User Comments - Lantian
Lantian
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 14: Seeking Comfort
May 10, 2007 at 10:42 AMHenning兄弟，别怕！爱情就是用你的勇气！不过面对面我也不敢说。:p
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 14: Seeking Comfort
May 10, 2007 at 6:32 AMRETORT - Looking at my response I think I'm getting a little boring with my use of "一个样". To stir things up, I'm going to quote a male acquaintance who said, "跟女人说理由没有用。“ I was struck by the cross-cultural similarities. Vast oceans do not really separate the language of men and the emotional-venacular of women. The sentence basically translates, "There's no use talking reason to women." ;p Liu Xiang seems to the A-rated player that is me-thinks a little to good at tapping at the heartstrings of Lili.
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 14: Seeking Comfort
May 10, 2007 at 6:10 AMFICKLE - 丽丽没有什么好特别。那么快跑去另外一个男的旁边哭 。真是女孩子都是一个样！
Posted on: Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn
May 10, 2007 at 4:46 AMDowntown - are 中市 (zhong shi) and 城市 (cheng shi) other acceptable variations? Actually, I've used 'zhong shi' a few times in asking cabbies to take me downtown, but it seems not to work too well. Might be my tones, or the lack of a specific place that keeps the cabbies puzzled? Or is it just the wrong word in that situation? Any suggestions for which is best to use when saying "Please take me (anywhere) downtown." 中市 (zhong shi) 城市 (cheng shi) 市中心 (shì zhōngxīn) Any example sentences that might help me sort out when to use the variations? 我要多了解那三个词。明白我的意思吗？我还不太懂什么时候应该用那些。 :)
Posted on: Views on Contact Lenses
May 7, 2007 at 6:32 AMZOOM Z-O-O-M - I just listened to the dialogue clips and expansion sentence clips, IMO none of them are being spoken particularly fast. They are normal speed. But I do recognize the frustration, it looks to me like the vocabulary in this 'elementary' could easily be classified as intermediate or advanced. They also are sounds particularly hard to distinguish for English speakers. Therefore, this could easily cause the sounds to melt into a continuous stream of incomprehension and thus the 'speed effect'. I'd say, forget about 'contacts', it's likely not a ele's most high-frequency conversational encounter.
Posted on: Basketball
May 6, 2007 at 4:19 AM在天堂太阳下大家又了乐又幸福,下年见. We had joy, we had fun, seasons in the sun. How's my translation? Houston lost in a rollercoaster fourth quarter. No losers in that game.
Posted on: Basketball
May 6, 2007 at 3:40 AMGame 7: 80 to 80. 牛!
Posted on: What's Your Name?
May 5, 2007 at 4:32 PMlocalmike, I'd suggest re-listening to the same sentences after some time has passed. As the vocabulary and patterns start to enter your mind, the Chinese actually will begin to 'slow down'. It seems fast because in actuality you don't know the words or patterns. This is where some reading and time with each word helps. Read the words and then say them to yourself. Then listen. Then go away. Then come back and re-listen. The voices on the Expansion (in my opinion) are being read at a moderate pace, they aren't at 'conversational speed' and any slower then the sounds and tones become weird. Like over-enunciating and speaking s-low-lly in English. IMO it's better from the get-go to listen to natural rhythm and natural breaks and pauses of the language, as it contains the underlying grammar, tones, and emotion. The mind slowly but surely acquires it. (I'm not Cpod staff btw, just another learner that's been where you are.)
Posted on: Parking Lot Rage
May 5, 2007 at 2:14 PMEGGY - Special thanks to the expanded explanation and role-play within the podcast by Jenny and John on how to use 才"cai". The vocab was sooo so very useful. I was able to verbally defend myself just today with it! ME: (saying something stupid as usual) THEM： 笨! ME: 你才笨! From today I'm calling you 'Eggy'. THEM: 傻蛋啊？谢谢，傻点好。 Okay, I am yet unable to win the battle, but at least I can get in a couple good hits. Cpod Xbox!
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 14: Seeking Comfort
May 10, 2007 at 10:48 AM你看张亮多好，在家里跟老爸聊聊。这位丽丽又碰到前男友，怎么会那么巧！