How to Take a Taxi in Chinese! | Learn Chinese Now

[@richardfila]

Thanks Ben! I figured out most of this stuff the hard way when I went to study at NTNU, but it's great the see this guide and fill in a few gaps. Cheers!

[@esperanzap6210]

thanks for great video! One more usefull pharase can be 你可以达表吗？ni keyi dabiao ma? - Can you use a meter? The thing is that in Mainland China some taxidrivers are not eager to use a meter, especially with foreigners.

[@curo5]

Getting taxis drunk in Beijing, I used to have to tell the Shifu "我们不是傻的美国人，我们会说中文” it seems that we weren't ripped off very often

[@ianchen9217]

well i had been living in Hong Kong for 12+ years ( I was born in HK XD). When my family gets on a taxi, my dad will usually say " 司機大哥, "the place where we wanted to go to" and add 唔該 at the end.

[@MandarinWithMissLin]

Ian Chen 司機大哥 really a good one! We say that too in Taiwan:)

[@msauniverse3486]

Your lesson Is perfect you are amazing I'm just now starting to learn chinies and hoping with your honorable teacher make this way easier to learn for me. Best regards anjela from Iran

[@coldhank]

0:39 Taxis 3:36 Where do you want to go? 4:55 Address 5:38 Add. Pattern 7:00 Stop 8:05 Credit Card 9:23 Receipt 11:20 Tipping

[@sengbu6773]

I really love to learn this lesson.....

[@Khotang34]

The best one so far.

[@brod2man]

Not having to tip is my favourite thing about China. I live in Australia and for some reason we copy America's culture of tipping. Despite our waiters and workers being paid pretty reasonably, some of them still feel offended if you don't tip. When I went to China it was such a relief to be able to walk out of a restaurant with full change, not having to worry about whether you can come back to the place without feeling like a cheap ass.

[@Bladavia]

I prefer the European way. It's considered normal to tip, but if you don't want to everybody will be ok with it. So you have complete choice between the two. ^^

[@brod2man]

TheMabarz Yeah yeah, everyone knows Europeans are superior. Always the best people

[@Danetto]

make more longer episodes bro i like it

[@TheJack22son]

I love the unscripted video! It has a really natural feel and flow to it!

[@josedanielespinozaizaguirr9291]

Taxi experience is always funny, here in 臺灣，台中市, some taxi drivers just expect that you are going to show a handwritten address or just show your cellphone. But I have been learning Chinese about 11 months ago and when I say the direction using Chinese, some of them very often try to speak to you! Is very funny, sometimes they just speak, speak and it looks like they will never stop! even whether you understand or not. Here, taking taxi has been sometimes great experiences.

[@mikelefc]

In 大陆 taxi drivers don't accept 信用卡. They usually accept cash and transport cards but a lot also other way of payments such Alipay or WechatWallet that can be linked with a 信用卡. Every time the meter is stopped, a 发票 is printed and offered to you.

[@李斯基-i7y]

exactly the same ，你说得很对

[@jeremyrojas7631]

at 3:43 he used the character "Ni" when he wrote "Wo"

[@BL_obsessed]

I wish I could talk with a perfect accent like yoursss

[@Trisherboops]

Very helpful tips. Thank you

[@2002yiranzhou]

Love your program! Please use traditional and simplified characters both in your videos, I suggest. A Chinese Teacher

[@lucasgualda9569]

your link to twitter is wrongly spelled...liked the video! you explain it so clearly! I will continue watching your courses, thanks!

[@fmm1842]

Could you possibly do a video covering the words for the 5 w's and 1 h (who, what, when, where, why, how). Thanks!!

[@fmm1842]

fmm1 And I miss Karen! She is a great teacher

[@learnchinesenow]

fmm1 Yes, thank you for the suggestion, we will do it. We recorded it today and it will be uploaded on Thursday! Ben.

