₦airaland Forum

etrange:
Keep twisting it and keep changing the goal post.

First, you said my translation was wrong. Now (apparently after consulting Google), you're back to say it's old. Still you're wrong either ways. It is an informal greeting between friends and family members (also used when you want to go very personal instead of the typical "ni hao?". It might be older than recent informal greetings but it's still commonly used everywhere in streets of Beijing till this very minute.

Let's even assume it's actually deprecated like you said, how does that make my translation wrong? Was my grammar wrong? Am I wrong to have said it's a form of greeting? Apparently, you were just looking for a chance to show off.

If you do translation and do not know my translation is correct, you should probably return those guy's money to them and get another career in farming.

Go back to your first message to me and tell me who the arrogant one is. Take a look at the other guys arguing with me and see how civilised human beings debate online.

Consult Google? I hardly do that. Do you know that there are people who give feedbacks to this organization?

I translate naturally and so, all my texts are wonderful. Here's another one. Please do not copy it.

I would have lectured you on a few things about Mandarin, but I can't because you sound unoriginal.

ubee:
I think you have a fever go to bed

Hahahaha.

Let me take down my work before these baby translators copy it.

Reptyle:
If I have a need to ask them where they stay, seeing that they aren't permanent residents of Nigeria, I would. I know and can make a clear distinction between both phrases. Neither is grammatically incorrect.

Like every other language, the English Language and its grammar are evolving. In 2018 alone, over 1000 new words were added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Would you question my prowess in the use of the language if I use a new word or construct you aren't familiar with just because you have a personal dislike for its use?

Do you know that there are people that respond to being greeted "Good Morning" with the rude retort, "What is good about the morning?". Does it mean because they probably woke up on the wrong sides of their bed that morning, I am grammatically incorrect to wish them a "Good Morning"?

Please accept being wrong and learn. It's better you make mistakes here than making blunders outside.

Has a company ever called you on phone, you say to this company, please hold on for one quick second.

They are like this guy speaks good. Let's hold on anyway.

etrange:
Lol... You keep arguing with no point.

Correct the Chinese or just point out what's wrong with it. What's my business with Nigerian companies?

Bro, I finished my HSK6 in 2013 and I've done far more international translations (both French and Chinese) than you might possibly do in your entire cereer.

You think it's only local companies that seek for translators? Foreign companies do aside Chinese companies. I am a technical translator and an interpreter. I get a lot of jobs including companies who aren't satisfied with their current translators, yet I turn some of them down. I have done a lot of jobs including a US company.

Look, chi fan le mei you? It's already an old school. I don't want to lecture on this because you sound a bit arrogant.Take a look at this. But please do not copy my work.

Reptyle:
There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with asking anyone how was your night!

I work with a lot of British and American expatriates and I ask them that almost every morning in the office and they respond very politely.

The fact that one person responded rudely to you doesn't mean everyone else will take umbrage at been asked an innocuous question.

Is it only at night that sex happens? So why is it ok to ask " How was your day?" and crime to ask "How was your night?"

Anyone who takes umbrage at being asked about the night should blame themselves for having a perverted and twisted mind. They need to get their minds outta the gutter.

There is also nothing ungrammatical about the construction.

Learning is now a real problem, isn't it? LOL!

You could as well ask them, where do you stay? Instead of where do you live? Seriously, you crack me up here!

neyobills:
I believe you have ever heard of the word how was the night

How do u mean how was your night it was never yours in the first instance except you are the custodian of the night we all never knew.

It's not just vague but might really be grammatically incorrect however this is just my own humble opinion.

Ignore that dude. His English is not good enough as well as his Chinese.

etrange:
See how you left the argument to insult me instead. At the end, you still didn't make any counter point.

So what is the translation for "chi fan le?" or (in full "ni chi fan le ma?"?

Dude, argue with points next time and do not resort to insults.

