URLLesson Introduction
Don't be put off by that cage contraption. Think about it... a man trapped in a metal cage. What better language partner could there be than one that can't escape? Listen to this podcast and learn how to chew the fat with that paunchy driver who is so bored he's even willing feign listening to your attempts at Chinese. Make friends with the eyes in the rear view mirror and remember traffic jams are a blessing in disguise.
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johns says
July 23, 2008
Nice lesson. In the supplementary vocab., wouldn't you say 拜访 instead of "see" a friend. I know the literal translation but do you say "see" or "kan" like you do in English?
Similarly, is 他来了 the normal way to say "he is here"? i am sure this is basic but I am still a Newbie!
garry says
July 23, 2008
Hi Everybody!
I am very happy, in a taxi, if I can tell the driver where I want to go, and actually get there. Making small talk is a leap, but I will try next time.
Johns,
I think that it is a matter of formality. If you are going to your friend's house, you would say, "I am going to see my friend", but if you were going to your mother's house, you would say, "I am going to visit my mother". Someone will correct me if I am wrong.
他来了 means 'he came', to express 'he is here', you would say, 他这里, or 他这儿。
amber says
July 23, 2008
hi johns and garry,
Yes, 拜访 (bàifǎng) is a lot more formal. When you are just seeing a friend, you use 看朋友 (kàn péngyou).
他来了. (Tā lái le.) can mean 'He's here', as in 'He has arrived.' But, depending on the context, it could also mean 'He came.'
joannah says
July 23, 2008
The new ad on the start of this lesson is much better than some of the other ones.
john says
July 23, 2008
joannah,
Even better than Mr. T??
Yeah, SpanishPod's JP Villanueva is a man of many talents.
jicb says
July 23, 2008
very helpful.. thanks.. :)
tanglang says
July 24, 2008
If I want to put both parts in just one sentence, could I say:来中国为了学习?
If I welcome a guest arriving would 欢迎你来德国 or欢迎你到德国 be the correct way?
changye says
July 24, 2008
Hi tanglang,
你来中国干什么？
ni3 lai2 zhong1 guo2 gan4 shen2 me ?
Why did you come to China?
我来中国学习。xue2 xi2 / study
我来中国工作。gong1 zuo4 / business
我来中国旅游。lv3 you2 / trip, tour
johns says
July 24, 2008
Thank you Gary and Amber.
changye says
July 24, 2008
Hi tanglang,
P/S. I should have wrote 我来中国工作 / "work", instead of "business". FYI, 我来中国出差 (chu1 chai1) means that I came to China on business.
I think the best example should be 我来中国观看北京奥运会 (guan1 kan4 bei3 jing1 ao4 yun4 hui4, I came to China to watch the Beijing Olympics.)
suburbanite says
July 24, 2008
When I saw this lesson introduces in the email one question came to mind:
你在跟我说话?
I can imagine and incredulous taxi driver peering back at me in the mirror. "You talking to me?"
Are we going to have and ele or intermediate lesson on how to renegotiate the price when taken to the wrong place?
punter888 says
July 24, 2008
I really like the stepped up, realistic tempo of the speakers. I hope that this will help train my ears to understand more real world mandarin conversations! Although frustratingly hard to understand quick tempo dialogue, there is no point to learning to understand a manner of speaking that doesn't actually occur in the real world! Thanks the improvment.
jackiemeh says
July 24, 2008
你 好！
我 是 瑞典人。
我 的 中 文 不 好!
Now, with Chinese Pod, I hope I can do better.
Jackie
shenhe says
July 24, 2008
tanglang, This isn't a real answer to your question, but I often get greeted with 欢迎来到+(place) if I enter some facility or business. I'd like to see alternatives as well so I hope someone with more expertise can give us some insight.
jackie, 加油!
amber says
July 24, 2008
hi tanglang,
You can say:
我是为了学习来中国的。
Wǒ shì wéi le xuéxí lái Zhōngguó de.
or
我来中国是为了学习。
Wǒ lái Zhōngguó shìwéi le xuéxí.
