Lesson32: Language Difficulties

Language difficulties always happen to non-native speakers (foreigners). Moreover, not all people can speak English. Let's say, in one situation where an old lady comes to you and ask about something. Then there is where the language difficulty happens.

Old lady: 你好..!@#$%^& (in Chinese language and you understand only 你好)

*你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) = is used as greetings, can also mean "How are you?"

To reply 你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) is 你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) itself.

Here are some other replies that can be used:

*You can add Sorry = 對不起 (dui bu qi | ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧˇ) in front of the sentence if necessary.

Can you speak English? = 你會說英文嗎? (ni hui shuo yingwen ma? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄟˋ ㄕㄨㄛ 一ㄥ ㄨㄣˊ ㄇㄚ?)

*English = 英文 (yingwen | 一ㄥ ㄨㄣˊ)

I don't understand Chinese = 我不懂中文 (wo bu dong zhongwen | ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ)

*Chinese = 中文 (zhongwen | ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ)

I don't understand = 我不懂 (wo bu dong | ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˇ)

*不 (bu | ㄅㄨˋ) = no (negative)

*懂 (dong | ㄉㄨㄥˇ) = to understand

Can you write it down for me? = 可以寫給我嗎? (keyi xie gei wo ma? | ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄝˇ ㄍㄟˇ ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄚ?)

*write = 寫 (xie | ㄒㄧㄝˇ)

Can you say it one more time? = 可以再說一次嗎? (keyi zai shuo yici ma? | ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ ㄗㄞˋ ㄕㄨㄛ 一 ㄘˋ ㄇㄚ?)

*說 (shuo | ㄕㄨㄛ) = to say, to speak

*one more time = 再一次 (zai yi ci | ㄗㄞˋ 一 ㄘˋ)

Lesson31: Internet

"Internet" in the Chinese language is 網路 (wang lu | ㄨㄤˇ ㄌㄨˋ)

You may want to use the internet to send email but you don't have any internet connection now in your room. In this situation, you may want to find an Internet cafe = 網吧 (wang ba | ㄨㄤˇ ㄅㄚ).

Where is the Internet cafe? = 網吧在哪裡? (wangba zai na li? | ㄨㄤˇ ㄅㄚ ㄗㄞˋ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌ一ˇ?)

Is there any Internet cafe around here? = 這附近有網吧嗎? (zhe fujin you wangba ma? | ㄓㄜˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ 一ㄡˇ ㄨㄤˇ ㄅㄚ ㄇㄚ?)

around here (near here) = 這附近 (zhe fu jin | ㄓㄜˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄐ一ㄣˋ)

At another case, you probably will go to somewhere that has wireless internet connection.

Wireless Internet = 無線網路 (wu xian wang lu | ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄨㄤˇ ㄌㄨˋ)

Is there any wireless internet here? = 這裡有無線網路嗎? (zhe li you wuxian wanglu ma? | ㄓㄜˋ ㄌ一ˇ 一ㄡˇ ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄨㄤˇ ㄌㄨˋ ㄇㄚ?)

here = 這裡 (zhe li | ㄓㄜˋ ㄌ一ˇ)

Some wireless internet connection may require password = 密碼 (mi ma | ㄇㄧˋ ㄇㄚˇ)

What is the password? = 密碼是什麼? (mi ma shi sheme? | ㄇㄧˋ ㄇㄚˇ ㄕˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ?)

To ask if the wireless internet connection is FREE = 免費 (mian fei | ㄇㄧㄢˇ ㄈㄟˋ), you will say

Is the wireless internet connection free of charge? = 無線網路是免費嗎? (wuxian wanglu shi mianfei ma? | ㄨˊ ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄨㄤˇ ㄌㄨˋ ㄕˋ ㄇㄧㄢˇ ㄈㄟˋ ㄇㄚ?)

Just in case if the wireless internet connection is NOT free, you may want to ask about the fee per hour.

How much is for one hour? = 一個小時多少錢? (yi ge xiaoshi duoshaoqian? | 一 ㄍㄜ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˊ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄕㄠˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ?)

hour = 小時 (xiao shi | ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˊ)

How much money? = 多少錢? (duo shao qian? | ㄉㄨㄛ ㄕㄠˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ?)

