Chat attack


continue (a line of thought or conversation)

接茬儿

(jiēcháér)

A: Did you notice that I seem to have lost weight recently?

有没有发现我最近好像瘦下来了？

(yǒuméiyǒu fāxiàn wǒzuìjìn hǎoxiànɡ shòuxiàláile?)

B: Really? Your appetite has been pretty good lately, that you haven't put on any weight is already pretty good. 

有吗？你最近胃口还不错,没长胖已经不错了。

(yǒuma? nǐzuìjìn wèikǒu háibùcuò, méichánɡpànɡ yǐjīnɡ bùcuòle)

A: You really don't know how to chat, can't you continue my line of thought and congratulate me a bit? That way I'll have the motivation to continue to lose weight.

你可真不会聊天,就不能接茬儿夸夸我,这样我就有动力继续减肥了。

(nǐkězhēnbùhuì liáotiān, jiùbùnénɡ jiēcháér kuākuāwǒ, zhèyànɡ wǒjiùyǒudònɡlì jìxù jiǎnféile.)

B: Then you could have said so earlier. Compared to before, you look like you've slimmed down by at least five kilograms.

那你不早说。你看起来比以前瘦了至少有五公斤吧。

(nànǐ bùzǎoshuō. nǐkànqǐlái bǐyǐqián shòule zhìshǎo yǒuwǔɡōnɡjīnba.)

A: Now you're getting it. Too bad you sound so fake that I can't believe it. 

你这才开窍啊,可惜太假了怎么说我都不相信了。

(nǐzhècái kāiqiàoa, kěxī tàijiǎle zěnmeshuō wǒdōu bùxiānɡxìnle.)

B: We science students are just too frank. I need to improve conversation skills.

我们理科生就是太实在。我需要提高聊天技巧。

(wǒmen lǐkēshēnɡ jiùshì tàishízài. wǒxūyào tíɡāo liáotiān jìqiǎo.)

Illustration: Liu Xidan/GT