Merry Christmas!

聖 誕 快 樂！
sing3 daan3 faai3 lok6!

Christmas 2011

We've decided to do three more classes before Christmas 2011

• 30th November
• 7th December
• 14th December

If your interested just contact PuiPui for more information

Want to join a Beginners Cantonese class?

If you're new to Cantonese and would like to join a 'level 1' class, now is good time to let PuiPui know that you're interested!

Autumn Term 2011

The new term starts this week, see right for times & locations - there's still space, so don't forget to contact PuiPui if you're interested in joining!

Dim Sum Meet up - September 2011

We're having an informal meet up in China Town, London. At 12 midday on Sunday 4th September 2011 Would you like to join us? If you've been thinking of joining one of our classes in Sept it would be a good opportunity to meet other students and discuss your level if you're not a complete beginner to Cantonese.
No need to enrol or commit to classes on that day, it's just a meet up of existing students, our teacher (SiuMay) and a few new people who are thinking of joining.
For more details or to attend please contact PuiPui as we'll be booking tables in advance.

Summer holidays 2011

We're all taking a summer holiday and classes will resume in September; see the right hand side for dates.
Please feel free to contact PuiPui should you have any queries or questions, or if' you'd like to enrol for September.

Housework / home chores - ga1 mo4

home chores you do at home	Hai2 ok1 kei2 jo4 gei3 ga1 mo4
Who’s responsible for the housework?	Bin1 gor3 fu4 jak3 jo4 ga1 mo4?
What chores do you like doing?	Nei5 jong1 yi3 jo4 mut1 yeh5 ga1 mo4?
Who’s responsible for the washing dishes?	Bin1 gor3 fu4 jak3 sai2 woon2?
Who does the laundry?	Bin1 gor3 fu4 jak3 sai2 saam1?
Who empties the bins?	Bin1 gor3 fu4 jak3 duum2 lap4 sap3?
Who does the cooking?	Bin1 gor3 fu6 jak3 jue2 fan4?
What time of day do you like to do your housework?	Mut1 yeh5 si6 gaan3 jo4 ga1 mo4 joi3 ho2?
Cinderella	Fui1 gu1 leung4
Clean the bath	Sang2 yuk4 gong1
Dishwasher (machine)	Sai2 woon2 dip3 gei1
Drying clothes	Long3 saam1
Dust the floor	So3 dei4
Hovering	Kup1 chan6
Laundry	Sai2 saam1
Make the bed	Po1 chong6
Tidy up/reorganise	Jup1 yeah5
two-in-one washer and dryer	yi6 hap6 jat1 sai2 yi1 gon1yi1 gei1
Wash dishes	Sai2 woon2
Wash toilet	Sai2 chi3 sor2
Wipe the floor	Mat3 dei6
Bathroom	Chung1 leung4 fong2
A Bedroom	Yat1 (gaan1) soi6 fong2
Dining room	Faan3 teng1
Hall/corridor	zau2 long2
Kitchen	chu4 fong2
A Sitting room	Yat1 (goh3) haak3 teng1
A study	Yat1 (goh3/gaan1) sue1 fong2
toilet	Chi3 sor2
always dirty dishes downstairs	sang6 yat3 woo1 jo1 dip3 lau4 haa6
dusty	Dor1 chaan4
everything	Mat1 doh1
heavy	cung5
help me!	Boong1 ngoh5
smelly	cau3
sometimes	Yau5 si4
Can you smell it?	Nei5 man4 m5 man4 do2a3?
they can’t smell it	Koi5 dei3 man4 m5 do2
upstairs	Lau4 Seung3

New Reading Class Starting July 2011

There's a new class starting for Cantonese speakers who can recognise roughly 250-300 traditional Chinese characters, but are not yet able to read a newspaper or novel. They'll be working on Beginning Chinese Reader Part 2 by John DeFrancis which is available from Amazon.co.uk and Abebooks.co.uk as well as 'real' novels

It will held on Monday evenings 6.15-7.15pm near Russell Square tube station let puipui know if you're interested. First session is on the 18th July 2011 but you can join at any time there after (no need to wait to the beginning of next term).

If you're a less advanced Cantonese student (like me!) there will be other reading classes starting in September; just let me know what level you roughly think you're at, and I'll suggest which class you could join.
The first class is free - to help you find the right level.