Lesson30: Let me think about it

"Let me think about it". You may say this whenever you are unsure about your decision. It is literally means NOT YES and NOT NO, or UNDECIDED. BUT, it will mean different in Chinese society. Chinese people will consider that as a NO, or a rejection.

It happens in a situation for example shopping. If you want to reject the offer, just simply say "Let me think about it" which sounds softer than "No".

Let me think about it = 我先考慮 (wo xian kaolu | ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄎㄠˇ ㄌㄩˋ)

*考慮 (kaolu | ㄎㄠˇ ㄌㄩˋ) = to think, to consider

On the other hand, say YES or OK to accept.

YES = 是 (shi | ㄕˋ)

OK = 好 (hao | ㄏㄠˇ)

Lesson29: "Refuse" Culture

This is so far the most interesting part of all. In Chinese culture, you should always refuse for the FIRST time when you are offered something like drink or food, although you really want it. Don't worry because you will get it in the end (most of the time it works!)

So, let me share my experience. As usual, I always have my breakfast in the same breakfast shop almost every morning. Yeah, almost every morning! So the boss has already recognized me. It turned out one day, the boss offered me more drink without charge a.k.a FREE. I was like, umm, I don't need, I am enough with this. So I REFUSED. The boss didn't stop her effort. She kept on forcing me to accept her offer and I kept on refusing. In the end, she took my cup and refilled it fully.

This does not happen once but every time I go there since that day. And the same situation happens; she keeps on offering and I keep on refusing but in the end, I get more drink WITHOUT charge. lol

Finally, I did some research on Chinese culture. I found out something astonishing me. Here, the situation is "Visiting (Chinese) friend". Your friend will keep on offering you something in order to be a GOOD HOST and you should refuse for the first time to be a GOOD GUEST.

Happy exploring!

Lesson28: Steak = 牛排 = Beef Steak

This one is confusing, really confusing. Steak, as a general term, is called 牛排 (niu pai | ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄆㄞˊ). On the other hand, 牛排 (niu pai | ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄆㄞˊ) is also mean Beefsteak.

Let's say, you and your friend is thinking about what to eat for lunch. As you are walking, you see a steak house. You will see the word steak is written as 牛排 (niu pai | ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄆㄞˊ). Then you say that you want to eat steak.

I want to eat steak = 我要吃牛排 (wo yao chi niupai | ㄨㄛˇ 一ㄠˋ ㄔ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄆㄞˊ)

If your meaning is to eat beefsteak.

I want to eat beefsteak = 我要吃牛排 (wo yao chi niupai | ㄨㄛˇ 一ㄠˋ ㄔ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄆㄞˊ)

They are the same in the Chinese language!

Pork steak = 豬排 (zhu pai | ㄓㄨ ㄆㄞˊ)

Fish steak = 魚排 (yu pai | ㄩˊ ㄆㄞˊ)

Chicken steak = 雞排 (ji pai | ㄐㄧ ㄆㄞˊ)

And finally, tell your friend to go there.

Let's go there = 去那兒吧 (qu nar ba | ㄑㄩˋ ㄇㄚˋ ㄦ ㄅㄚ)

Lesson27: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner

It is a custom for Chinese people to ask have you eaten? as part of the greetings. If you meet your friend in the morning, you can ask have you had your breakfast?; have you had your lunch? at noon, and have you had your dinner? at night.

Have you eaten? = 你吃過了嗎? (ni chi guo le ma? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄔ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄜ ㄇㄚ?)

Have you had your breakfast? = 你吃過早餐了嗎? (ni chi guo zaocan le ma? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄔ ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄗㄠˇ ㄘㄢ ㄌㄜ ㄇㄚ?)

What did you have for your breakfast? = 你早餐吃什麼? (ni zaocan chi sheme? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄗㄠˇ ㄘㄢ ㄔ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ?)

lunch = 午餐 (wu can | ㄨˇ ㄘㄢ)

dinner = 晚餐 (wan can | ㄨㄢˇ ㄘㄢ)

Is it delicious? = 好吃嗎? (hao chi ma? | ㄏㄠˇ ㄔ ㄇㄚ?)

Delicious = 好吃 (hao chi | ㄏㄠˇ ㄔ)

Do you like it? = 你喜歡嗎? (ni xihuan ma? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ ㄇㄚ?)

