User Comments - zhenlijiang

Posted on: Monthly Data Plan

You're welcome, and I was going to say I do totally agree with what toianw said. And I agree that "turns out it was ~" is one good way of understanding 原来 too though in English it often wouldn't get said. So again I think this expansion sentence translation is good as is, without any corresponding word for the 原来.

Posted on: Monthly Data Plan

Here's how I see it:

This just means it took the speaker a little time to realize the factor (a new shop had opened across the street) that has to be resulting in the first store losing all that business. He didn't see that immediately; he had the time to think it was 怪. So I think the translation is good, and it seems to me a 原来~ pairs well with 难怪~ (ah toianw already said this).

Posted on: Ordering Fancy Coffee

Hi, Kopi Luwak has been discussed actually, in this lesson from 2009.

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/city-series-bali

Posted on: Ordering Fancy Coffee

Catherine posted a link to a Starbucks menu here. Translations they give are 全脂奶 for Whole Milk, 脱脂奶 for Nonfat.

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/nearby-tea-house#comment-177664

Posted on: Ordering Fancy Coffee

Ah so Starbucks in China has the "Venti". I do understand what you mean about the naming. Seems the largest size now available in the US is the "Trenta" (916ml), for iced drinks only.

I have no problem with the grammar of 一杯大杯的~ actually, but I'd prefer, if it's acceptable, to say 一个大杯(的)~.

I did use to go to Starbucks occasionally in Japan (they offer a smoke-free, generic, safe environment). I have never ordered any size but a Short--Starbucks Japanese sizes are Short, Tall and Grande. Those American supersizes 我们都喝不了. And a cappucino is as fancy as I will ever get. 没意思的咖啡更好喝

Hey it's not just me then. It's the "uo" vowel combo isn't it, that we all like to say?

Posted on: Ordering Fancy Coffee

I think the 大杯 here is the same as the English "a Large/Tall"--as opposed to "a large cup of." I wonder if it wouldn't be natural to use 个 as the measure word: 一个大杯(的)每日咖啡. No?

Not trying to show you up or anything but I noticed that you referred to 一大杯卡布其诺 in an earlier comment (not ordering or repeating an order there). It does seem preferable, more intuitive, to avoid the double 杯's doesn't it. I'm also reminded of a measure word discussion we had a while back (which won't open now) on 一盆花 VS 一个花盆:

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-pen-and-paper-mystery#comment-158327

Measure words aren't that easy sometimes. So I agree, a good question from Chris.

Posted on: The Complement 不了

The order though is probably better as 我不知道在中文怎么说.

Posted on: The Complement 不了

我不知道怎么把这个句子翻译变成中文

翻译成中文, no 变 there. Why look for a longer option when 我在中文不知道怎么说 makes your meaning clear though? I'm most likely to say （我）不知道用中文怎么说 or 不知道用中文该怎么说 myself but I think the 在中文（里） is OK too.

我在中文不会说 sounds to me like you're saying "I wouldn't say (this) in Chinese"--maybe because you know it's likely to offend someone--not unable to.

Just my liang fen.

Posted on: Help with Housework

But it's not a question, it's a request. When we say things like "Could you pass me that pencil?" we're not asking the other person if they could or not; we'd like them to pass us the pencil. But I'm only repeating what Pete has already said above.

Posted on: A Wasteful Husband

Hi wei_en88, I mean to say "be back in a while to talk about it". I first saw 回头 in a (non-CPod) lesson dialogue with two friends parting temporarily. They had already arranged to hook up again in a few hours. So in parting they said 回头见！ "See you in a bit".

My dictionary on 回头-- 1) to turn one's head, look back; 2) to come back; 3) to acknowledge the error of one's ways and reform; 4) in a bit, in a while, later.

I would think 回头 in your song should be #1, the most literal sense, because it says "you don't even so much as turn (rather than "return") your head". Someone walking away turning his head to look back, which this person isn't doing despite the tears of the lover (s)he is leaving behind.