Chinese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 1 of 12
Hello and goodbye
你好，再见Nǐ hǎo, zàijiàn
Say hello and goodbye in Mandarin, give your name, say where you're from and ask simple questions, with a first look at tones and characters.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Greet people and say goodbye
- Say your name and where you're from
- Ask yes/no questions with 吗 (ma)
- Use the personal pronouns, and choose between 你 (nǐ) and 您 (nín)
Listen
On her first day at an office in Beijing, Zhang Min meets her colleague Wang Hao. Later, the older security guard, Mr Li, holds the door for him. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Wang Hao
你好！我叫王浩。你叫什么名字？
Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Wáng Hào. Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
Hello! I'm Wang Hao. What's your name?
Zhang Min
你好！我叫张敏。你是哪里人？
Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Zhāng Mǐn. Nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?
Hello! I'm Zhang Min. Where are you from?
Wang Hao
我是北京人。你呢？你也是北京人吗？
Wǒ shì Běijīngrén. Nǐ ne? Nǐ yě shì Běijīngrén ma?
I'm from Beijing. And you? Are you from Beijing too?
Zhang Min
不是，我是上海人。
Bú shì, wǒ shì Shànghǎirén.
No, I'm from Shanghai.
Wang Hao
您好！
Nín hǎo!
Hello! (to Mr Li, politely)
Mr Li
你好！忙吗？
Nǐ hǎo! Máng ma?
Hello! Busy?
Wang Hao
很忙。您呢？
Hěn máng. Nín ne?
Yes, very. And you?
Mr Li
我也很忙。
Wǒ yě hěn máng.
I'm busy too.
Wang Hao
谢谢您！再见！
Xièxie nín! Zàijiàn!
Thank you! Goodbye!
Mr Li
不客气。再见！
Bú kèqi. Zàijiàn!
You're welcome. Goodbye!
Understand
How Chinese works: characters, pinyin and tones
Chinese is written with characters. Each character is one syllable and usually has a meaning of its own: (nǐ) is “you” and (hǎo) is “good”, so (nǐ hǎo) is “hello”. You don't need to read characters yet. Every sentence in this course also comes in pinyin, the official spelling of Chinese in Latin letters.
Mandarin has four tones: each syllable has its own pitch pattern, and a different tone can mean a different word. The marks over the vowels show the tone. Some syllables are said short and light, in the neutral tone, with no mark: the second syllable of (xièxie), thank you.
One sound rule you'll hear at once: when two third tones meet, the first one is said as a second tone. is said “ní hǎo”, but pinyin still writes nǐ hǎo. Listen and copy the melody; the page on pinyin and tones has more practice.
| Tone | Mark | How it sounds | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | ā | high and level, as if singing | (mā), mother |
| 2nd | á | rising, like a surprised “eh?” | (má), numb |
| 3rd | ǎ | low, dipping down | (mǎ), horse |
| 4th | à | falling sharply, like a firm “No!” | (mà), to scold |
| neutral | a | short and light | (ma), question word |
I, you, he, she: personal pronouns
Chinese pronouns never change their form: (wǒ) is both “I” and “me”, and (tā) both “he” and “him”. To make a plural, add (men): (wǒmen), we, us; (nǐmen), you (more than one person); (tāmen), they, them.
(tā, he), (tā, she) and (tā, it) all sound the same; only the characters differ. is for animals and things, and is rarely needed. For a group of men, or of men and women, say (tāmen); (tāmen) is only for women.
Chinese has two words for “you”. (nǐ) is for friends, colleagues and people about your age. (nín) is the polite “you” for older people and customers. It has no plural in speech: to a group, say (nǐmen). Wang Hao says to Mr Li; Mr Li, who is older, answers with .
