Taxi Chat – Sichuanhua With Your Cab Driver
Being able to communicate with the people around you makes living abroad way easier! So let us begin with small steps by being able to talk to your taxi driver in real Sichuanhua.
你的定位准的不？
ni3 li1 din4 wei4 zun3 li1 bu2？
Is your GPS location correct?
靠定是准的啥
kao4 din4 si4 zun3 li1 sa1
Of course it is right!
半个每小时后，师傅取消了订单
Half an hour later, the driver canceled the trip
都怪我的胖手指
dou1 guai4 ngo3 li1 pang4 sou3 zi3
My fat fingers always mess it up
A: 我们走哪边喃？
ngo3 men1 zou3 la3 bian1 lan1?
Which way should we go?
B: 掉头走那边
tiao3 tou2 zou3 la4 bian1
Make a u-turn and go that way
A: 在哪里停？是不是那儿前头？
zai3 la3 li3 tin2？si4 bu2 si4 ler4 qian2 tou2？
Where do you want me to stop? just ahead over there?
B: 就这儿凭边边停就行了
jiu4 zer4 pen1 bian1 bian1 jiu4 xin2 lo3
Pull over (to the side) & stop just here
A: 你晓不晓得咋个儿走？
ni3 xiao3 bu2 xiao3 de2 za2 ger4 zou3？
Do you know the way?
B: 晓不得，就跟到导航走
xiao3 bu2 de2，jiu4 gen1 dao4 tao4 hang2 zou3
No, follow the GPS
A: 你的定位准不？
ni3 li1 din4 wei4 zun3 bu2？
Is your gps location correct?
B: 准的
zun3 li1
Yeah, it’s right.
A: 我打起闪子嘚
ngo3 da3 qi3 san3 zi3 de4
I’ve got my blinkers on
B: 哦，要得，跟到就拢了
o3，yao4 de2，gen1 dao4 jiu4 long3 lo3
Oh, okay, I’ll be right there
A: 走下头嘛
zou3 xia4 tou2 ma3
Take the tunnel
B: 好的
hao3 li1
Aight
A: 上不上桥？
sang4 bu2 sang4 qiao2？
Should we take the overpass?
B: 上嘛，下头堵得遭不住
sang3 ma3，xia4 tou2 du3 de2 zao1 bu2 zu4
Yeah, the traffic is awful down here
A: 嫑倒拐，那塌儿在施工
biao4 dao4 guai4，la4 ter2 zai4 si1 gong1
Don’t turn, they’re doing roadworks over there
B: 好
hao3
Okay
A: 你是不是尾号0123？
ni3 si4 bu2 si4 wei3 hao4 lin2 yao1 er4 san1？
Are the last for digits of your number 0123?
B: 哦呵儿，不是我，上错车子啦！
o3 her4，bu2 si4 ngo3，sang4 co4 ce1 zi3 la1！
Oh no! That’s not me! I must have gotten in the wrong car!
A: 麻烦你了哈师傅
ma2 fan2 ni3 lo3 ha1 si1 fu4
Thanks cabbie
B: 莫得事，你慢走
mo2 de2 si4，ni3 man4 zou3
No worries, take care
A: 你慢朅
ni3 man4 qie4
Yeah, you too
Tones
Tones are kind of mental.
Every city, village, town has its own little variations. Some tones start higher, other lower, some don’t drop, some don’t rise.
With all of these variations you don’t need to be very hard on yourself or picky in general – as long as you have the basic direction most people should be able to get what you are saying.
Sam Bowden
More information from language curious founder of PricklyAsh.org and the Prickly Ash app at contact @pricklyash.org.Sam is passionate about preserving and conserving Sichuanese language materials.
