<![CDATA[Comments on: How Long in China]]> 2007-01-25 18:00:00 <![CDATA[By: ]]> Connie
Supplementary vocab for this lesson: 住 (zhù) live (in a place) 你在中国住了多久了？ (Nǐ zài Zhōngguó zhù le duōjiǔ le?) How long have you lived in China? 来 (lái) come 你来了多久了？ (Nǐ lái le duōjiǔ le?) How long have you been here? 可能 (kěnéng) probably; maybe 可能一年。 (Kěnéng yī nián.) Maybe one year. 几天 (jǐ tiān) how many days 几年 (jǐ nián) how many years 几个月 (jǐ ge yuè) how many months 　]]> Connie
Supplementary vocab for this lesson: 住 (zhù) live (in a place) 你在中国住了多久了？ (Nǐ zài Zhōngguó zhù le duōjiǔ le?) How long have you lived in China? 来 (lái) come 你来了多久了？ (Nǐ lái le duōjiǔ le?) How long have you been here? 可能 (kěnéng) probably; maybe 可能一年。 (Kěnéng yī nián.) Maybe one year. 几天 (jǐ tiān) how many days 几年 (jǐ nián) how many years 几个月 (jǐ ge yuè) how many months 　]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> Bob Mrotek
Just curious. Why does the transcript use the character 呆 dāi and not the character 待 dāi? Doesn’t the character呆 dāi mean "stupid" and the character 待 dāi mean "stay"? Am I missing some fine distinction or something?]]> Bob Mrotek
Just curious. Why does the transcript use the character 呆 dāi and not the character 待 dāi? Doesn’t the character呆 dāi mean "stupid" and the character 待 dāi mean "stay"? Am I missing some fine distinction or something?]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> chris clachan
你们要去多久？ How long will you go for? Is it just my hearing or is there an error here in the expansion sentences, the audio sounds as if it is in the singular rather than the plural?]]> chris clachan
你们要去多久？ How long will you go for? Is it just my hearing or is there an error here in the expansion sentences, the audio sounds as if it is in the singular rather than the plural?]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> ChinesePod
Bob Mrotek, The character 待 (dāi) would seem to make a lot more sense, meaning "stay/reside in a place," but 呆 (dāi) is actually the character used. If you look it up in a dictionary, you'll see. And yes, 呆 (dāi) does also mean something like "stupid." But that's an adjective, and it's a verb when it means "to stay." Are you imagining the following exchange?
Chinese Person: 你呆了多久了? (Nǐ dāi le duōjiǔ le?) You: 一年。 (Yī nián.) Chinese Person: Hahaha! You: What? Chinese Person: You just admitted that you've been stupid for a year! You: No, wait! I thought you were using the "stay" meaning! Let me take it back! Chinese Person: No way, stupid! You: NOOOOooooo...
Don't worry, that doesn't happen. 你呆了多久了? (Nǐ dāi le duōjiǔ le?) will always be interpreted as "how long have you stayed" rather than "how long have you been stupid." -John]]> ChinesePod
Bob Mrotek, The character 待 (dāi) would seem to make a lot more sense, meaning "stay/reside in a place," but 呆 (dāi) is actually the character used. If you look it up in a dictionary, you'll see. And yes, 呆 (dāi) does also mean something like "stupid." But that's an adjective, and it's a verb when it means "to stay." Are you imagining the following exchange?
Chinese Person: 你呆了多久了? (Nǐ dāi le duōjiǔ le?) You: 一年。 (Yī nián.) Chinese Person: Hahaha! You: What? Chinese Person: You just admitted that you've been stupid for a year! You: No, wait! I thought you were using the "stay" meaning! Let me take it back! Chinese Person: No way, stupid! You: NOOOOooooo...
Don't worry, that doesn't happen. 你呆了多久了? (Nǐ dāi le duōjiǔ le?) will always be interpreted as "how long have you stayed" rather than "how long have you been stupid." -John]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> Tom
It occured to me that since the lessons are designed to be used in any order some newbies might not know what's going on when for example Ken says "let's sing that a couple of times" or when you talk about which tones are being used (without explaining what tones are). Might there be some benefit to creating a lesson #0 that's kinda like the sticky posts in forums where you could give a quick tutorial on how to listen to the podcasts, explain what tones are and just generally lay out all the other rules of the road you know you'd otherwise have to repeat over and over again in new lessons? I know it would be useful for me. (you could stick a pointer to it on the main page)]]> Tom
It occured to me that since the lessons are designed to be used in any order some newbies might not know what's going on when for example Ken says "let's sing that a couple of times" or when you talk about which tones are being used (without explaining what tones are). Might there be some benefit to creating a lesson #0 that's kinda like the sticky posts in forums where you could give a quick tutorial on how to listen to the podcasts, explain what tones are and just generally lay out all the other rules of the road you know you'd otherwise have to repeat over and over again in new lessons? I know it would be useful for me. (you could stick a pointer to it on the main page)]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> ChinesePod
Tom, Actually, we have done that already. They're called "Intro Lessons." You can find them in the earliest Newbie lessons. -John]]> ChinesePod
Tom, Actually, we have done that already. They're called "Intro Lessons." You can find them in the earliest Newbie lessons. -John]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> Mark T.
John, Just wondering, but how *would* you say the sentence "How long have you been stupid?" My guess: 你是呆的了多久了？(nǐ shì dāide le duō jiŭ le?) -Mark T.]]> Mark T.
John, Just wondering, but how *would* you say the sentence "How long have you been stupid?" My guess: 你是呆的了多久了？(nǐ shì dāide le duō jiŭ le?) -Mark T.]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> ChinesePod
Hi Mark T., Maybe I can help you out...Probably they wouldn't say that sentence the same way in Chinese. A more likely way of expressing that lovely thought would be: 你什么时候变得这么笨? (Nǐ shénme shíhou biàn de zhème bèn?) 笨 (bèn) being the slightly more common word used for "stupid" in Chinese. Although we're usually so warm and fuzzy on these posts, it's hard to think of teaching our CPoddies such nasty-sounding sentences, ha ha. ~amber ;)]]> ChinesePod
Hi Mark T., Maybe I can help you out...Probably they wouldn't say that sentence the same way in Chinese. A more likely way of expressing that lovely thought would be: 你什么时候变得这么笨? (Nǐ shénme shíhou biàn de zhème bèn?) 笨 (bèn) being the slightly more common word used for "stupid" in Chinese. Although we're usually so warm and fuzzy on these posts, it's hard to think of teaching our CPoddies such nasty-sounding sentences, ha ha. ~amber ;)]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> Bazza 白锐
How to say 'about 15 minutes'?]]> Bazza 白锐
How to say 'about 15 minutes'?]]> <![CDATA[By: ]]> ChinesePod
Hello Bazza, There are a few different ways to say that: 大概十五分钟。(Dàgài shíwǔ fēnzhōng.) 大约十五分钟。(Dàyuē shíwǔ fēnzhōng.) 差不多十五分钟。(Chàbuduō shíwǔ fēnzhōng.) 十五分钟左右。(Shíwǔ fēnzhōng zuǒyòu.) ~amber :)]]> ChinesePod
Hello Bazza, There are a few different ways to say that: 大概十五分钟。(Dàgài shíwǔ fēnzhōng.) 大约十五分钟。(Dàyuē shíwǔ fēnzhōng.) 差不多十五分钟。(Chàbuduō shíwǔ fēnzhōng.) 十五分钟左右。(Shíwǔ fēnzhōng zuǒyòu.) ~amber :)]]>