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We Discuss Buying a Car 討論買一部車子 in Chinese

May 20, 2016 by Laura Blodgett

http://funlearningchinese.com/podcast-player/34487/we-discuss-buying-a-car-%e8%a8%8e%e8%ab%96%e8%b2%b7%e4%b8%80%e9%83%a8%e8%bb%8a%e5%ad%90-in-chinese.mp3

Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 2:50

discuss buying a car

[hr]

討論買一部車子

(討論)(買)(一部)(車子)

(ㄊㄠˇ ㄌㄨㄣˋ) (ㄇㄞˇ) (ㄧㄅㄨˋ) (ㄔㄜ ㄗ)

(tǎo lùn) (mǎi) (yī bù) (chē1 zi.)

(to discuss) (to buy) (a) (car)

discuss buying a car

 

 


As I promised, here is what I wanted to tell my Chinese tutor I was discussing with my husband. She had also just given me the assignment of writing out a conversation in Chinese, in order to practice using the authentic conversational sounds she had been teaching me more about. I choose a representation of our conversation about buying a car. The original conversation was actually in English, as my husband is not learning Chinese (although he fakes it quite humorously sometimes in the background during a lesson). So, I did my best to base the Chinese version on what we were talking about, then my Chinese tutor corrected a couple of things and here it is!

 

老公:我在想關於為妳買一部小車子呦。

(老公):(我)(在)(想)(關於)(為)(妳)(買)(一部)(小)(車子)(呦)

(ㄌㄠˇ ㄍㄨㄥ): (ㄨㄛˇ) (ㄗㄞˋ) (ㄒㄧㄤˇ) (ㄍㄨㄢ ㄩˊ) (ㄨㄟˋ) (ㄋㄧˇ) (ㄇㄞˇ)                                     (ㄧ ㄅㄨˋ) (ㄒㄧㄠˇ) (ㄔㄜ ㄗ˙) (ㄧㄡ)

(lǎo gōng): (wǒ) (zài) (xiǎng) (guān yú) (wèi) (nǐ) (mǎi) (yī bù) (xiǎo) (chē zi.) (yōu)

(husband): (I) (indicates progressive tense of following verb, -ing) (to think) (about, a matter of) (for) (you) (to buy) (one) (small) (car) (conversational sound)

Husband: I am thinking of buying you a small car.

 

我:真的嗎 !? 我很想要開小車子噢!

(我):(真)(的)(嗎)!? (我)(很)(想要)(開)(小)(車子)(噢)

(ㄨㄛˇ): (ㄓㄣ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄇㄚ)!? (ㄨㄛˇ) (ㄏㄣˇ) (ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄧㄠˋ) (ㄎㄞ)                                  (ㄒㄧㄠˇ) (ㄔㄜ ㄗ˙) (ㄡ)

(wǒ): (zhēn)(de.) (ma.)!? (wǒ) (hěn) (xiǎng yào) (kāi) (xiǎo) (chē zi.) (ōu)

(me): (really) (adjective marker) (question sound/marker) !? (I) (very) (to think to want) (to drive) (small) (car) (conversational sound)

Me: Really!? I very much want to drive a small car!

 

老公:妳看到這三部車款嗎?妳應該比較比較它們吧 !

(老公):(妳)[(看)(到)](這)(三)(部)(車)(款)(嗎)?

(ㄌㄠˇ ㄍㄨㄥ): (ㄋㄧˇ) [(ㄎㄢˋ)(ㄉㄠˋ)] (ㄓㄜˋ)(ㄙㄢ) (ㄅㄨˋ) (ㄔㄜ)                                      (ㄎㄨㄢˇ) (ㄇㄚ˙)

(lǎo gōng): (nǐ) [(kàn)(dào)] (zhè) (sān) (bù) (chē) (kuǎn) (ma.)?

(husband): (you) [(to see)(to arrive)] (this) (three) (measure word for car) (car) (style) (question marker)?

…..(妳)(應該)(比較)(比較)(它們)(吧)

……(ㄋㄧˇ) (ㄧㄥㄍㄞ) [(ㄅㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ)(ㄅㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ)] (ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ˙) (ㄅㄚ˙)

……(nǐ) (yīng gāi) [(bǐ jiào)(bǐ jiào)] (tā men.) (ba.)

……(you) (should) [(to compare) (to compare) =compare to each other] (them) (suggestion sound)

Husband: Did you see these three cars? You should compare them.

 

我:我找到其他的車子,你想可能可以吧 !?