To welcome someone to Germany, you can say:
欢迎你来德国
Huānyíng nǐ lái Déguó
or
欢迎你到德国来。
Huānyíng nǐ dào Déguó lái.
maxiewawa says
July 25, 2008
You might even try "wilkommen!"
tanglang says
July 25, 2008
Hi changye, shenhe, amber and maxiewawa! Thanks for your comments!!
changye's suggestion without the 为了 sounds simple but somehow most the way I expect a chinese to express himself. I do have the impression that we as westerners are used to more complicated patterns in our language and try to implement these into chinese. At least that's often my own problem when I try to translate something myself and compare it with the result I get when asking a chinese person to translate the same.
Is it true that chinese people do not only simplify their writing but also prefer to speak as "simplified" as possible?
By the way, the germans recently also simplified their writing, but "willkommen" still needs the second "l" :)
ssseee says
July 25, 2008
我很愛 Jenny , Ken, chinesepod
shenhe says
July 26, 2008
@tanglang German words are long enough already! 呵呵
Chinese tends to use simplistic patterns, this becomes apparent if you take a look at the way questions are answered. Nevertheless, the style is anything but telegraphic.
The way I do it is either relying on fixed patterns (or sentences I learned by heart) and adapting them or reducing the sentence I want to translate to the easiest form possible and then elaborate it until it seems to convey the intended meaning. Try not to resort to Chineutsch!
shenhe says
July 26, 2008
Concerning Chinese taxis, where do you normally get in? Next to the driver or in the back? I find practises vary from country to country and even from city to city (or perhaps the taxi company...)! I have never attempted to take the seat next to the driver, but I've seen this several times. Would that be appropriate?
houban says
July 26, 2008
is there a difference in connotation between
玩儿 wánr / to play
and
打 dǎ / to play ??
shenhe says
July 26, 2008
bpeacock, generally, 打 is used to indicate "play a particular game"/"engage in a certain physical activity"
In contrast, 玩 means to enjoy oneself (this can of course be the result of aforementioned activity as well, hence "玩 computer games" is also possible and so on). also in a broader sense. Children go outside to 玩 , (but they would "打 basketball") adults go to a bar/make a trip to a city in order to 玩.
Moreover, 打 doesn't really mean "play". It's simply used with most games as a general description (bad example, but it's a bit like "do the dishes"). Another possibility is 踢, as in 踢足球 (ti1 zu2qiu2) "kick" (-> "play") football.
shenhe says
July 26, 2008
Regarding 儿: Wouldn't it come across as a bit ...pretentious... if someone with very rudimentary language skills tried to use this little sound? To me, that would be like someone who can barely speak English having a strong (e.g.) Scottish accent. If I use it, it's constantly a source of amusement for my friends from Northern China, but I still wonder what Chinese think about Newbies using that -er.
anayelena says
July 27, 2008
Two small questions surrounding di4 san3 sentence.
1) Should we / is it preferred to use 'le' or 'ma' in these sentences to truly express asking a question about the past?
"Lai2 gong1zuo4 le ma?" "Lai2 xue2xi2 le me?"
2) Also, we opt to omit "ni" in dialogue (as in the di4 san3 sentence) when it is apparent who you are talking to - just like in English - we don't always say "You" - we just make eye contact.
Thanks.
AY
jennyzhu says
July 27, 2008
A lot of taxis in Shanghai have an interactive screen that keeps shoving advertisements down your throat. But the content is quite well designed, mostly in the form of interactive games. When you are stuck in traffic, odds are you will touch the screen to play those games and end up learning about the newest mascara or automobile.
chris says
August 13, 2008
Going back to the earlier posts above - I rarely use the construction of "wo3/ta1 lai2 le" to announce arrival - I usually use "wo3/ta1 dao4 le". Based on my experiences in Shanghai, the use of "dao4" is more common than "lai2" in these situations. Anyone else experienced this? Perhaps different around the country?