Is English Sufficient?

On 17 Sep 2004 02:22:08 -0700, (PROVIS) wrote:

I'd have to say that probably the most useful phrase for me was "Bu
yao," pronounced as a low-rising and then high-falling tone.

The polite way to say is,
Don't want, thank you.
"Pu yao, seh-seh! "

When you're surrounded by 20 people trying to push something in your
face at the same time, politeness doesn't seem like the priority. They
aren't being polite, I'm not being polite.

Yes, zhege is this one, neige is that one.

[snip]
What you call this in Putonghua?
'Zhege putonghua jio shen mor?'

I think that the Pinyin for that is "Zhege Putonghua jiao shenme?" Is
that right? I know that "Ni jiao shenme mingzi" means "What's your
name," and "jiao" means "call." But is there something wrong with "[x]
Putonghua, shenme shuo"? That's what the Pimsleur series teaches, and
it worked for me.

"Does anyone nearby speak English?"
"Fu chin shui hui shou/chang Ying yi?"
or
Who can speak English here?
"Zeli shui hui shou ying yi ner? "

Good, but not as easy to remember as "Ni shuo Yingwen ma?"

You probably remember that when you were just beginning to learn a new
language, you started with the simplest and shortest possible ways to
say things. Then, later, you learned how to make longer and more
complex sentences.

Michael

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On 17 Sep 2004 02:22:08 -0700, (PROVIS) wrote:

I'd have to say that probably the most useful phrase for me was "Bu
yao," pronounced as a low-rising and then high-falling tone.

The polite way to say is,
Don't want, thank you.
"Pu yao, seh-seh! "

When you're surrounded by 20 people trying to push something in your
face at the same time, politeness doesn't seem like the priority. They
aren't being polite, I'm not being polite.

Yes, zhege is this one, neige is that one.

[snip]
What you call this in Putonghua?
'Zhege putonghua jio shen mor?'

I think that the Pinyin for that is "Zhege Putonghua jiao shenme?" Is
that right? I know that "Ni jiao shenme mingzi" means "What's your
name," and "jiao" means "call." But is there something wrong with "[x]
Putonghua, shenme shuo"? That's what the Pimsleur series teaches, and
it worked for me.

"Does anyone nearby speak English?"
"Fu chin shui hui shou/chang Ying yi?"
or
Who can speak English here?
"Zeli shui hui shou ying yi ner? "

Good, but not as easy to remember as "Ni shuo Yingwen ma?"

You probably remember that when you were just beginning to learn a new
language, you started with the simplest and shortest possible ways to
say things. Then, later, you learned how to make longer and more
complex sentences.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

how about,

"lao wai"....old foreigner

"hong mao gui"....red hair babarian!


"PROVIS" wrote in message
om...
I'd have to say that probably the most useful phrase for me was "Bu
yao," pronounced as a low-rising and then high-falling tone.

The polite way to say is,
Don't want, thank you.
"Pu yao, seh-seh! "


(Think of
it as "bu YAO.") Bu=not/don't'; yao=want. Miguel, learn how to say
that and say it to every person who walks up to you trying to sell you
something you have no interest in as soon as you leave your hotel. A
good version of "Get lost!" would also be useful for the aggressive
beggars who follow you and sometimes grab your arm in Beijing and
Shanghai. I didn't find one but used "Chu chi!", an expression someone
taught me meant "leave quickly" or "get lost."

"Chu chi!",= get out!
"zuo kai!"= go away!


Another really useful phrase is "[Description of thing or
`zhege'=`that one'] Putonghua, shenme shuo?" Note the word order. What
you're asking is "X Chinese what say?" And it means "What's that thing
called in Chinese?" If you put the "shenme shuo" before the
description of the thing or the name of the language ("Putonghua" is
the word most often used on the Mainland for Mandarin), it's unlikely
anyone will understand you.


`zhege'=`that one'
This one.
"Zhe"=this, "ge"=one.
"Zhe shea"=these.

What you call this in Putonghua?
'Zhege putonghua jio shen mor?'

"Does anyone nearby speak English?"
"Fu chin shui hui shou/chang Ying yi?"
or
Who can speak English here?
"Zeli shui hui shou ying yi ner? "
--

Pan wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 15:50:31 GMT, ggg wrote:

Pan wrote:



Probably so, but don't expect the shopkeepers or taxi drivers you do
business with to speak any. Learning some of the local language is
always a good idea wherever you travel, but learning some
survival-level Chinese is particularly important.

What phrases did you wish you had learned beforehand?

I did learn a bunch of stuff beforehand, and it was my 2nd trip to
China, so I also knew a little from before. My brother and I were able
to communicate effectively with taxi drivers and managed in
restaurants, hotels, etc., though of course not without difficulties
at times. I do not know enough Chinese to have real conversations
except on very focused topics (e.g., in response to questions like
"Where are you from?" "How long have you been in China?" etc.).

I'd have to say that probably the most useful phrase for me was "Bu
yao," pronounced as a low-rising and then high-falling tone. (Think of
it as "bu YAO.") Bu=not/don't'; yao=want. Miguel, learn how to say
that and say it to every person who walks up to you trying to sell you
something you have no interest in as soon as you leave your hotel. A
good version of "Get lost!" would also be useful for the aggressive
beggars who follow you and sometimes grab your arm in Beijing and
Shanghai. I didn't find one but used "Chu chi!", an expression someone
taught me meant "leave quickly" or "get lost."

Another really useful phrase is "[Description of thing or
`zhege'=`that one'] Putonghua, shenme shuo?" Note the word order. What
you're asking is "X Chinese what say?" And it means "What's that thing
called in Chinese?" If you put the "shenme shuo" before the
description of the thing or the name of the language ("Putonghua" is
the word most often used on the Mainland for Mandarin), it's unlikely
anyone will understand you.

Did you ask on
Peter Hadley's list?

For recommendations of Teach-yourself Chinese materials? No, I didn't
ask for that there.

Which guides worked for you?

Oddly enough, though it's just one man's opinion of what was memorable
in China, Fodor's "50 Most Memorable Trips" had good information in
it.

Lonely Planet advises travellers' checks, which is OK for Beijing or
Shanghai, where you can do any type of financial transaction normally
done by a traveller pretty easily, but really poor advice for a city
like Changchun. We found out that some major provincial capitals (or
at least one) that don't get many visits from Westerners are almost
completely cash economies. If you plan on going to such a place,
arrive with a large - and I mean _large_ quantity of Renminbi notes
you got from an ATM in Beijing (e.g.), because you may have some
difficulty even changing your U.S. dollars there, if they're the new
ones or old ones with hairline tears in them. As for travellers'
checks, they're likely to look at them as if they're from Mars. That
happened to us.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the
TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.