Stop rolling those eyeballs! We know you already speak Chinese. And we know that those of you living here have probably fielded this question a few hundred times by now. You may even have started answering back in classical couplets, because nothing establishes street smarts like tossing out a Tang Dynasty smack-down on your way for Korean food in Wangjing.

But while Beijing's Korean district may be a great place for soju and kimchi, the Wangjing district is an urban lobster trap: easy to enter, impossible to leave. Which poses a double challenge for non-Korean visitors: not only do you have to ask for directions frequently, but you've also got to figure out if you're speaking to someone who even speaks Chinese.

In this podcast, we cover the basics of figuring this last bit out. The material is pretty basic, but there are some complexities here which elevate it above true beginner stuff. And even if you're an old hand in China we think you'll find something of value: our secrets on how to use this sort of innocuous chit-chat to break the ice with the man or woman of your dreams.
 said on
January 29, 2009
conversation is nice but material is too less
 said on
January 29, 2009
@kshanthhere_33,

I think for elementary students, getting one or two key sentences is also very important.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
February 19, 2009
i really like this lesson, I have the key phrases on a post-it note now stuck to my computer at work! thanks!
 said on
February 22, 2009
@lkchume,

Hey, 欢迎你!

非常高兴你喜欢popupchinese,多给我们留言吧 :)有问题也欢迎你给我写信哦~

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
February 24, 2009
谢谢你!
 said on
May 10, 2009
I was hoping someone could explain why the particle 了 is used after 当然 in the second sentence. (当然了) What is the difference between the responses 当然 and 当然了?

I am also curious to know why the particle 呢 is used at the end of the last sentence.

 said on
May 10, 2009
@doubt616,

actually 当然 and 当然了 are both ok. "了" here is used at the end of a declarative sentence to indicates interjection.

呢 not only can be used in a question sentence, but also can be used in this type of sentences. Here it's used at the end of a declarative sentence to conform a fact.

 said on
May 10, 2009
@Gail, For instance,

1

--你喜欢泡泡中文吗?

--当然了!

2

--你的中文真好!请问你是怎么学习中文的?

--当然是用泡泡中文了!

--怪不得你说话听起来像中国人一样呢!
 said on
May 10, 2009
Thank-you folks.
 said on
May 10, 2009
@xiaoxin,

这个例子有意思。嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿。。。俺喜欢。
 said on
May 10, 2009
@doubt616,

我替gail说声不客气,呵呵 :)

@xiaoxin,

谢谢你啊,我们都很喜欢你的例子 ;)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
August 17, 2010
你這兒用'认为'馬 instead of 以为?
 said on
August 18, 2010
@neehnahw,

Grammatically, 认为 is not wrong here, but in terms of the meaning of the sentence, 以为 is the best choice here. It means "thought", but not "think".

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com