First time here

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Joyce5752

when my friends told me his father just passed out,

For Americans, the proper response is:

"I'll have what the gentleman on the floor is having."

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by flashes1

Your dad really knows how to have a good time.

OK jokester, I think we all realize the real meaning of passed out. The OP feels self conscious enough. She may take it more seriously than you do. I feel for someone trying to live in a different culture and trying to understand our manner of speaking. The US is so full of colloguialisms and slang it is hard for us born here to always understand someone's specific meaning.

I am not being too critical, just saying she needs to be informed when we are making a joke on her regard. Yes, small differences in words can have a large difference in meaning. I think I am guessing right here, passed out is passed on. Two letters difference in wording, big difference in meaning. Yes I can see some subtle differences in phrasing, quiet understand versus quite understand. But that is exactly what she is struggling with, and we need to offer a helping hand.

Joyce5752... Just hang in there, don't be self-conscious, and ask whatever is on your mind. Your response of I am sorry in to a friend's remark concerning a relative's passing was certainly appropriate. The only response perhaps more typically used may be I am sorry for your loss. This expresses you are sorry they have experienced the loss of someone close. But quite frankly, I feel this expression has become so overused as to perhaps lose its fundamental meaning. It has reached the point of what we call a cliche, an expression which no longer conveys its intended meaning. So your simple I am sorry is as appropriate as any other phrase.

[Joyce5752]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

OK jokester, I think we all realize the real meaning of passed out. The OP feels self conscious enough. She may take it more seriously than you do. I feel for someone trying to live in a different culture and trying to understand our manner of speaking. The US is so full of colloguialisms and slang it is hard for us born here to always understand someone's specific meaning.

I am not being too critical, just saying she needs to be informed when we are making a joke on her regard. Yes, small differences in words can have a large difference in meaning. I think I am guessing right here, passed out is passed on. Two letters difference in wording, big difference in meaning. Yes I can see some subtle differences in phrasing, quiet understand versus quite understand. But that is exactly what she is struggling with, and we need to offer a helping hand.

Joyce5752... Just hang in there, don't be self-conscious, and ask whatever is on your mind. Your response of I am sorry in to a friend's remark concerning a relative's passing was certainly appropriate. The only response perhaps more typically used may be I am sorry for your loss. This expresses you are sorry they have experienced the loss of someone close. But quite frankly, I feel this expression has become so overused as to perhaps lose its fundamental meaning. It has reached the point of what we call a cliche, an expression which no longer conveys its intended meaning. So your simple I am sorry is as appropriate as any other phrase.

：） Thank u for u understand me. you are very nice. it is hard for me sometime, a word has different meaning in different sentence, but my teacher told me have to talk to people that will make me speak better. but i am so shy, i don't know how to speak to person, sometimes make me awkward. and found this forum, i think i am luck that can find some person like u nice and kind.

[goyguy]

There's nothing wrong with "I'm sorry for your loss" or simply "I'm sorry."
Another cultural difference between the US and Asian countries is, we are much more comfortable with physical contact. Especially if you know the bereaved person well, it's almost expected that you give her or him a hug. This adds emphasis to your words.
Friends and neighbors will also bring food to the home of the deceased individual's family. Although also a symbolic gesture it also communicates, like a hug, that you share their pain. Some people will also present the family with a cash gift - for the same reason - even if money to pay for funeral/cremation/burial expenses is not an issue. There are also entire sections of stores' greeting-card aisles which are devoted to sympathy cards, and of course you can now find such cards online as well. If you don't know the person particularly well and would feel uncomfortable taking food or money to them a card works fine.
What I do when a neighbor or friend has suffered the loss of someone close is buy a small, green, non-flowering plant and give it to them. Americans "go overboard" (act excessively) with flowers that will only soon die and have to be discarded. Green is a color signifying many positive things - money, prosperity in general, health, etc - and if cared for properly the plant can last a long time.

[Joyce5752]

the green, non-flowering plant sounds a good idea. i like it. i m going to get plant tomorrow. thank you