<![CDATA[Comments on: The Powerless Phones]]> 2008-12-30 18:00:00 <![CDATA[By: jennyzhu]]>

This is the mobile recharge machine.

]]>

This is the mobile recharge machine.

]]> <![CDATA[By: wjefferys]]> The transcription and the discussion in the lesson does not correspond to the actual language used in the dialog. It claims that actor number 2 said:

用我的。

But what was actor number 2 actually said was

用我的吧。(yong wode ba .)

The extra character '吧' that the actor inserted, probably without thinking (and not caught by the folks who followed up), is important. It is a way of softening the comment, to make it not a demand, "use my cellphone," but more a suggestion, "would you like to use my cellphone?"

Also, the discussion isn't right to ignore, and indeed says. that it isn't important to understand the particle 'le = 了'. I beg to differ. It is important.

Here it means that there was power in the battery before, but (change of state) there isn't any power anymore. One of the main meanings of 'le = 了' is that there has been (or will be in the future) a change of state (aspect), rather than what is the state at a particular time (past/present/future tense). That is a huge thing in the context of the lesson.

Please, Chinesepod folks, this is one of the most important points of Chinese grammar for native speakers of English (and most Western languages). Understanding this is crucial for even Newbies' understanding of Chinese. It is because languages like English do not use aspect/tense as Chinese does. So please pay attention, mentioning this and educating your students early in these important grammatical points is important!!!

 

]]> The transcription and the discussion in the lesson does not correspond to the actual language used in the dialog. It claims that actor number 2 said:

用我的。

But what was actor number 2 actually said was

用我的吧。(yong wode ba .)

The extra character '吧' that the actor inserted, probably without thinking (and not caught by the folks who followed up), is important. It is a way of softening the comment, to make it not a demand, "use my cellphone," but more a suggestion, "would you like to use my cellphone?"

Also, the discussion isn't right to ignore, and indeed says. that it isn't important to understand the particle 'le = 了'. I beg to differ. It is important.

Here it means that there was power in the battery before, but (change of state) there isn't any power anymore. One of the main meanings of 'le = 了' is that there has been (or will be in the future) a change of state (aspect), rather than what is the state at a particular time (past/present/future tense). That is a huge thing in the context of the lesson.

Please, Chinesepod folks, this is one of the most important points of Chinese grammar for native speakers of English (and most Western languages). Understanding this is crucial for even Newbies' understanding of Chinese. It is because languages like English do not use aspect/tense as Chinese does. So please pay attention, mentioning this and educating your students early in these important grammatical points is important!!!

 

]]> <![CDATA[By: changye]]> I fully agree with wjefferys. There are always a lot of questions about "了" here in forums, and how to use "了" properly is a never-ending issue in learning Chinese. Chinesepod should have spared 30 seconds for explaining the grammatical meaning of "了" in this case.

]]> I fully agree with wjefferys. There are always a lot of questions about "了" here in forums, and how to use "了" properly is a never-ending issue in learning Chinese. Chinesepod should have spared 30 seconds for explaining the grammatical meaning of "了" in this case.

]]> <![CDATA[By: jennyzhu]]> wjefferys and changye,

We had lots of discussions around this issue and finally left out the explanation fearing it would be too much information for a newbie podcast. But we certainly see the validity of the other side of the coin and now that we've heard your concerns, we will certainly address these simple yet important words in the future.

Thank you for your input! Happy牛year!

]]> wjefferys and changye,

We had lots of discussions around this issue and finally left out the explanation fearing it would be too much information for a newbie podcast. But we certainly see the validity of the other side of the coin and now that we've heard your concerns, we will certainly address these simple yet important words in the future.

Thank you for your input! Happy牛year!

]]> <![CDATA[By: changye]]> There was a guy in Japan who was arrested because he used an electric outlet at a convenience store to recharge his cell-phone. In short, he stole electricity.

]]> There was a guy in Japan who was arrested because he used an electric outlet at a convenience store to recharge his cell-phone. In short, he stole electricity.

]]> <![CDATA[By: jennyzhu]]> changye,

Ouch. Excellent law enforcement.

]]> changye,

Ouch. Excellent law enforcement.

]]> <![CDATA[By: changye]]> Yeah, it's just a hard world.

]]> Yeah, it's just a hard world.

]]> <![CDATA[By: toddgak]]> Thanks Jenny and Ken for keeping it simple at the newbie level, I think to many people forget where they came from and now take it for granted. I love the speed and style of the newbie level it's perfect in my opinion.

]]> Thanks Jenny and Ken for keeping it simple at the newbie level, I think to many people forget where they came from and now take it for granted. I love the speed and style of the newbie level it's perfect in my opinion.

]]> <![CDATA[By: matt_c]]> Always charge an extra battery and keep it on you if you have important business. Alternativey keep you charger on you too if you are riding on the CRH fast train (动车 dòngchē) there are power outlets under the right or left aisle seats at the first and last rows of the carriage (also good if you want to recharge your computer).

]]> Always charge an extra battery and keep it on you if you have important business. Alternativey keep you charger on you too if you are riding on the CRH fast train (动车 dòngchē) there are power outlets under the right or left aisle seats at the first and last rows of the carriage (also good if you want to recharge your computer).

]]> <![CDATA[By: light487]]> I had a lot of trouble loading the Mobile Recharging Station image (found in Jenny's first conversation post), I think because it is stored on a China based domain. So I've re-submitted it to my flickr page (you can click for a bigger picture):

A question I have had about mobile phones in China is: Can I take any Australian mobile and plug in a China SIM card without any problems? Also what about a phone that has 2G and 3G Wifi internet connectivity? It would be great if I could take my HipTop Slide (a.k.a. Sidekick in the USA) and use it to connect to internet in case I get lost etc etc.

 

]]> I had a lot of trouble loading the Mobile Recharging Station image (found in Jenny's first conversation post), I think because it is stored on a China based domain. So I've re-submitted it to my flickr page (you can click for a bigger picture):

A question I have had about mobile phones in China is: Can I take any Australian mobile and plug in a China SIM card without any problems? Also what about a phone that has 2G and 3G Wifi internet connectivity? It would be great if I could take my HipTop Slide (a.k.a. Sidekick in the USA) and use it to connect to internet in case I get lost etc etc.

 

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