Language practice thread

[GrandPiano]

时间很臭。
Time smells.

[clawgrip]

時間が臭い

でもなんで
But why?

[GrandPiano]

因为。
Because.

[Lao Kou]

Let me try to convey the literal meaning:

能给自己空出多少时间，你就有多少时间。
néng gêi zìjî kōngchū duōshâo shíjiān, nî jiù yôu duōshâo shíjiān.
can give self empty_out how_much time you then have how_much time

Going literal, I came up with something similar, but

This sentence is far from elegant, and Chinese people don't really express themselves in this fashion.

Yeah, in response to this, I got:

意思很清晰，不过不像是地道的汉语表达。
It's clear what you mean, but it's not a very Chinese way of saying it.

IOW, understandable, perhaps, but you're in foreigners-speak-Chinese land.

I would go for sth much simpler like:

如果你愿意，时间一定能挤出来。
rúguô nî yuànyì, shíjiān yídìng néng jî chūlai.
if you be_willing time definitely can squeeze come_out

I got:

想多空就多空，想多闲就多闲
Loosely: If you think about having more free time, then you'll have more free time.

This may seem extremely "unsatisfying" for an English speaker, but if you're going to study Chinese in depth, be ready for a lot of such disappointments.

Ain't it the truth.

---

因为。
Because.

就如此。
That's the way it is.

[Thakowsaizmu]

Mein Kopf tut mir weh
My head hurts

[Lao Kou]

Mein Kopf tut mir weh
My head hurts

Soll ich Ihnen einen schönen Senfumschlag anbieten?
Shall I get you a nice mustard poultice?

[GrandPiano]

Mein Kopf tut mir weh
My head hurts

你妈妈头疼！哈哈哈！
Your mom's head hurts! Ha ha ha!

[Thakowsaizmu]

Mein Kopf tut mir weh
My head hurts

你妈妈头疼！哈哈哈！
Your mom's head hurts! Ha ha ha!

Mchomo mgonjwa
Sick burn

[zyma]

时间很臭。
Time smells.

Riecht es gut oder schlecht?
Does it smell good or bad?

Mein Kopf tut mir weh
My head hurts

Wegen dieser Unterhaltung, oder wegen etwas anderes?
Because of this conversation, or because of something else?

(Is "etwas anderes" the correct form after a genitive preposition like "wegen"?)

Sowieso, ich hoffe, dass du dich bald besser fühlst.
Anyway, I hope you feel better soon.

[GrandPiano]

时间很臭。
Time smells.

Riecht es gut oder schlecht?
Does it smell good or bad?

……中文怎么说“smells like”的“like”？
…How do you say "like" as in "smells like" in Mandarin?

[zyma]

时间很臭。
Time smells.

Riecht es gut oder schlecht?
Does it smell good or bad?

……中文怎么说“smells like”的“like”？
…How do you say "like" as in "smells like" in Mandarin?

Lo siento, no hablo mandarín.
Sorry, I don't speak Mandarin.

(I know this wasn't directed at me. I was planning on responding in Japanese, but I was having trouble finding a word for "Mandarin".)

[GrandPiano]

(I know this wasn't directed at me. I was planning on responding in Japanese, but I was having trouble finding a word for "Mandarin".)

中文 actually just means "Chinese", but I chose to translate it more specifically as "Mandarin" because that's the word I like to use in English.

[Thakowsaizmu]

时间很臭。
Time smells.

Riecht es gut oder schlecht?
Does it smell good or bad?

Mein Kopf tut mir weh
My head hurts

Wegen dieser Unterhaltung, oder wegen etwas anderes?
Because of this conversation, or because of something else?

(Is "etwas anderes" the correct form after a genitive preposition like "wegen"?)

Sowieso, ich hoffe, dass du dich bald besser fühlst.
Anyway, I hope you feel better soon.

Siyo kwa sababu mazungumzo haya, lakini jambo lingine
Not because of this conversation, but something else

還有謝了
Also, thanks

[zyma]

(I know this wasn't directed at me. I was planning on responding in Japanese, but I was having trouble finding a word for "Mandarin".)

