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Showing posts from September, 2018

taller than me 比我高, shorter than me 比我矮

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Dear friends, Today we are going to learn the Chinese adjective words 高(tall), 矮(short), 胖(fat), 瘦(slim), and the 2-character words for brothers and sisters, 哥哥(elder brother), 弟弟(younger brother), 姊姊(elder sister), 妹妹(younger sister). Please watch the following video: The 1st phrase, said by the younger brother: taller than me 比我高 bǐ wǒ gāo 比(compare) + 我(me) + 高(tall) My elder brother is taller than me. 我哥哥比我高 Wǒ gē-ge bǐ wǒ gāo 我(my) + 哥哥(elder brother) + 比(compare) + 我(me) + 高(tall) note: here is no Be verb "is" in the Chinese sentence, since it's not necessary in this type of phrase.  The 2nd phrase, said by the elder brother: shorter than me 比我矮 bǐ wǒ ǎi 比(compare) + 我(me) + 矮(short) My younger brother is shorter than me. 我弟弟比我矮 Wǒ dì-di bǐ wǒ ǎi 我(my) + 弟弟(younger brother) + 比(compare) + 我(me) + 矮(short) note: please check the pro...

How old are you? 你幾歲

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Dear friends, Here is the lesson today, we are going to learn how to describe the age, with the Chinese word 歲( suì , years of age) and the numbers in Chinese. I have ever created a series of videos about Chinese numbers from 0-100, please check the following link for your reference: http://www.chinese-word.com/lessons/numbers.html Here is the video for the lesson today: The dialogue is about a man talking with a woman, here are the phrases: Man: How old are you? 你幾歲 Nǐ jǐ suì 你(you) + 幾(how many) + 歲(years of age) Woman: I am 28 years old. 我二十八歲 Wǒ èr-shí bā suì 我(I) + 二十八(28) + 歲(years of age) note: we don't use "am" for the subject 我(I) here in Chinese, since it's not necessary in Chinese. Woman: How old are you? 你今年幾歲 Nǐ jīn nián jǐ suì 你(you) + 今年(this year) + 幾(how many) + 歲(years of age) note: this is the same phrase in English for ...

Where do you live? 你住哪裡

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Dear friends, In the lesson today, we will learn the Chinese word 住(live, reside, lodge), several meanings in English, yet they are all the same in Chinese. Please watch the following video: The first phrase is a question: Where do you stay? 你住哪裡 Nǐ zhù nǎ-lǐ 你 + 住 (reside) + 哪裡(where) and the reply phrase is: I stay at a hotel. 我住在酒店 Wǒ zhù zài jiǔ-diàn 我 + 住(reside) + 在(at) + 酒店(hotel) note: the Chinese verb 住(reside) means staying in a temporary place, is the same as the Chinese verb 住(live) which we are going to mention latter. the 2-character word: hotel 酒店 jiǔ-diàn 酒店(hotel) = 酒(wines, liquors) + 店(store) It's not a liquor store, it the hotel! which is commonly used today, originally from Hong Kong I think. The traditional version of hotel is 旅館, which is used in Taiwan, the very base of the traditional Chinese characters. Nowadays 酒店(hotel, not liquor store) is...

Any questions? 有沒有問題

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Dear friends, Here is the new lesson today. We just keep learning some new words as well as reviewing the previous Chinese idioms like: 有沒有(Do you have..) and 為什麼(why, for what). Please watch the following video: The first sentence has no subject, just a question: Any questions? 有沒有問題 Yǒu méi yǒu wèn-tí 有沒有(Do you have..) + 問題(question) here is the Chinese idiom 有沒有(Do you have..), is combined by 2 words: have 有 yǒu don't have 沒有 méi yǒu one is positive, and the other is negative, normally the positive character with a 不(not) or 沒(none) to form a negative 2-character word. Here is the following phrase: I have a question.. 我有一個問題 Wǒ yǒu yí ge wèn-tí 我(I) + 有(have) + 一個(one) + 問題(question) note: the 一個(one) is a numerary adjunct, to count the number of questions, issues, people, and this kind of Chinese unit characters is very complicated for the beginners, you will be used to ...