(我):(我)[(找)(到)](其他)(的)(車子),

(ㄨㄛˇ): (ㄨㄛˇ) [(ㄓㄠˇ)(ㄉㄠˋ)] (ㄑㄧˊ ㄊㄚ) (ㄉㄜ˙) (ㄔㄜ ㄗ˙)

(wǒ): (wǒ) [(zhǎo)(dào)] (qí tā)(de.) (chē zi.),

(me): (I) [found] (other)(adjective marker) (car),

…..(你)(想)(可能)(可以)(吧)

……(ㄋㄧˇ) (ㄒㄧㄤˇ) (ㄎㄜˇ ㄋㄥˊ) (ㄎㄜˊ ㄧˇ) (ㄇㄚ˙)

……(nǐ) (xiǎng) (kě néng) (ké yǐ) (ba.)

……(you) (to think) (possibly) (okay) (suggestion sound)

Me: I found another car, do you think it might be okay?

 

老公:啊! 這部車子很有趣喔 ! 我們可以去試車呦 !

(老公):(啊)! (這)(部)(車子)(很)(有趣)(喔) ! 

(ㄌㄠˇ ㄍㄨㄥ): (ㄚ)! (ㄓㄜˋ) (ㄅㄨˋ) (ㄔㄜ ㄗ˙) (ㄏㄣˇ) (ㄧㄡˇ ㄑㄩˋ) (ㄛ)

(lǎo gōng): (ā)! (zhè) (bù) (chē zi.) (hěn) (yǒu qù) (ō)

(husband): (ah) (this) (measure word for car) (car) (very) (to have interest) (conversational sound)!

…..(我們)(可以)(去)(試車)(呦)

……(ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄣ˙) (ㄎㄜˊ ㄧˇ) (ㄑㄩˋ) (ㄕˋ ㄔㄜ) (ㄧㄡ)

……(wǒ men.) (ké yǐ) (qù) (shì chē) (yōu)

……(we) (can, okay) (to go) (test + car = test drive) (conversational sound)

Husband: Ah!. This car is very interesting! We can go test drive it.

 

我:很好玩啊!這會是很好玩的約會啊!

(我):(很)(好)(玩)(啊)!

(ㄨㄛˇ): (ㄏㄣ) (ㄏㄠˇ) (ㄨㄢˊ) (ㄚ)

(wǒ): (hěn) (hǎo) (wán) (ā)!

(me): (very) (good) (to play with, to amuse, fun) (conversational sound)! !

…..(這)(會)(是)(很)(好)(玩)(的)(約會)(啊)!

……(ㄓㄜˋ) (ㄏㄨㄟˋ) (ㄕˋ) (ㄏㄣˇ) (ㄏㄠˇ) (ㄨㄢˊ) (ㄉㄜ˙) (ㄩㄝ ㄏㄨㄟˋ) (ㄚ)

……(zhè) (huì) (shì) (hěn) (hǎo) (wán) (de.) (yuē huì) (ā)

……(this) (will) (to be) (very) (good) (fun) (date) (conversational sound)

Me: How fun! This will be a very fun date!

 

老公: 對啊!

(老公):(對)(啊)!

(ㄌㄠˇ ㄐㄨㄥ): (ㄉㄨㄟˋ) (ㄚ)

(lǎo gōng): (duì) (ā)

(husband): (correct, right) (conversational sound)

Husband: Yes!

 

 

How to Tell Someone You Will Talk With Them About Anything 任何事情 in Chinese

May 13, 2016 by Laura Blodgett

http://funlearningchinese.com/podcast-player/34470/how-to-tell-someone-you-will-talk-with-them-about-anything-%e4%bb%bb%e4%bd%95%e4%ba%8b%e6%83%85-in-chinese.mp3

Download file | Play in new window

talk about anything in ChineseWhen first learning a language, you often have to stick to very simple, straightforward vocabulary. Adding vocabulary is best done by learning words with very specific meanings. One word for happy, one word for earth, one for noodle, one for talk. But then there will come a day when you want to add nuance to meaning, because you want to increase your potential for truly expressing yourself and having adult conversations.

Hopefully, by then, the earlier vocabulary will finally be more natural and solidified in your repertoire. Then you can more easily assimilate lessons that expound on options for expressing very similar ideas. This was the basic scenario when I wanted to tell my tutor about something last week. I didn’t want to just use the basic Chinese 說 (shuo1) for “to speak, to say” again . I wanted to say I had discussed something!

So it was that we practiced several ways of saying I would “talk to (a friend) about anything.” And it was fun! Kind of like a language learning version of the grammar game MadLibs.

