User Comments - anonymous519113
anonymous519113
Posted on: Swearing at a Driver
July 15, 2011 at 8:30 AMYeah, seems to be working now. Who knows why my computer does or doesn't do things? Its a total mystery to me. : P
Posted on: Swearing at a Driver
July 14, 2011 at 4:54 AMBy the way, the character for Wǒ (I/me) won't display on this page for me for some reason. Anyone else having this problem?
Posted on: Swearing at a Driver
July 14, 2011 at 4:48 AMI like the characters for 骂人 màrén (to cuss someone out). The 马 (mǎ, 'horse') reminds me of the American slang expression, 'to ride somebody', as in "Why are you riding me like this?"
There's a free mnemonic for you. 哇！我很了不起！
Posted on: Didn't you get my email?
July 11, 2011 at 10:14 AMOn a more academic note, how do you say: "How often do you check your email?"
你经常看邮件吗？Nǐ jīngcháng kàn yóujiàn ma?
(Do you often check your email?)
你多久看邮件？Nǐ duōjiǔ kàn yóujiàn?
(How often do you check your email?)
Disclaimer: both the above sentences may be totally wrong!
Posted on: Didn't you get my email?
July 11, 2011 at 10:02 AMGood phrase, Bill. I'll add that to my arsenal!
Posted on: Didn't you get my email?
July 11, 2011 at 9:57 AMI don't think the bú is a typo, its cause of a tone-change rule
Posted on: Didn't you get my email?
July 11, 2011 at 9:33 AMIts the girl from the 冰激凌 bīngjīlíng (ice cream) lesson again! Her voice is so cute!
Posted on: Answering the Door
July 11, 2011 at 9:16 AMI teach at a school in Yangzhou, and some of the naughty kids write 有人 on their chairs in marker pen!
Posted on: Salt and Pepper
June 3, 2011 at 10:09 AMYou're right about it not being that easy to be understood as a foreigner speaking Chinese, but I think the correct pronunciation and tones go a long way. I'm no expert, but I'd say that tones aren't just important, they actually determine the meaning of the words you're saying, and if you use the wrong tones you're saying the wrong words!
I think confidence, or rather nonchalance, helps a bit too. If you act like you know how to speak Chinese, most people accept it. A few silly people do get 'foreigner goggles' on though, and won't even try to understand you. My Russian friend who's fluent has experienced this.
Posted on: We're lost
July 19, 2011 at 10:42 AMthat's funny kong_yi, I had a similar experience. I live in Yangzhou, and its a pretty small city, but I got lost a couple of times because it hard to get your bearings when you can't read any Chinese. I'd start by noting landmarks that had signs in English, or were noticeable for some other reason. Ah the laowai life!