For example:“我八点以前吃早饭” (Wǒ bādiǎn yǐqián chī zǎofàn.)equates to “I eat breakfast before 8:00”. In order to let our learners understand each word in the sentence, we try to translate as literally as possible. It is also the correct verb in the phrase “make a phone call”.Ī word of warning! Memorizing “打”as “make” might not help your future learning because “打电话” (dǎ diànhuà) is a very special use of the verb. “打” (dǎ) has a rich meaning in Chinese and is probably best understood as “beat” or “hit”.
In fact, there is no word that exactly translates to “make” in this sentence. “他在打电话”(Tā zài dǎ diànhuà) again can’t be neatly translated from Chinese to English. One learner sent me a message and asked what the word for “make” was in this sentence:“他在打电话”. Just remember “写作业” (xiězuòyè) is also very common! 打电话(dǎ diàn huà) – make a phone call So if you like, you can always say “做作业” (zuòzuòyè). Maybe this is because most Chinese homework is paper work, so we can assume that most homework will involve having to write something.Īnother phrase “做作业” (zuòzuòyè) is a bit more similar to the English “do homework”. Chinese people just use the “写” (xiě) for “homework”. Since I had found this difference strange myself, I wasn’t surprised when I received an email this week in which the learner asked how on earth the word “write” could also mean “do”!Īctually”写 ”(xiě) doesn’t mean “do” at all.
She insisted that an American would never say “write homework” but rather, “do homework”. I once asked my American colleague if I could translate “写作业” (xiě zuòyè) into “write homework”. I hope will it help clear up some misunderstandings! 写作业(xiězuòyè) – do homework
Even the tiniest difference can create a lot of confusion, particularly when it comes to basic verbs!Īfter reading comments and questions from our users, I have decided to write a second post about the differences between Chinese and English verbs so that I can explain some more common verbs that I didn’t cover in part one. Although I always know Chinese and English were poles apart, I didn’t realize how much simple differences between the two languages could create problems for learners until I started developing the HelloChinese app.
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