Taking a train or bus? In this post I will walk you through the phrases and and vocabulary you’ll need to take a commuter train in Chinese. Train vocabulary Below is some basic train vocabulary: train subway train station Get on to a bus / train Get off a bus / train Train platform Next […]
Taking a Commuter Train Chinese Read More »
You may have seen both 有问题 and 出问题 in Chinese, both are often translated to mean “has a problem” or “has a fault”, however there is a difference in meaning. Consider the following phrases: My car has a problem My car has a problem / Something went wrong with my car / My car has
The difference between 出问题 (chū wèntí) and 有问题 (yǒu wèntí) Read More »
There are a few words for receipts and invoices you should know in Chinese, the most common are: invoice receipt What’s the difference between a fapiao and a shouju? A is a tax invoice, you should ask for one of these when making a business related purchase or claiming a business expense. A is a
Receipts and Invoices in Chinese: shouju and fapiao 收据 & 发票 Read More »
In this lesson we’ll look at vocabulary and phrases you’ll need for filling up you car with petrol (or gas for those of us from North America). Chinese Petrol Station Dialogue Lets look at a a few short dialogues relating to needing to fill the car with petrol, filling up and paying. An explanation of
Petrol Station Chinese Vocbaulary and Phrases Read More »
This post will cover the main ways you can ask questions in Chinese. Asking who, what, when, where, why, how in Chinese When you at school you may have learned the so-called “five Ws”, or specifically “Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?” Knowing these questinos will allow you to ask most common types of questions,
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If you have Children, this article will give you lots of useful vocabulary to speaking to them in Chinese. Getting Up and Ready Kids Chinese Phrases time to get upLiterally: should getup already! open the curtains brush your teeth wash your face School Kids Chinese Phrases Have you got your lunch box? What do you
Chinese Vocabulary for Children Read More »
Interrogative Pronouns are the “who? what? when? where? why? how?” questions you may have learned at school. Interrogative Pronouns are essnetially the thing we are asking about. Chinese Interrogative Pronouns are: Chinese Interrogative Pronoun English Interrogative Pronoun What? Which? Which (Plural)? Who? Whose? When? Where? Why? With interrogative pronouns, the word order between the question
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A result complement suffix is where a complement character or characters is added after a verb to communicate the outcome or result. In English this is the equivalent of the difference between “listen” and “hear” or “look” and “see”. It’s important to understand that in Chinese many verbs don’t include the result, so th completement
What is a “result complement” in Chinese? Read More »
In this post we’ll look at rain related vocabulary and phrases in Chinese. Unless you plan on staying inside, it’s likely you’ll encounter rain when in a Chinese speaking country. How to say it’s raining in Chinese The Chinese word for “rain” is , which is comprised of the characters for “going down” and “rain”
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用 and 使用 both mean “to use” in Chinese, with the main difference being that 使用 is more formal.
What’s the difference between 用 and 使用 in Chinese? Read More »