I like it = 我喜歡 (wo xihuan | ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ)

I don't like it = 我不喜歡 (wo bu xihuan | ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ)

Share my experience

Here I list some of my favorite for breakfast:

pancake = 蛋餅 (dan bing | ㄉㄢˋ ㄅㄧㄥˇ)

Cheese pancake = 起司蛋餅 (qisi dan bing | ㄑㄧˇ ㄙ ㄉㄢˋ ㄅㄧㄥˇ)

Bacon pancake = 培根蛋餅 (peigen dan bing | ㄆㄟˊ ㄍㄣ ㄉㄢˋ ㄅㄧㄥˇ)

Ham pancake = 火腿蛋餅 (huotuoi dan bing | ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄊㄨㄟˇ ㄉㄢˋ ㄅㄧㄥˇ)

Pork pancake = 豬肉蛋餅 (zhurou dan bing | ㄓㄨ ㄖㄡˋ ㄉㄢˋ ㄅㄧㄥˇ)

Tuna pancake = 鮪魚蛋餅 (weiyu dan bing | ㄨㄟˇ ㄩˊ ㄉㄢˋ ㄅㄧㄥˇ)

Meat Floss pancake = 肉鬆蛋餅 (rousong dan bing | ㄖㄡˋ ㄙㄨㄥ ㄉㄢˋ ㄅㄧㄥˇ)

burger = 漢堡 (han bao | ㄏㄢˋ ㄅㄠˇ)

Fried Chicken burger = 卡辣雞漢堡 (kalaji han bao | ㄎㄚˇ ㄌㄚˋ ㄐㄧ ㄏㄢˋ ㄅㄠˇ)

Pork burger = 豬肉漢堡 (zhurou han bao | ㄓㄨ ㄖㄡˋ ㄏㄢˋ ㄅㄠˇ)

Fish burger = 魚漢堡 (yu han bao | ㄩˊ ㄏㄢˋ ㄅㄠˇ)

sandwich = 三明治 (san ming zhi | ㄙㄢ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄓˋ)

milk tea = 奶茶 (nai cha | ㄋㄞˇ ㄔㄚˊ)

black tea = 紅茶 (hong cha | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄔㄚˊ)

*black is 黑 (hei | ㄏㄟ) and 紅 (hong | ㄏㄨㄥˊ) is red. 紅茶 (hong cha | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄔㄚˊ) is translated as black tea instead of red tea. Weird??? I have ever asked about this and the answer that I got is because when you pour the red tea into a big container, you will see the tea color as BLACK. That's how it gets the name black tea.

soya bean milk = 豆漿 (dou jiang | ㄉㄡˋ ㄐㄧㄤ)

Lesson26: Fruits

Here are some names of fruit:

01. Mango = 芒果 (mang guo | ㄇㄤˊ ㄍㄨㄛˇ)

02. Apple = 蘋果 (ping guo | ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄛˇ)

03. Banana = 香蕉 (xiang jiao | ㄒㄧㄤ ㄐㄧㄠ)

04. Orange = 橙子 (cheng zi | ㄔㄥˊ ㄗˇ)

05. Watermelon = 西瓜 (xi gua | ㄒㄧ ㄍㄨㄚ)

06. Strawberry = 草莓 (cao mei | ㄘㄠˇ ㄇㄟˊ)

07. Winter melon = 冬瓜 (dong gua | ㄉㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄚ)

08. Lemon = 檸檬 (ning meng | ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄇㄥˊ)

09. Pineapple = 鳳梨 (feng li | ㄈㄥˋ ㄌ一ˊ)

10. Melon = 甜瓜 (tian gua | ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄍㄨㄚ)

11. Peach = 桃子 (tao zi | ㄊㄠˊ ㄗˇ)

12. Cherry = 櫻桃 (ying tao | 一ㄥ ㄊㄠˊ)

Lesson25: "Don't eat all of your food"

A few days ago, one of my foreigner friends told me about his experience of eating with a Chinese family. He said that the host of that eating session kept on asking him to add more every time he finished eating. Thus, he shared with me about the meaning of the culture of "Don't eat all of your food" that he has ever read before. According to that, it means you are still hungry. In my opinion, I don't see any relation between them. If you have eaten everything on your plate, it doesn't mean that you are still hungry. I have ever read the same thing too! As for me, I always eat'em all. lol. The fact that the host will keep on asking you to add more and more is true, especially the old people. It is just like a custom. So you, young people, when you are eating with a Chinese family, REMEMBER to control your speed! Don't eat too fast because they won't let you alone while others are eating.