[@eduardomejia2774]

Thank you Ben H. for the tips they were very helpful I will be in Taipei by September 15 and for sure I will use the taxi.Tks. from Eddie Mejia

[@nasugbubatangas]

When I went to Macao, the taxis there can print receipts on thermal paper. So, they can print receipt if you like. I tried giving the driver a tip. The meter showed MOP$61. I tried saying "你會給我 MOP$35" and he didn't understand what I was trying to do. He pointed the meter and gave me the exact change.A friend of mine told me that if I want to tip the driver, I should have said "不用錢了". However, I was not able to try if this will word.

[@missterilynma]

+nasugbubatangas To be more clear that you want the driver to keep the change, just say "零錢不用找!"

[@andyyiu3987]

Thanks. Going to China this weekend, and I will definitely need to order a taxi.

[@raquelfernandez5533]

In Shanghai they will actually try to keep the change as tip if you're a Westerner. But they'll give it back to you if you wait and look at them. In the mainland (at least in Hangzhou, haven't tried it elsewhere) you will get a fapiao in the taxi. It's recommended to take them because if you forget something in the cab, you can call the company.

[@PatchyE]

+Rachel Fernandez Oh the cunning Shanghai people... So the stereotype is true after all.

[@ABombs1]

This isn't true... I've been in Shanghai for several years and not once have I had a taxi driver, or heard about them, try to keep the change. If you get a dodgey taxi from the airport or one of those un-licensed orange ones, maybe. But as a general rule you wanna be getting a proper taxi wherever you go.

[@raquelfernandez5533]

ABombs1 I have only gotten in proper taxis and around BUND and People's Square. Don't say that all do it, but it happened to me more than once so it's something to look out for if you're in SH for the first time. Maybe I did look a bit tourist-y, but I definitely did talk understandable Chinese with them

[@ABombs1]

I'm amazed you even found a taxi in those areas... but yeah It's possible but definitely unlikely. Girls often get it rougher than guys, too, so there's that.

[@Ihdc1]

Mobbs Music Do you look western or Chinese?

[@Kentogamers]

I just got back from Taiwan yesterday. I wish I saw this video earlier. I took a taxi after midnight and we got overcharged because we were foreign.

[@worldtravel101]

6:29 We're crazy 哈哈哈 10:09 omg!!! lol

[@winstonho0805c]

I also learned Chinese in Taiwan. Calling a taxi in Taipei seems easy compared to Beijing. Unoccupied taxis in Taipei will constantly honk at anyone carrying a bag or suitcase because they think they need a ride, especially at night. Politely wave them off whenever that happens. In Beijing, watch out for unlicensed taxis, which are illegal, cost more, and drive unsafely, but typically occupy the entrances of schools and tourist attractions. These taxis are unmarked, but their drivers actively solicit anyone walking out of the entrance for a fare. Walk farther away and flag down a licensed taxi, which are marked like taxis. In Hong Kong, taxis don't stop in the middle of the street like in Taiwan or China. Taxis will only pick-up passengers at intersections or designated taxis lanes, so only signal a taxi when it stops at an intersection. In fact, it's better to just walk to a stopped taxi at an intersection, open the door, and ask if they are picking up fares. Note that Hong Kongers speak Cantonese, and their English is usually better than their Mandarin, so it's easier to speak to taxi drivers in English. Also, remember that cars in Hong Kong drive on the opposite side of the street from Taiwan or China. Don't get run over while walking to a taxi in Hong Kong. :-) In Mainland China, taxi drivers are accustomed to single passengers sitting in the front. In Taiwan, single passengers sit in the back. Most foreigners sit in the back wherever they are, and this is fine. However, Australians and New Zealanders prefer to sit in the front, so whenever Taiwanese drivers see a foreigner sitting in the front, they assume he/she must be Australian.

[@graysonjay2243]

Hi, Ben! I've heard you mention before that you started learning Chinese in college. Did your college teach multiple dialects? Or just Mandarin? Also, did you start learning before college or did you go into the college courses with little to no prior experience?

[@wimpyjipta8752]

you have a very good pronouciation

[@ianchen9217]

The writing for "Wo yao qu" at 3:42 is written as "Ni yao qu" instead

[@shreddFilmz]

+Ian Chen if you have annotations on he fixed it

[@dereinedahinten206]

great video

[@russellmyers3951]

veeeeeeeeeeeeeery good

[@rick35149]

hello! Thanks for the video! Its possible that the term "shi fu" comes from the french word "chauffeur"? Both words sounds have similarities and they have the same meaning. hug from brasil!

