I think there should probably be a comma btwn review and result.
Is this going to be a “phrase of the day” or an ongoing thread?
Why not post a new “phrase of the day” in a new thread each day? Put the date in the thread title along with a rough English meaning.
eg. Phrase of the Day- 4 Aug 05: I’d like to buy you a beer
[quote=“puiwaihin”]Is this going to be a “phrase of the day” or an ongoing thread?
Why not post a new “phrase of the day” in a new thread each day? Put the date in the thread title along with a rough English meaning.
eg. Phrase of the Day- 4 Aug 05: I’d like to buy you a beer[/quote]
I think the main idea with the forums is to combine threads and not expand on them. 365 new threads a year in Learning Chinese?
If people want to continue with this, we’ll have a monthly or semi-monthly new thread, just to keep things more or less controllable.
I’d like to continue as I find this insistence on getting everything correct provides a great balance to my usual situation, in which I am always just trying to get a point across, and nobody seems to notice or care if there are grammar or pronunciation problems and sure as heck wouldn’t ever bother to correct me on anything even if they did notice or care.
I make these sentences by first: 1) Asking my wife how to say them and tape recording the answer. 2) Listening to the tape as I transcribe it here. 3)Checking the dictionary for spellings and tones I am not sure of. After that I get to hear from you guys the stuff that I STILL got wrong even after all of this. In the end I’ve learned the sentences.
Here’s a start at today’s…
(Oops. My helper is sleeping it turns out so will have to finish tomorow. Sorry.)
Ni3 ying1gai2 shuisen dai4 ni3 de lu4yin1ji.
Deng1 ni3 xue2 dao4 xin1 de ju4zi shi lu4xia4 lai.
Guo yi zen zi huo nu hui4 you3 hen3 duo1 you3yong4 de ju4zi zai lu4yin1dai4 shang4.
[quote=“bob”]Here’s a start at today’s…
(Oops. My helper is sleeping it turns out so will have to finish tomorow. Sorry.)
Ni3 ying1gai2 shuisen dai4 ni3 de lu4yin1ji.
Deng1 ni3 xue2 dao4 xin1 de ju4zi shi lu4xia4 lai.
Guo yi zen zi huo nu hui4 you3 hen3 duo1 you3yong4 de ju4zi zai lu4yin1dai4 shang4.[/quote]
Bob, will you get just one sentence up today? My helper is no help. It has put a strain on the relationship by my asking for assistance with one sentence a day. Enough said.
As we discussed at the start I guess it’s just a matter of seeing if it starts becoming a habit. 365 sentences would be a valuable resource after one year and could be then put into a sequence such as asking for directions, time, eating etc that could form an additional resource for people lucky enough to find themselves arrived in Taiwan and seeking to learn without attending formal lessons. Wav files would be fantastic as well.
I have just been held back no end by the difference between mainland books and common local (Taiwan) use of the same language. And, most importantly my interpreter should get a new job.
[quote=“Ironman”]
Bob, will you get just one sentence up today? My helper is no help. It has put a strain on the relationship by my asking for assistance with one.[/quote]
Well, how come you don’t aks Mr. He???
I won’t blow a head gasket, if you mispronounce anything, and if you get tired of me, you can just go home.
Yeah, me too. BTW, in “Pimsleur’s Mandarin Chinese” they use a lot of mainland words and expressions, such as:
zhe4r (here)
na4r (there)
na3r (where)
yi1dian3r (a little)
yi1dian3r dong1xi (something)
guo4 yi1hui3r (later).
From what I can tell, in the case of zhe4r, na4r and na3r, the “er” ending is replaced with “li3”, and “yi1dian3r” becomes “yi1dian3dian” (?).
I’m not sure about the last two, though.
How do you say “something” and “later” in Taiwan?
If this is a bit off topic… I’ll try to make a sentence with those words. 
[quote]From what I can tell, in the case of zhe4r, na4r and na3r, the “er” ending is replaced with “li3”, and “yi1dian3r” becomes “yi1dian3dian” (?).
I’m not sure about the last two, though.
How do you say “something” and “later” in Taiwan? [/quote]
I found “mou3 wu4” for “something”. Don’t know how often or exactly where this word would be used.
I always say, “yi3 hou4” for “later” or “after”. I found, “geng4 chi2”. There are different ways to say it depending on what’s being said (context): “zhi1 hou4”, “hou4 lai2”, etc.
I think that “li3” is a prepostion like “in” or “at”
The differnces between Beijing Putonghua and Taiwan Guoyu are nore ones of pronounciation than anything else.
Honestly, I used both when studying, and it went ok.
A word is different here or there, the retroflex sounds are used more in Beijing than in Taipei, however nothing major.
sui2shen1 … lu4yin1ji1
you should follow body carry your recorder
You should carry your recorder on you (at all times)
I don’t understand the “shi” or the structure after ju4zi. I think ‘shi’ should be “jiu4”
wait you study arrive new sentence, just/then record down come
When you encounter a new sentence, you can record it.
Guo4 yi1 zhen4zi, ni3 hui4 you3…
cross a while you will have very many have use sentences at recorder atop
After a while, you’ll have many useful sentences on your tape.
Dragonbones you absolutely amaze me…
Thanks so much for that. It’s the kind of Chinese I need to learn because it is the kind of English I teach. I’ll read it aloud into my tape recorder for myself, and, come class time will read it aloud into my students tape recorder (in English and Chinese) along with the pauses, grunts, giggles, explanations, clarifications, corrections, conversations etc. that occur naturally. Some of my students love these tapes and the ones who do improve quickly. Again thanks so much. 
Bob, dude, after 11 or 12 years of hard work and living here, it’s no big deal 
There are others here whose Chinese is much better than mine, to be sure! Anyway, glad to help.
Give yourself a few years, and you’ll be able to help others out in these threads too.
Jia1you2!
Add oil!
Too many translations to list; a few are
Go for it!
Go team!
Atta boy!
Keep it up!
Keep up the good work!
[quote=“Dragonbones”] Give yourself a few years, and you’ll be able to help others out in these threads too.
Jia1you2!
Add oil!
Too many translations to list; a few are
Go for it!
Go team!
Atta boy!
Keep it up!
Keep up the good work![/quote]
See, stuff like that, jia1you2 = add oil. I didn’t know that and I have been studying quite seriously, at least for the last few years or so. Prior to that my method involved smoking a lot of pot and, well, smoking a lot more pot I guess. Anyway, talking to people like you and Ironlady really does help to confirm this notion I have that one of the best things I can do for my English students is learn Chinese. It’s probably one of the best things I can do for myself as well. To keep the mind functional in old age and all I mean…
That is one of the few I picked up. Only because the locals always yell it at me when cranking up the tea field mountains on the mountain bike.
I sometimes yell back [quote]mei2you3 you2 m
[quote=“Ironman”]I sometimes yell back [quote]mei2you3 you2 m
I can see the tone marks just fine, including the third tone.
Maybe you don’t have the right fonts installed?
test
Tā t
[quote=“Ironman”]test
Tā t