"我用电脑看新闻。"
Translation:I read the news on my computer.
137 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
291
I just got correct mark by added "my" and "the" as next, I use my computer to read the news. The corrections marking point is not consistent and sometimes articles play a key role from my experience.
862
English and Chinese do not map directly word for word. In English it works with "a" or "the" or "my" or "computers" and the Chinese does not necessarily have to differentiate exactly.
I.m.o. English language might went too specific that it forgot to include the generalization feature such as this (in my language, the word 'computer' is treated as any object having a certain similar feature {any object that compute maybe}, so we don't need to further specify by putting 'a', 'the', 's at the back' or other addition.. We could build a general statement like 'I use computer to read news') *and also a 3rd single pronoun for any gender
Tho I'm not a native English speaker, I'm saying this because I like the English language and hope it can add these 2 features
1813
"I use my computer to read the news" ought to be accepted, given that 用 is "use".
837
If you're trying to refer to "A day in the life" by Beatles, the lyrics are: "I read the news today, oh boy."
862
It's in the same place "the" and "a" are. In English one of these or something similar is mandatory. Not so in Chinese. So picking any of them should be marked correct.
862
There's a bunch of ways to translate this to English which are equally real. More literal doesn't mean more real.
862
That's a fine idiomatic English answer in my opinion. You should report it and get it added.
1857
"I read the news on a computer" should be accepted since in the Chinese sentence the indefinite article is implied in the absence of the definite article. I reported it.
862
You can't always resolve the ambiguities. The Chinese is also ambiguous that it could be "I use a computer", "I use my computer", "I use computers", etc.
879
The use of possessives for translating into English is inconsistent across this exercise. "We use our cellphones to read the news." is incorrect, but "I use a computer to read the news" is incorrect here.
332
This sentence is completely broken. Doesn't accept "I use computer to read the news" as well as "I read news on a computer"
172
still not accepted on in January 22!!! Duolingo should fix this issue with accepted variants with articles!!!!
862
In English you must use either some kind of determiner before the noun, or the noun must be plural:
- I use a computer ...
- I use my computer ...
- I use the computer ...
- I use this computer ...
- I use computers ...
332
This applies if you understand the word "computer" as strictly the physical object. But can't it be argued that this sentence uses the word "computer" as a manner in which the news are consumed? It's not really countable then.
862
Literally there's no "to" or "the" either. But the idea is to translate it into normal English.
900
The owner of the computer is not specified. For example it covers the situation when someone use the computer in the internet cafe. The translation is wrong.
212
My answer: "I use the computer to watch the news." was marked wrong. Why is it, "...read the news " and not, "watch the news"?
821
Duolingo's answer is wrong!! There is no reference that the computer being used is"my computer, could be any computer!" My answer was "I use the computer to read news" should be perfectly ok.
Those who are translating this as "the" computer, or "a" computer are entirely correct. There is no possessive pronoun in this sentence. The "my" can be inferred. If Duolingo ALWAYS accepted inferred possession in its translations, this might not be a problem, but it does not. It is likely to mark something like "my" mother wrong when the sentence is something like 爸爸给我告斯了我得是干净 and you translate it "(my) father told me that I must be clean" They are likely to mark it wrong because you put "my" in the sentence. The Chinese course is riddled with these inconsistencies. They have gotten better, but they are still extremely aggravating.
862
English "read" is both present tense and past tense. Chinese can talk about the past either with or without 了.