Note. Try to play around! Be the first to finish eating and eat everything that's on your plate (anything edible only, lol) and see what will happen.

Lesson24: Apologize

When you are walking, you may step on someone's foot. In this situation, you should say I am sorry = 對不起 (dui bu qi | ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧˇ). In other situation, if someone says to you, to reply it is it doesn't matter = 沒關係 (mei guan xi | ㄇㄟˊ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄒㄧˋ)

You have done wrong = 你做錯了 (ni zuo cuo le | ㄋㄧˇ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄘㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄜ)

*can be replaced with:

I = 我 (wo | ㄨㄛˇ)

We = 我們 (wo men | ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄣ)

They = 他們 (ta men | ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ)

He = 他 (ta | ㄊㄚ)

She = 她 (ta | ㄊㄚ)

What I have done wrong? = 我做錯了什麼? (wo zuo cuo le sheme? | ㄨㄛˇ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄘㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄜ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ?)

Wrong! = 錯! (cuo | ㄘㄨㄛˋ)

Lesson23: Sport

"Healthy inside, Healthy outside" that's my motto to be healthy in life. lol

So, let's start with sport = 運動 (yun dong | ㄩㄣˋ ㄉㄨㄥˋ)

what sport do you like? = 你喜歡什麼運動? (ni xihuan sheme yundong? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ ㄩㄣˋ ㄉㄨㄥˋ?)

I like ___ = 我喜歡 ___ (wo xihuan ___ | ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ ___)

soccer = 足球 (zu qiu | ㄗㄨˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ)

volleyball = 排球 (pai qiu | ㄆㄞˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ)

basketball = 籃球 (lan qiu | ㄌㄢˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ)

swimming = 游泳 (you yong | 一ㄡˊ ㄩㄥˇ)

badminton = 羽毛球 (yu mao qiu | ㄩˇ ㄇㄠˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ)

table tennis = 桌球 (zhuo qiu | ㄓㄨㄛ ㄑㄧㄡˊ)

taekwondo = 跆拳道 (tai quan dao | ㄊㄞˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄉㄠˋ)

To play = 玩 (wan | ㄨㄢˊ) is usually used in sport.

You can find it in a conversation like:

Do you want to play with us? = 你要跟我們一起玩嗎? (ni yao gen women yiqi wan ma? | ㄋㄧˇ 一ㄠˋ ㄍㄣ ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄣ 一ˋ ㄑㄧˇ ㄨㄢˊ ㄇㄚ?)

or simply

Do you want to play? = 你要玩嗎? (ni yao wan ma? | ㄋㄧˇ 一ㄠˋ ㄨㄢˊ ㄇㄚ?)

Can I play? = 我可以玩嗎? (wo keyi wan ma? | ㄨㄛˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ ㄨㄢˊ ㄇㄚ?)

There are some verbs to replace to play to indicate that you are really playing such as hit = 打 (da | ㄉㄚˇ), kick = 踢(ti | ㄊㄧ) or practice = 練 (lian | ㄌㄧㄢˋ)

play volleyball = 打排球 (da pai qiu |ㄉㄚˇ ㄆㄞˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ)

play soccer = 踢足球 (ti zu qiu | ㄊㄧ ㄗㄨˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ)

play taekwondo = 練跆拳道 (lian tai quan dao | ㄌㄧㄢˋ ㄊㄞˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄉㄠˋ)

Lesson22: To Have

to have = 有 (you | 一ㄡˇ)

to have here can mean ownership or existence.

For example:

Do you have any telephone? (ownership) = 你有電話嗎? (ni you dianhua ma? | ㄋㄧˇ 一ㄡˇ ㄉㄧㄢˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄇㄚ?)

Is there any telephone here? (existence) = 這裡有電話嗎? (zheli you dianhua ma? | ㄓㄜˋ ㄌㄧˇ 一ㄡˇ ㄉㄧㄢˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄇㄚ?)

So, in conclusion:

Do you have ___ ? = 你有 ___ 嗎? (ni you ___ ma? | ㄋㄧˇ 一ㄡˇ ___ ㄇㄚ?)

Is there any ____ here? = 這裡有 ____ 嗎? (zheli you ___ ma? | ㄓㄜˋ ㄌㄧˇ 一ㄡˇ ___ ㄇㄚ?)

