Let's Study Chinese Together!

[inocho]

I want to study Chinese!! I ask questions, somebody please answer!!!!!

[Pyramus]

www.buyahowtospeakchinesebook.com

or

www.findaplaceontheinternet.org

[Tamoka]

Chinese is a difficult language and hard to learn on your own or with a friend.
But if your serious about it, you can try I suppose. =)

Found this via google: http://www.languageguide.org/mandarin/.
You can hear how to pronounce quite allot of things on that website.

Have fun. ^^

[inocho]

i'm very serious in it. Every day, I'll be writting a chinese character/ one or two. And then I'll try to translate on my own by reading a line / two chinese sentence.

Except for pronunciation. I'm English educated....it's hard to roll my tongue as I speak.:sad

[Jay3205]

I'm not sure how much tongue rolling is in Chinese (and by Chinese, I assume you mean Mandarin). I hear Pimsleur is very effective for learning to speak, and it can probably found at a nearby library if you live in a mid-size to large city. It can probably be found on the net if you know where to look.

In my experience, it is better for fluency and actual language skill if you learn by hearing/speech practice instead of translation. For me, learning by translating led to the following thought process...

*sees cat* ---> *translates cat to gato* ---> *says "gato"*

...when it should be...

*sees cat* ---> *says "gato"*

[inocho]

chinese is difficult. Everything about Chinese is difficult. Won't someone help me by explaining what is it all about?

相亲相爱 means what actually? According to my workbook, it's love one and another......but if I were to translate.....I get 'get on a date, love one another'

So, what's with this 相 word?

[Tamoka]

chinese is difficult. Everything about Chinese is difficult. Won't someone help me by explaining what is it all about?

相亲相爱 means what actually? According to my workbook, it's love one and another......but if I were to translate.....I get 'get on a date, love one another'

So, what's with this 相 word?
I think if you seriously want to learn Chinese you should start from scratch. Meaning that you should start with the very basic stuff. Maybe its an idea that you join a beginner Chinese class and once you have the basic knowledge you can expand it yourself?
I think thats more doable then to try to do everything on your own, especially if you have no prior experience with learning a new language.

[inocho]

I've attended beginner's class before, and I was too advance for my beginner's class:Haha. That's because I took time writting and memorizing my chinese characters from the chinese kindergarden books.

And now I'm studying using primary one chinese workbooks.

I just need to read and understand what I'm reading, especially the grammar.

chinese is difficult. Everything about Chinese is difficult. Won't someone help me by explaining what is it all about?

相亲相爱 means what actually? According to my workbook, it's love one and another......but if I were to translate.....I get 'get on a date, love one another'

So, what's with this 相 word?
Won't you help me with this?

Don't tell me what to do, just answer my question, if you can.

[raisins]

相 is err, something like each other, a better word would be mutual (according to my mom)
相亲相爱 = mutual love for each other? or something like that... direct translation don't really works for mandarin.

as said by others, it'll be better to go for classes.
i'm sure they have mandarin classes for internediates or advanced level.
I've forgotten a lot of my chinese and can hardly read chinese newspapers.
so basically i can only help with the basics.

[Guy]

Ah, I've just noticed this thread. OK, inocho, I speak fluent Chinese (mandarin), so just ask me and I'll see what I can do :)

For your first question, "Xiang" means "mutual". It helps if you think of the term "hu xiang" 互相<--if you can read that.

And yes, I suppose Chinese is a very difficult language, but since I'm a native speaker, it's not that much difficult for me. I think the hardest thing in Chinese for foreigners to grasp (other than the thousands of characters) is the tone, since the difference in tone but same pronunciation can mean totally different thing.

Whatever, just ask me anything here and I'll be glad to help.

[inocho]

I'm so happy!!!

Okay.....how to say this in Mandarin:

"I've been set up/frame! I'm really innocent!!"

Can you write Chinese characters, Guy?

[Chrono Detector]

Anybody here who is Cantonese?

Yeah, Chinese is a different language to learn. I don't know how people can even read it, I only know the basic words. I need pinyin/jyutping in order to read harder words though.

[inocho]

Anybody here who is Cantonese?

Yeah, Chinese is a different language to learn. I don't know how people can even read it, I only know the basic words. I need pinyin/jyutping in order to read harder words though.

I think I can speak Cantonese better than Mandarin.,....watch too much of show. However, I do feel myself read Mandarin better than Cantonese.

Which website to study Cantonese?

Another one.....can someone write to me in Mandarin.....hanyu pinyin also can.

"For your sake, I'm willing to do anything."

[Guy]

I'm so happy!!!

Okay.....how to say this in Mandarin:

"I've been set up/frame! I'm really innocent!!"

Can you write Chinese characters, Guy?

I can, but my computer can only type in simplified Chinese (I'm much more fluent with traditional characters.)

To answer your question: 我被陷害了。Pinyin: Wo3 bei4 xian4 hai4 le.

