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Mandarin Monkey Podcast

想 xiǎng vs. 要 yào | Confusion Mandarin & English words | Mandarin Monkey Podcast

Ep. 389
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Ula and Tom speak about some confusing Mandarin and English words. All in Mandarin and English (Chinglish) for your listening pleasure.


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帶 (dài) vs. 戴 (dài)

  • 帶 (dài): to bring/carry (請帶你的護照。Qǐng dài nǐ de hùzhào. – Please bring your passport.)
  • 戴 (dài): to wear (accessories) (她戴了一條項鍊。Tā dài le yī tiáo xiàngliàn. – She wore a necklace.)

買 (mǎi) vs. 賣 (mài)

  • 買 (mǎi): to buy (我買了一本書。Wǒ mǎi le yī běn shū. – I bought a book.)
  • 賣 (mài): to sell (這家店賣衣服。Zhè jiā diàn mài yīfú. – This store sells clothes.)

見 (jiàn) vs. 見面 (jiànmiàn)

  • 見 (jiàn): to see (我昨天見到了他。Wǒ zuótiān jiàn dào le tā. – I saw him yesterday.)
  • 見面 (jiànmiàn): to meet (我們下週見面。Wǒmen xià zhōu jiànmiàn. – We will meet next week.)

聽 (tīng) vs. 停 (tíng)

  • 聽 (tīng): to listen (請聽我說。Qǐng tīng wǒ shuō. – Please listen to me.)
  • 停 (tíng): to stop (請停車。Qǐng tíngchē. – Please stop the car.)

還 (hái) vs. 還 (huán)

  • 還 (hái): still/yet (我還沒吃飯。Wǒ hái méi chīfàn. – I haven’t eaten yet.)
  • 還 (huán): to return something (請還我書。Qǐng huán wǒ shū. – Please return my book.)

做 (zuò) vs. 作 (zuò)

  • 做 (zuò): to do/make (我要做飯。Wǒ yào zuò fàn. – I am going to cook.)
  • 作 (zuò): to act as or create (這是他的作品。Zhè shì tā de zuòpǐn. – This is his work.)

借 (jiè) vs. 接 (jiē)

  • 借 (jiè): to borrow/lend (我可以借你的筆嗎？Wǒ kěyǐ jiè nǐ de bǐ ma? – Can I borrow your pen?)
  • 接 (jiē): to pick up (phone/person) or receive (我要去機場接他。Wǒ yào qù jīchǎng jiē tā. – I am going to the airport to pick him up.)

試 (shì) vs. 是 (shì)

  • 試 (shì): to try (請試試這個。Qǐng shì shì zhège. – Please try this.)
  • 是 (shì): to be (我是老師。Wǒ shì lǎoshī. – I am a teacher.)

借 (jiè) vs. 還 (huán)

  • 借 (jiè): to borrow (他借了我的書。Tā jiè le wǒ de shū. – He borrowed my book.)
  • 還 (huán): to return (請還我書。Qǐng huán wǒ shū. – Please return my book.)

光 (guāng) vs. 亮 (liàng)

  • 光 (guāng): light (陽光很好。Yángguāng hěn hǎo. – The sunlight is nice.)
  • 亮 (liàng): bright (這盞燈很亮。Zhè zhǎn dēng hěn liàng. – This lamp is very bright.)

換 (huàn) vs. 變 (biàn)

  • 換 (huàn): to exchange/change (我要換錢。Wǒ yào huàn qián. – I need to exchange money.)
  • 變 (biàn): to transform (他變了很多。Tā biàn le hěn duō. – He has changed a lot.)

想 (xiǎng) vs. 要 (yào)

  • 想 (xiǎng): to think or miss someone (我想你。Wǒ xiǎng nǐ. – I miss you.)
  • 要 (yào): to want or need (我要喝水。Wǒ yào hē shuǐ. – I want to drink water.)

近 (jìn) vs. 進 (jìn)

  • 近 (jìn): near (我家很近。Wǒ jiā hěn jìn. – My home is close.)
  • 進 (jìn): to enter (請進來。Qǐng jìnlái. – Please come in.)

難 (nán) vs. 男 (nán)

  • 難 (nán): difficult (這題很難。Zhè tí hěn nán. – This question is very difficult.)
  • 男 (nán): male (他是男生。Tā shì nánshēng. – He is a boy.)

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