Today I went swimming and asked my friend Victoria, who speaks English and Mandarin Chinese, how do I say, in Chinese, 'I like swimming'?
Her answer sounded like:
Wo see won (or han) yo yor.
I devised two memory aids. I know that wo is I.
Woe, the sea has killed one, is one of you, of yours?
That is reather negative, though easy to remember.
Another version could be :
Woah! See one (gift for) you (and) yours.
Google translate gave me this:
It translates back as I like swim.
Yi-shi one (number one as you can see from the horizontal line) is the formal version of I, like oneself.
Ma is a question word. Add it on the end of any statement and you have a question. Japanese is the same, with the word deska, or desuka.
Useful websites
I also know that Ni is you. Ni how is you good, meaning how are you, or are you well? (The reply is how spelled hau in pinyin, like the German word blau for blue which is also a common german surname. ( I recall a good friend from Harrow Writers' Circle called Karl Blau.)
About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.
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Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 VC5
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