For those reading:

Ni = second person singular (you)
Chi = eat
Fan = rice (could also refer to "food"
Le = this is a tense indicator and serves to make the "chi" translate as "eaten"
Ma = this is a question indicator and can be ommited if the sentence is obviously a question without it or a popular sentence (e.g. "ni hao?" and "ni hao ma?".

Therefore: ni chi fan le ma? = have you eaten rice (food)?

A popular response response is also "chi fan le" or "wo chi fan le". This one is not a question therefore translates as "eaten rice (food)" or better still "I have eaten rice (food).

And guess, every Chinese student here in Nigeria uses this greeting now out of cultural appropriation.

If you depend on Google to argue Chinese grammar with me, tell me so I can stop wasting my time.

Renshi ni, hen gaoxin!

That's downright wrong. Apparently, your Chinese isn't good enough. Learn from those who are sought after by companies. Sometimes, these companies get upset because either they are too busy or too expensive. Take a look at this. But please do not copy my work.

shogsman:
Because it's you that is helping me talk to them abi,I don't know why too know they always worry people.

Incredible!! You think these people care about what you say? They already knew that your English is awful.

Just like people here often say, "if you know, you know". The English is absolutely wrong. It should be "if you don't know, now you know.

adetem:
Ok o, how was ur day? Is it for people that sick too or is not our business ... English people

No. How was your day is just fine too.

shogsman:
Uncle wey mumu,Americans, Brits,Canadians ask me all the time.

Lies! They can't. They often say, did you sleep well last night?

shigoslim:
I knew this thing right from my secondary school. How was your night is a wrong usage by majority of us in Nigeria.


The correct English is did you sleep well?
Another wrong usage is screen touch rather than touch screen
Wake keeping wrong usage rather wake keep
Etc

Nigerians(not all) speak terrible English.

ubee:
You refuse to be rational in your assessment of the tone of that type of weird greeting but quickly dismiss it as irrelevant. But people that think rationally know that greeting is really weird.
What is your business with how someone you barely know spent his/her night? Are you a night nurse? Why isn't good morning how do u do enuf for you?
This type is beyond your thinking

Night owl, not night nurse.

gwarotango:
This is one question I hear everyday that pisses me off about Nigerians. What kind of stupid question is 'how was your night'? I'm sure it was bastardisation of the correct 'how was your day".

Certainly. Unfortunately, some folks here wouldn't learn. Really pitiful.

etrange:
First, "how was your night?" is grammatically correct and therefore cannot be termed "wrong English". Having said this, it's apparent that its use or otherwise is subject to regional differences.

Some greetings are used more frequently in certain parts of the world than others due to cultural differences and provided there's nothing wrong with the grammar, there's nothing like wrong or right here. While an English man would rather ask about the weather, a Nigerian man would prefer to ask if your night went well.

However, you might want to use the form of greeting more popular in your immediate location.

Do you know a Chinese man asks "chi fan le?" as a form of greeting? It simply means "have you eaten rice?" or more literally "eaten rice"?. And no, it's not wrong.

Common sense is not common for you. Your English translation above here for Mandarin is particularly wrong also. Would you ever get it right? I doubt.

Of course it's wrong. I often say, did you sleep last night?

marttol:
24

You're still young. There are other things you should do with your life first. Do not focus more on girls.

marttol:
i started dating this girl a month ago,but i observe she likes to flirt with different men...she likes to talk to different men on the phone,there was a day a guy sat her down by a corner a spoke with her...i felt somehow,she always say she loves me but each time she says that i know there is no truth in it...i even message her sometimes telling her i know she has many male she is dating but atleast she should show me some respect by not letting guys toast her in my presence or maybe we should break up...but she said it's nothing,that she can't even date that guy toasting her that night...bla bla bla..
but what i don't understand is since i told her that if she can't show me the respect of not flirting with some guys in my presence we should break up...or can a lady love many guys,i told her that night i know.. she LIKES me not LOVE.i don't know but each time we talk about love i don't always sense truth in her words...but what bothers me is why she is dating me.
ADVICE PLEASE.