[@Ihdc1]

But shi fu is not only taxi drivers and chauffeurs but for anyone skilled in a trade.

[@MandarinWithMissLin]

Ricardo Weissenberg I am from Taiwan and living in France now. Shi fu means a skilled man. In Taiwan, we call taxi driver Si ji, which means driver:)

[@arturorojas2804]

Very helpful. Thank you. One question: when giving the address you wrote yibai esshi... I know that sometimes you can use "yao" for number 1, is it the same for 2? Can we say "es"? Thank you, once more.

[@Bladavia]

I think it's just a typo, since he pronunce it "èr" in the video.

[@arturorojas2804]

Thanks, Mabarz, I figured so, but with a language like chinese, better make sure.

[@JerryG1815]

Back when I was in elementary school, the teacher was teaching us how to address an envelope. I had an argument with her, here in the we read left to right, top to bottom, so why is an address written backward. It should be State, town, street then number. Of course I lost the argument but always felt it was incorrect. With dates, being in and international company, I often see three form of dates. Often it is difficult to know what the month and day are being Europe and the US are reversed. I always write my dates, yyyy-mm-dd, then there is no question. It is now also all in chronical order, Year, Month, Day, hours, minute, seconds.

[@otKj-dr6yw]

Thanks, it's very useful (加油）！““

[@kyleinwis]

Loved the video!! Very informative and I love seeing unscripted videos. What's up with the video lighting and your face? Is that too much makeup? Or am I tripping?

[@OliverAntosch]

Great video, but the slides sometimes could be shown longer.

[@Dannyxcores]

Packed with info! Who else brought out the flash cards?

[@jose3866]

Ever heard people call the taxi driver 司機大哥 ? I got it from the latest language-oriented Shen Lim TV video here on youtube

[@missterilynma]

+Jose In Hong Kong, yes! The taxi drivers are called 司機.

[@emilyw1507]

Jose The taxi drivers are called"司機"in Taiwan,too.😁

[@leem.7565]

Jose how are those characters pronounced, please?

[@MichaelKingTravels]

Many of my Mainland Chinese friends use the phrase 'Da Di' to tell everyone its time to hail a cab.

[@susansu2791]

Michael King TW--搭計程車 'Da Di' Da=打(CN)=Take Di=的士(HK)=Taix

[@记住天安门广场]

Ben, Firstly I like this video. Very useful for Taiwan. But, Americans goofy date format and Unit of measures was given to us by you (Brits) haha. I am not sure why people refuse to switch over. Even my daughter is still being taught Imperial Units and date format.

[@jayramdahal3799]

namasta i have different question... how to pay money by wechat?? i think wechat very popular in china??

[@jailbirdx0x]

We call it 德士(déshì) in Singapore.

[@jailbirdx0x]

Absolutely.In fact,English is an official language here along with Chinese,Malay,and Tamil. For Portuguese, try to go to Macau and East Timor. For Spanish, no idea where in Asia it is an official language.

[@MandarinWithMissLin]

Really! 德士：） Wondering what’s the verb Singaporean use? 搭德士？

[@okhaiakhazemea4685]

这个视频很有意思。我希望你会上传多多视频吧。

[@jamesm.9220]

Xiexie ni, Ben!

[@shysterrtube]

I heard taxi is also called dati.

[@daintlaw]

Hey Ben! when you want to go somewhere shouldn't it be...Wo Xiang qu instead of Wo Yao qu ??

[@learnchinesenow]

dona gordon Both are fine. But yao is more like "I want", xiang is more like "i'm thinking I would like to..." because xiang literally means "to think"

[@daintlaw]

Thanks Ben

[@usablefiber]

+dona gordon Also, remember that politeness and literal translations are quite different in China. What is rude in one place is polite in another.

[@leem.7565]

éshí? Is that twenty in Taiwan?