Here are the sentences:

 

我們可以討論任何事情。

(我們)(可以)(討論)[(任何)(事情)❶]

(wo3 men.) (ke3 yi3) (tao3 lun4) [(ren4 he2) (shi4 qing2)]

(we) (can, okay) (to discuss) [(any, whatever) (matter affair) = anything]

We can discuss anything.

 

你可以跟我討論任何事情。

(你)(可以)(跟)(我)(討論)(任何事情)

(ni3) (ke3 yi3) (gen1) (wo3) (tao3 lun4) (ren4 he2 shi4 qing2)

(you) (can) (with) (me) (discuss) (anything)

You can discuss anything with me.

 

你可以跟我聊❷任何事情。

(你)(可以)(跟)(我)(聊)(任何事情)

(ni3) (ke3 yi3) (gen1) (wo3) (liao2) (ren4 he2 shi4 qing2)

(you) (can) (with) (me) (to chat) (anything)

You can chat about anything with me.

 

你可以跟我說任何事情。

(你)(可以)(跟)(我)(說)(任何事情)

(ni3) (ke3 yi3) (gen1) (wo3) (shuo1) (ren4 he2 shi4 qing2)

(you) (can) (with) (me) (to speak, to say) (anything)

You can speak with me about anything.

 

你可以告訴我任何事情。

(你)(可以)(告訴)(我)(任何事情)

(ni3) (ke3 yi3) (gao4 su4) (wo3) (ren4 he2 shi4 qing2)

(you) (can) (to tell) (me) (anything)

You can tell me anything.

 

我會聽你告訴我任何事情。

(我)(會)(聽)(你)(告訴)(我)(任何事情)

(wo3) (hui4) (ting1) (ni3) (gao4 su4) (wo3) (ren4 he2 shi4 qing2)

(I) (will) (to listen) (you) (to tell) (me) (anything)

I will listen to anything you tell me.

 

你要聊什麼啊?

(你)(要)(聊)(什麼)(啊)

(ni3) (yao4) (liao2) (shen2 me.) (a1)

(you) (to want) (to chat) (what) (sound word indicating friendliness)

What do you want to chat about?

 

So you can see that

你要聊什麼啊?

and

你要討論什麼呀?

(你)(要)(討論)(什麼)(呀)

(ni3) (yao4) (tao3 lun4) (shen2 me.) (ya1)

(you) (to want) (to discuss) (what) (sound word)

What do you want to discuss?

imply different levels of seriousness and commitment, even though they both involve the same action of speaking together.

 

Next week, I will tell you what I was actually discussing and with whom!

Here is an audio of the sentences, as read by my Chinese tutor:

http://funlearningchinese.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Talk-About-Anything-任何事情-in-Chinese.m4a

 

Notes on interesting things in the lesson:

❶ It is useful to know that although in English we use the word “things” for both objects and more abstract things such as personal affairs, in Chinese they don’t. For objects, 東西 (dong1 xi1) is used. When speaking of business or social matters, or personal concerns, 事情 (shi4 qing) is used.

❷ It is common to hear “to chat” expressed as 聊天 (liao2 tian1). My tutor explains that the 天 (tian1) in this case is emphasizing the open nature of chatting, as “the sky is the limit.”  Sometimes, the friendliness of chatting is emphasized also by doubling the verb, as in 聊聊天. However, in the sentences today, the concept of unlimited topics is made clear by using the phrase 任何事情 (ren4 he2 shi4 qing2). The nuance is slightly different, though. With 聊天 (liao2 tian1) there is the implication of nothing on the agenda and no pressing need. The conversation is expected to flow here and there. When 聊任何事情 (liao2 ren4 he2 shi4 qing2) is used, the implication is that at least one of the people involved may have something on their mind that could be figured out.

So What 那又怎樣 and Big Deal 有什麼了不起的 in Chinese

May 7, 2016 by Laura Blodgett

http://funlearningchinese.com/podcast-player/34451/so-what-%e9%82%a3%e5%8f%88%e6%80%8e%e6%a8%a3-and-big-deal-%e6%9c%89%e4%bb%80%e9%ba%bc%e4%ba%86%e4%b8%8d%e8%b5%b7%e7%9a%84-in-chinese.mp3

Download file | Play in new window

so what big dealHow would you explain “so what?” to someone who is learning English? It is an everyday type of vocabulary that I know I say without thinking about the literal meaning. It is obviously not a complete sentence. It begins with a transitional word, “so.” This at least indicates that the phrase is linked to something else, but that something else could be what someone else just said. The “what” part of the sentence could possibly be explained as a truncation of “what is there to care about?” But it could also beg the question, “why should I care?” or “who cares?” Any of these questions are sarcastically rhetorical, since the speaker is actually indicating he doesn’t care.

