EP7 How do you say...怎么说？

EP7 How do you say...怎么说？

If you are a newbie in Chinese, “怎么说 (how to say…)” is a very useful phrase that you should learn. Also, “这”“这个”“那”“那个” are very common pet phrases in Chinese language. So when Chinese people hesitated and say “这”and “这个”, what do they really mean? What’s the difference between “这”and “那”?

Part I：Chinese 101

Dialogue

A：请问，这个怎么说？

qǐng wèn ，zhè gè zěn me shuō ？

May I ask how do you say this?

B：这是一本书。

zhè shì yī běn shū。

This is a book.

A：那是什么？

nà shì shí me？

B：那是一个苹果。

nà shì yī gè píng guǒ。

That’s an apple.

Words and Expressions

【这】zhè;this

这是：This is

【那】nà; that

那是：That is.

【怎么】zěn me:by what means

Grammar: The word "how" can mean a lot of things, and so can its Chinese counterpart. In this case, it means "by what means" or "in what fashion." It precedes verbs.

你怎么过年？

nǐ zěnme guò nián？

How will you spend the New Year?

我怎么联系你？

wǒ zěnme liánxì nǐ？

How can I contact you?

【说】shuō; speak, say

说中文shuō Zhōngwén：to speak Chinese 

【书】shū; book

【一个】yī gè：one, an, a

【苹果】píng guǒ： apple

Part II: Language Tips 

• 这Zhe/zhei and 那Na/nei

• When Chinese people hesitated and say “这”and “这个”they mean...

• The "zhe ge/na ge-Chinese" 

• Differences between “这”and “那”：Is there a sense of distance? (Geographically and psychologically)

Part III: Story of the Day

熟能生巧：Practice Makes Perfect

熟能生巧

shú néng shēng qiǎo

Practice makes perfect

1000 years ago during the Northern Song Dynasty, an old oil peddler masterfully poured oil into a gourd and told everybody that practice makes perfect.

Literal meaning: Practice makes perfect

E.g

孰能生巧，你不必担心自己的中文口语，只要勤加练习就好了。

shú néng shēng qiǎo，nǐ bú bì dān xīn zì jǐ de zhōng wén kǒu yǔ，zhī yào qín jiā liàn xí jiù hǎo le。

Practice makes perfect, so you don't need to worry about your spoken Chinese proficiency. All you need to do is to practice more.