Lesson21: Weather

I am having a summer break while I am writing this post. The weather today is obviously hot. In Chinese language, weather = 天氣 (tian qi | ㄊㄧㄢ ㄑㄧˋ)

To say Today is very hot = 今天很熱 (jin tian hen re | ㄐㄧㄣ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄏㄣˇ ㄖㄜˋ) or The weather is very hot today = 今天的天氣很熱 (jin tian de tianqi hen re | ㄐㄧㄣ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄉㄜ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄑㄧˋ ㄏㄣˇ ㄖㄜˋ)

hot (weather) = 熱 (re | ㄖㄜˋ)

cold (weather) = 冷 (leng | ㄌㄥˇ)

I like this weather = 我喜歡這樣的天氣 (wo xihuan zheyang de tianqi | ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ ㄓㄜˋ 一ㄤˋ ㄉㄜ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄑㄧˋ)

Today weather is very good = 今天的天氣很好 (jintian de tianqi hen hao | ㄐㄧㄣ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄉㄜ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄑㄧˋ ㄏㄣˇ ㄏㄠˇ)

rainy day = 下雨天 (xia yu tian | ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄩˇ ㄊㄧㄢ)

sunny day = 晴天 (qing tian | ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄊㄧㄢ)

spring = 春天 (chun tian | ㄔㄨㄣ ㄊㄧㄢ)

summer = 夏天 (xia tian | ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄊㄧㄢ)

fall/ autumn = 秋天 (qiu tian | ㄑㄧㄡ ㄊㄧㄢ)

winter = 冬天 (dong tian | ㄉㄨㄥ ㄊㄧㄢ)

Lesson20: Making Appointment

This topic came across my mind as I was making an appointment a moment ago. So, the first thing you may ask is when do you have time?

when do you have time? = 你什麼時候有空? (ni sheme shihou you kong? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ 一ㄡˇ ㄎㄨㄥˋ ?)

where to go? = 要去哪裡? (yao qu nali? | 一ㄠˋ ㄑㄩˋ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ?)

who wants to go? = 誰要去? (shei yao qu? | ㄕㄟˊ 一ㄠˋ ㄑㄩˋ?)

what time to go? = 幾點去? (ji dian qu? | ㄐㄧˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄑㄩˋ?)

how to go? = 怎麼去? (zenme qu? | ㄗㄣˇ ㄇㄜ ㄑㄩˋ?)

where to meet? = 在哪裡見面? (zai nali jian mian? | ㄗㄞˋ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ?)

remember to ___ = 要記得___ (yao jide___ | 一ㄠˋ ㄐㄧˋ ㄉㄜ___)

01. tell me = 告訴我 (gaosu wo | ㄍㄠˋ ㄙㄨˋ ㄨㄛˇ)

02. call me = 叫我 (jiao wo | ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄨㄛˇ)

03. call me (phone) = 打電話給我 (da dianhua gei wo | ㄉㄚˇ ㄉㄧㄢˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄍㄟˇ ㄨㄛˇ)

Lesson19: Restaurant

Service in small restaurant like those you can find on road side is different from big restaurant. Here I am going to take small restaurant as the situation. Once you step in, you may want to choose your seat and then ask for the menu (if it is not on the table)

menu = 菜單 (cai dan | ㄘㄞˋ ㄉㄢ)

When asking for the menu, you may want to start with excuse me.

excuse me = 不好意思 (bu hao yi si | ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄠˇ 一ˋ ㄙ)

please give me the menu = 給我菜單一下 (gei wo caidan yixia | ㄍㄟˇ ㄨㄛˇ ㄘㄞˋ ㄉㄢ 一 ㄒㄧㄚˋ)

I want to see the menu = 我要看菜單 (wo yao kan caidan | ㄨㄛˇ 一ㄠˋ ㄎㄢˋ ㄘㄞˋ ㄉㄢ)

Here is a list of some meat

chicken = 雞肉 (ji rou | ㄐㄧ ㄖㄡˋ)

beef = 牛肉 (niu rou | ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄖㄡˋ)

lamb = 羊肉 (yang rou | 一ㄤˊ ㄖㄡˋ)

pork = 豬肉 (zhu rou | ㄓㄨ ㄖㄡˋ)

fish = 魚肉 (yu rou | ㄩˊ ㄖㄡˋ)

