Popup Chinese

Intermediate: McDonalds Delivery Hotline

At Popup Chinese we don't shy away from teaching the sort of mandarin you'll need to properly express feelings of lethargy and gluttony at four in the morning. So join us in this lesson as we review four intermediate constructions you can use to create sentences like, "I would rather order in McDonalds than move off this couch."

On a related note, since we're sure some of you will think we're joking, we should stress that everything you'll hear in this podcast is completely true. Even down to the telephone number. Yes folks, as Yeats put it, "surely the Second Coming is at hand." We can't speak for the outer fringes of the Empire, but in Beijing it's not only possible to have a Big Mac delivered to you at four in the morning, it's considered a sign of social progress. We may never see daylight again.

orbital

said on

September 3, 2009

They have this in Shenzhen as well. Theres a seven kuai delivery fee, but I live on the sixth floor so its worth it. Great name for it too.

mat

said on

September 3, 2009

宁愿吃我自己的脸也不吃麦当劳!

barrister

said on

September 4, 2009

Good podcast, and I agree with mat.

Echo

said on

September 4, 2009

@mat,

老天！为什么？

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

mat

said on

September 4, 2009

It might be different in China (though I doubt it), but I think Maccers is pretty much about the worst thing you can buy short of a service station sandwich.

I'm not a food snob (I think), so I would eat something fast but I'd much rather go into KFC and get a sweet chilli wrap or something. If it was a hamburger... Burger King all the way! It's called Hungry Jacks in Australia curiously, is this chain in China at all?

This is a seriously great lesson by the way. You guys really do these things 1 at night or was that artistic license? :-)

怎么说"artistic license"? 我感到必须有此的一条成语?

Gail天堂的声音

said on

September 4, 2009

@echo，

如果服务真的这样，我也不要。。。

Echo

said on

September 4, 2009

@mat,

I think in Beijing you can only find Burger King in the airport.

哈哈，我们确实是在半夜录的这个podcast，而且当时确实已经给麦当劳打了好几个小时的电话了...

我不太清楚“artistic license"在这里的具体意思是什么 :( 希望mat老师告诉我

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

henning

said on

September 4, 2009

Thanks!

Very helpful lesson. This type of content will hopefully help me getting those HSK-results up a bit.

trevelyan

said on

September 4, 2009

@mat - they have a couple in Shanghai, but the Beijing Airport has the only one I know of here. Glad you liked the lesson too - I think we finally finished recording it around two. We usually do systems work and lesson preparation during the day, and then record in the evenings. Sometimes we end up going pretty late, but usually not past about eleven. That night was a bit of an exception, I think because Brendan was heading off to Xinjiang the next day and we wanted to get ahead a bit.

paglino9

said on

September 5, 2009

Fun China Fact of the Day

肯尼基 Kenny G's "Going Home" permeates every facet of the Modern Chinese Lifestyle.

It is the default ring back tone for most cell phones, and even land lines here.

dictionary

said on

September 5, 2009

@paglino9 - you've just prompted us to add "Kenny G" to the dictionary. :)

altctrlsup

said on

September 7, 2009

要是我说

1 与其在家吃不如去麦当劳那边吃

2 与其在家吃宁可去麦当劳那边吃

1 和 2 的意思是完全一样吗？

marco64

said on

September 7, 2009

@altctrlsup - unprofessional advice here, but I think the difference is that #1 communicates "it would be better if" while #2 communicates "I would prefer if".

Also, unless I'm mistaken it should be 在家吃 (or 在家吃饭) rather than 吃在家. I was taught the coverb 在 can only follow verbs when it's being used as a directional complement as in the phrase 放在客厅里. There are only a few verbs where that is possible and I don't believe 吃 is one of them. Generally it needs to precede the verb like all other prepositional coverbs.

altctrlsup

said on

September 8, 2009

@marco64 ; thank you for you help

and and for the 吃饭在家 yeah it is an error, sorry, 写错了， :(

I have corrected it

Gail天堂的声音

said on

September 8, 2009

@altcrlsup,

yes, these two sentences have same meaning, but the second one is stronger..

debman3

said on

November 23, 2009

我从来跟麦当劳的外卖没有遇到问题……

北京只有机场有burger king :(

LanZi

said on

November 23, 2009

“mat said on September 3, 2009

宁愿吃我自己的脸也不吃麦当劳! ”

Cannot agree more!

Gail天堂的声音

said on

November 23, 2009

@altcrlsup, @marco64,

sorry i forgot to mention that the two sentences are both extremely proper, and native.

actually, 吃饭在家is wrong.

we say:在家吃，在外边吃，在麦当劳吃。

the point is: 在 can be a verb, adverb, and preposition.

我在家。-verb

我在做作业。-adverb

我把花放在客厅里。-preposition

so在is not always put after a verb.你们两个要加油呀！

Echo

said on

November 23, 2009

@debman3&Lanzi,

mat说的太经典了！

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

nurflight9

said on

January 31, 2010

I know we all learn in different ways, and even use the materials on this site differently, but would like to give my own perspective here because I know some people have expressed appreciation for the pure grammar lessons. To me, grammar lessons with multiple examples is something that I can get from any good grammar book and to say them and list them verbally isn't going to make any greater imprint in my mind than if I had read them. It's the emotional impact of your original and funny dialogues and the wonderful acting talent that engraves these structures in my mind long term. I don't get bored listening again and again, and when I want to recall a word or structure I actually hear their inflexions in my head. This doesn't happen with your straight grammar lessons, because they just aren't as compelling and short enough to want to listen to them again and again and thus things don't get imprinted in my mind half as effectively. When I want to review a lesson, I go back and listen to the dialogue a couple of times, but don't need to listen to the grammar explanation again, because I've understood it. I can't do this quick review with your grammar lessons. So, for me your combination, 1/3 great dialogue played a few times and 2/3 vocab and grammar explanation is perfect. Hands down the most effective and enjoyable learning tool I've found.