Is "在" necessary in this case? In English we use be+ verb (ing form) to indicate present, continuous action. In Chinese my understanding is that 在 is used somewhat similarly, like in the sentence below: 医生在诊患者 My question is: Is it also grammatically correct to simply say: 医生诊患者 (ie., leave out "在")? Or, to put it another way, is "在" REQUIRED in such a sentence? If we leave it out does it change the sense, or make the sentence simply wrong, grammatically speaking?

我有东西吃 May I use both or either: 我有东西吃 or 我有东西吃饭 (is this one incorrect, if so, why?)

différence entre l'imparfait et le passé composé Laquelle de ces deux phrases suivantes est correcte? Et pourqoui? (Ou peut-être soit phrase est acceptable en fonction de l'utilisation?): L'histoire a été l'un de mes sujets préférés à l'école. ou L'histoire etait l'un de mes sujets préférés à l'école.

这个饭馆在哪儿 & 这个饭馆在哪里 A Mandarin teaching app I'm using (Memrise) has a test question that translates "where is the restaurant?" as 这个饭馆在哪儿 ? but earlier in the lesson it teaches us that "where" is 在哪里...which would make the sentence: 这个饭馆在哪里? So, is there a difference? Is either correct?Also, a Chinese friend (she is from Sichuan) says she usually uses "餐馆" as restaurant. Is 饭馆 seldom-used, or outdated? Which word do YOU use for "restaurant?"

Pronunciation Question Anybody know how the word "italki" is supposed to be pronounced in English? Is it: eye talk ee eye talk eye ee talk ee ee talk eye Anybody know?

difference between 我想 & 我要 Could someone please explain difference between 我想 & 我要 ? Thanks!

lequel est correct? Quand mes enfants sont plus âgés, on va visiter l'Australie en vacances. ou Quand mes enfants seront sont plus âgés, on va visiter l'Australie en vacances.ooops! deusieme phrase devrait etre: Quand mes enfants seront plus âgés, on va visiter l'Australie en vacances.

difference between 喜 & 喜欢 Can someone please explain why in Chinese we use 喜欢? Because the dictionary says that 喜 (alone) also means "like." Is it possible to use only the fist character (我喜啤酒) or must we use both characters (我喜欢啤酒)? 对不起，很基本的问题...我是初学者 !!

Chat & Online Shortcuts/Slang

Do you know any of the shortcuts, abbeviations and slang English-speakers use when they're using text and social media, or are discussing things online? Here are a few I'm familiar with:

 

TTYL (talk to you later)

K (ok...that's settled...everything is fine)

LOL (laugh out loud...that's very funny)

NP (no problem)

YMMV (your mileage may vary, ie., you might come to a different conclusion, or see things differently)

(: (bracket + colon=a smiley face)

TY (thank you)

 

I bet you can think of many others -- maybe even some you've come across, but weren't sure what they mean.