User Comments - keruise

Posted on: Help Calling a Cab

Question - so is "in a little while" and 'For a little while" expressed in the same way and position in the sentence in Chinese?

So 我一会出去买东西 could mean "I'll go out for a little while to buy some things".  Could it also mean "I'll go out in a little while to buy some things"?  

Am I missing something?  I would normally say 我一会以后出去买东西 for the latter.  Would I be wrong?

Cheers

Posted on: Help Calling a Cab

When taxi drivers start on conversation topic No. 5, just change the subject by asking about them and their family etc. It can be interesting and sometimes the driver decides to concentrate on the road instead - probably not a bad idea either...

Posted on: Can't Get a Taxi

It is interesting that with all the cheating one hears about, almost all Beijing taxi drivers are pretty honest and decent. This does change if you leave your mobile phone or passport in the taxi though, as you will need to pay some money to get it back...

Posted on: Can't Get a Taxi

You gotta 'discuss the fare' first - it's usually a couple of Rumbas more than the normal taxis - but 'cos there is no meter and no extra for waiting at traffic lights, you get there faster. This can result in a white-knuckle ride sometimes. But you should always go for the real deal whenever you can, even if you have to wait a bit...

Posted on: Can't Get a Taxi

Has anybody ever taken a 黑车?  Those blokes in private cars who will take you somewhere for a few Rumbas.  Sometimes they even hang little red lights from their rear-view mirrors at night to show they are looking for a fare.   They also might fool you, as real taxis also have the red light under the mirror at night.  

I usually turn them down when the pull up and ask ”去那儿？“ But I'll take them if I'm late for work and 打不到车。

Posted on: Can't Get a Taxi

In Beijing they used to use Xia Li cars - that was a cheap Chinese make and they used to leak when it rained. Now they use VWs, Citroens and Hyundais. I liked the old Xia Lis as you could get almost anywhere for under 20 kuai in them. Nowadays you pay 20 kuai for a short trip in the same district. I have seen a few London cab style taxis in Beijing recently.

Posted on: Two Tough Ladies

Middle-aged women in Beijing － You don't mess with them!  I've seen a few collisions between cyclists and if a one of them is a middle-aged woman, I know who's going to back down first.   My Beijing hua is not good enough to catch what they say but it usually does the trick.  

Beijing taxi drivers - I love listening to them yell at other road users.  All of the Chinese swear words I've learnt are from listening to Beijing taxi drivers firing insults at whoever jiasai'r (加塞儿) them.    

Posted on: Wake-up Call

Up to now I always thought Zhi1 dao4 had the meaning 到 but now I realise it's actually 道。 Good to know.  It's really easy to learn with Chinese Pod!