I’ve been hanging out a lot with some Taiwanese and Chinese friends lately and that makes me realize the difference between the levels of our Mandarin proficiency.Why? Because I’m so used to speaking Rojak language, I like to add a few English words in between my mandarin sentences since young. Everyone besides me seems to be fine with the way I speak, so I never bother to even figure out the Chinese words of those English words.
Until recently, I noticed this habit has become a minor problem of mine. I realized I can’t express myself spontaneously in complete chinese sentences.
For instance, I was cooking for my friends yesterday and I mentioned out the ingredients verbally. I said:
我需要洋葱，蒜，青葱，soy sauce，鸡胸肉，麻油，corn starch…..
And then I paused for a while to think of the chinese word of corn starch.
玉蜀黍粉？Hmmm, that’s not it… what’s corn starch in Chinese then?
After much hesitation,I decided to ask my friend what corn starch in Mandarin is and she told me 太白粉！
太白粉….I never knew that!!!!
This is just a typical situation I’m confronting though, I’ve learnt more Chinese words everytime I’m with them, because the way we speak Mandarin is just so different. It’s like I hardly say 机车 to describe people who’re annoying and ostentatious, and I usually use串 instead. Also I don’t say 屌 but I say 酷.
Hehe, it seems like I’ve to cope with listening these words from now onwards, while improving my Chinese simultaneously.
Share with you one word that I’ve just learnt from Isis-断袖分桃. ^.^ Have fun figuring it out, lol.