Glossika Sentence Discussion Thread

[navaburo]

This thread is for discussion of grammar, vocabulary, and other details of the sentences contained in the newly released Glossika GMS/GSR audio files.

 

When posting, please mention the level (B1,B2, or B3) and the sentence number you are referencing.

 

For discussion/criticism/support of the method or the product pricing/quality/reviews please see another thread.

 

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I'll start off by asking a grammar question.

 

B1 S53 我有迟到吗？

"Am I late?"

 

I find myself saying "我迟到了吗?". Can one say that? Would that mean something different?

[OneEye]

The usage of 有 in that sentence is a feature of Taiwanese Mandarin. 我遲到了嗎 is perfectly fine, too.

[sangajtam]

So both versions can be used?

[imron]

@sangajtam it's possible to rearrange your question like so:

 

So you can use both versions?

 

The same can be done with Chinese - it's possible to express the same concept in multiple ways.

[navaburo]

@OneEye, thank you for the info.

 

In a similar vein, I would ask if the following use of 會 is also a Taiwan peculiarity:

 

B1 S152 你會口渴嗎？是，我口渴。Are you thirsty? Yes, I am (thirsty).

 

Typically 會 carries some modality, like possibility, ability, future, etc. But here I don't see what it is doing.

 

It seems my present dictionaries (Pleco's PLC, GF, and ABC) do not have an entry for this usage.

 

Perhaps I need a Taiwanese (colloquial) dictionary. Any suggestions?

[navaburo]

Mike's explanation of 會 is that it is often used with an "adjective condition", to show one is in the condition.

Perhaps this emphasizes the present nature of the condition.

(Mike is doing explanatory videos for each day. I don't know how he finds the time! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nCxx-jIz4uA)

[crt32]

I noticed several sentences in Basic 1 where the Chinese audio doesn't quite match the Chinese in the PDF.

 

One is #298, the PDF says 他都不清洗, while the audio actually is 他从不清洗.

Another is #309, the PDF says 他从不看电视, but the audio 他都不看电视.

There are some more sentences where 都不 and 从不 were mixed up like that.

Am I right to assume that these are interchangeable or is there any difference?

[tysond]

你會口渴嗎？  /  你会口渴吗？

 

I watched the video with this one and learned something new as I haven't seen 会 used quite this before.  

 

Would it be fair to think of this as being like "are you getting thirsty?" meaning the thirst is not quite here in full force yet, but imminent?

[sangajtam]

 why 

 

你看，那是我的朋友

 

but 你朋友在哪裡

 

is without 的 ?

 

also 你會餓嗎

later:

你餓嗎

without 會

 

 

你母親在家嗎

later:

with 的

你的母親在家嗎

 

why so different?

[navaburo]

@sangajtam:

的 can be dropped in certain circumstances. Especially when the head noun is a person. My impression is that it is to make it sound less like you possess the person. Also, the usage without 的 seems to be more 口語, but I'm not certain.

As for 會, it seems to be an optional filler word, perhaps with a very slight modal connotation.

I suppose both versions appear in the GMS to show that they are both acceptable.

[sangajtam]

Thanks, i hope that these and other varieties will not confuse me later.

[etm001]

 

 

Thanks, i hope that these and other varieties will not confuse me later.

 

These variations are deliberate - Mike refers to them as "Transformations Drills". In short,  there are multiple ways to express the same thought, e.g., "Could someone help me with my bags?" or "Could I get a hand with these bags?" See pg. 12 of the Chinese Fluency 1-3 manuals for further details.

[sangajtam]

 我在工作，我不是在看電視

but:

琶爸拉正在看報紙

or

電話在響

 

 

How do i know when to use 正在 and when only 在?

 

How do i know if something is transformation drill or grammar rule?

[etm001]

 

 

How do i know when to use 正在 and when only 在?

You can use both for expressing an action that is currently being performed. To me "正在" slightly stress that the action is happening right now, at this very moment. 

 

 

 

How do i know if something is transformation drill or grammar rule?

Well, the focus of the Glossika products is not to teach grammar or vocabulary - although you may pick up a lot of both as you complete the course. Glossika is meant to supplement your other learning materials, and is not meant for  beginning language learners (I'm not saying you are a beginner, I'm just stating what I know about the method's goals). In the case of 在 and 正在, for example, you did exactly what I would do: first look at the English translations provided in the GSM PDF; then consult a dictionary, textbook, etc.; and finally ask for clarification on a forum like this one. 

 

加油！

[wibr]

B1-203: 對，帶把傘。 Instead of dai4 ba3 I clearly hear da4 ba3. Does anyone hear this? Is this part of the Taiwanese accent, sloppy pronunciation or just me?

 

edit:

B1-227: 喜歡這部電影嗎？ The 部 is just left out in audio and written pinyin. Intentionally? Is this a difference between spoken and written language?

 

edit2:

B1-230 : 對，它壞了。他故障了。(talking about a clock) So is there any reason why it's first 它 and then 他? In the literal translation they also use it and he

[wibr]

So, my trusted native speaker says:

1. It should be dai4

2. Can be left out in spoken language

3. Should always be 它

[sangajtam]

I asked Mike on email and he replied:

 

 

We have a Glossika Discussion page on Facebook where you can get answers from other power users right away. We don't have the manpower to monitor discussions all over the web in all the different languages and markets we publish in at the moment. But we'll work on finding a solution to this.

 

B1-203

There is no problem with this one: it is dai4. However, it is pretty quick.

 

B1-227

There is no difference between spoken and written language. Although we have done our best to prevent these kinds of differences, it's akin to whether you pronounce "want to" as "wanna", or do you actually pronounce the {t} in "wanted" when speaking to friends and family (if you are American). Native speakers tend not to pronounce things when they are completely understood by context and do not affect the meaning.

Considering this as a spoken variation, we could have it re-recorded to include "部".

 

B1-230

This is a typo that will get fixed.

 

[wibr]

thanks!

[wibr]

Ok another one:

文傑會打電話給你嗎？

Does Wenjie ever call you?

 

This pattern 會/ever appears in several sentences... shouldn't this translate to:

Will Wenjie call you?

 

Edit: It's no. 382 in basic 1

[tooironic]

Either translation is possible given the context.

 

In Chinese, 会 can be used to indicate both the future and something which occurs regularly in the past. For example, it is acceptable in Chinese to say 我每周二会去看电影, but unacceptable in English to say "Every Tuesday I will go to the cinemas" ("Every Tuesday I go to the cinemas" or "I go to the cinemas every Tuesday" would be correct).