi chōng jiù néng chī le.
No problem, I guarantee I'll pick you the best ones—just give them a quick rinse at home and they're ready to eat.