[@sanderkoster1905]

What kind of Mandarin are you teaching the KZbin community? Traditional or simplyfied?

[@QuandaleDoggy]

Both

[@teodorocano1967]

shi fu like in kung fu panda😂😂😂😂😂

[@PsychoticusRex]

Now for Invader ZIM fans, how does one address the bus driver as Bus-Slave not Bus-Master. XD

[@samanik3298]

GD LESSION

[@onewhoisanonymous]

at 3:45 you have the character for you 你 instead of the character for I 我。I want to go....我要去 not 你要去 (You want to go)

[@learnchinesenow]

onewhoisanonymous yes you are right, it is a typo, sorry. Will fix with an annotation

[@salva2685]

The more videos I watch the more I waver about whether Ben has ever been to Mainland China or not...

[@lumoseokjin8698]

Taxi.....I have never taken one...😑

[@usablefiber]

Maybe you should't address your driver as a ""master".... but according to most of the Jackie Chan movies I've seen, most people, including those of ordinary professions, are experts at Kung fu. Chefs, Waiters, Drivers, Market food vendors, every policeman. It's better to be safe than sorry.

[@Ihdc1]

Do you really think Jackie Chan movies are an accurate depiction of reality?

[@knv9090]

Very good point.

[@knv9090]

@@Ihdc1 On occasion some of the people in the fights are injured worse in reality than they appear to be in the movies, but otherwise, they are pretty accurate.

[@Yod12]

So gaoxing to see ni put more shipin here ;-)

[@PatchyE]

就 could just be translated as "just" in English. So 就这儿 means "just here".

[@李斯基-i7y]

exactly

[@mattralphofficial]

As a Brit, you're slight American accent distracts me! Good lesson other than that :)

[@learnchinesenow]

Matthew Ralph sorry man, I have lived in the US too long now, if I go back to Britain, people think I am Australian! Ben.

[@andosan2712]

+Learn Chinese Now I'm a Brit in Kaohsiung and I thought you were an Aussie for the 1st 30 seconds :) Excellent video. This is going to be very useful.

[@alishadurbrow9254]

He doesn't sound like an American; I am an American, he doesn't sound like us.

[@michimacho73]

就 = just , 就在這裡 = just here

[@QuandaleDoggy]

I’ve never went to asia

[@leoliu212]

你把我要去 写成了 你要去

[@kevinkevinchan573]

要学中文，最好来大陆学，比较全面

[@learnchinesenow]

+Kevin Kevin Chan 那不一定是對的。很多學生說台灣的老師們比中國好，台灣的文化也比較輕鬆，比較像西方。

[@howiexu9137]

台湾的中文比较古早，用词比较古典，不过民国时期的那套拼音比较艰涩难懂，还是用字母对老外跟容易一些，总之，各有千秋吧。我家1949年以后属于两岸分隔的，我奶奶家除了我奶奶以外都去了台湾，我爷爷奶奶则留在了大陆。两边我都有了解，还都保持联系。

[@davidescobar4528]

+How's Ju

[@davidescobar4528]

+Learn Chinese Now fi if

[@ting8157]

Howie Xu 我們用的注音確實可能對剛接觸中文的外國人來說比較困難，但是對我們自己的孩童來說比較不會跟英文發音混淆😂

[@Kapouille]

It bothered me for a minute, but there was something slightly off with the word "recipt". Isn't that spelled "receipt" ?

[@DanielLeoSimpson]

Rant alert: There is no such word as "pro-NOUN-ciation" in the English dictionary. - the correct pronunciation of the word "pronunciation" is "pro-NUN-ciation' and NOT "pro-NOUN-ciation". So, you "pro-NOUN-ce a word" with the correct "pro-NUN-ciation".

[@AlxCastro]

No need. Uber is in China.

[@leowang6283]

你的中文很地道啊，知道地道啥意思不？哈哈， I am kidding

[@Shadowegde007]

What do you mean by "Taiwan" and "China"? These two terms cannot be used independently from each other, they are one entity, "China" includes "Taiwan" because "Taiwan" is part of "China", get your fact straight.