Autumn Term 2011 - Elementary (Level 2) Speaking Classes

The Level 2 Class (2011 Autumn  Term) begins Wednesday 14th September 2011 8-10pmmeet SiuMay at Pret across the road from Russell Square tube station. 
All classes are on Wednesdays unless otherwise stated:

• 14th September 2011
• 21st Sept

**no class 28th Sept** 

• 5th October
• 12th Oct
• 19th Oct
• 26th Oct
• 2nd November
• 9th Nov
• 16th Nov
• 23rd Nov 

If you're interested in joining or for further information about fees, please email PuiPui  (your first lesson's FREE!) 

Autumn Term 2011 - Intermediate (Level 3) Speaking Classes

Intermediate Speaking Classes are scheduled for the following dates (all on Wednesdays unless otherwise specified) @6pm at the Camden Chinese Community Centre. 

• 14th September 2011
• 21st Sept

**no class 28th Sept** 

• 5th October
• 12th Oct
• 19th Oct
• 26th Oct
• 2nd November
• 9th Nov
• 16th Nov
• 23rd Nov 

If you're interested in joining, please let PuiPui know (your first lesson's FREE!) and thereafter you just pay your 'share' of room hire and teacher's fee.

My Home - Ngor5 ok1 kei2

Q.        Nei ⁵ Yau⁵ Gei² Dor³ Gaan³ Fong² a³? 

How many rooms do you have [at home]?

A. Ngoh⁵ dei⁶ yau⁵ Leung⁵ Gaan¹ Sui⁴ Fong²,

We have two bedrooms,
Yau⁵ Leung⁵ Gor³ Che³ Sor²,

Have two Bathrooms,
Yaat¹ Gaan¹ Haak³ Taang⁴ tung⁶ Hoi⁴ Fong³ Sik¹ Chu⁶ Fong²,

A Living room with an open style Kitchen,
Ngoh⁵ jui⁶ Haai² yaat¹ jor⁶ sei³ Chang⁴ laau² gei³ daai⁶ ha⁶.

I live in a four Storey apartment,
Ngoh⁵ Ok¹ Kei² Haai⁵ Sei³ Lau²,

My home is on the fourth floor.

---

Q.           Nei⁵ Yau⁵ Mo⁵ Fa¹ Yuen²?

Do you have a garden?

A.            Ngoh⁵ mo⁵ Fa¹ Yuen², Daan³ Haai³ Yau⁵ Yaat¹ Gor⁴ Lo³ Toi⁶,

I don’t have a garden, but I have a Balcony

---

Q.           Nei⁵ Tong⁴ Bin¹ Gor³ Ju⁴ a³?

Who do you live with?

A.          Ngoh⁵ Tong⁴ Ngoh⁵ Lo⁵ Gung¹ Ju⁴.

I live with my husband

Or.      Ngoh⁵ Tong⁴ Ngoh⁵ Nam⁴ Pun⁴ Yaau⁵, Tong⁴ Yaat¹ Dui⁴ Fu¹ Fu⁵ Ju⁴.

I live with my Boyfriend, and a married couple.

Or.          Ngoh⁵ Ji⁴ Gei² Ju⁴.

I live alone

Or.          Ngoh⁵ tong⁴ kei⁴ ta¹ jo¹ haak³ ju⁴.

I live with flatmates (I live with other renters)

---

Q.   Nei⁵ Hai² Gor² Do⁴ Ju⁴ Jor² Gei² Loi⁴ ah³?

        How long have you been living there?

A.            Leung⁵ Gor³ Yut⁴ la³.

                Two months.

Or.          Yaat¹ Nin⁴.

                A Year.

Q.  Nei⁵ Jung¹ m⁴ Jung¹ yee³ nei⁵ Ok¹ Kei² ah³?

                Do you like your home?

A.           Ngoh⁵ Jung¹ Yee⁴

                I like it

Sleeping Beauty - Soi mei yan

Once upon a time…	Chong6 chin4
King	Gwok3 wong4
Queen	Noi5 wong4
Princess	Gung1 jue2
Prince	Wong4 ji2
Angry	San1 hei4 (written)
Angry	Lau1 (spoken)
ball [a feast]	Yin3 wooi6
blessing	Juk1 fok1
Broken heart	Seung1 sam1
Clever	Chung1 ming4 ling4 lei6
Dead	Sei2 mong4
decide	Kut3 ding6
evil	Che4 ok3
Fairies	Sin1 looi2
finally	Joi3 hau6
finger	Sau2 ji2
finish	Yuen4
flying	Fei1
food	Sik2 mat6
Gold tray	Gam1poon1 gi2
Happiness	Fai3 lok6
invite	Cheung2
pianist	Kum1 si1
Present (gift)	Laai5 mat6
realised	Sat1 yin5
revenge	Bo3 sau
servants	Gung1 yan4
The world	Sai3 gaai3
To be born	Chut1 sai3
To happen	Fat3 sang1
To miss out (to forget)	Lau6 die6
Voice/sound	Sing1 yam1
Wake up [someone]	Wun3 seung2
Wish/ hope	Hei1 mong6

