This is the sort of lesson that makes Absolute Beginners to the Chinese language cry. If you're an Intermediate student or parent, though, we think you'll enjoy our practical approach to language learning. And that's because our dialogue today offers some very direct advice on how to solve one of the central problems married couples face: finding a safe place to park the kids when they want to spend a few days alone.

And what better solution but neighbors? If you've got to put up with living next door to them, you might as well learn to impose on occasion. In this lesson we'll show you how to compliment your new neighbors in their own language, as a prelude to asking them to take care of your brood. We're sure they'll be too polite to say no, especially when you start tossing out some of the platitudes we introduce in this lesson. So stop procrastinating and get listening: your next weekend retreat in Bali may depend upon this stuff.