- Chinese 101 (Simplified characters)

[Ansar]

Reading and Writing? Doable.

Learning how to speak and differentiate between tones? Won't ever get it unless you're born learning it.

At least that is what my teacher told me.

 

[Huayna Capac357]

People say the speaking is hard, writing is easy. I find it's the opposite.

 

[Ansar]

People say the speaking is hard, writing is easy. I find it's the opposite.

You can do the different tones? Props.

Thankfully 朝鮮語 is much easier to learn . No tones, and a much simpler alphabet.

 

[Huayna Capac357]

OH CRAP! I meant that writing is hard, speaking is easy. And I believe the opposite. Sorry for confusion

 

[civ_king]

Ni hao ma? Wo jiao Meng. wo shi xue zhongwen!

Spoiler :

Hello how are you? I am named Meng (Chinese Surname, forgot the "correct" term. not quite sure how to phrase it (in Chinese) I study Chinese Language

 

[Ansar]

If "wo shi xue zhongwen" is "I study Chinese Language", what's the negative (I don't study Chinese Language)?

 

[civverguy]

If "wo shi xue zhongwen" is "I study Chinese Language", what's the negative (I don't study Chinese Language)?

I don't study is "我不学" (I no study).

 

[Ansar]

I don't study is "我不学" (I no study).

So... "wo bu shue zhongwen" [= I don't study Chinese] ?

(I'll never study Chinese, I just like learning random phrases in other languages so I ask if this is what it basically sounds like)

 

[civ_king]

So... "wo bu shue zhongwen" [= I don't study Chinese] ?

(I'll never study Chinese, I just like learning random phrases in other languages so I ask if this is what it basically sounds like)

shue is actually xue in a rising tone (on the e)

 

[plarq]

We don't have tense, gender and other silly things.

 

[Ansar]

We don't have tense, gender and other silly things.

But you do have tones, which is the silliest of them all

It makes the language very hard for a non-native speaker.

 

[plarq]

Tones are musical. That's why we use it. Unlike other languages which only have a up or down tone at the end of a sentence.

 

[vesley1987]

But you do have tones, which is the silliest of them all

It makes the language very hard for a non-native speaker.

至少普通话只有4个声调，广东话号称有9个声调，那才叫难呢。

Spoiler :

Well, at least there're only 4 tones in mandarin. Cantonese always boast that their dialect exhibits 9 tones. I guess that would be super hard.

Ni hao ma? Wo jiao Meng. wo shi xue zhongwen!

Spoiler :

Hello how are you? I am named Meng (Chinese Surname, forgot the "correct" term. not quite sure how to phrase it (in Chinese) I study Chinese Language

That would be 孟, the surname of Mencius.

 

[Thedrin]

无意冒犯，但是你在该帖子中先前说过的两句中文句子，一点儿也无法理解，大多数翻译软件的结果都是这样。我和pharq都是中国人，我想他跟我有一样的感觉，所以才会说他被"shocked". Good idea 可以翻译为 "好主意"或者"好想法"，"I will read this" 应当是“我来读一下这个”。

Spoiler :

No offence, but the two Chinese sentences you posted earlier in this thread makes little sence in Chinese. Most translation softwares have such problem. Both pharq and me are Chinese, I think he feel the same with them, thus he said he was "shocked".
Good idea can be translated to "好主意"或者"好想法"，"I will read this" should be “我来读一下这个”。

他的帖子不冒犯了我。谢谢。

Spoiler :

His post didn't offend me. Thanks

 

[Huayna Capac357]

以前，你们到中国去吗？

I probably butchered that. I meant to say "Previously, have you been to China?"

 

[Eretz Yisrael]

至少普通话只有4个声调，广东话号称有9个声调，那才叫难呢。

Spoiler :

well, at least there're only 4 tones in mandarin. Cantonese always boast that their dialect exhibits 9 tones. I guess that would be super hard.

that would be 孟, the surname of mencius.

我会讲白话

 

[plarq]

我会讲白话

You can speak Cantonese? I can't.

 

[Ansar]

You can speak Cantonese? I can't.

Eretz Yisrael

Location: PRC, HK, RK, USA, UK(?)

Of course he can.

 

[eoc]

真的？你怎么发音101？一百一还是一零一？我觉得是一百一，对吗？

Spoiler :

Really? How do you pronounce 101? 一百一 (yibaiyi) or 一零一 (yilingyi)? I think it's 一百一 (yibaiyi), right?

普通话里面，101读作：一百零一，而不是一百一。110才读作：一百一
特例，军方把101读作：幺洞幺

Spoiler :

In mandarin, 101 should be pronounced [yi bai ling yi], while 110 should be pronounced [yi bai yi shi].
In special, military army pronounce 101 [yao dong yao].
PS: I quoted in the [] is Chinese phoneticize ---- called Pinyin.

但plarq说帖子有两个意思，真的假的？

Spoiler :

But plarq says that 帖子 (tiezi) has both meanings, is it true?

[/QUOTE]
plarq说的更正确。Thread准确的翻译成汉语应该是“主题贴”。但Vesley也是对的，虽然都用汉语，但大陆对汉语的用法要比其他地区更灵活，主要看语境來理解。

Spoiler :

plarq was more exactly. Thread means "主题贴" exactly. While Vesley is also right, you can also use "帖子" to mean "主题贴". In China mainland, spoken Chinese is more flexible than those in some other place who also speak Chinese. To understand Chinese well, you'd better base on the context.

 

[eoc]

"了" (le 4) has no actual meaning in the Chinese Language. It is basically a grunt or sound that chinese speakers put at the end of a sentence to "complete" questions and answers. It is usually paired with the character 吗 (ma 1) for questions. Of course the word can be paired with several other characters to form actual words but in the general case this is how it works.

(=p Dont have Chinese Character writer on this PC)
ni zhou dao 了吗? (Have you done it?)
wo zhou dao 了 (I have done it.)
ni chi fan 了吗? (Have you eaten?)
wo chi 了 fan. (You have eaten.)

I don't agree with you. "了" is not only an auxiliary word after verbs, but also has meanings. For examples:

了无生趣 (being no interesting or very much dull. 了 here means 完全，彻底 totally, utterly)
了无声息 (has no sound and breathing, also means being silent very much. 了 here means 完全，彻底 totally, utterly)
知了(means cicada, 知 or 了 don't mean cicada with each single character, the 2 characters must be composed.)

above all 3 examples, 了 is pronounced [liao] not [le]