Cantongazine

This blog has weekly cute cartoons accompanying Cantonese expressions.
http://www.cantongazine.com/blog.html

Take a look:
http://www.cantongazine.com/sentence01.html

This one's a bit spooky:
http://www.cantongazine.com/wow-beating-petty-people.html

m ho dam sum chak yim ge si - don't worry about the test ;)

·         A new student is very worried about the weekly test

·         Yau⁵ Yat¹ goh³ san¹ ge³ hok⁶ sang¹ ho² dam¹ sum¹ moi⁵ goh³ laai⁵ baai³ ge³ chak¹ yim⁶

·         You have to tell him the format of the test

·         Nei⁵ yue³ wa⁶ bei² koi⁵ teng¹ chak¹ yim⁶ gei³ gak³ sik¹

·         Encourage the new student

·         Gwo² lie³ li¹ goh³ san¹ ge³ hok⁶ san¹

Do you have any questions?	Yau2 mo2 man3 taai6?
Don’t worry	m6 ho2 dam1 sum1
It’s ok	m6 gan1 yue3 [lit: not important]
It’s quite easy	gei2 gan2 dan1
It’s very difficult	ho2 lan4
Multiple choice	soon2 jak3 taai6 [lit: choice question]
You have 3 choices	nei5 yau5 saam1 goh3 soon2 jak6
To guess	(tiu) gwoo2
Questions	man4 taai6
Exam	hau2 si5
Result	Git3 gwor2
To pass	hap6 gak3
Mark	fan1
Practice	lin3 jap3
Reading aloud test	yeut3 dok3 chat1 yim6
Listening test	Ling6 ting3 chat1 yim6
Open book exam	hoi1 goon1 chat1 yim6
Can you re-sit?	Nei5 hoh2 m6 hoh2 yee3 chong6 hau2?
What’s the pass mark?	Gei2 do1 fan1 sin1 hap6 gak3?
You need 50% to pass	nei5 yue3 dap3 arm1 ng5 sing6 sin1 hap6 gak3
90% to pass	Bak3 fan6 ji1 gau2 sap6 hap6 gak3

iPhone Cantonese Appli

The best way to improve your foreign language skills is to stay in touch with the language and culture all the time! We live in the age of information technology and there are many helpful and fun tools out there. I think the following iPhone "cha chaan teng menu" application is really cool :)

http://itunes.apple.com/app/hong-kong-style-cafe-food/id324829367?mt=8

As you can see from the photo, it shows both English word and Cantonese word (incl. Pin Yin & Chinese characters) AND how to pronouce the word in Cantonese with sound.

Always try to order in Cantonese when you are in Chinatown!

China & Taiwan 'first joint dictionary' BBC article

I found this article by Cindy Sui (BBC News Taipei) very interesting. Basically it's about how Mandarin Chinese is evolving separately in Taiwan and the mainland, over the last 60 years, and how different the two are becoming:

"When it comes to speaking, while both sides use Mandarin Chinese as the official dialect, they say even simple words like rice, hot water, and panda differently -

"mi fan," "bai kai shui," and "xiong mao" in China, versus

"bai fan," "re shui" and "mao xiong" in Taiwan.

These differences might seem slight, but some are not. In China, you refer to your spouse as your "ai ren", but that means your lover in Taiwan."

Also, of course, Taiwan and Hong Kong use Traditional characters and the Mainland uses Simplified characters: the article shows the examples below: 

Apparently "40 million non-Chinese nationals are learning simplified characters... 

and 30 million people use traditional characters daily" -Wow!

This bit amused me too:- "I don't really like to write Chinese characters; it's very tiring," said eight-year-old Lee Mi.

LOL I know what you mean kid, it takes me ages to write in Chinese too :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13467598