Trouble with a Classmate

IntermediateFamily

A teenage girl asks her older brother for advice about a conflict with a classmate, and he shares lessons from his own high school days.

English audioPinyinEnglish

Mei

Jun

哥，你现在有空吗？我有件事想跟你聊聊。

Gē, nǐ xiànzài yǒu kòng ma? Wǒ yǒu jiàn shì xiǎng gēn nǐ liáoliáo.

Bro, do you have time right now? There's something I want to talk to you about.

有啊，你说吧，是不是在学校里遇到什么事了？

Yǒu a, nǐ shuō ba, shì bú shì zài xuéxiào lǐ yùdào shénme shì le?

Sure I do, go ahead. Did something happen at school?

我跟同桌吵架了，她说我抄她作业，可我根本没抄。

Wǒ gēn tóngzhuō chǎojià le, tā shuō wǒ chāo tā zuòyè, kě wǒ gēnběn méi chāo.

I had a fight with my deskmate. She said I copied her homework, but I totally didn't.

那你当面跟她把话说清楚了吗？

Nà nǐ dāngmiàn gēn tā bǎ huà shuō qīngchu le ma?

So did you explain things clearly to her face to face?

没有，我当时气得不行，一句话都说不出来。

Méiyǒu, wǒ dāngshí qì de bùxíng, yí jù huà dōu shuō bù chūlái.

No. I was so angry at the time that I couldn't get a single word out.

我懂你的感受，我上高中那会儿也碰到过差不多的事。

Wǒ dǒng nǐ de gǎnshòu, wǒ shàng gāozhōng nàhuìr yě pèngdào guò chàbùduō de shì.

I understand how you feel. Back when I was in high school, I ran into something similar too.

真的吗？那你后来是怎么处理的？

Zhēn de ma? Nà nǐ hòulái shì zěnme chǔlǐ de?

Really? So how did you handle it in the end?

我先让自己冷静下来，第二天才找他单独聊的。

Wǒ xiān ràng zìjǐ lěngjìng xiàlái, dì-èr tiān cái zhǎo tā dāndú liáo de.

I first let myself calm down, and only the next day did I find him to talk one-on-one.

聊完之后你们和好了吗？他愿意相信你吗？

Liáo wán zhīhòu nǐmen héhǎo le ma? Tā yuànyì xiāngxìn nǐ ma?

After you talked, did you two make up? Was he willing to believe you?

和好了。其实很多误会，只要坐下来把话说开就没事了。

Héhǎo le. Qíshí hěn duō wùhuì, zhǐyào zuò xiàlái bǎ huà shuō kāi jiù méishì le.

We made up. Actually, a lot of misunderstandings are fine once you sit down and talk it out.

那我明天也鼓起勇气去找她好好谈谈。

Nà wǒ míngtiān yě gǔ qǐ yǒngqì qù zhǎo tā hǎohǎo tántán.

Then I'll work up the courage tomorrow to go find her and have a proper talk too.

这就对了，记得语气别太冲，有事随时来找我。

Zhè jiù duì le, jìde yǔqì bié tài chōng, yǒu shì suíshí lái zhǎo wǒ.

That's the right idea. Just remember not to be too harsh in tone, and come to me anytime you need to.