Can someone correct my exercise?

[Homogenik]

 

Could someone correct these five sentences please?

 

 

你找到从中国的语言伙伴吗？

 

她已经阅读到唐诗：她真的聪明！

 

我常常打网球赛，但是输球赛的时候我很伤心。

 

当我从工作回来房子了，我记得了我得洗碗，所以我没有时间看小说。

 

当她在阅览室里坐椅子阅读“人民日报”的时候，她很不舒服，因为阅览室的椅子很旧。

[Geiko]

Do you know Lang-8? It's a web-page where you write texts in the language you're learning, and native speakers will correct them. The only thing you will be asked in return is to correct other people's entries written in your native language.

 

The web site is free, although you can also pay for the Premium account. 

 

http://lang-8.com/

[Homogenik]

 

thanks! I didn't know it.

[Nathan Mao]

Keeping in mind that:

1) There are many ways to say the same thing

2) I'm not a native speaker

 

...here's what I would say:

1）你找到了一位从中国来的语言交换朋友没有？or 你找打了一位母语是普通话的人愿意跟你联系中文没有？

2）她的阅读能力已经达到她可以读唐诗的水平，她很认真（聪明/棒） or 她的阅读水平已经达到了她可以懂唐诗！真了不起！

3）虽然我常常打网球，但是每一次输了我还是很失望。  or 我常常打网球，但是输了总是让我不高兴 （沮丧，失望）

4）我下班回家以后才记得了该洗碗，结果是我没有时间读书。 or 下班到了家以后我突然记得我还没洗完了盘子，所以没时间读书。（看小说 is also okay, but slightly too specific for the point you seem to want to make)

5) Oops!　I read too quickly and missed the "不“
My second attempt:

阅览室里的椅子太旧，她看了“人民日报”的时候觉得太不舒服。

 

 

So, that's not perfect, but I think it puts what you want to say into something closer to vernacular speech.

 

Some of your translations into Chinese aren't quite right.  You seem to be doing a direct word-for-word translation when you should be doing more of a phrase-by-phrase or concept-by-concept.  That comes with lots of time, lots of practice, lots of reading and listening to hear how they say it.

 

Good work, though.  Keep it up!

[Nathan Mao]

Also, if you don't mind me saying so, I think you are trying to pack too much information into one sentence.

 

Here's what I think you were trying to say:

 

1) Have you found a language exchange partner (yet)?

The reason I wouldn't use 吗 to make the question is that in my understanding, 吗 is more for open ended questions.  You would use 吗  if there is a chance the respondent found a lion tamer instead of a language exchange partner.  But implicit in your question is that the respondent is looking for someone to play a specific role, and it is only a matter of time until they find that partner.

Plus, "partner" is informal in English but a little more proper in Chinese.  In the same way, "friend" often implies a more tangible mutual affection than in Chinese, where 朋友 can just be formality.  In my experience, Chinese would tend to use "friend" in the context of language exchange.

There are many ways to say "language exchange", too.

Finally, are you sure you want to emphasize the partner is someone who came from China?　Using 从 in this case implies that they came from China for the explicit purpose of being a language exchange partner. What you are really trying to emphasize is not someone who has arrived from China, but someone who speaks Chinese at a native level, not an ABC or fellow student, right?

Unfortunately, there are multiple ways to express someone who speaks Chinese with native ability. I provided two possibilities, but there are many more ways, depending on what you want to emphasize

2) Her reading ability is already good enough to read Tang poetry. She is really smart!

Again, you can't really translate this one word for word.  I probably mangled it, but what you want to say is： Her Chinese is advanced enough that she understands Tang poetry, and you admire that.  There are many ways to praise her for that ability.  But the main lesson here is that you don't need the 的 between 真 and 聪明.  In fact, if you put a 的 there, I want to add a 很. 她真的很聪明.

3) I often play tennis, but when I lose, it makes me sad.

I wouldn't use 伤心 because that really implies being hurt or taking offense from another person's actions.  You can be unhappy (不高兴) or disappointed （失望）, or in extreme cases you can be sad (难过). 

4) When I got home from work, I remembered I had to wash dishes, so I didn't have time to read (the novel).

The Chinese language and/or Chinese society is comfortable with lots of ambiguity for anything that is not the point you are trying to make. Here, the point is you didn't have time to read.  Does it really matter at what exact moment you remembered it?  Does it even matter what it was you had to do?  Lots and lots and lots of different ways to say that after you got home you were reminded of some duties that were more important than reading. The simplest would be:

我本来想读书，但是回家以后想起来了一些必须做的责任 （or 任务， or 家务）

or even:

我本来想要回家读书，但是家里有太多事必须有我来办。

5) She was really uncomfortable reading the People's Daily in the Reading Room because the furniture there is all old.

Does it matter what she was reading?

Does it even matter that "she" felt uncomfortable?

Anyone would feel uncomfortable in such old furniture, right?

So unless this is part of a story, a narrative of one girl's day that leads to something else important, most Chinese would probably drop most of the extraneous information and just say:

阅览室里的椅子太旧，太不舒服！

or

阅览室里的椅子太旧，让人坐得不舒服！

[skylee]

Please pay attention to typos.

[Nathan Mao]

I hate it when I have typos.

which ones did I still miss?

[skylee]

" 你找打了一位母语是普通话的人愿意跟你联系中文没有？"

 

"我本来想要回家读书，但是家里有太多事必须有我来办。"

 

Some sentences above sound quite awkward.  But I don't have the time to comment now.

[scottt]

Re (3)
我常常打网球赛，但是输球赛的时候我很伤心难过。
我常常打參加网球赛，但是输球赛的时候我很难过。
Remarks:
打网球 = Play tennis (with anyone, use for fun )
         Simular to 打篮球赛 (Play basketball)，踢足球赛 (Play soccer)...on our leisure time
网球赛 = Tennis competition (Much formal, such as tennis tournaments) ...with schedule and audiences
         Thus, attend (參加) that competition already means playing the tennis.
伤心 = Sad,  难过 = Sorry, not so low mode as 伤心。


 

[Nathan Mao]

@skylee

Ugh. Embarrassing.  It seems proofreading in Chinese is an additional skill that I haven't mastered yet.

 

" 你找到了一位母语是普通话的人愿意跟你练习中文没有？"

 

"我本来想要回家读书，但是家里有太多事必须又我来办。"

[Homogenik]

 

Thank you all very much for your time and attention. It was very helpful.

[scottt]

Re #10
我本来想要回家读书，但是家里有太多事必须又由我来办。

[skylee]

This is why students need dictation (and then doing their corrections) in language classes.

[Nathan Mao]

re: #12

 

我本来想要回家读书，但是家里有太多事必须又由我来办

 

If anyone ever asks about the difference between active and passive language skills, point them to #12 as a great example of that.

I can read Chinese literature w/o a dictionary.  I can converse about any topic I want to in Chinese, and even talk around unknown vocabulary.

I know it when I see it, but when I try to produce it, I make really glaring, basic errors.

 

Man, that's truly embarrassing.  真丢人！

 

Don't fear for me, though.  I'll console myself with a very large bottle of Val-U-Rite Vodka and then start practicing writing again for at least an hour a week.  I'm sure it will come back quickly...