你的英文讲得很好。。。。WOOPS

[imron]

The grammar there is confusing me. Does it mean the same as 比你(还)差点儿.

Not sure if it's correct grammatically (that's the big problem with self-study), but how I think of it is: 跟你比 = 'compared to you' and 还差点儿 = 'still not quite as good'.

[muyongshi]

Not sure if it's correct grammatically (that's the big problem with self-study), but how I think of it is: 跟你比 = 'compared to you' and 还差点儿 = 'still not quite as good'.

I'm not too sure about the 差点儿 (but it does sound right) part but 差得远 is definitely correct and as for the rest of the sentence 跟你比 or 跟你相比 both work and 还 doesn't matter at all....no problem their.

Just don't do what one foreign student always said and say 还有很多进步要做 because that is definitely not correct.

[gougou]

Just don't do what one foreign student always said and say 还有很多进步要做 because that is definitely not correct.

Even though it serves very well at getting the point across

[muyongshi]

Yes, yes it does....especially since it helps show how many steps you REALLY need to take

[heifeng]

keeping off topic:

Most of the time, what I really want to say is something along the lines of stop patronising me

i dunno bout ya'll but I never say anything 'modest' I'll usually say 一般一般...which for those of you who know the rest you'll see where that's heading (if not the whole thing is 一般一般世界第三老大死了老二偏瘫... which means you're number 1!!!hahah), and it usually causes a nice icebreaking chuckle. Or I'll just add a 反问句no matter what people say...you're tall, your chinese (or haha English) is good, your something or something....高吗? 说得好吗? ...then let them add something else if they have something else to say.

since we are making observations, i notice that 99% of the time someone asks how long i've been in China and then says wow your chinese is really good for 1 year...2 years of STUDYING Chinese. I'm 'assuming' people aren't aware that we laowai can actually study the mysterious language of Chinese outside of China (although somehow English is taught all around China) ...I use to correct people, but now i just say, yeah, i think that after only 1 or 2 years of studying i am pretty happy with my progress too. It's all a part of psycological warfare~ you gotta break the the 'studying chinese is hard' barrier.

on topic:

If people say your English is good, than take that as an opportunity to say, it's your fifth language or something and you just started studying last month. It'll be fun.

[Lu]

and then says wow your chinese is really good for 1 year...2 years of STUDYING Chinese.

Even better is when you have studied for some time, lived there for some time, then go back home, and then come back for a holiday. Ni laile duo jiu le? Zuotian dao le. Also has a high 'fall over in awe' potential.

The thing is, when people are commenting on how good my Chinese is (despite the reality), I don't want to say thank you. Most of the time, what I really want to say is something along the lines of stop patronising me, however that doesn't always go down particularly well.

I think that's a bit unfair, they don't mean it like that. They're just being keqi. (Which is also why xiexie is the wrong answer. They are just being keqi, and so should we.)

Many people manage to move on to real conversation after the initial compliments, but some just keep marveling at the foreigner's Chinese, whatever the foreigner says, thus killing all possibility for any meaningful exchange. Or insist in answering in English which they don't really speak, with the same result. Those people really annoy me. Especially when they do have something interesting to say, but just not to me.

[imron]

I think that's a bit unfair, they don't mean it like that.

I know they don't mean it like that, which is why I don't go for a more impolite response. But it does get tiring to keep hearing this as the start to so many conversations. Having a few non-standard and unexpected responses at least keeps things interesting.

[gougou]

But it does get tiring to keep hearing this as the start to so many conversations.

I know what you mean. But then again, I wouldn't mind if back at home, the sole purpose of every conversation's first five minutes was exalting me...

[muyongshi]

I know they don't mean it like that, which is why I don't go for a more impolite response. But it does get tiring to keep hearing this as the start to so many conversations. Having a few non-standard and unexpected responses at least keeps things interesting.

I agree....but even with the creative responses they will "argue" back at you about no, how good it REALLY is. And it does get tiring...I just want to live my life without explaining to every random person, the what's, where's, why, and so on of how some whitie can speak mandarin....

[cdn_in_bj]

I suppose it wouldn't work too well as a pick-up line?

[imron]

Yeah, I know, and even unexpected reponses get tiring once you use them too often. Another one I like is 你的中文也讲得不错. That's good to use especially on people with not so standard accents.

[cdn_in_bj]

Not sure if it's correct grammatically (that's the big problem with self-study), but how I think of it is: 跟你比 = 'compared to you' and 还差点儿 = 'still not quite as good'.

Not saying that your way is 'wrong', but I would probably say "比你还差一点(儿)"

[muyongshi]

Which is every taxi driver I ever have....

But actually that is one of the compliments I hear most in Sichuan...Oh your mandarin is better than ours! Which unfortunately is more often than not very accurate....

[heifeng]

really getting off topic:

did someone say pick-up line? ditch the 你的英文讲得很好 one, there's no hope there, (I can't help myself) here is one:

How much does a polar bear weigh?

[muyongshi]

Not saying that your way is 'wrong', but I would probably say "比你还差一点(儿)"

"一" 是可以省略的

There is no difference between 比你还差一点儿 and 比你还差点儿

[cdn_in_bj]

"一" 是可以省略的

There is no difference between 比你还差一点儿 and 比你还差点儿

Yes, agreed. So, "比你还差(一)点儿" which is basically what adrianlondon suggested.

[heifeng]

"比你还差(一)点儿"

you should say something like "bi wode ouxiang da shan* hai cha dianr".....(*or substitute more interesting name here...for example me personally I might say 'aihua' or something since she is technically my 'laoxiang' I suppose) this would be interesting....(ok sorry for the pinyin...why am I using such a crappy computer today...ugh) hehe.

answer: enough to break the ice...har har har

[muyongshi]

Heifeng you just made my day (again)

[imron]

"bi wode ouxiang da shan* hai cha dianr".

But then you have to have the Dashan conversation, and people are always confusing Canada and Australia and it just becomes a mess.

[cdn_in_bj]

Getting back on topic (sort of). The best compliment I've gotten was from someone I know who told me the following after I'd been here about a year:

You don't sound like a foreigner anymore, you just sound like someone who's not originally from BJ.

That really made my day.