我们都到了却没见面
Same Place Different Door
Name: ________________ Date: ________
“我到了。”
“我也到了。你在哪儿？”
“门口啊。”
两个人都没迟到，却又等了十分钟。一个在商场东门，一个在西门；一个站在外面，一个已经进去了。
“门口”听起来很清楚，其实少了不少信息。约见面时，可以先说哪个门，然后说门里还是门外：“我们在商场东门外见。”如果有好几层，也说清楚楼层。
不知道哪边是东、哪边是西，也没关系。找一个对方容易看见、不会动的地方：“我在一楼咖啡店门口，旁边是书店。”比起“我在一辆白车后面”，这样的地方更容易找。
“左边”和“右边”要特别小心。你在商场里往外看，朋友在马路上往里看，你们的左边可能不是同一边。可以换个说法：“从东门进去，往右走，第一家店就是。”先说清从哪里出发，然后说怎么走。
如果还是找不到，就让一个人留在原地：“你留在咖啡店，别动，我过来找你。”两个人一起走，很容易又错过。
下次发“我到了”时，顺手多写一句：“东门外，蓝色招牌下面。我穿白色外套。”朋友一抬头，就能把你从人群里找出来。
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 门口 | ménkǒu | doorway; entrance; gate |
| 等 | děng | etc.; and so on |
| 商场 | shāngchǎng | shopping mall; department store |
| 站 | zhàn | station; stop |
| 外面 | wàimiàn | outside; out |
| 进去 | jìnqu | to go in; to enter |
| 时 | shí | when; while |
| 门 | mén | door; gate |
| 动 | dòng | to move |
| 迟到 | chídào | to be late; to arrive late |
| 清楚 | qīngchu | clear; distinct |
| 其实 | qíshí | actually; in fact |
English (for the teacher)
‘I’m here.’
‘I’m here too. Where are you?’
‘At the entrance, of course.’
Neither person was late, but they still waited another ten minutes. One was at the mall’s east entrance and the other at the west entrance; one was outside and the other had already gone in.
‘At the entrance’ sounds clear, but it actually leaves out quite a lot of information. When arranging to meet, first say which entrance, then whether you mean inside or outside: ‘Let’s meet outside the mall’s east entrance.’ If there are several floors, make the floor clear too.
It’s all right if you don’t know which way is east or west. Find a place the other person can easily see and that won’t move: ‘I’m at the café entrance on the ground floor, next to the bookshop.’ A place like that is easier to find than ‘behind a white car’.
Be especially careful with ‘left’ and ‘right’. If you’re looking out from inside the mall and your friend is looking in from the street, your left sides might not be the same side. Try putting it differently: ‘Go in through the east entrance, turn right, and it’s the first shop.’ First make your starting point clear, then explain where to go.
If you still can’t find each other, have one person stay put: ‘Stay at the café. Don’t move. I’ll come and find you.’ If you both start walking, it’s easy to miss each other again.
Next time you send ‘I’m here’, add another sentence: ‘Outside the east entrance, under the blue sign. I’m wearing a white jacket.’ Your friend will be able to pick you out of the crowd as soon as they look up.