Mandarin Chinese Learners

算了 (suàn le) 1. 算 (suàn) means (1) calculation; (2) calculate. 算了 (suàn le) could mean "calculated". Like 我算了，他欠我三百元。 Wǒ suàn le, tā qiàn wǒ sān bǎi Yuán. I calculated, he owes me 300 Yuan. 2. However, 算了 (suàn le) can also be used as a phrase with the following meanings: forget it; forget about it; drop it; leave it at that; let it pass; let it be; leave it be. For example, 算了，我不买车了。 Suàn le, wǒ bù mǎi chē le. Forget it, I'm not going to buy a car.

吃不了 vs 吃不够 vs 不够吃 All the three are about "eat" or "eating", but they are totally different. 吃不了 should be read as "chī bù liǎo", not "chī bù le". 我吃不了 mean "I can't eat" that could be because of any of the following: (1) too much food to eat; (2) allergic to the food; (3) I don't like the food. 吃不够 (chī bú gòu) implies that the person never feels enough no matter how much he eats. 我吃不够 could mean: (1) I want to eat even more; or (2) I want to eat the food very often, and never feel enough. 不够吃 (bú gòu chī) means that there is not enough (food) available. 这些牛肉不够吃 simply means: (1) The beef is not enough (for the people) to consume. Any questions or comments?

吃饱了 vs 吃好了 These two are often used in daily life, like 我吃饱了。 Wǒ chī bǎo le. 我吃好了。 Wǒ chī hǎo le. They have the same meaning, but 我吃饱了 sounds very informal, and you are not supposed to say it, for example, as a guest. It's equivalent to "I am (already) full." 我吃好了 sounds formal, but never too formal. You can say it whenever and wherever you want to. It's about the same as "I ate well."

Tips: Never use two or more question words in a single question 1. 你是否去中国吗？ This question is wrong, because it uses two question words: 是否 and 吗. If one of the two is used, however, each of the following is right: 1.1. 你是否去中国？ 1. 2. 你去中国吗？ 2. 你什么时候吃不吃牛肉？ It sounds incorrect, since both 什么时候 and 吃不吃 are question words. However, the following two are both correct: 2.1. 你什么时候吃牛肉？ 2.2. 你吃不吃牛肉？

Tips: Avoid Over Using 的 Look at this sentence: 我喜欢我的爸爸的同事的朋友。 Wǒ xǐhuān wǒ de bàba de tóngshì de péngyǒu. First of all, this sentence is understandable and conveys what it means. However, native Chinese don't say it. Why? It uses too many 的 and thus, sounds weird. If the first 的 is removed, it becomes: 我喜欢我爸爸的同事的朋友。 Now, it sounds better and natives say it sometimes, simply because 我的爸爸 = 我爸爸. If the first two 的 are removed, it reads: 我喜欢我爸爸同事的朋友。 No doubt, it sounds normal and the best, many natives say it very often, as 我爸爸的同事 = 我爸爸同事.

Tips: Some textbooks say this kind of sentences (like 这个电视是好) is incorrect. Actually, that is false. Why?? First of all, native speakers do say 这个电视是好 and the like. Secondly, this kind of sentences sounds the speaker is emphasizing his/her point, meaning "Indeed, this TV is good." Compared to the sentence "这个电视好", "这个电视是好" is not very commonly spoken, simply because people don't need to put an emphasis very often. Similarly, "这个电视是贵" is also correct. It means "This TV is expensive, indeed."

The meanings of the two 没.