Basic Chinese Conversation Tutorial for Beginners283

Embarking on the journey of learning Chinese can be both exciting and daunting. To provide a solid foundation, this tutorial will guide you through essential phrases and dialogues that will help you navigate basic conversations in Mandarin.

Greetings* Hello: 你好 (nǐ hǎo)
* Good morning/afternoon/evening: 早上好/下午好/晚上好 (zǎoshàng hǎo/xiàwǔ hǎo/wǎnshàng hǎo)
* How are you?: 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma)
* I'm fine, thank you: 我很好，谢谢 (wǒ hěn hǎo, xiè xie)

Introductions* My name is...: 我叫... (wǒ jiào ...)
* Nice to meet you: 很高兴认识你 (hěn gāoxìng rèn shí nǐ)
* Where are you from?: 你是哪里人？(nǐ shì nǎ lǐ rén?)
* I'm from...: 我是...人 (wǒ shì ... rén)

Basic Questions and Answers* What's your name?: 你叫什么名字？(nǐ jiào shén me míngzi?)
* I'm called...: 我叫... (wǒ jiào ...)
* How old are you?: 你多大？(nǐ duō dà?)
* I'm... years old: 我...岁 (wǒ ... suì)
* What do you do for a living?: 你做什么工作？(nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò?)
* I'm a student/teacher/doctor/etc.: 我是学生/老师/医生/等 (wǒ shì xué shēng/lǎo shī/yī shēng/děng)

Making Requests* Can you help me?: 你能帮我吗？(nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?)
* I need some help: 我需要帮助 (wǒ xū yào bāng zhù)
* Can you give me...: 你能给我...吗？(nǐ néng gěi wǒ ... ma?)
* I want to go to...: 我想去... (wǒ xiǎng qù ...)

Phrases for Daily Situations* Excuse me: 打扰一下 (dǎ rǎo yī xià)
* Thank you: 谢谢 (xiè xie)
* You're welcome: 不客气 (bù kè qì)
* I'm sorry: 对不起 (duì bù qǐ)
* I don't understand: 我不懂 (wǒ bù dǒng)
* Can you speak more slowly?: 你可以说慢点吗？(nǐ kě yǐ shuō màn diǎn ma?)
* Where is the bathroom?: 卫生间在哪儿？(wèi shēng jiān zài nǎ er?)

Cultural Etiquette* When meeting someone for the first time, it's customary to shake hands or bow slightly.
* When addressing someone, it's polite to use their surname followed by their given name.
* Avoid using informal language with strangers or people in positions of authority.

Practice DialogueDialogue 1 (Introductions)
* A: 你好，我叫李明。 (Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng.)
* B: 很高兴认识你，李明。我叫王芳。 (Hěn gāoxìng rèn shí nǐ, Lǐ Míng. Wǒ jiào Wáng Fāng.)
* A: 你是哪里人？ (Nǐ shì nǎ lǐ rén?)
* B: 我是上海人。你呢？ (Wǒ shì Shànghǎi rén. Nǐ ne?)
* A: 我是北京人。 (Wǒ shì Běijīng rén.)
Dialogue 2 (Request)
* A: 打扰一下，你能帮我一下吗？ (Dǎ rǎo yī xià, nǐ néng bāng wǒ yī xià ma?)
* B: 当然可以，什么事？ (Dāng rán kě yǐ, shén me shì?)
* A: 我想找一下卫生间，你能告诉我怎么走吗？ (Wǒ xiǎng zhǎo yī xià wèi shēng jiān, nǐ néng gào sù wǒ zěn me zǒu ma?)
* B: 可以，你直走，然后右拐，就在右手边。 (Kě yǐ, nǐ zhí zǒu, ránhòu yòu guǎi, jiù zài yòu shǒu biān.)
* A: 谢谢你的帮助。 (Xiè xie nǐ de bāng zhù.)
Dialogue 3 (Daily Situation)
* A: Excuse me, do you have a menu in English? (打擾一下，你們有英文菜單嗎？)
* B: Yes, we do. Here you go. (有，給您。)
* A: Thank you. I'll have the fried rice. (謝謝，我要一份炒飯。)
* B: Is there anything else you'd like to order? (請問還有需要別的嗎？)
* A: No, that's all for now. (不用了，就這些。)