Monday, July 4, 2005

How to ask for 80 chickens in Mandarin.

One of the fundamental lessons of any language is the ability to ask for 80 chickens. It teaches you about the language's basic grammar, the structure of a request statement, numerical expressions, and how to order something at a restaurant if you are really hungry. This phrase may save you life one day, so you should be taking detailed notes.

English: "I want eighty chickens."

Mandarin: "Woh yaow bah shii jee."
French: "Je veux quatre-vingt poulets."
Spanish: "Deseo ochenta pollos."
Italian: "Desidero ottanta polli."
German: "Ich wünsche achtzig hühner."

Despite the universal importance of this particular phrase, I could not find it easily in any phrasebook. Nor could I find these phrases:
  • "I am lost and have a lot of money."
  • "I am not allowed near children."
  • "I can act as my own legal counsel."
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, useful advice, thanks!

Here's some of the other phrases in German & French, though used at one's own risk:

1. "Ich bin verloren, und ich habe viel Geld."

2. "Ich darf nicht in der Nähe von Kinder sein."

3. "Ich kann mir rechtsberatend beistehen." ?

1. "Je suis perdu, et j'ai beaucoup d'argent."

2. "Je ne peux pas être auprès des enfants."

3. ??

There's all this essential stuff they just don't teach you in a class, y'know?

7/05/2005 7:55 AM

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