User Comments - John
John
Posted on: Tone Change Rule: Yi '一'
January 29, 2011 at 2:42 AMYou're right. Not sure how that rogue "how" slipped in there. Anyway, it's been removed. Thanks!
Posted on: How was Your Date?
January 29, 2011 at 2:35 AMThanks for the help in answering those questions! Good job.
Posted on: Reserving a Taxi Cab by Telephone
January 29, 2011 at 2:33 AMYou could use just 用 here, and you'd get a grammatical sentence that also translates as:
1. 我们图书馆用最新的图书管理系统。 Our library uses the newest library management system.
If you wanted to accentuate the difference between the two, when you use 用的是 you're literally saying:
2. 我们图书馆用的是最新的图书管理系统。 What our library uses is the newest library management system.
The second sentence emphasizes that it's what we're using NOW. The first one could possibly refer to a future library that's not even built yet, because the sentence allows for this ambiguity. This sentence is actually a little unnatural, because the verb feels too "naked". Native speakers will naturally want to make it clearer, by using 用的是 or 要用 or something.
I wouldn't worry about it too much, though. This is a pretty fine point.
Posted on: Registering for a Dating Website
January 29, 2011 at 2:23 AM差不多！
Posted on: Registering for a Dating Website
January 29, 2011 at 2:22 AM登录 refers to "signing in" to a website, or some kind of account. It's usually an online activity.
签名 means to sign one's name, often as an autograph. (签字 means to just "sign for" something, like a delivery.)
Posted on: Registering for a Dating Website
January 29, 2011 at 2:17 AMGood ear.
Posted on: Registering for a Dating Website
January 29, 2011 at 2:14 AMYou can't use 注册 for registering a car, but, 很巧, we're about to release an Upper Intermediate lesson on that, which is chock-full of all that vocab.
In Chinese schools, you do 注册 every semester, which involves paying your 学费 and 盖章ing your 学生证. (Choosing your classes is actually separate.)
Posted on: Of Kings, Emperors, and Presidents
January 29, 2011 at 2:10 AMThat's a pretty difficult question, but I discussed it with Jiaojie, and here's what we can tell you:
1. 已经没有 X 了 is much more common than 已经没有了 X.
2. Taking 已经 out of the equation, 有了 X is more common than 没有了 X. (Your question is actually more about the use of 了 than the word 已经.)
3. Both 有了 X and 没有了 X are likely to be used in hypothetical statements (sometimes even if they're already a reality). Examples:
等我们有了钱…… (Once we're rich...)
有了车，生活就很方便。没有了车，就不方便了。 (Once I had a car, life was convenient. Now that I don't have it, it's not convenient anymore.)
Posted on: I Changed My Mind
January 27, 2011 at 4:09 AMThe idea is that you SEEM old-looking if you have a beard, even though you wouldn't normally.
I guess you could say it's a little redundant, but it's what people say.
Posted on: What's in a name?
February 1, 2011 at 1:25 AM没事，叫我John就行了！