User Comments - John
John
Posted on: I don't smoke
May 19, 2011 at 2:25 AMI think I need that from time to time. :)
Posted on: I don't smoke
May 19, 2011 at 2:24 AM来，抽一支 is the same as 来，抽一支烟. You would use the former when it's clear that what you're offering is a cigarette.
And yes, you can say 来，吃碗饭吧！You can also say, 来，吃一碗。 In the latter case, the context would make it clear what it was a bowl of.
Posted on: The Complement 不了
May 19, 2011 at 2:19 AMNo, 说不了 is not something you're likely to ever hear.
You will hear 不能说, but this 能 refers to permission. (As in, "I'm not allowed to say.")
You will also hear 说不出口, which means something like, "I couldn't bring myself to say it."
And you will hear 说不完, as in "we could talk about this issue endlessly."
I hope that helps!
Posted on: Discussing Basketball Teams
May 17, 2011 at 2:28 AMChris,
1) Given the proper context, 姚明打了吗？ could work (it's a correct sentence), but in this case 上 is more natural.
2) 注意 (zhùyì) is for more immediate issues that really require your full attention. It's not something you can do for a long time. 关心 can be a long-term thing, however.
Posted on: A Trip to Nanjing
May 17, 2011 at 2:21 AMSharp ear! It turns out that one of our staff had a slight slip of the tongue when recording that sentence. She did indeed say 足够 (zúgòu) rather than 只够 (zhǐ gòu).
What she said is also correct, so we're glad you learned a new word out of it! :)
Anyway, we'll fix that audio so it matches the text.
Posted on: I don't smoke
May 17, 2011 at 2:12 AMMaciejskok,
You're right that 根 (gēn) and 支 (zhī) are both measure words used for cigarettes. The difference is that 根 (gēn) is more informal, used more often in spoken Mandarin, whereas 支 (zhī) is a bit more formal, and is the word used on cigarette boxes.
抽烟 is indeed a verb + object construction, so putting a measure word in the middle is totally normal. 烟 (yān) is a noun, so it can take a measure word.
Posted on: Living in Nanjing
May 12, 2011 at 2:23 AMVery good question!
For most verbs, you'll want to stick to this pattern:
[Subject] + 在 + [Place] + Verb
But there are some verbs where it's OK (or even preferable) to put the "在 + [Place]" part after the verb. 住 is one such verb. Another one is 坐 (zuò, "to sit").
Posted on: Hard Drive Storage
May 12, 2011 at 2:01 AMThanks for the nice explanation!
I'm not saying it's correct, but I definitely hear people use "memory" to refer to hard drive space. (Rest assured, they are not experts in the field...)
Posted on: I don't smoke
May 19, 2011 at 2:29 AMideotek,
When negating the past (saying what someone DIDN'T do), you don't use 了. That's a hard and fast rule. (This isn't just for 带; it's for all verbs.)
我不带了护照 is incorrect.
For "I don't bring my passport" use: 我不带护照。