*肉 (rou | ㄖㄡˋ) means meat. If you remove the word, you will get the Chinese word of the animal.

chicken = 雞 (ji | ㄐㄧ)

cow = 牛 (niu | ㄋㄧㄡˊ)

sheep = 羊 (yang | 一ㄤˊ)

pig = 豬 (zhu | ㄓㄨ)

fish = 魚 (yu | ㄩˊ)

please give me ___ = 請給我 ___ (qing gei wo ___ | ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄍㄟˇ ㄨㄛˇ ___)

spoon = 湯匙 (tang chi | ㄊㄤ ㄔˊ)

fork = 叉子 (cha zi | ㄔㄚ ㄗˇ)

chopstick = 筷子 (kuai zi | ㄎㄨㄞˋ ㄗˇ)

cup = 杯子 (bei zi | ㄅㄟ ㄗˇ)

straw = 吸管 (xi guan | ㄒㄧ ㄍㄨㄢˇ)

Now for the check-out, you may want to tell the waiter that you want to pay the bill.

pay the bill = 結帳 (jie zhang | ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄓㄤˋ) OR 買單 (mai dan | ㄇㄞˇ ㄉㄢ)

I want to pay the bill = 我要結帳 (wo yao jiezhang | ㄨㄛˇ 一ㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄓㄤˋ)

OR 我要買單 (wo yao maidan | ㄨㄛˇ 一ㄠˋ ㄇㄞˇ ㄉㄢ)

I want to pay = 我要付錢 (wo yao fu qian | ㄨㄛˇ 一ㄠˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄢˊ)

Lesson18: On Telephone

Once you pick up your phone, no matter you are the caller or the one is called, the first word you will say is:

hello = 喂 (wei | ㄨㄟˋ)

Although it is pronounced with the fourth tone, it is usually pronounced with the SECOND tone. Note that 喂 (wei | ㄨㄟˋ) is used as telephone greetings ONLY.

你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) is usually followed after hello = 喂 (wei | ㄨㄟˋ) . It means how are you?. The conversation will be like :

喂, 你好 (wei ni hao | ㄨㄟˋ ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) = hello, how are you?

*你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) can be used to greet either people that you know or strangers.

May I ask you? = 請問一下 (qing wen yi xia | ㄑㄧㄥˇ ㄨㄣˋ 一 ㄒㄧㄚˋ)

Is this ___? = 這是 ___ 嗎? (zhe shi ___ ma? | ㄓㄜˋ ㄕˋ ___ ㄇㄚ?)

Wrong number = 打錯了 (da cuo le | ㄉㄚˇ ㄘㄨㄛˋ ㄌㄜ)

Who do you want to speak to? = 你找誰? (ni zhao shei? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄓㄠˇ ㄕㄟˊ?)

I want to speak to ___ = 我找 ___ (wo zhao | ㄨㄛˇ ㄓㄠˇ ___)

Is ___(person) there? = ___在嗎? (___ zai ma? | ___ ㄗㄞˋ ㄇㄚ?)

Answer for this question are:

No = 不在 (bu zai | ㄅㄨˋ ㄗㄞˋ)

Yes = 在 (zai | ㄗㄞˋ)

Wait for a moment = 等一下 (deng yi xia | ㄉㄥˇ 一 ㄒㄧㄚˋ)

Do you need to leave a message? = 需要留言嗎? (xu yao liu yan ma? | ㄒㄩ 一ㄠˋ ㄌㄧㄡˊ 一ㄢˊ ㄇㄚ?)

Lesson17: Money

The currency used in Taiwan is called NT$ (New Taiwan Dollar) = 新臺幣 (xin tai bi | ㄒㄧㄣ ㄊㄞˊ ㄅㄧˋ). It will look like this: NT$100 for 100 dollars.

Pronunciation

There are two ways of pronouncing price.

