YOYO English Club

Wayne 寫:Dear Rock,

I went to the web site you referred to. However, there's no sign that the question (What number of president.is Mr. Barrack Obama) per se was correct or idiomatic.

Hi, Wayne, the website you're talking about is http://69.27.109.202/esl-forums/viewtop ... 33&t=63509, right? Just like that English teacher said: This is a good question. I also noticed that he is from New York, and he thinks it's difficult.

However, if you take a look at other search results, you can find some WikiAnswers. They also talk about other US Presidents. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_number_p ... rack_Obama

This is really an interesting discussion. I learnt a lot. Thanks again.

Just JJ 寫:To me, "這是你的第幾次？" is asking about "experience".
So, I will say like: "How many times you have done this (before)?"
The answer might be" I have done this for three times."

Happy New Year

Hi, JJ,

That's a perfect way to say it. Thank you for joining the discussion.
Long time no see.
Happy New Year to you, too.

In a conversation, you say, "What number president was Bill Clinton?"

As for other ordinal stuff, "how many" is used most often. e.g. 這是妳第幾個男朋友了？"So you've had how many boyfriends now?" (Sounds kind of teasing, mind you. ) For very "street" talk you may hear, "So this is your how many boyfriend now?" But I wouldn't recommend it.

"Which" can be used if the context is clear: "Which president was Bill Clinton out of all 44?" "Which president was Clinton, the 42nd?" "Which trip is this for you to Taipei, the third?"