Do you have time? 你有沒有時間

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Dear friends, Here is the video lesson today. We are going to learn two 2-character Chinese words: 有空(available, have time) and 沒空(don't have time) in modern Chinese conversation. Please watch the following video: The first phrase: Do you have time? 你有沒有時間 Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu shí-jiān 你(you) + 有沒有(do you have..) + 時間(time) here is the 3-character Chinese idiom: Do you have.. 有沒有 yǒu méi yǒu 有(have) + 沒有(don't have) 沒有(don't have) = 沒(none, not) + 有(have) and the reply of the first phrase: I don't have time right now. 我現在沒有時間 Wǒ xiàn-zài méi yǒu shíj-iān 我(I) + 現在(now) + 沒有(don't have) + 時間(time) Now, the third phrase is the same as the first phrase: Are you free right now? 你現在有空嗎 Nǐ xiàn-zài yǒu kòng ma 你(you) + 現在(now) + 有空(available) + 嗎(question tag) Here is the 2-character Chinese word: available, be...

Long time, no see. 好久不見

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Dear friends, Here is the video today, we are going to learn the Chinese word 還 (still), and other three ending tag characters 嗎(ma), 呢(ne), 了(le) in modern Chinese sentences. Please watch the follow video for details: The video is about the dialogue of two friends come across, as in the figure, named Amy and Billy. Amy: (first part of the phrase) Long time, no see. 好久不見 Háo jiǔ bú jiàn 好久(quite a while) + 不(not) + 見(see) Amy: (second part of the phrase) How are you recently? 你最近還好嗎 Nǐ zuì-jìn hái hǎo ma 你(you) + 最近( recently) +  還(still) + 好(good) + 嗎(question tag) note: the Chinese character  還(still) which is used in modern sentences, it's like "kind of" in English sentence. The  嗎( ma ) is a question tag, which is added on the end of  an interrogative sentence. Billy: (first part of the phrase) I'm okay. What about you? 我還好. 你呢 Wǒ hái hǎo. Nǐ ne 我(I) + 還(still) + 好(good). + 你(you) + 呢...

About the latest news..關於最近的新聞

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Dear friends, Here is the newest video lesson today, Let's Talk in Chinese Series   Lesson 39. I have been busy with creating a new section of the Index of Chinese Phrases and Vocabulary which contains all the dialogues of our previous video lessons. In order to update the contents of this new index section, I focus more details on my newly created video lesson (this Lesson 39), with more sub-phrases instructed repeatedly. Please watch the video and be patient, since it's a longer version, but it is worth watching lesson, you will learn some new Chinese words without memorizing them sedulously. The first sentence is the first part of an interrogative sentence: About the latest news.. 關於最近的新聞 Guān-yú zuì-jìn de xīn-wén 關於(about) + 最近(latest) + 的(of) + 新聞(news) note: here we don't use the subject (It) to start a sentence like English, "It's about the.." We just start with the word "About 關於" in this Chinese sentence, ...

Index of Chinese phrases and vocabulary mp3 files

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Dear friends, I have been busy with the editing the new section of my Chinese Database Site , the index of the mp3 files of Chinese phrase and vocabulary. These mp3 files are the material of my Chinese instruction video lesson Let's Talk in Chinese . It took me a whole week to re-edit the existing mp3 files, and create more short Chinese phrases to link longer sentences. I will add more phrases onto the index once new video lessons are created in the future. The index is listed alphabetically, please visit the main page via: http://www.chinese-word.com/phrase/index.html Index of Chinese Phrases and Vocabulary  with mp3 audio pronunciations and related video instruction lessons The new video lessons will be uploaded to my YouTube channel very soon, thanks for reading my blog. Have a nice day! Andres Leo

