Simplified Chinese course

Lesson 231 of 240

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Back home and here in Simplified Chinese

Maya and Auntie Lin compare a morning at home with breakfast on Banyan Lane. The egg pancake is fast; back home, breakfast takes longer.

Learn six lines for comparing two lives fairly: what felt strange, what you like, and what you still do not get.

Keep the tone even. A-Li sips his soy milk and does not finish it, as usual.

By the end of this lesson

Compare life back home with life in Taiwan fairly, including what you like and what you still find hard.

  • 我们那边不太一样Where I'm from it is a bit different.
  • 一开始我很不习惯At first I wasn't used to it.
  • 现在我已经习惯了Now I'm used to it.
  • 我最喜欢这里的是人情味What I like best here is the warmth of the people.
  • 有些地方我还是不太懂There are things I still don't get.
  • 各有各的好Each has its own good points.

Scene — breakfast two ways

Morning rush fills Banyan Breakfast. Auntie Lin works the counter while Maya waits for an egg pancake. A-Li occupies two stools at the back, soy milk still full.

They trade how a morning looks back home and how it looks on this lane. The comparison stays fair; nobody ranks one life over the other.

Morning rush fills Banyan Breakfast, with Auntie Lin at the griddle, Maya waiting for an egg pancake, and A-Li the yak on two stools with a full cup of soy milk.

Learn — home and here, fairly

These six lines help you compare home and Taiwan without taking sides. Listen, then say each one.

Notice 了 on 习惯了: it marks that the feeling has changed.

  1. Maya makes a small weighing gesture at the counter toward Auntie Lin, as if this morning and the one back home do not match.

    我们那边不太一样

    Where I'm from it is a bit different.

    When to use it: Use this to start a fair comparison with life back home.

    那边 here means where you come from, not a spot you can point to.

    Say it: 不 rises before 太 because 太 is a fourth tone.

  2. Maya hugs a tote close and stands rigid in the breakfast rush, not yet at ease in the crowd.

    一开始我很不习惯

    At first I wasn't used to it.

    When to use it: Use this when a new custom felt strange at the start.

    Pair 不 with 习惯 for not being used to something; 没 is the wrong fit here.

    Say it: 一 is fourth tone before 开, which is first tone.

  3. Maya sits at ease on a stool like a regular, calmly watching Auntie Lin work the griddle.

    现在我已经习惯了

    Now I'm used to it.

    When to use it: Use this after time has passed and the new life feels normal.

    了 here marks a change: you were not used to it, and now you are.

    Say it: 了 is a light, neutral ending after 习惯.

  4. Maya reaches with a glad posture as Auntie Lin holds out a steaming breakfast tray.

    我最喜欢这里的是人情味

    What I like best here is the warmth of the people.

    When to use it: Use this to name the one thing you like most about living here.

    最喜欢…的是 points to one favorite thing, then names it after 是.

  5. An unfamiliar breakfast tray sits in focus on the counter while Maya, soft in the background, tilts in confusion.

    有些地方我还是不太懂

    There are things I still don't get.

    When to use it: Use this when you want to stay honest about what still feels unclear.

    还是 means still here; it keeps a gap open instead of closing the story.

  6. Auntie Lin's open hands hover at equal height above the counter, giving even weight to two kinds of morning.

    各有各的好

    Each has its own good points.

    When to use it: Use this to close a comparison without ranking one side as better.

    各…各 shares the good points out, one side each, instead of picking a winner.

    Say it: 的 is a light, neutral tone between 各 and 好.

Story — a morning each way

Listen as Maya and Auntie Lin swap breakfast stories. A-Li adds a quiet line from his own first days.

Nobody ranks one country over the other, and the soy milk stays unfinished.

  1. Auntie Lin美女，早安。Morning, beautiful!
  2. Maya阿姨，早安。Good morning, Auntie.
  3. Auntie Lin你们那边早餐一样吗？Is breakfast the same where you're from?
  4. Maya我们那边不太一样。Where I'm from it is a bit different.
  5. Auntie Lin比如说？For example?
  6. Maya我们那边比较晚吃早餐。Where I'm from we eat breakfast later.
  7. Auntie Lin那时候习惯吗？Were you used to it then?
  8. Maya一开始我很不习惯。At first I wasn't used to it.
  9. A-Li我刚来的时候也一样。I was the same when I first arrived.
  10. Auntie Lin现在呢？And now?
  11. Maya现在我已经习惯了。Now I'm used to it.
  12. Auntie Lin你最喜欢这里什么？What do you like best here?
  13. Maya我最喜欢这里的是人情味。What I like best here is the warmth of the people.
  14. A-Li豆浆还没喝完。The soy milk still isn't finished.
  15. Auntie Lin还有不习惯的地方吗？Are there still things you're not used to?
  16. Maya有些地方我还是不太懂。There are things I still don't get.
  17. Auntie Lin那哪边比较好？So which side is better?
  18. Maya各有各的好。Each has its own good points.
  19. Auntie Lin两边我都能理解。I can understand both sides.

Practice — keep the comparison fair

Work through nine short tasks that use these comparison lines. Pick the line that stays fair.

After each answer, read why the other choices miss the point, then say the line again.

0 of 9 done

  1. What does it mean?

    我们那边不太一样

  2. Fill the gap

    At first I wasn't used to it.

    一开始我很不____

  3. Build the line

    Now I'm used to it.

    Tap the words in order.

  4. What did you hear?

  5. Swap the word

    You have lived here a while, but some customs still confuse you.

    有些地方我____不太懂

  6. What do you say?

    Auntie Lin asks which breakfast is better, home or here. Stay fair.

  7. Pick the reply

    Auntie Lin says:

    我觉得细节差很多。

    I think the details differ a lot.

    And you reply with:

  8. What do you say?

    A newer customer freezes at the counter. Reassure them you felt the same at first.

  9. Pick the reply

    Auntie Lin says:

    两边你都能理解吗？

    Can you understand both sides?

    And you reply with:

Say it — your two mornings

You are Maya at the counter. Answer Auntie Lin and A-Li with the comparison lines you just learned.

Tap the microphone when it is your turn. You can replay their lines first.

  1. Morning at Banyan Breakfast. Auntie Lin asks about breakfast back home.
  2. Auntie Lin你们那边早餐一样吗？Is breakfast the same where you're from?
  3. Maya (you)Say that where you come from is a bit different.

    我们那边不太一样

    Where I'm from it is a bit different.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

Simplified ChineseEnglish
我们那边不太一样Where I'm from it is a bit different.
一开始我很不习惯At first I wasn't used to it.
现在我已经习惯了Now I'm used to it.
我最喜欢这里的是人情味What I like best here is the warmth of the people.
有些地方我还是不太懂There are things I still don't get.
各有各的好Each has its own good points.
Next: lesson 232Reading notices and signs

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Today's comparison lines are in Yak Cards with more ways to talk about home and here.

Review a few comparison cards so fair answers come quickly.

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