User Comments - pretzellogic
pretzellogic
Posted on: 房奴
October 7, 2010 at 2:55 AMThis lesson doesn't have the English translation for the dialogue, and needs it.
Posted on: Which Time Zone?
October 6, 2010 at 7:24 PMwell, it's worth the money for enough of us that the site is able to function as a going-concern. Whether it's worth it for you depends on what you are trying to accomplish. I know the site has helped me learn Chinese through downloadable pdfs, mp3 and a website with content, and I was able to move from elementary to intermediate using just the site. Cpod is certainly a great resource for learning Chinese, but it's not the only one. But if you think you have a way to learn Chinese for free, i'd be interested to hear it.
Posted on: City Districts in Shanghai
October 6, 2010 at 2:15 AMoh, because that's not enough, you're not specific enough. say you were at the airport on the way to the city, and you said to "haidian district", the driver might say ok, and then 30 seconds later, he/she would say, "shénme dìfang?", and then you'd have to say, "Beijing University west gate" or something. So you can't just get away with knowing the districts. You kinda still have to give the driver an address, not an area.
Posted on: A Stroll through the Hutongs
October 6, 2010 at 2:07 AMnot that this is an answer to your question, but these older neighborhoods tend to be in danger only in places where there are developers in big cities that want to use the land for something else. If you head out to other cities in rural areas and in the non popular provinces, there are architecturally plenty of these types of houses/neighborhoods, and they are in no danger of being removed anytime soon. At least that's my casual observation.
Posted on: City Districts in Shanghai
October 6, 2010 at 1:53 AMIn Beijing, lots of the fun stuff to do is in Chaoyang district. Many, but not all of the universities are in Haidian district. And the stuff like the Forbidden City and Beihai are in Dongcheng. Although you wouldn't tell the taxi driver any of this.
Posted on: Mudslide
October 5, 2010 at 3:54 PMNo we did not, and we should have. I was on a business trip for 2 weeks, and had good intentions of studying Chinese while I was working. It turned out that I hardly even cracked open a mp3/book for 2 weeks with any Chinese in it. When I returned to China, I pretty much forgot everything, even where I lived. It took about 30 seconds to remind myself how to tell the taxi driver to get to my apartment. Definitely do not get off the language path, keep moving forward, and stay aware of the work mudslide!
Posted on: Outdoor Survivors (Part 2)
October 5, 2010 at 12:58 PMIs bow hunting legal in China?
Posted on: Too Many Food Allergies
October 5, 2010 at 11:09 AMyou call your in-laws mom and dad? I call mine by their first names. I remember my father-in-law calling my wife's grandmother by her first name all the time.
Posted on: Mudslide
October 5, 2010 at 7:36 AMThe newscast portion is especially helpful since you hear that type of dialogue in China on TV. Or at least I assume that's what that kind of dialogue is, but since the TV announcers are speaking too fast, I never understand what they say. At least with this lesson, there's a chance of understanding them. :-)
Posted on: City Districts in Shanghai
October 7, 2010 at 9:18 AMOnce, I got in a taxi with my family, and my wife told the driver, take us to the Birds' Nest (the national stadium), and then the driver said ok. A few minutes later, we heard him quietly dialing on the phone, asking his dispatcher for directions to the Birds' Nest.