User Comments - andrewm
andrewm
Posted on: Not on purpose
April 25, 2008 at 3:42 PMchiongzibide Yes, I think your right about "bathroom" being a particularly North American expression. For me, saying "bathroom" is just a polite way of saying "toilet". To my ears "toilet" sounds like the actual apparatus and not the room. It's just culturally instilled in me.
Posted on: Xīnkǔ 辛苦
April 25, 2008 at 3:38 AM"最近我工作很辛苦。" (Zuìjìn wǒ gōngzuò hěn xīnkǔ.) Lately my work is so tiring / difficult. If you replaced the word "辛苦 xīnkǔ" with the word "辛勤 xīnqín" or the word "努力 nǔlì", would that be complimenting yourself? As in "Lately, I've been very hardworking."
Posted on: Not on purpose
April 25, 2008 at 3:13 AMDidn't the fellow who lost his girlfriend say "我过去一下洗手间。wǒ guò qù yíxià xǐshǒujiān"? Would that be the same as "I'm going over to the bathroom"? I like the crackling campfire and the chirping crickets. Nice touch.
Posted on: Regional Accents Part I
April 23, 2008 at 4:20 AMJenny Thank you for answering my question. I think that you and John (along with everyone else at Chinesepod) are doing a great job. Whenever I go to Chinese restaurants I'm always wondering from what part of China the Chinese people who are sitting nearby are from. This may seem nosy to some people, but it really is some of the only exposure to the Chinese language that I get (other than Chinesepod, my Chinese learning material, some Chinese TV programs, Chinese pop rock music and my Chinese class on Sunday). To me, your Mandarin sounds almost exactly like the woman in the lesson whose from Beijing with the main exception being that you rarely use the final "r's" in your speech. I haven't really noticed that you don't always pronounce the final "ng".
Posted on: Regional Accents Part I
April 22, 2008 at 3:28 PMI downloaded the mp3 to this lesson last night. I definitely agree with Changye. The first voice is of a woman from Beijing, the second a woman from Shanghai, and the third a man (that would be Aric, I presume) from Taiwan. This is not in the order that John P introduced the characters. Perhaps there is more than one version of this lesson.
Posted on: Regional Accents Part I
April 22, 2008 at 5:34 AMJenny You can speak Shanghainese, right? On average, what percentage do you use Shanghainese and what percentage do you use Mandarin (per day, week or month etc.)? When speaking Mandarin, do you have a Shanghai accent?
Posted on: Country Standings
April 17, 2008 at 3:02 PM丢脸 diu1lian3 to lose face. I just want to add "to be humiliated" or "to be humiliating".
Posted on: Detroit
April 6, 2008 at 6:23 AMSorry. I meant, if you remove the “可 kě” from the sentences that use “可不 kě bù” then possibility is not even considered. As in this lesson the sentence "我可不想去 wǒ kě bù xiǎng qù" is used.
Posted on: Detroit
April 6, 2008 at 6:13 AMThank you John and Jenny for answering the question that agentchuck asked in a previous lesson(s). If you remove “可 kě” from the sentence doesn’t the meaning become too direct and sound abrupt? It seems that “可 kě” at least, offers the possibility of something to be accepted or to occur. However, if you remove the “可 kě” from the sentence the possibility is not even considered.
Posted on: Ending your sentence with 啊 & 呀 (a & ya)
April 30, 2008 at 3:18 AMI've used these particles with much success. However, I always say them in a much lower key and keep them short and manly. Just wondering, but are you going say anything about the final interrogative particle "耶 yé"? This word is always being use in Taiwan. Especially on Taiwan TV programs. The majority of the time this word is used by women, but I have heard men say it as well. In addition, can "白酒 báijiǔ" be referred to as "grain alcohol"? I have heard this word shortened to just "grain", and I think it is also known as "moonshine".