User Comments - amber
amber
Posted on: Using 又 (yòu) and 再 (zài)
June 23, 2007 at 9:22 AMHi Bazza, That's right. 又便宜又好 (cheap as well as good) is another use of the character 又 (yòu) (different than the usage we discussed in this Qing Wen), and you're right about the meaning, too! Good job! daolin, Good! Yes, there is also the construction you mention, 越....越.... (yue4...yue4) in Chinese; as in your example, meaning "the more I wash it, the dirtier it is."
Posted on: Transferring a Call
June 22, 2007 at 6:11 AMHi Fish, Good question. It's true, that the 把电话转到 (Bǎ diànhuà zhuǎndào) or 把电话转给 (Bǎ diànhuà zhuǎngěi) sentences are not incorrect, and can be used. The reason the 到 (dào) or 给 (gěi) is added on to the 转 (zhuǎn) here actually has something to do with the intricacies of the 把 (bǎ) structure itself. When you use 把 (bǎ), the verb that is used in combination must be followed by some kind of a directional word, or a word that explains the action's result or effect. So, indeed, you can use this pattern. However, you will find that it is a bit cumbersome, and very seldom used in spoken Chinese.
Posted on: Transferring a Call
June 20, 2007 at 9:08 AMHi Bazza and henning, That's right, you can say: "____" 有限公司 ("_____" yǒuxiàn gōngsī)
Posted on: 自然灾害
June 20, 2007 at 9:03 AMhi robertk, First and foremost, so very sorry for missing your very good question for this long. 请原谅 qǐng yuánliàng!! The sentence: 我们破坏环境，现在环境也给我们脸色看了。 (Wǒmen pòhuài huánjìng, xiànzài huánjìng yě gěi wǒmen liǎnsè kàn le.) What it means is that, because humans have been destroying the environment, now the environment is showing us how it feels about it; or retaliating against us for it. 脸色 (liǎnsè) here literally means "facial expression." Hope that helps to clear it up a bit! :)
Posted on: Transferring a Call
June 20, 2007 at 7:18 AMHi henning & edward, Yes, that's right. In the sentence: 都讲了半个多小时了。 (Dōu jiǎng le bàn ge duō xiǎoshí le.) the two 了s indicate that the action is ongoing: started in the past up to and including now. However, in this case, the 都 (dōu) also adds this feeling, so, this time, if you took away the second 了, it still would have the same meaning. But, if there were no 都 (dōu), it would change the sentence to the completed past tense. Same goes for the first 了. Also, for 电话号码 (diànhuà hàomǎ), yes, often in spoken Chinese they leave off the 号码 (hàomǎ), it's implied. The exercises are just in the process of getting fixed as I write, thanks for that, and sorry!
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 1: A Fated Meeting
June 20, 2007 at 7:03 AMHi Brokensword, Ah, yes. But you must look at the entire sentence: 别人都说我本人比照片帅。 (Biéren dōu shuō wǒ běnrén bǐ zhàopiàn shuài.) It's part of the 比....帅 (bǐ....shuài), which means, handsome, compared to "....." So the English translation for the entire sentence above is: People all say I'm better looking (in real life) than in my photos.
Posted on: Transferring a Call
June 20, 2007 at 6:56 AMHi Lantian, Nope, in Chinese, you don't need the 到 (dào) after 转 (zhuǎn). Got to get that pesky English thinking out of your head! ;) Here are your examples, using 转 (zhuǎn). Good job, just a little tweaking: 请帮我转123分机。(Qǐng bāng wǒ zhuǎn 123 fēnjī.) 请帮我转456房间。(Qǐng bāng wǒ zhuǎn 456 fángjiān.) 转转肩膀 (Zhuànzhuan jiānbǎng) The most colloquial pattern is the way it's used in our dialogue. :)
Posted on: Transferring a Call
June 20, 2007 at 6:34 AMhi AZERDocMom, No problem, 哪位 can be pronouced either (nǎ wèi) or (něi wèi)--it kind of depends on your personal preference. (Nǎ wèi) is perhaps slightly more formal. :)
Posted on: Negotiating Price
June 20, 2007 at 1:51 AMuser27198, The best thing to do would be to save those words to your Vocabulary List. Then you can click on the plus sign beside the word (on the left) and it will show you where this word appears in other lessons. You can then go to those lessons and see the words used in different contexts.
Posted on: Using 又 (yòu) and 再 (zài)
June 24, 2007 at 12:10 AMhi dusty, Your sentence was great, you just need to add 很 (hen3) as a modifier for the 好 (hao3). Great job! 他们又做得很好. (Ta1men you4 zuo4 de hen3 hao3.) OK, anyone else want to try one or two? What about Lantian, he's conspicuously absent!