Hello, how old are you first of all?

Logunyakata:
Street girls?hmm...Highly hazardous!

Stay away from bad women.

Preciousgirl:
the peoples of ivory coast think the following of Nigerians

1. Most Nigerian guys have mouth odour
2. Some Nigerians eat human flesh
3. Most Nigerians are fraudsters
4. Nigerian s. Are very wicked
5. Nigerian men don't find Nigerian women attractive

6. Nigerians are xenophobic
7. Nigeria is a very dangerous place
8.Nigerian women are very bad cooks
9. Most Nigerians are drug dealing cultists

10. Nigerians have inferiority complex

Yeah

I am half Ivorian, quarter Nigerian by the way

That's not true. I had a cool chat with a CIV girl in a shopping mall and she gave me her digits. Up till now, I haven't called her. I guess she's been expecting my call.

Yeah sure. This is particularly why I don't allow women to stay in my house overnight. I also don't date street girls because they're harmful.

iLegendd:
I'm just a boy to my oga, Joe. We will be opening a Wikipedia page for him.

Haha.

Jgoldie:
Op pls pls n pls dont look for cheap sex...your future wife needs to meet you in perfect condition....what's the pride of a man if his wife wont meet as a virgin on his wedding night...God knows i will never marry a man who isn't a virgin to avoid stories that touches in the nearest future....

LOL, I don't believe you. Your mouth is so sweet.

iLegendd:
Hmm! My oga's book, ChatDîcted? Nice to hear. I'll inform him about the wonders the book is doing in men's chatting game.

That's you, not your boss. You're the boss.

Jewingle:
Good morning good people of Nairaland. Please I need your input on this.


I have a friend that recently got married to a young beautiful lady from Thailand. She came to Nigeria, they got married and after everything they both traveled to Thailand .

Now, his wife wants him to forfeit his Nigerian passport to gain Thailand passport since they don’t allow dua citizenship. I adviced him to go ahead with the Thailand passport since this could be once in a lifetime opportunity because he was really contemplating on weather it’s a good idea or not.

Pls travel gurus and experts. What’s your take on this?
Is this move a good idea? Would it affect him in the future? Please advice from travel experts and experienced folks will be deeply appreciated

Seems like the woman really cares about him. Let him apply for the citizenship. Nigeria is a shithole and also a poverty capital of the world.

Aladine:
He will not be eligible to contest or be appointed in any political position in Nigeria in the future

Positions the grandfathers had taken?

The politicians is next. They like this kind of news.

2papa:
Have been going out with this Girl i meet online for over 4Years now. She is from penang in Malaysia. We do video calls, we talk on phone. She works with a manufacturing company, She introduce me to her father, i chat and talk with her Dad. She wants us to settle down this year or next.

My problem now is that, She want to see me and she want me to come over to Malaysia and that i should come with Study Visa so i can Stay and Work there.

Please should i go. Am afraid because of how this Asia countries treat Nigerians. She gave me an Assurance that nothing will happen to me if i obey their laws.

Of course if you obey their laws, nothing would ever happen to you.

iLegendd:
I have spent years in Asia and some days in Malaysia during school break. Nobody and I repeat, nobody has ever been a racist towards me.

There are racists everywhere, but I'm the last person to notice racism because I'm focused on better things, not race.

Though, you go hear wee sha. What do I mean by that? What I mean is: if you start traveling from one Asian country to another via road with your girl, you'll be searched for at least 20 minutes just because you're a Nigerian. Others will be scanned for just a couple of seconds, yours will be different.

Traveling around the world with a Nigerian passport is one of the greatest disgrace of all time. Though, don't let this stop you. Just pray for God to punish Nigerian politicians, drug dealers, and fraudsters who have tarnished our reputation.

Thanks for your chatdict. I caught a fish yesterday.

LOL, smart guy.

iLegendd:
Already in Ukraine — not Germany anymore.

Thanks for trying to render a helping hand.

It's alright!