3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Final rendering: You do not need to speak to me with the same voice that you use when you teach. A lower voice is just fine among friends. Discussion: Please see http://homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa/tsongkit/part2/II-9b-g.html#s19 for further discussion. Acknowledgement: My thanks to both Evelyn and xuhuanyu for their interesting contributions. I am somewhat perplexed, however, by your reluctance to translate 大些 as bigger, since you both appear to agree that 些 serves as a comparative intensifier in this context. It is perfectly correct in English to say, "talk with a bigger voice". It means the same as "talk more loudly", or "talk in a louder voice". In any case, I have awarded by points to xuhuanyu, because he was first, but with a slight deduction for his absolutely horrible English! "Louderly" simply does not work in any English that I know. Thanks to Bill, Wenjer, and chinesetrans for their confirmatory support. Best wishes from the land of no mountains surrounded by sea on many sides."