All this to say that the Chinese version of this is not any better and an English speaker should examine his own language before complaining about that. When a Chinese person says:

 

那又怎樣

 

This means the same thing as when an English speaking person says, “So what?” If you literally translate the Chinese, it means:

 

(那)(又)(怎樣)

(na4) (you4) (zen3 yang4)

(that/those/then)  (again/also/anyway)  (how/why)

 

Take your pick, because it just means, “so what?”

 

Another equally obscure meaning is the Chinese that means “big deal,” in the sarcastic sense. 

 

有什麼了不起的

(有)(什麼)(了)(不)(起)(的)

(you3) (shen2 me.) (liao3) (bu4) (qi3) (de.)

 

I have not bothered to directly translate the words above because it seems better to discuss it more thoroughly. In this case, the 有 (you3), is as usual translated “to have.” It is optional for this phrase and not everyone puts it at the beginning.

The 什麼 (shen me.) is also straightforward, meaning the usual “what.” The 的 is (de.) at the end is an adjective marker. However, from there it is just the normal leap of translation as for any idiom.

The three characters together了不起 themselves mean “wonderful.”  This is the dictionary definition, but there is no explanation beyond that.  The了 (liao3) has dictionary definitions of its own, but none that fits easily here. The best option for the sake of remembering the total meaning of the phrase is “very, fully.” The 不起 is there for no literal reason, but is necessary for full understanding of the word.

Thus, when put together with the other words, it means “to have what wonderful,” which is very like the English “big deal” when used as a sarcastic response. I will probably use “what is so wonderful about that?” to help me remember the Chinese phrase, because it is easier for my English-based brain to stay connected with.

Either 那又怎樣 or 有什麼了不起的 can be used more lightheartedly or in a stronger mocking way. How they come across will depend on context in conversation and relationship with the person being spoken to.  You can even use them talking to yourself. Here are a couple examples:

 

他不跟我說話。那又怎樣。我有很多朋友!

(他)(不)(跟)(我)(說話)。(那又怎樣)。(我)(有)(很)(多)(朋友)

(ta1) (bu4) (gen1) (wo3) (shuo1 hua4). (na4 you4 zen3 yang4). (wo3) (you3) (hen3) (duo1) (peng2 you3)

(he) (not) (with) (me) (to speak). (so what). (I) (to have) (very) (many) (friend)

He won’t talk to me. So what. I have many friends.❶

 

她有錢,有什麼了不起的!如果你聰明,勤快的工作, 然後你一樣也可以有錢呀!

(她)[(有)(錢)]❷,(有什麼了不起的)!(如果)(你)(聰明)❸,[(勤快)(的)](工作), (然後)(你)(一樣)(也)(可以)(有)(錢)(呀)

(ta1) [(you3) (qian2)], (you3 shen2 me. liao3 bu4 qi3 de.)! (ru2 guo3) (ni3) (cong1 ming2), [(qin2 kuai)(de.)](gong1 zuo4), (ran2 hou4) (ni3) (yi1 yang4) (ye3) (ke3 yi3) (you3) (qian2) (ya.)

(she) [(to have) (money)], (big deal)! (if) (you) (smart), [(diligent)(ly)] (to work) (you) (the same) (also) (able) (to have) (money) (expressive sound)❹

She has a lot of money, big deal! If you are smart and hard working, then you can also have money!

 

Here is an audio of the above Chinese, as spoken by my native Chinese speaking tutor:

http://funlearningchinese.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/So-What-那又怎樣-and-Big-Deal-有什麼了不起的-in-Chinese.m4a

 

Notes on certain things:

❶ For the first sentence in this example, I had tried to word it as 他不會跟我說。My tutor said that means, “He won’t tell me (about something).” If you look, you will see that there are two differences in sentences, with 會 (hui4) in one and the 話 (hua4) in the other. These changes apparently give it the nuances necessary to mean different things.

❷  To say 有錢 (you3 qian2) implies significant amounts of money in this context, not just loose change in the pocket.

❸ Another very acceptable word for “smart, clever, sharp” is 靈敏 (ling2 min3), but 聰明 (cong1 ming2) is more common.

❹  Click here to read more about authentic Chinese sounds and expressions in speaking.

