Wo xiang yao pijiu

I have some new sounds on my iPod. It’s called "Rapid Chinese" by Earworms – that’s teach yourself Mandarin and not the latest breakbeat or electronica. Although funnily enough, it is set to music. A female teacher and a male student converse over an unobtrusive beat, and words are sometimes looped or echoed to fit in with the rhythm. Sounds a bit mad but actually works quite well. So my 30 minute commute to work is now set to the techno sounds of Wo xiang yao pijiu (I would like a beer), Wo bu mingbai (I don’t understand) and Bu yong xie (You’re welome). Trouble is, I’ve got to say the words and I feel a bit of a berk saying them out loud on the Skytrain to no-one in particular.