I think I can speak Cantonese better than Mandarin.,....watch too much of show. However, I do feel myself read Mandarin better than Cantonese.

Which website to study Cantonese?

Another one.....can someone write to me in Mandarin.....hanyu pinyin also can.

"For your sake, I'm willing to do anything."

I can't speak Canto :P

Translation: 为了你，我愿意做任何事。Pinyin: Wei4 le ni3, wo3 yuan4 yi4 zuo4 ren4 he2 shi4.

[inocho]

I can, but my computer can only type in simplified Chinese (I'm much more fluent with traditional characters.)

Please then type simplified Chinese for my sake. I'm learning simplified Chinese.


Translation: 为了你，我愿意做任何事。Pinyin: Wei4 le ni3, wo3 yuan4 yi4 zuo4 ren4 he2 shi4.
*:p11:* It's EXACTLY WHAT I HEARD IN THE Singapore mandarin series!!

Thank you!

[Guy]

Haha, no problem, and just for your info, everything I've typed was in simplified Chinese

[inocho]

It fits very well with me, my computer also simplified Mandarin too.

I'm not sure what to make out of this instruction.....用形似字配词。
Please translate for me.

In my workbook......they have

a)
____渴

喝____


b)
____ 牛
______午

By the way, what's another word for 'Excuse me'? Something like 'Bao yi si?'

[Guy]

It fits very well with me, my computer also simplified Mandarin too.

I'm not sure what to make out of this instruction.....用形似字配词。
Please translate for me.

In my workbook......they have

a)
____渴

喝____

The first one is "ke", or thirsty. The second one is "he", or "to drink"


b)
____ 牛
______午

First one is "cow/ox" and the second one is "noon"

By the way, what's another word for 'Excuse me'? Something like 'Bao yi si?'

It's 不好意思

[inocho]

It's 不好意思
That is 'Excuse me'?!:o I read it, 'Not very good thought'. I mean.......*bang* Not a very good thought.:Haha


How to say, .....'His death has connection with my sister's disappearance'?

他的死有关系我的姐姐的失纵。

[Guy]

That is 'Excuse me'?!:o I read it, 'Not very good thought'. I mean.......*bang* Not a very good thought.:Haha

Lol, you're taking the definition and translation too literally. "Bu hao" here means more like "it's not easy for me to say this..." and not "not very".


How to say, .....'His death has connection with my sister's disappearance'?

他的死有关系我的姐姐的失纵。

他的死亡跟我的姐姐的失踪有关系。

[inocho]

How to say 'I like' as in likes/dislikes, for example 'I like swimming', 'I like reading', 'I like durian'?. It's not 'I want' as in now I want(to eat).....

[Guy]

喜欢

Xi3 Huan2

[inocho]

Oh, yeah.....when referring to the meaning 'disappearance', I used the word '失纵' and you used '失踪'. Why? What's the difference between the two, eh?

And yes......what is this word, '就‘？ I find it sometimes here, I find it sometimes not here.

[Guy]

Oh, yeah.....when referring to the meaning 'disappearance', I used the word '失纵' and you used '失踪'. Why? What's the difference between the two, eh?

Uh, I'm not skilled with simplified, so I'm not too sure on this one, but I think you made a typo...

And yes......what is this word, '就‘？ I find it sometimes here, I find it sometimes not here.

What do you mean "sometimes here, sometimes not"? "Jiu" is just there to emphasize a point. It gives the whole sentence an "I told you so" kind of feel....

[inocho]

What do you mean "sometimes here, sometimes not"? "Jiu" is just there to emphasize a point. It gives the whole sentence an "I told you so" kind of feel....
I just don't know why sometimes that 'jiu,就' word is used and sometimes it's not used. For instance.....

你再等一会儿， 爸爸就快回来了。
What does it mean? Without the word 就 I would read it as 'You again wait for a while, father come home fast already'.


Yeah, I also don't know what this sentence
朋心的数学评审考到一百分。
is talking about. Can translate it for me?

Note:: I get it from Standard One Chinese Workbook....so yeah, I'm still a baby.:babies:

[Guy]

I just don't know why sometimes that 'jiu,就' word is used and sometimes it's not used. For instance.....

你再等一会儿， 爸爸就快回来了。
What does it mean? Without the word 就 I would read it as 'You again wait for a while, father come home fast already'.

You don't need "jiu" in that sentence, but by adding it in, it makes it sound like the person you're talking to is impatient for father's return. "Jiu" is just emphasizing the sentence.


Yeah, I also don't know what this sentence
朋心的数学评审考到一百分。
is talking about. Can translate it for me?

Note:: I get it from Standard One Chinese Workbook....so yeah, I'm still a baby.:babies:

Interesting sentence. I will look into it, for I'm not exactly sure of its meaning either. I wonder if "Peng xin" means "friend's heart" or something else... the rest says "math test got 100%"

[inocho]

How to say, 'Please switch on the light'?