User Comments - alwingate

Posted on: Job Interview

Have a question about this idea:

B

可以承受压力。

kěyǐ chéngshòu yālì.

I can handle pressure.

Does cheng2shou4 imply the ability not only to bear pressure, but to function successful through a set of stressors until the calm.

Seems that bearing up under pressure and functioning are two different things.  Question is: Is this guy capable of turning out good work when the work becomes problematic?

Posted on: Pin Number

I found that Walmart will take my BOA credit card readily; while the Apple store somewhere in Shenzhen said they did not know how to use it.  It was a medium level transaction finance wise, so I was okay with paying cash.  But, getting cash from my bank account in the US is a problem not solved. 

Any solutions: How do you get money from your bank account in the US  (or home country) using a debit card?

Posted on: What's Your Surname?

Hello Poddies,

Interesting lesson, particularly the use of:

qǐngwèn, nín guì xìng?

showing perhaps the cultural difference and the emphasis on respect and politeness in the Chinese culture; in the US it was difficult to even get a Mister in front of my surname.  heh

Anyway, for the newbies, I am thinking back a little and there is a lesson on tones generally and the second tone in particular.    The second tone can be approximated by using an English question tone something like "Wang?"

Also, from learning Spanish in my early years I found that I was too analytical and that created a kind of paralysis in my learning.  Hence the teaching: "The paralysis of analysis."

So being overly analytic can be a real learning block at least for me and learning "chunks" of language as Ken said is a good way to go for me.

On the other hand, because of language structure, well there is a balance here too.  And learning the structure of the language is important; ie patterns a la John.

If I am going to err as a new learner I will err on the side of chunks.  hehe...sounds disgusting,but serously is a great way to learn the Chinese language.

By analyzing the "gui" some added learning occurred in terms of cultural understanding.  This is just my experience.  I could be wrong.

Thanks for all the hard work you guys do.

Posted on: Dubai

Thanks for the lesson John and Jenny.  I am slowly working my way up.

Enjoy the grammar examples; expands my vocabulary and patterns of any sort are very helpful.

Also, I do enjoy the "Cities" theme and your actors are superb; especially the funny guy.  I can remember things he says because of the way he says them. 

Example: GPS zhen1 bu4cou4.  Sorry for lazy pinyin.

Posted on: Juiced!

Thanks for the clarification on the grammar issue, JENNY.

Posted on: Juiced!

西瓜和香蕉在一起真难喝。
xīguā hé xiāngjiāo zài yīqǐ zhēn nánhē.
Watermelon and banana taste really bad together.

Just curious and perplex by zai4.  Do zai4 and yi1qi3 always go combine as a unit meaning together.

Why is this little word needed?  

Posted on: Who are You Looking For?

Hello Poddies:

Greetings.  Always enjoy hearing Ken and Jenny.

I think a steady diet of pepper wears thin; therefore a dramatic lesson isn't always needed, Jenny.  Thanks for the useful lesson though it did not quicken my heart.

Also, to Ken's points on taking chunks of the language and do not analyse too much as a newbie.  Just learn the sentence or phrase as one chunk.  Word by word is not efficient way of learning especially for Newbie's and can be confusing.

Here is a good example from today's lesson.

我想试一下。
I'd like to try it out. 1 (I'd like to try it out.)

Wo3 xiang3 shi4 yi1xia4.

Literally: I like is a bit.

Perhaps.

But, regardless this is a good point don't you think?

Of course, this is just my opinion based on experience.  I could and often am wrong.

Posted on: Explosion

Popcorn or firecrackers.  How cute is that?  hehe  However, perhaps it is that so much construction in China these days could be a demolition crew laying the ground work for a new high rise.  

The other suggestion: a computer being broken; well, the broken computer and what is going on in my mind about it is more likely...

:)

Posted on: Blow out Your Candles

Though may I say?  The music does not respresent tonal that accurately, but neither does listening to words our of sentence context since words change their tones when they mix with the family of words in a sentence.  Kind of like we do when we visit our families.  (joke)  Anyway, my point is that they are all helpful tools to learn languages.  Right?  A song can be fun and yet not quite that accurate, but it is a beginning.  I have found that one of the last things to come in language learning for many is oral expressive language and songs overcome that obstacle.  

I know there is a point in there somewhere.  :)

Posted on: Blow out Your Candles

miantiao

Thank you for the explanation.  My memory tells me that the question:

ta1 ji3 sui4? was asked in the context of younger children.

while ta1 duo1 da4 was asked of someone who was possibly adolescent.  Anyway, I am getting the picture.

I will be very careful with  ta1 duo1 da4 with adults for sure.