Hi there, thanks for the new lesson. Just wanted to let you know that there is no pinyin for the vocab, it just says "pinyin". Perhaps you put in a marker and forgot to add it. Thanks!

epps_rachel - Thanks for the note about that - it definitely slipped by us, but is fixed now and all the transcripts are updated.

@r.berki,

She's distracted and simply wants to get rid of her son. That's how I interpret it at least. And thanks for reporting the problem with the fix. I'll look into getting it fixed, so to speak.

Best,

--david

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the lesson Wendy

It could just be a factual statement. Maybe he is actually dead.

@j.guevara.casal,

哇，真的呀！太欢迎你加入我们泡泡中文大家庭了！

我现在回北京了，不过还是每天都会想念智利，实在太喜欢那儿了。我觉得智利最流行的食物是热狗、薯条和冰淇凌～但是他们也有非常好吃的牛排，我也很喜欢他们的传统汤cazuela，我觉得他们应该多发扬自己的传统特色食物，而不是把北美的垃圾食品都搬过来。我非常喜欢智利人，他们对我非常友好，又不过分热情。我在智利的时候没有机会去阿根廷，希望下次我能去，听说阿根廷的帅哥美女好多，我特别期待 :) 你知道，智利的帅哥美女并不太多......

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

"Buff"! 不好意思我聽不懂. To most English speakers, that means "naked". If your English isn't fairly well standardised to international norms, how can a learner tell if your Mandarin isn't going to be equally regionalised?

Sorry, but I feel more confidence in learning materials when I can understand the English - and I don't have much problem in coping, even with Chinglish.

Actually, English is my first language and I'm a professional translator (though not of Chinese, of course). It looks as if you've misunderstood what I wrote, David: the usage of "buff" here, which, from the context, seems to mean a handsome man, is very far from standard - unlike those in your reply.

That usage is so arcane that it is not recorded in Chambers (which is usually a reliable source of unusual words), the Macquarie ABC Dictionary, which is the standard reference in Australian offices, or even in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. This usage may indeed, for all I know, be apposite, but to many, if not most, English speakers it's impenetrable.

If an expression like this makes people reach for dictionaries, and still fail to find enlightenment, then it's hardly very useful, is it? (Yes, I did eventually find it in the online "Urban Dictionary", a source of words that are here today and gone tomorrow.) For non-native speakers of English, it's like poking them in the eye.

There is one dual-language dictionary that I use which has the occasional slang expression like this, but the author has the excuse that it was published as the 20th century dawned.

@fearchar,

You may not be aware of it given the media blackout in Australia, but every November 5th there is an unofficial holiday through most of the world in which people come together to build bonfires and burn copies of the Macquarie ABC Dictionary.

Truth be told, we are very fond of Australia and only reluctantly participate. But until Rupert Murdoch stops playing hardball with us on pricing and Qantas refunds us our airfare from the industrial strike, we are unlikely to compromise on the question of who speaks proper English, and will continue to quote Hemingway and stare slack-jawed at those who use cricket metaphors in the national media.

Let us bear our different burdens with dignity and pride.

@Echo

I’d love to tell you in Chinese, but it’s hard for me to describe our food accurately, since it’s so different. I’ll give you a few examples. We have “empanadas”, which are a baked or fried pastry filled with different ingredients – a little like a big 饺子. They can be vegetarian, or with meat, or have both meat and vegetables, and usually they have a lot of herbs and sometimes even cheese. Of course we have also have what we call “parrilla”, which is a big barbeque. There are many different types of meat we eat, and take a long time to prepare, so we usually have a party with a lot of people when we eat a “parrilla”. People from the countryside usually take some time to share “mate” with friends, sometimes around a fire. It’s a herbal drink, a little like tea, but very bitter, and it’s served in a wooden cup with a pipe to drink it. We pass it around to our friends and share it, so it’s a very social drink, just like parrilla is as much about eating as it is a social event.

A lot of Argentines have a really sweet tooth and love desserts. Our most famous specialty is called “dulce de leche”. It’s a brown, thick caramel used as a condiment for ice-cream, fruit, cakes, or anything you want. I’m greedy, so I sometimes eat it by itself! It’s actually really easy to make. You just have to boil a can of “condensed milk” for about three hours, and voila, you’re good to go! If you have a sweet tooth, give it a try! You have to try the ice-cream and “alfajores” too if you go. They’re like mini chocolate sponge cakes filled with “dulce de leche” in the middle, and there’s many different kinds – like moon cakes. There are many specialties too, but they’re our most famous ones. I’ll leave it to you to find out about the rest when you go! :)

@clickertricks,

Yes, it's that exactly.

--david

I really feel two follow up lessons are in order - one with some vocabulary to compliment a woman and the other with better alternatives to 好吃。

@murrayjames,

没错～～

--Amber

@oktay_el_turco,

Sure, but we'll have to upgrade your account manually. Just send us an email to service@popupchinese.com. We'll respond with our address here in Beijing and update your account.

@jmusiclife82,

I guess what is obvious depends on how you read it. I always assumed that the father was not actually dead, and the mother was just getting distracted by something or someone, but other people have heard it differently.

We all have holes in our idiolects. This is a timely reminder to me - for which I am grateful - to take the position of a humble learner and keep an "empty cup". Thank you.

睹善 ，

Looks like someone's been chasing beautiful girls. haha. If someone wants to pick me up. I'd like to hear some compliment such as 妩媚 （wu mei),means charming, fascinating. 妖娆（yao rao)which means enchanting. 性感 （xing gan)means sexy.动人（dong ren) means attractive and lovely, and here is a longer one 秀色可餐 （xiu se ke can) means delicious. 正点（zheng dian) is also common in daily lives. For example, 这妞儿长得真正（正点).

These are some ideas from me so far, hope can be useful. Keep me posted about your chase~~

Hi 睹善，

you can use this "狠"in many places.this is the same as"很",means very. so almost every place you use 很，you can use 狠instead.but only when it means very.狠好吃 （hen3hao3chi1),狠好看（hen3hao3kan4). 狠冷 （hen3leng3）...

read 'how we learn' so you know what goes on in the brain and best study and interuptions for best recall self testing and longer retention.