A few elementary questions!

[PaoYu]

I've been learning traditional characters for about 6 weeks, but I still have no idea how to type them. (In fact, that would probably be the first question: how can I type traditional characters?)

Ok, here goes:

Do "the" and "a" both translate as yi1 ge4 ?

In these sentences, where would the measure words come (when translated)?

This is a pen.

This is my wife's expensive English book.

This expensive Chinese book is my wife's.

I get so confused as to where measure words should be placed, especially when "modifying nounds by clauses with 'de'", though I think i'll leave questions about that until these are cleared up:wink:

Any and all help will be muchly appreciated, thanks.

[trien27]

There's no "the" in Chinese. What we do is omit the "the" from the phrase or sentence. For example: "Open the door!" would translate into Chinese as kai men! "open door" (kai = "to open", men = door).

As for "a/an": It could be either:

yi (one)

yi ge [one + general measure word (for an object)]: example: yi ge peng-you = a friend. Because the word friend starts with a consonant in English, yi ge would be translated as "a". If the word starts with a vowel, then yi ge would be translated as "an".

[trien27]

Measure words are placed after the number & before the noun/subject/object: as in the previous example I gave:

"yi ge peng-you"

yi = One/a/an

peng-you = friend

ge = measure word

[trien27]

In these sentences, where would the measure words come (when translated)?

This is a pen. Zhe shi yi zhi bi. Zhe = This, shi = to be, yi = a/an/one, zhi = measure word for long slender object. bi = writing utensil, literally, it's a brush in writing Chinese, but today it could mean pen/pencil/stylus, or anything you could write with, etc...

This is my wife's expensive English book. Zhe shi wo tai tai de gui ying-wen shu/shu ben/benzi. Zhe = this, shi = to be, wo de = my, mine, tai tai de = wife's, ying-wen = English, shu/shu ben/benzi = book/textbook. de in wo de & tai tai de = of/possessive form. When a sentence is constucted with two de , the first one will be omitted. Literally, I don't think there's a term for "expensive English book" in Chinese. I translated verbatim only for you, just so you know what goes where.

This expensive Chinese book is my wife's. Zhe ben gui ying-wen shu shi wo tai tai de.

[Ncao]

I've been learning traditional characters for about 6 weeks, but I still have no idea how to type them. (In fact, that would probably be the first question: how can I type traditional characters?)

If you're using Windows XP,go to control panel,click on language and region option,on languages make sure you have a check on installed files for East Asian languages,then click on detail,then click add on input language choose Chinese (Taiwan) and on Keyboard/IME choose Microsoft New Phonetic IME 2002. To type using pinyin click properties,on keyboard mapping choose hanyu pinyin.

[shibasakikou]

"pen" use the measure words "支"

"book" use the measure words "本"

a book : 一本書

the book : 這本書

this book : 這本書

that book : 那本書

these books : 這些書

those books : 那些書