If you have question in learning Chinese

Discussion in 'Linguistics' started by LilyCao, Dec 15, 2008.

  1. LilyCao Registered Member

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    I'd like to give you some advise.

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    I think this is also a good way for me to improve English.

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  3. draqon Banned Banned

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    well...I am Russian...teach me Chinese please
     
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  5. Search & Destroy Take one bite at a time Moderator

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    Sure. Explain to me when to add 'ma' to the end of a question. Sometimes I use it sometimes I don't, I'm never completely sure of its use.
     
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  7. tim840 Registered Senior Member

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    well you always use "ma" at the end of a question unless you have phrased it in the format with... hmm... i dont know how to explain it, so ill give an example.

    "Ni hao bu hao?" Means How are you, Are you good, etc. But since you used the verb and the negative of the verb together, the question is implied. It would be redundant to enforce that you are asking something, because you are posing the listener a choice: between "hao" and "bu hao"

    Ni dong bu dong?

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    You also dont use "ma" when you have included a question word - a word that, when used, must make the sentence interrogative. These question words are: "shei"(who) "shenme"(what) "nar"(where) "weishenme"(why) "zenme"(how). I might have forgotten a few. But when you use these words, you are most likely asking aquestion, so you dont need to say "ma", as people listening will know it is a question.

    I am not a native speaker, though, I would advise you to listen to LilyCao's advice more than mine, I just hope I have helped some.

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  8. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Ma is equivalent to li in Russian. It turns a declarative statement into an interrogative statement.
    • Govoritye po angliyskiy--Ni shuo ying wen: You speak English. Govoritye li po angliyskiy--Ni shuo ying wen ma: Do you speak English?
    So you only need ma if there's nothing else in the sentence to give a clue that it's a question.

    We don't need that in English because we can use tone to express meaning. In colloquial speech we can say, "You speak English?" with a rising tone and it carries the implication of a question. In Chinese you can't do that because if you change the tone you change one word into another completely different word. So they need a "spoken question mark."

    So if your sentence includes a word with a built in question, you don't need the question mark. Duo-shao-how much? Ji-how many? Nei/ne-which. Shen-ma-what? Hao-bu-hao-Good (or) not good? Wo gao peng-you gao-literally "I am tall (or) the friend is tall," i.e., "Which of us is taller?"
     
  9. tim840 Registered Senior Member

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    wouldnt it actually be better to say "wo gao haishi pengyou gao?"
     
  10. LilyCao Registered Member

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    12
    OK. Due to my limited English, you'd better give me some example. I'd like to explain it.

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    P.S. Russian seems difficult and complex. I never learnt but heard sometimes.

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    Last edited: Dec 16, 2008
  11. LilyCao Registered Member

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    Thanks for your reply

    Both Tim and Moderator are right.
    There is no "ma" at the end of special questions, but at the end of interrogatives.For example, "Ni hao ma ? " ("How are you ?");"Ni shi mei guo ren ma? " ("Are you American? ).
    Besides, when you don't agree with sb. or don't believe sb./ sth., you will say, " Zhen de ma? " ("Is that so?"); You work hard, but your mom always blames you, then you say discontentedly, " Nan dao wo bu yong gong ma?" ( "Don't you know I am working hard ?")
    P.S. We usually say "Wo gao haishi pengyou gao?" or "Wo he wo pengyou shui gao? " insdead of "Wo gao peng-you gao?"
     
  12. temur man of no words Registered Senior Member

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    No, Russian is very easy. You should try.
     
  13. Search & Destroy Take one bite at a time Moderator

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    Hey really awesome answers. I've used 'hao bu hao' a few times today with successful results. I understand now.. *ahhhh*
     
  14. LilyCao Registered Member

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    Maybe I'll do that in the near furture.

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    'hao bu hao' is used when you need someone's advise ('hao bu hao' ='How about...'; 'ni hao ma' = 'How are you' / 'How do you do').

    Have a good weekend. ^_^
     
  15. Search & Destroy Take one bite at a time Moderator

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    ni hao ma seems to friendly to use with taxi drivers. What do you think?
     
  16. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    That depends on one's native language. Most Americans will tell you that the phonetics of Russian are very difficult, with the parallel palatalized versions of T, D and N, and the tongue-twisting consonant clusters like SHCH and TVY. Then there is the complex grammar compared to English, for example the five cases and three genders of nouns. And finally, a vocabulary which doesn't have a lot of familiar cognate words, unlike the Western European languages.

    Nonetheless, Czech and Polish are even harder. As Slavic languages they have all those same features, plus their pronunciation is almost impossible for us to get right. Brzezinski???
     
  17. Tyler Registered Senior Member

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    4,888
    "hao bu hao" (let's use characters, 好不好?) is most commonly used at the end of a proposition or in an almost sarcastic/condescending like tone after a statement of obvious truth or reasserting authority.

    For instance.

    "ta meiyou nanpengyou" (她没有男朋友)
    "ta you nanpengyou" (她有男朋友)
    "wo queding ta meiyou" (我确定她没有)
    "wo shi tade nanpengyou, hao bu hao?!" (我是她的男朋友,好不好?)

    This isn't the best example, but it's the simplest one I could think off of the top of my head. You can use in situations where someone questions your knowledge, or says something plainly stupid and contrary to fact.

    For instance, someone the other day insisted Canada was actually a state in the U.S. I began explaining that it was it's very own country. They switched to insisting it was still part of Britain and continued not listening. I insisted again, they denied, and I loudly (as is the custom) said "wo shi jianadaren. jianada shi yige guojia, hao bu hao?" (I'm Canadian. Canada is a country, alright?). There's no exact translation in English, but "alright??" seems to do the trick.
     
  18. Tyler Registered Senior Member

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    4,888
    I wouldn't think 你好吗? is at all necessary with taxi drivers. If you speak to them in Chinese they'll probably want to ask you a bazillion questions and strike up a conversation anyway.
     
  19. Search & Destroy Take one bite at a time Moderator

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    Not necessary but, knowing how 'hao bu hao' works is applicable to taxi drivers, and all other Chinese conversations. I talk to a lot of taxi drivers every day, so I'm sure it will come up with a few of them. Especially as hao bu hao is large portion of my entire vocabulary and workable in many situations.

    Excellent explanation by the way.
     

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