User Comments - sparechange
sparechange
Posted on: Something to Do Tomorrow
October 9, 2007 at 10:07 PMActually, I think the tech peeps are busy overhauling the grammar guide.....*cough* and getting Qing Wen to show up in my feed again. :)
Posted on: Beyond Or: Another Use of 还是 (háishi)
October 9, 2007 at 9:58 PMAnd that's why we love her.
Posted on: Finding the Teacher
October 9, 2007 at 9:49 PMI agree with Lantian (although I would like to develop handwriting skills as well as computer input skills). The writing system is one of the main reasons I chose to learn Mandarin. It's also been the most difficult part of the language for me to grasp. I think using characters in the Newbie section is fine, but it's also nice to include a romanized version as a courtesy to those of us who are less literate in 汉字 (hànzì).
Posted on: Something to Do Tomorrow
October 9, 2007 at 9:20 PMThanks, gaojian. I was hoping it wasn't too complicated.
Posted on: Something to Do Tomorrow
October 9, 2007 at 5:20 PMOne of the Expansion sentences starts out 明天我 (míngtiān wǒ...) while another starts out 我明天 (wǒ míngtiān...). Is there a rule governing the placement of the subject in those sentences, or is it somewhat interchangeable?
Posted on: Wang Wei's Diary: Food and Girls
October 7, 2007 at 9:42 PMNo worries, Ken. I sympathize with your addiction. Languages fascinate me, and I really hope to dig deeper into the technical stuff eventually (like learning how to spell 'lexis'). ;-)
Posted on: Finding the Teacher
October 7, 2007 at 8:51 PMThanks for the answers guys.
Posted on: Finding the Teacher
October 7, 2007 at 4:02 AM"Rave Mandarin," eh? Can I get that on a T-shirt? Regarding 什么事 shénme shì... Can it be used casually like the English "what's up" to initiate small talk; or is it mostly used with the expectation of a real answer (i.e. "what's the matter, etc.)?
Posted on: Wang Wei's Diary: Food and Girls
October 6, 2007 at 9:16 PMThat Ken Carroll is one nice piece of lexus! I kid, I kid...
Posted on: Yang Jie's Diary: Date with a Nerd
October 16, 2007 at 7:48 PMI agree with scottyb...on both counts. If I understand correctly, the narrative contained in these diary lessons is more of a learning strategy than just sheer entertainment. The story provides context, which helps with memorization and such. ...and that Yang Jie is a whore. Mark my words, she is pure evil.