The To Do of 幹 (gan4) Versus 做 (zuo4) and Avoiding Harsh Swearing in Chinese

April 27, 2016 by Laura Blodgett

http://funlearningchinese.com/podcast-player/34426/the-to-do-of-%e5%b9%b9-gan4-versus-%e5%81%9a-zuo4-and-avoiding-harsh-swearing-in-chinese.mp3

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Chinese swear wordOne of the worst nightmares in speaking a foreign language is saying something really embarrassing. Tones are the typical reason this happens to non-native Chinese speakers. You can’t really fault the native speakers for giggling if you call your mother 媽媽(ma1 ma.) a horse 馬 (ma3) accidentally. There is some consolation in it being a common mistake. However, some words can be much more shocking and it is a thoughtful tutor who helps you avoid that.

My tutor made up a funny sentence using a lot of different “‘ma’s” in Chinese. It is the first one on the recording below.  It is

 

媽媽駡麻煩的馬。

(媽媽)(駡)[(麻煩)(的)](馬)

(ma1 ma.) (ma4) [(ma2 fan.)(de.)] (ma3)

(mama, mom) (to scold) [(trouble)(adjective marker)] (horse)

Mama scolds the troublesome horse.

 

But getting back to the “to do’s” of Chinese – I was recently watching a video for practice between lessons. It gave two ways to ask, “What are you doing?”

 

你在幹什麼?

(你)(在)(幹)(什麼)

(ni3) (zai4)(gan4) (shen2 me.)

(you) (indicates progressive tense of following verb)❶ (to do)❷ (what)

What are you doing?

 

你在做什麼?

(你)(在)(做)(什麼)

(ni3) (zai4) (zuo4) (shen2 me.)

(you) (indicates progressive tense of following verb) (to do) (what)

What are you doing?

 

As I usually do, I sent the link to my tutor so she could guide me in understanding. Here is the video I watched, for your convenience:

 

In response to this video, my tutor reminded me why she almost always uses 做 (zuo4) for this question. This is because both the sound and the character 幹 (gan4) have unfortunately been corrupted into a very indecorous swear word. (She wouldn’t even say it out loud in the privacy of our lesson, but she gave me enough clues to know it is the Chinese equivalent of the “F” word.) A main difference is that there is no non-slang meaning for the English version of this word, so it is harder to say it accidentally.

She remembers being aware of this as a child in the 1960’s, so it is not a new problem. In fact, a person of political standing in Taiwan recently lost his position due to using this word in public media. Can you find the character in question in quotes in the second paragraph? It is emphatic.

She will use 幹 (gan4) sometimes, particularly in sentences where it is more clearly attached to another character to make its meaning clear. For instance,

 

你很能幹。

(你)(很)(能幹)

(ni3) (hen3) (neng2 gan4)

(you) (very) (capable)❸

You are very capable.

 

你是一個幹才。

(你)(是)(一個)(幹才)

(ni3) (shi4) (yi1 ge.) (gan4 cai2)

(you) (to be/are) (a/one) (capable)

You are a capable one/person.

 

But, overall, she avoids it.

When I was looking up 幹 (gan4) in the dictionary, to see if there was any clue for why it might be used as such a strong swear word, I saw that the 5th definition given was for a different slang usage, which means “to kill or eliminate a person.” My tutor confirms that this can be heard in Chinese TV or soap operas. Totally gangster. However, this is not connected to the other slang.

 

我會幹掉他!

(我)(會)[(幹)(掉)](他)

(wo3) (hui4) [(gan4) (diao4)] (ta1)

(I) (will) [(to kill) (adverbial particle indicating complete fulfillment of verb)] (him)

I will kill him!

 

I’ll probably make an effort to steer clear of such barbaric expression, if I can remember, but I am not going to worry about it too much if I mess up. One way or another, it will be a learning experience. At least, I probably won’t make the news or lose my government job like this man did.

Here is a short audio recording of my Chinese tutor saying the sentences from the blog:

http://funlearningchinese.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/The-To-Do-of-Chinese.m4a

 


Notes on things in this lesson:

❶ 在 (zai4) is a very common word in Chinese. It is used for its meanings of “at, in, on, up to” in many sentences, but its use in indicating progressive tense in a verb is also common. It can be thought of as putting the -ing suffix on a verb, even though it is used in front of the Chinese verb.

❷ This is the 4th possible meaning of 幹 (gan4) given in my Chinese-English dictionary, which is “to do, to attend to business, to manage.”

❸ The third definition of 幹 (gan4) given is “talents, capable, skillful.”

 

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