User Comments - go_manly

Posted on: Christmas Dinner

In the dialog is the phrase 什么做  (shénme zuò).

In the Expansion sentences is the phrase 怎么做  (zĕnme zuò).

Both seem to translate to "How is it made?"

Is there a difference?

Posted on: Saying Goodbye at the Airport

Well, you do say in your profile that you are at the Upper Intermediate level, so I would expect an Elementary lesson to be easy for you.

Posted on: Chinese Seasonings

In the Expansion Sentence:

请问还需要什么饮料吗？ (Qĭngwèn hái xūyào shénme yĭnliào ma?)  Excuse me, what other drinks do you want?

isn't the translation incorrect?

With the 吗 at the end, doesn't it mean "Do you want other drinks?"

Posted on: Can't Get to Sleep

I still have problems with my 了's.

Are you able to explain the 了 in the Expansion sentence:

别担心，我是大人了。(Bié dānxīn, wŏ shì dàrén le.) Don't worry. I'm an adult.

I doubt he has just turned into an adult.

Perhaps it is new information for his audience, but unless he's a midget I'm sure they would already have worked out that he was an adult.

What does this 了 convey, and what would be the difference if it had been omitted?

Posted on: The Fourth Tone

I'm not sure if that is true, but if it is there would be two points to make:

1. It is nowhere near as sharp as in Chinese - Mandarin 4th tone generally runs from the very top to the bottom of the speaking register.

2. European languages consist of stressed and unstressed syllables, and these unstressed syllables correspond roughly to the neutral tone in Mandarin. Usually only one syllable in an English word carries the full stress, so only this syllable could possibly be considered 4th tone.

Having said that, I really don't think it makes much sense to think about tones in English. Tone changes exist, but they are used more to convey emotion, and to add flavour to a person's voice.

Posted on: Aussie Rules

In the expansion sentence:

那只狗脏死了。(Nà zhī gŏu zāng sĭ le.) That dog is so dirty.

Isn't  条 (tiáo)  the measure word for dogs.

Posted on: Buying a Shirt

Isn't 140 half-kilograms equal to 70 kg

Posted on: Buying a Shirt

In the 3rd last line of the dialog, you translate 一百四十斤 as 150 kg.  Shouldn't that be 70 kg?

Posted on: What stop is this?

..."where is the next station located?", but not "where is the next station?"

Hmm, I'm afraid changye they mean exactly the same thing. But I understand that you are trying to tell me they carry a different nuance - I just don't understand what that nuance is. Maybe Connie or lujiaojie will have something to add on Monday.

Posted on: What stop is this?

Yes, "Where is the next station?" makes perfect sense. In fact I've hardly seen you write anything that wasn't perfect English. Are you sure you are Japanese? Today I actually had to look up a word you used - contrarian.

Back to my question, I'm not sure I understand the difference. Both sentences contain 哪里 - 'where'.

To say "what (or which) station is next" I would probably have said: 下一站是哪个?

Would that be wrong?