User Comments - Michael Krzykowski

Posted on: Picking Up a Friend at the Airport

changye and JasonSch,

thanks for your responses.  You've helped me understand this a little better.  辛苦你们了！

Posted on: Picking Up a Friend at the Airport

changye,

Thanks, but I'm still a little confused about 辛苦.

There is also the sentence, 搬家真辛苦。  "moving is very hard (a lot of trouble)." If I said this it seems to be a general statement about moving, not that I caused it.  In the same way, if I wanted to comment on someone's hard labor, how would I say, "that is really hard work."  你的工作真辛苦。

Then to expand that, if today was especially hard, "today that was really hard work."  今天你的工作真辛苦。 In neither case did I cause (or make) the work happen.

Now, by turning that around and not mentioning work, "今天辛苦你了", it becomes (today trouble you) and means "today I troubled you."

So, if I use 辛苦 and don't mention a cause for the 辛苦，is it inferred that the speaker (I) caused the 辛苦？  

Posted on: Picking Up a Friend at the Airport

CP Staff or Others,

This sentence is from the Expansion;

今天辛苦你们了.  It is translated as "Today I made you guys work hard."

I would have guessed, "Today you (guys) worked hard."  What in the sentence gives the idea that "I made you"?

Posted on: Playing Wii

CP Team,

The expansion sentence, 你就像一只可爱的小猪。is translated as "he", instead of "you".

Posted on: To Tip or Not to Tip

I think I'll remember how to write 小费 because to me the characters look a little like "small" money on top of a table!!   

Posted on: Learn From Failure: Joe Constanty

Jenny, 

I enjoy your show.  The culture behind a language is fascinating and I think it is important to understand something about the environment in which the language is used.  Your show provides us a view into parts of the environment that we might not otherwise venture. 谢谢.

Posted on: Farewell, Sweet Pete

Thanks Pete, you've been a great help to all. 

Posted on: Pinyin Section 15

I learned the "ü" in a beginning German class.  Our teacher also used the "ee" sound trick to get us to produce the right pronunciation.  Once learned, it comes rather natural.

Posted on: Calling in Sick

力伟，

（got it!) 我知道！  谢谢你。

Posted on: Calling in Sick

Pete,

Well, I'm back.  After further study I found another expansion sentence that read, in part, 他没有来上班.

So to say Miss Wang did not come, I think I would write the sentence like, "王小姐今天没有来上班，因为她不舒服。”