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| (wǒ) | I, me |
| (nǐ) | you (one person) |
| (nín) | you (one person, polite) |
| (tā) | he, him |
| (tā) | she, her |
| (tā) | it (animals and things) |
| (wǒmen) | we, us |
| (nǐmen) | you (more than one person) |
| (tāmen) | they, them (men, or men and women) |
| (tāmen) | they, them (women only) |
Names, 是, and questions with 吗 and 呢
The basic word order is the same as in English: the subject (the person doing the action), then the verb, then the object. To give your name, say (wǒ jiào…), “I'm called…”. To ask someone's name, say (nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?), word for word “you are-called what name?”. The question word (shénme, what) stands where the answer will go, so a question keeps the order of a statement.
(shì) means “to be”, but only when it links two nouns: (wǒ shì Běijīngrén), “I'm from Beijing”, literally “I am a Beijing person”. Verbs never change in Chinese: (wǒ shì), (nǐ shì), (tāmen shì), all the same. To say “not”, put (bù) in front: (bú shì). Before a fourth tone, is said bú.
To turn a statement into a yes/no question, just add (ma) at the end; the word order stays the same. Chinese has no all-purpose word for “yes” or “no”: you usually answer with the verb, (shì) or (bú shì), as Zhang Min does. To bounce a question back, use (ne): (nǐ ne?), “and you?”.
- 你是北京人。Nǐ shì Běijīngrén.You're from Beijing.
- 你是北京人吗？Nǐ shì Běijīngrén ma?Are you from Beijing?
- 我不是北京人。Wǒ bú shì Běijīngrén.I'm not from Beijing.
- 我是上海人。你呢？Wǒ shì Shànghǎirén. Nǐ ne?I'm from Shanghai. And you?
很 + adjective, and 也
To say what someone is like, Chinese uses no . Instead, put (hěn) before the adjective (a describing word): (wǒ hěn hǎo), I'm well; (wǒ hěn máng), I'm busy. literally means “very”, but here it is mostly a link; without it the sentence sounds unfinished. To say “not”, use (bù) instead of : (wǒ bù máng), I'm not busy.
(yě, also, too) goes before the verb or before : (wǒ yě hěn máng), I'm busy too; (wǒ yě shì Běijīngrén), I'm from Beijing too.
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (wǒ hěn hǎo) | I'm well |
| (nǐ hěn máng) | you're busy |
| (wǒ yě hěn hǎo) | I'm well too |
| (wǒ bù máng) | I'm not busy |
More in the grammar: Adjectives and 很 · Asking questions · How Chinese characters work · Negation: 不, 没 and 别 · Pinyin and the four tones · Pronouns and 你 vs 您 · Word order: subject, time, place, verb · 是: to be
New words
- 你好nǐ hǎohello · Said “ní hǎo”: two third tones in a row. Works at any time of day.
- 叫jiàoto be called · (wǒ jiào Wáng Hào), I'm called Wang Hao.
- 什么shénmewhat
- 名字míngziname
- 哪里人nǎlǐ rénfrom where · (nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?), Where are you from? Literally “you are where person?”
- 是shìto be · Links two nouns. Not used before adjectives. As an answer it can mean “yes”.
- 呢neand…? (bounces a question back) · (nǐ ne?), And you?
- 也yěalso, too · Goes before the verb, never at the end.
- 您好nín hǎohello (polite) · For older people and customers.
- 很hěnvery · Links a person to an adjective: (wǒ hěn hǎo), I'm well.
- 好hǎogood, well
- 谢谢xièxiethank you · The second syllable is in the neutral tone. Polite: (xièxie nín).
- 再见zàijiàngoodbye · Literally “again see”.
- 不客气bú kèqiyou're welcome · is said bú here because the next syllable has the fourth tone.
Practise
1.You're greeting Mr Li, the older security guard. What do you say?
2.Put the words in order to ask someone's name.
Tap the words below in the right order.What's your name?
3.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.How do you say “I'm well”?
5.Put the words in order: say that you're from Shanghai too.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'm from Shanghai too.
6.You're talking about Wang Hao and Zhang Min together. Which word means “they”?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
你好！你叫什么名字？
Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
Hello! What's your name?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.