中文 actually just means "Chinese", but I chose to translate it more specifically as "Mandarin" because that's the word I like to use in English.

Ahh, OK. Ich soll mich nicht so viel über Spezifität sorgen.
Ahh, OK. I shouldn't worry so much about specificity.

---

ごめん、中国語を話さない。
Gomen, chūgokugo o hanasanai.
Sorry, I don't speak Chinese.

(Thank goodness for stuff like Wiktionary that helps me with vocabulary, particularly stuff like 「中国語」, assuming that's correct. I have a few questions/comments, though. Is it syntactically OK to put things like 「ごめん」 at the very start of a sentence? I'd assume so, but I want to double check.)

(Also, I know Japanese is pro-drop, but are certain things always, or usually, implied when certain elements of a sentence are omitted? For example, when I write a sentence without a subject, does that usually imply that I, the "first person", the speaker, am the subject? Or is it entirely contextual, and without context, an omitted subject could imply anything?)

(Finally, I'm rather happy I was able to notice the shared radical between 「語」 and 「話」. At least, I hope that's the right terminology to use. Anyway, that's probably pretty obvious to a lot of people, but it's the first time I've had that kind of realization about kanji/hanzi.)

[clawgrip]

(I know this wasn't directed at me. I was planning on responding in Japanese, but I was having trouble finding a word for "Mandarin".)

中文 actually just means "Chinese", but I chose to translate it more specifically as "Mandarin" because that's the word I like to use in English.

Ahh, OK. Ich soll mich nicht so viel über Spezifität sorgen.
Ahh, OK. I shouldn't worry so much about specificity.

---

ごめん、中国語は話せない。
Gomen, chūgokugo wa hanasenai.
Sorry, I don't speak Chinese.

(Thank goodness for stuff like Wiktionary that helps me with vocabulary, particularly stuff like 「中国語」, assuming that's correct. I have a few questions/comments, though. Is it syntactically OK to put things like 「ごめん」 at the very start of a sentence? I'd assume so, but I want to double check.)

問題ないよ。ごく普通だよ。
There's no problem. It's totally normal.

(Also, I know Japanese is pro-drop, but are certain things always, or usually, implied when certain elements of a sentence are omitted? For example, when I write a sentence without a subject, does that usually imply that I, the "first person", the speaker, am the subject? Or is it entirely contextual, and without context, an omitted subject could imply anything?)

話題は省略していいときが多いけど、その解釈は完全に文脈によるものだ。だけど、この場合は明らかに自分のことだから問題はないよ。
The topic can often be left out, but the interpretation of the topic relies entirely on context. However, in this case, it's clearly yourself, so there's no problem.

(Finally, I'm rather happy I was able to notice the shared radical between 「語」 and 「話」. At least, I hope that's the right terminology to use. Anyway, that's probably pretty obvious to a lot of people, but it's the first time I've had that kind of realization about kanji/hanzi.)

「radial」は正しいよ。それは「言」に基づく、「ごんべん」っていう部首。主に話すことと書くことなどを表す漢字に入っている。
"Radical" is correct. That radical is based on "言" and is called gonben (in Japanese). It appears mainly in kanji that express speaking and writing.

他の、分かりやすい部首：
Other easy-to-understand radicals:

「氵」さんずい：水に関する漢字
「氵」 sanzui: kanji related to water
海 umi ocean
洗う arau wash
溺れる oboreru drown

「木」きへん：木や木材に関する漢字（特に木材で出来ている物)
「木」 kihen: kanji related to trees and wood (especially things made of wood)
杉 sugi Japanese cedar
枝 eda branch
棚 tana shelf

「心」したごころ、「忄」りっしんべん：思考・感情を表す漢字
「心」 shitagokoro, 「忄」 risshinben: kanji that express emotions and thought
感じ kanji feeling
忘れる wasureru forget
悩む nayamu be worried/distressed/troubled

「艹」くさかんむり：植物に関する漢字
「艹」 kusakanmuri: kanji related to plants
花 hana flower
葉 ha leaf
茶 cha tea

