Now that you know Pinyin and basic characters, it's time to start speaking! This lesson covers greetings, introductions, polite expressions, and essential survival phrases for daily conversation.
Estimated Time: 45–60 minutes
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | Hello | Universal greeting, slightly formal |
| 您好 | nín hǎo | Hello (formal) | Respectful — elders, bosses, strangers |
| 大家好 | dàjiā hǎo | Hello everyone | Greeting a group |
| 早上好 | zǎoshang hǎo | Good morning | Before ~10am |
| 下午好 | xiàwǔ hǎo | Good afternoon | Afternoon hours |
| 晚上好 | wǎnshang hǎo | Good evening | Evening hours |
| 晚安 | wǎn'ān | Good night | Before bed |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | Goodbye | Standard farewell |
| 拜拜 | bàibài | Bye-bye | Casual farewell (from English) |
💡 Cultural Insight: In casual daily life, Chinese people often greet each other not with "你好" but with situational questions like "你吃了吗？" (Nǐ chī le ma? — Have you eaten?) or "你去哪儿？" (Nǐ qù nǎr? — Where are you going?). These aren't real questions — they're just friendly greetings, like "How's it going?" in English. A simple "吃了" (Chī le — I ate) is a perfect response!
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我叫... | wǒ jiào... | My name is... (I'm called...) |
| 我姓... | wǒ xìng... | My surname is... |
| 你叫什么名字？ | nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? | What's your name? |
| 你贵姓？ | nǐ guì xìng? | What is your surname? (polite) |
| 认识你很高兴 | rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng | Nice to meet you |
| 我是美国人 | wǒ shì měiguó rén | I'm American |
| 我是学生 | wǒ shì xuéshēng | I'm a student |
| 你呢？ | nǐ ne? | And you? / What about you? |
姓 (xìng) is used for surnames only: 我姓王 (Wǒ xìng Wáng — My surname is Wang)
叫 (jiào) is used for full names or given names: 我叫王明 (Wǒ jiào Wáng Míng — My name is Wang Ming)
In China, the surname comes first: 王明 = Wang (surname) + Ming (given name).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 谢谢 | xièxie | Thank you | Universal thanks |
| 非常感谢 | fēicháng gǎnxiè | Thank you very much | More formal/emphatic |
| 不客气 | bú kèqi | You're welcome | Literally "don't be polite" |
| 没关系 | méi guānxi | It's OK / No problem | Response to 对不起 |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | Sorry | Genuine apology |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎo yìsi | Excuse me / Sorry | Mild embarrassment / getting attention |
| 请 | qǐng | Please | Used before verbs |
| 请问 | qǐngwèn | Excuse me, may I ask...? | Polite way to start a question |
💡 Cultural Insight: Chinese culture has a concept called 客气 (kèqi) — being politely modest. When someone praises you, the typical response is to deflect: "哪里哪里" (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ — "Where? Where?") or "没有没有" (méiyǒu méiyǒu — "No, no"). Accepting compliments directly can feel boastful.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 什么 | shénme | what | 这是什么？(Zhè shì shénme? — What is this?) |
| 谁 | shéi / shuí | who | 他是谁？(Tā shì shéi? — Who is he?) |
| 哪里 / 哪儿 | nǎlǐ / nǎr | where | 你在哪儿？(Nǐ zài nǎr? — Where are you?) |
| 什么时候 | shénme shíhou | when | 你什么时候来？(When are you coming?) |
| 为什么 | wèi shénme | why | 你为什么学中文？(Why do you study Chinese?) |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how | 这个怎么说？(How do you say this?) |
| 多少 | duōshao | how many/much | 多少钱？(Duōshao qián? — How much?) |
The simplest way to form a yes/no question: add 吗 to the end of a statement.
你好。(Hello.) → 你好吗？ (How are you? / Are you well?)
他是学生。(He is a student.) → 他是学生吗？ (Is he a student?)
No word order change needed — just add 吗!
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我不明白 | wǒ bù míngbai | I don't understand |
| 请再说一遍 | qǐng zài shuō yí biàn | Please say it again |
| 请说慢一点 | qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn | Please speak more slowly |
| 这个用中文怎么说？ | zhège yòng zhōngwén zěnme shuō? | How do you say this in Chinese? |
| 我在学中文 | wǒ zài xué zhōngwén | I'm learning Chinese |
| 你会说英语吗？ | nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma? | Do you speak English? |
| 厕所在哪儿？ | cèsuǒ zài nǎr? | Where is the bathroom? |
| 我需要帮助 | wǒ xūyào bāngzhù | I need help |
A: 你好！我叫大卫。你叫什么名字？
(Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Dàwèi. Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?)
Hello! My name is David. What's your name?
B: 你好！我叫小红。你是哪国人？
(Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Xiǎohóng. Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?)
Hello! I'm Xiaohong. What country are you from?
A: 我是美国人。你呢？
(Wǒ shì Měiguó rén. Nǐ ne?)
I'm American. And you?
B: 我是中国人。认识你很高兴！
(Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén. Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng!)
I'm Chinese. Nice to meet you!
A: 请问，这是什么？
(Qǐngwèn, zhè shì shénme?)
Excuse me, what is this?
B: 这是绿茶。你要吗？
(Zhè shì lǜchá. Nǐ yào ma?)
This is green tea. Do you want some?
A: 好的，谢谢！多少钱？
(Hǎo de, xièxie! Duōshao qián?)
OK, thanks! How much?
B: 十五块。
(Shíwǔ kuài.)
15 yuan.
1. How do you say "What's your name?" in Mandarin?
2. Someone says "谢谢" to you. What's a natural response?
3. How do you turn "他是老师" (He is a teacher) into a question?
4. A Chinese person asks you "你吃了吗？" (Have you eaten?). What does this usually mean?
Greetings: 你好 (general), 您好 (formal), plus time-of-day variations.
Introductions: 我叫... (full name), 我姓... (surname). Surname comes first in Chinese names.
Polite phrases: 谢谢 (thanks), 对不起 (sorry), 请 (please), 不客气 (you're welcome).
Questions: Add 吗 for yes/no questions. Use 什么, 谁, 哪儿, 怎么, 为什么 for specific questions.
Culture: "Have you eaten?" is a greeting. Deflecting compliments shows modesty.