My favorite English expression from my wife

[Patrick & Li]

I remember the 1st time i actually tried talking to my wife on the phone. She hadnt spoken English in 10+ years. So she was a lot rusty.

We managed mainly because we were so excited to be talking to each other. We talked for maybe 2 hours with a conversation that you and I could have had in 5 minutes.

I remember her using a phrase that just melted my heart. It made me gilggle a little the 1st time she said it, and everytime after that, I would just smile!

 

Her phrase was " Just You Like".

 

We have now been talking on the phone everyday for over a year. She asked me to help her to speak correctly. So dumbass me, told her the the correct phrase would be "Whatever you want" , Now she no longer will say "Just You Like"

 

But, She now says another phrase that i just love to here her say, and i don't dare tell her or she will not use the old phrase again. , My new favorite phrase from her is " No this word". It means she is trying to find the proper word in her pocket translator and it will not translate for her.

 

OMG, I just Love my wife so much! She makes me laugh and smile everyday!

 

Patrick

[oregonknl]

Great Post Patrick!

 

Yeah, you need to be carefull not to correct the most endearing "original language"

 

My first daughter picked up several as she quickly learned English, and I didn't want to correct her:

 

So now she blames me a little bit when her classmates are correcting her ---"PAPA! Why did you let me say it that way all these years?!"

 

Jet's American versions, beginning at age two -- that she still uses interchangeably: Poc-A-tit = pocket Bas-A-kit = basket Cell-A-phone = Cell phone (sure, why not, if you have a telephone, why not a cell-A-phone)------ this one she still hasn't discovered yet, since we don't have cell phones.... But at age 9 hmmm...... could be a little hard on her when her classmates find out ---- too bad.....

[Robert S.]

Enjoyed your happy post, Patrick. It is so much fun to listen to them talk!!! Isn't it great when a lady laughs at herself for her language struggles? I love Chinese English almost better than regular English now.

[Stats]

Just wait until she gets here, then it really gets fun.

[sylinchinastill]

I have a funny one- we are preparing to go back to the states (11 days!) and the other day Hengli turned to me and said, "Do you think we should get a midget to take back with us?" I just looked at him for a second- then I said, "I don't think we can just buy a midget Hengli." Then he figured it out, "Not a midget- a dummy" (to hang clothes on to take pictures of for our business)- I laughed so hard.

[warpedbored]

When I first met Bing two years ago she didn't know how to say "the day after tomorrow" so it became "tomorrow tomorrow" I just love that but she won't say it anymore. Another she says I haven't corrected her on yet is "tell she I say hello" People tell me I should correct her grammar so she will learn english better but it is so endearing I just can't.

[Phil & Ningning]

Learning to communicate with each other can be a challenge, but if you are in love that challenge can be a wonderful joy.

There are many little phrases and things Ningning says that I find endearing and even cute, but one of my favorites is when she speaks of 'falling into sleep'. Of course she hears me say I 'fall asleep', and I do not "correct" such a clever use of the words she knows, when really it is not incorrect to begin with. She will pick up the normally accepted term eventually.

Ning often requests that I correct her English while we are talking. Often I do it, but sometimes I don't for fear of losing some of that unique charm. Other times I refrain from correcting her just because I want to hear what she has to say and don't want to interrupt her train of thought because of course, communication is still the main issue here.

[Trigg]

Cool stuff, my darlin' Fang Ling has too many "Chinglish" expressions to even consider listing BUT how many of you answer to the yells "HUSBAND!!!" that permeate the house when Tai Tai needs something. Fang Ling has a hard time saying Trigg, usually Tligga or shugga or??? So she simply calls me husband--I hear the yelps several times a day--And I come-a-runnin'

Trigg

[oregonknl]

I made the same mistake Patrick did -- I corrected one of Fei's most endearing words..

 

She often used it on the phone for the first 9 months before we met, and then when we finally did meet --- and while shopping a "BIG SALE" in GZ ---of women's undergarments-- open bins of the stuff, Han women three deep, pulling at everything... you get the picture...

 

(and when was the last time we men every went to such a sale !?! --only for OUR women...)

 

Anyway, she had managed to retrieve this black lace, low cut bra, slight scallop detail..

 

"OOOHHHH!!!! Very Saxy!"

 

........Man, how I wish I had never corrected her!

[warpedbored]

Cool stuff, my darlin' Fang Ling has too many "Chinglish" expressions to even consider listing BUT how many of you answer to the yells "HUSBAND!!!"  that permeate the house when Tai Tai needs something. Fang Ling has a hard time saying Trigg, usually Tligga or shugga or??? So she simply calls me husband--I hear the yelps several times a day--And I come-a-runnin'

Trigg

I couldn't help but chuckle at your wife not being able to say Trigg well. Bing has the same problem with saying Carl. It usually comes out sounding more like something a crow would say "caw" She has taken to calling me Darling instead. I don't know why the RL sound in darling would be any easier than in Carl but it is,

[Trigg]

When I first met Bing two years ago she didn't know how to say "the day after tomorrow" so it became "tomorrow tomorrow"  I just love that but she won't say it anymore.  Another she says I haven't corrected her on yet is "tell she I say hello"  People tell me I should correct her grammar so she will learn english better but it is so endearing  I just can't.

I've always wondered that myself. She trys to make an R sound and makes an L sound instead. "So solly" Then she trys an L and makes an R. "Folgive a me prease." She can , however, say "HUSBAND BALLY SIRRY MAN"?????//

[warpedbored]

Carllllll...you old crow....:).........

.....HongLi has picked up..."I'll kick your ass"!!!!....  hahaha

man I laughed so hard the first time she said that.......

have know idea where she got it......

Hmmmmm maybe one of those HK kung fu flicks with the english sub titles?

[monte]

For sometime I didn't understand that Ru was saying "the middle phone" when she would call me from her cell and I asked what phone she was on. If you are not talking on your home phone or your office phone then you are on the phone used "in the middle" or between home and office.

[natrigon]

For sometime I didn't understand that Ru was saying "the middle phone" when she would call me from her cell and I asked what phone she was on. If you are not talking on your home phone or your office phone then you are on the phone used "in the middle" or between home and office.

Are you sure she is not saying "mobile phone" overseas they do not say "Cell phone"?

[Mick]

Li is quite fluent so I don't have too many stories about her saying the wrong thing, surely not as many as she has about me saying the wrong thing in Chinese.

Interestingly, since coming stateside one of her favorite TV shows is "That 70's Show". She really loves Red! She just sits there and waits for him to say "dumb ass". Often she walks around saying certain people (not me of course) are dumb asses. I can only agree of course, or else I too would be a dumb ass.