「月」にくづき：体に関する漢字
「月」 nikuzuki: kanji related to the body
脂 abura (body) fat
肺 hai lung
脱ぐ nugu remove (clothing)

「金」かねへん：金属に関する漢字
「金」 kanehen: kanji related to metal
銀 gin silver
鈴 suzu small bell
鈍い nibui dull (not sharp)

「雨」あめかんむり：天気に関係のある漢字
「雨」 amekanmuri: kanji related to weather
雲 kumo cloud
霧 kiri fog
電 den electricity (from lightning)

「女」おんなへん：女に関する漢字
「女」 onnahen: kanji related to women
嫁 yome bride
姉 ane older sister
妊娠 ninshin pregnancy

これよりもありますありますね。
There are of course many more than these.

[GrandPiano]

(Also, I know Japanese is pro-drop, but are certain things always, or usually, implied when certain elements of a sentence are omitted? For example, when I write a sentence without a subject, does that usually imply that I, the "first person", the speaker, am the subject? Or is it entirely contextual, and without context, an omitted subject could imply anything?)

If it works the same way as Mandarin, then it depends on the context. If you leave out the subject, that means that people should already know from context what the subject is, whatever that may be. My Mandarin proficiency isn't that great, so this might just be influence from English, but it feels really weird to leave out the first-person pronoun 我 as the subject of a sentence if there's no context to imply that it's the subject.

(Finally, I'm rather happy I was able to notice the shared radical between 「語」 and 「話」. At least, I hope that's the right terminology to use. Anyway, that's probably pretty obvious to a lot of people, but it's the first time I've had that kind of realization about kanji/hanzi.)

Yup, that's the speech radical, which you'll usually find in words having to do with speech; the stand-alone character version is 言, which means "speech" in Mandarin. In simplified characters, it's simplified to 讠: 语, 话.

Edit: 中文怎么说“ninja'd”？ＸＰ

[clawgrip]

My Mandarin proficiency isn't that great, so this might just be influence from English, but it feels really weird to leave out the first-person pronoun 我 as the subject of a sentence if there's no context to imply that it's the subject.

Japanese is strongly pro-drop, especially with first person pronouns, and especially in more formal language, since pronouns are considered too "direct". If you can understand first person from context, you should generally leave it out.

[GrandPiano]

My Mandarin proficiency isn't that great, so this might just be influence from English, but it feels really weird to leave out the first-person pronoun 我 as the subject of a sentence if there's no context to imply that it's the subject.

Japanese is strongly pro-drop, especially with first person pronouns, and especially in more formal language, since pronouns are considered too "direct". If you can understand first person from context, you should generally leave it out.

If the subject is left out without context, will it just sound weird, or will it be interpretted as the omission of the first-person pronounL

[clawgrip]

If something is recoverable from context, you can leave it out without sounding weird. A sentence will rarely sound weird with arguments dropped.

ない。
not.exist

This could mean "his passport is not in the place where he always keeps it" or "I have no questions for you" or "there's no instant soup left" or whatever you want, as long as context supplies the missing arguments.

If you drop something without context, it will just be ambiguous and confusing. Someone will ask for clarification. But it will be grammatically sound.

[GrandPiano]

If something is recoverable from context, you can leave it out without sounding weird. A sentence will rarely sound weird with arguments dropped.

ない。
not.exist

This could mean "his passport is not in the place where he always keeps it" or "I have no questions for you" or "there's no instant soup left" or whatever you want, as long as context supplies the missing arguments.

If you drop something without context, it will just be ambiguous and confusing. Someone will ask for clarification. But it will be grammatically sound.

Ah, OK. I think Japanese might use pro-dropping more frequently than Mandarin, but I can't be entirely sure. ない sounds similar to the Mandarin 没有 "to not have" or "haven't". If someone asks you "你有没有问题？" "Do you have any questions?" and you don't have any questions, you could give a full answer of "我没有问题" "I don't have any questions", or you could just say "没有". I think the passport would probably be expressed with 不在 "not at", but again, I can't be entirely sure. And I have no idea how to say sentences of the structure "there's no…left".