Please be careful 請注意安全

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Dear friends, Here is the lesson today, we are going to learn few Chinese words about 注意(pay attention) and 安全(safety),etc. Please watch the instruction video as follow: The first phrase contains two parts: Typhoon is approaching, 颱風來了 颱風(typhoon) + 來(come) + 了(ending tag) Please be careful. 請注意安全 請(please) + 注意(pay attention) + 安全(safety) note, the Chinese character 了( le ) is an ending tag of a sentence in modern Chinese, expressing "about to" or "already" for a verb. and the phrase: Please be careful. 請注意安全 Qǐng zhù-yì ān-quán 請(please) + 注意(pay attention) + 安全(safety) You can use part of it, such as: Attention, Please. 請注意 Qǐng zhù-yì 請(please) + 注意(pay attention) or the whole phrase as in our lesson: Please be careful. 請注意安全 Qǐng zhù-yì ān-quán 請(please) + 注意(pay attention) + 安全(safety) here the 2-character words 注意(pay attention) and 安全(safety) ...

What should I do? 我該怎麼做

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Dear friends, Here is the lesson today, and we are going to learn few new Chinese words about: 怎麼(how,what), 做(do), 辦(do,act), 該(should), and the 2-character version of it, 應該(should), and 這麼(this way), 那麼(that way), please watch the following instruction video: The first phrase is: What should I do? 我該怎麼做 我(I) + 該(should) + 怎麼(how,what) + 做(do) and the response phrase: You should act this way. 你應該這麼做 你(you) + 應該(sould) + 這麼(this way) + 做(do) note: there are two kind of "should" in Chinese here, should 該 gāi should 應該 yīng-gāi the 2-character version 應該 is much formal in conversation, since most 2-character words make much clear meanings in modern Chinese, but you can still use 1-character word like 該(should) this time to simplify the sentence. The second phrase is: What should I do? 我該怎麼辦 我(I) + 該(should) + 怎麼(how,what) + 辦(do,act) the only difference of the two phrases is ...

I want a bowl of hot and sour soup 我要一碗酸辣湯

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Dear friends, The video today is a little bit longer, because I introduce three common Chinese dishes, with the analysis of the characters related with them. Please watch the video as follow: The first phrase is: I want a bowl of hot and sour soup. 我要一碗酸辣湯 我要(I want) + 一碗(a bowl) + 酸辣湯(hot and sour soup) here the serving unit is  a bowl 一碗 yì wǎn is used for soup or cooked rice, like: a bowl of soup 一碗湯 a bowl of rice 一碗飯 and the Chinese dish: hot and sour soup 酸辣湯 suān là tāng the 3 characters are: 酸(sour) + 辣(spicy) + 湯(soup) no matter what English name it is called. The second phrase is: I want a plate of fried rice with shrimp. 我要一盤蝦仁炒飯 我要(I want) + 一盤(a plate) + 蝦仁炒飯(fried rice with shrimp) here the serving unit is a plate 一盤 yì pán normally a Chinese dish is served on a big plate for everybody to share with chopsticks ...

It's too spicy 太辣了

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Dear friends, The lesson today is an easy one, just two phrases. You will learn the Chinese word 辣(spicy, hot), and 甜(sweet) about food and drink, with other words like 喝水(drinking water), 喝茶(drinking tea), etc. Please watch the instruction video as follow: The first phrase is: It's too spicy 太辣了 太(too) + 辣(hot, spicy) + 了(ending tag) I want to drink water 我要喝水 我(I) + 要(want) + 喝(drink) + 水(water) for the first part of the phrase: It's too spicy 太辣了 the last character 了( le ) is a modal particle intensifying preceding clause in modern Chinese The second phrase is a similar type: It's too sweet 太甜了 太(too) + 甜(sweet) + 了(ending particle) I want to drink tea 我要喝茶 我(I) + 要(want) + 喝(drink) + 茶(tea) Please check the analysis of the phrases and vocabulary of this lesson via my site: http://www.chinese-word.com/lessons/lesson-35.html Thanks for reading my blog, please subscrib...