In this episode, we’ve learned how to describe locations in Taiwanese and some commonly used location suffixes. (These show notes use tables and rich formatting. Please visit the episode webpage for an optimal viewing experience.) INDICATING THE LOCATION OF SOMETHING To indicate the location of something, you can use the sentence pattern below: something + tī + location phrase The verb “tī” means “to be located in/at”, and can also be used as a preposition. In fact, many prepositions in Taiwanese come from verbs so sometimes they are also called “coverbs”. The “location phrase” is essentially a noun. It can be formed by adding a general location word or a location suffix to the noun that serves as the reference point. Here are some examples: Tshiú-ki-á tī toh-á -tíng. cellphone to be located at table top/above/on “The cellphone is on the table.” Piān-sóo tī lâu-tíng. restroom to be located at upstairs “The restroom is upstairs.” *Syllables that require tone changes have been greyed out. ASKING FOR THE LOCATION OF SOMETHING As we’ve mentioned before, questions in Taiwanese don’t change the order of the sentence from a regular statement. To ask “where is something?”, you could simply replace the location phrase with the interrogative word “tó-uī”. For example, when asking "where is the restroom?", you can say: Piān-sóo tī tó-uī? restroom to be located at where SENTENCES AND VOCABULARY Here are the words and phrases used in this episode. TAIWANESE ENGLISH Piān-sóo tī tó-uī? Where is the restroom? piān-sóo restroom(s) Cultural note: the Taiwanese word for restroom came from the Japanese word 便所 (べんじょ) (benjo). There are many loanwords from Japanese in the Taiwanese language since Taiwanese was once under the Japanese rule. tī to be located somewhere tó-uī / tueh where, which place Pronunciation note: “tó-uī” can also be contracted as “tueh”. Piān-sóo tī hia. The restroom is over there. tsia here hia there lāi-té inside; inside of something guā-kháu outside; outside of something lâu-tíng the floor(s) above, upstairs Grammar note: “-tíng” is a suffix meaning above or on the top of lâu-kha the floor(s) below, downstairs Grammar note: “-kha” is a suffix meaning under or beneath; also means “leg” or “foot” ē-kha a general location term meaning below or under tī tshù-lāi / tī tshù lāi-té to be in the house, at home Grammar note: “-lāi” is a suffix meaning in or inside of tshù house tshù-tíng on top of the house; rooftop tshù-kha tenant or renter tshiú-ki-á cellphone, mobile phone toh-á table For more about how to indicate locations and more location words, go check out our downloadable workbook! It also gives you additional vocabulary with characters, pronunciation notes, grammar explanations, culture tips, and fun exercises to help your practice. Music Credit: TeknoAXE