User Comments - marcojane
marcojane
Posted on: Please speak slowly
December 11, 2010 at 5:58 PMThank you very much. Yes, it is clear and makes sense. I love the nuances of Mandarin. English is so limited in comparison (and I taught it for 31 years). The problem I have is just remembering which word to use in which situation (or remembering the word at all at age 65). I have completed 5 units of Rosetta Stone and am finding that, because they never explain anything, I have many questions as I do your more delightful lessons. That is why I am quickly going through most of the Newbie lessons just to get that explanation (plus a few vocabulary words RS missed--and they missed a few crucial ones). Thank you for your help. You explained it very clearly. Jane
Posted on: Please speak slowly
December 11, 2010 at 2:52 PMWhy do you use ke3 yi4 instead of hui4? I thought hui4 meant that you could do something like speak Chinese or swim. I know that neng1 means that it is possible to do the action (like you are not in a wheelchair and therefore can walk), but why ke3 yi4?
Posted on: Anybody home?
December 10, 2010 at 5:06 PMHow do I access the flash cards? Why don't they say "wo3 men2 Kwai 4 pao3 BU4 ? Rosetta Stone always puts the bu4 in there? Also, how do I access the flash cards?
Posted on: Where's the soap?
January 10, 2011 at 4:09 AMI keep running into the word "ba." In this dialogue, it is at the end of the sentence where he is asking where the soap is located. Can someone explain the various uses of ba? I know in some instances (3rd tone, I think) it is a measure word, but in others it seems just thrown in the sentence with no purpose. I've encountered "ba" numerous times in Rosetta Stone lessons as well, but they don't explain anything.