Here's a great, quick way to learn Chinese.
And understand the ingredients of lots of foods.
Where will you see these foods?
Everywhere.
Especially in Singapore food courts.
In Singapore restaurants and supermarkets and food courts you will see lots of signs and friends from sia will recommend and yearn for their favourite dishes.
It's so much easier to remember the names when you know the component parts.
Chinese Language
The Chinese language, or main language taught nationwide in schools, is Mandarin, the language of the capital, Beijing.
Chinese
For example
popiah
po is thin
pian is round
So a round thin pancake. Rolled up around the filling.
Chinese - English
Po - thin
Pian - round
popian - fried, round stuffed pancake
'shay-shay' - thank you
English - Chinese
round - pian
thin - po
stuffed pancake - popian
thank you - 'shay-shay'
(Listen to the recorded messages in English, Chinese and Malay on the Singapore MRT underground railway stations and you will hear the announcements ending in thank you in English, Chinese and Malay as well as Tamil.)
Malay
The Malay language and Indonesian are similar. Some of the vocabulary is different. Malay is easier than Chinese for ENglish speakers because there are no tones. The language is phonetic.
Chinese and Malay Grammar
The grammar of Chinese and Malay is easy. No verb to be, no past and future tenses ( I go yesterday I go tomorrow. The noun and verb are often the same. Plurals are the word repeated so thank you in Chinese sounds like shay-say, like thanks, thanks. Similarly, child in Malay is anak and children is anak-anak.
Indonesia has different languages on different islands. On some islands most people are trilingual, speaking English, chinese (mandarin) and another Chinese dialect or Indonesian or Malay.
Goreng is fried.
Fried banana from ProjectManhattan in Wikipedia under friend banana Pisang goreng
Pisang goreng is fried banana.
It took me a while to learn that pisang is banana.
Deep fried banana does look very battered and bad for one's diet. As the old song said, 'It's immoral, it's illegal - or it makes you fat!' Enjoy.
Malay - English
makan - food
minuman - drink
pisang goreng - fried banana
terima kasih - thank you
English - Malay
drink - minuman
food - makan
fried banana - pisang goreng
thank you - terima kasih
Quick ways to learn the language
Pick up a bilingual take away menu (the Americans say take out). Circle words which sound similar in both languages. Circle food you want to order and add a tick. Learn to say them smiling nodding your head.
Circle words describing foods you do not like and add an X. Learn to say them frowning and shaking your head.
Useful Websites
http://www.singlishdictionary.com/
singaporeair.com
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
And understand the ingredients of lots of foods.
Where will you see these foods?
Everywhere.
Especially in Singapore food courts.
In Singapore restaurants and supermarkets and food courts you will see lots of signs and friends from sia will recommend and yearn for their favourite dishes.
It's so much easier to remember the names when you know the component parts.
Chinese Language
The Chinese language, or main language taught nationwide in schools, is Mandarin, the language of the capital, Beijing.
Chinese
For example
popiah
po is thin
pian is round
So a round thin pancake. Rolled up around the filling.
Chinese - English
Po - thin
Pian - round
popian - fried, round stuffed pancake
'shay-shay' - thank you
English - Chinese
round - pian
thin - po
stuffed pancake - popian
thank you - 'shay-shay'
(Listen to the recorded messages in English, Chinese and Malay on the Singapore MRT underground railway stations and you will hear the announcements ending in thank you in English, Chinese and Malay as well as Tamil.)
Malay
The Malay language and Indonesian are similar. Some of the vocabulary is different. Malay is easier than Chinese for ENglish speakers because there are no tones. The language is phonetic.
Chinese and Malay Grammar
The grammar of Chinese and Malay is easy. No verb to be, no past and future tenses ( I go yesterday I go tomorrow. The noun and verb are often the same. Plurals are the word repeated so thank you in Chinese sounds like shay-say, like thanks, thanks. Similarly, child in Malay is anak and children is anak-anak.
Indonesia has different languages on different islands. On some islands most people are trilingual, speaking English, chinese (mandarin) and another Chinese dialect or Indonesian or Malay.
Goreng is fried.
Pisang goreng is fried banana.
It took me a while to learn that pisang is banana.
Deep fried banana does look very battered and bad for one's diet. As the old song said, 'It's immoral, it's illegal - or it makes you fat!' Enjoy.
Malay - English
makan - food
minuman - drink
pisang goreng - fried banana
terima kasih - thank you
English - Malay
drink - minuman
food - makan
fried banana - pisang goreng
thank you - terima kasih
Quick ways to learn the language
Pick up a bilingual take away menu (the Americans say take out). Circle words which sound similar in both languages. Circle food you want to order and add a tick. Learn to say them smiling nodding your head.
Circle words describing foods you do not like and add an X. Learn to say them frowning and shaking your head.
Useful Websites
http://www.singlishdictionary.com/
singaporeair.com
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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