1. 元 (yuan | ㄩㄢˊ)

Ex. NT$100 = 100元 OR 一百元 (yi bai yuan | 一 ㄅㄞˇ ㄩㄢˊ)

2. 塊 (kuai | ㄎㄨㄞˋ)

Ex. NT$100 = 100塊錢 OR 一百塊錢 (yi bai kuai qian | 一 ㄅㄞˇ ㄎㄨㄞˋ ㄑㄧㄢˊ)

Note. 塊 (kuai | ㄎㄨㄞˋ) is always followed by 錢 (qian | ㄑㄧㄢˊ)

* 錢 (qian | ㄑㄧㄢˊ) = money

Lesson16: Color

The Chinese word for Color = 顏色 (yan se | 一ㄢˊ ㄙㄜˋ)

Here are some colors in Chinese language:

*See that every name has 色 (se | ㄙㄜˋ) which means color [taken partly from 顏色 (yan se | 一ㄢˊ ㄙㄜˋ)].

Red = 紅色 (hong se | ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄙㄜˋ)

Green = 綠色 (lu se | ㄌㄩˋ ㄙㄜˋ)

Blue = 藍色 (lan se | ㄌㄢˊ ㄙㄜˋ)

Black = 黑色 (hei se | ㄏㄟ ㄙㄜˋ)

White = 白色 (bai se | ㄅㄞˊ ㄙㄜˋ)

Pink = 粉紅色 (fen hong se | ㄈㄣˇ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄙㄜˋ)

Gray = 灰色 (hui se | ㄏㄨㄟ ㄙㄜˋ)

Yellow = 黃色 (huang se | ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄙㄜˋ)

Brown = 咖啡色 (kafei se | ㄎㄚ ㄈㄟ ㄙㄜˋ)

Orange = 橙色 (cheng se | ㄔㄥˊ ㄙㄜˋ)

Lesson15: Purchasing and Bargaining

Wherever and whenever you are, you will need to purchase something whether your daily meal. What I am going to show on the following are some phrases that commonly used when purchasing and bargaining.

Let's start with shopping in the night market where your bargaining skill is definitely needed. Say, you are hanging around and then you find a beautiful bunny bag hanging at the ceiling of the shop which you cannot grab it. You can point at it and ask about the price.

I want to see that = 我要看那個 (wo yao kan na ge | ㄨㄛˇ 一ㄠˋ ㄎㄢˋ ㄋㄚˋ ㄍㄜˋ)

* this = 這個 (zhe ge | ㄓㄜˋ ㄍㄜˋ)

please help me to take that = 幫我拿一下那個 (bang wo na yi xia na ge | ㄅㄤ ㄨㄛˇ ㄋㄚˊ 一 ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄋㄚˋ ㄍㄜˋ)

how much is that? = 那個多少錢?(na ge duo shao qian? | ㄋㄚˋ ㄍㄜˋ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄕㄠˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ?)

can it be cheaper? = 可以便宜一點嗎? (keyi pianyi yi dian ma? | ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ ㄆㄧㄢˊ 一ˊ 一 ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄇㄚ?)

a. cheap = 便宜 (pian yi | ㄆㄧㄢˊ 一ˊ)

b. expensive = 貴 (gui | ㄍㄨㄟˋ)

is there any discount? = 有沒有打折? (you mei you da zhe? | 一ㄡˇ ㄇㄟˊ 一ㄡˇ ㄉㄚˇ ㄓㄜˊ?)

I am looking for ___ = 我在找 ___ (wo zai zhao ___ | ㄨㄛˇ ㄗㄞˋ ㄓㄠˇ ___)

I want ___ = 我要 ___ (wo yao ___ | ㄨㄛˇ 一ㄠˋ ___)

I need ___ = 我需要 ___ (wo xuyao ___ | ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄩ 一ㄠˋ ___)

one (thing) = 一個 (yi ge | 一 ㄍㄜˋ)

two (thing) = 兩個 (liang ge | ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄍㄜˋ)

three (thing) = 三個 (san ge | ㄙㄢ ㄍㄜˋ)

::: and so forth (refer to Lesson3: Number)

Simply put number at first followed by 個 (ge | ㄍㄜˋ)

You may then try on some clothes and ask your friend about it.

is it good? = 好看嗎? (hao kan ma? | ㄏㄠˇ ㄎㄢˋ ㄇㄚ?)

which one is better? = 哪一個比叫好看? (na yi ge bijiao hao kan? | ㄋㄚˊ 一 ㄍㄜˋ ㄅㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄏㄠˇ ㄎㄢˋ?)

*good looking = 好看 (hao kan | ㄏㄠˇ ㄎㄢˋ)

Lesson14: Month and Day

Name of months in Chinese is easy. If I may say, it is REALLY EASY. Simply put the order of the month and followed by 月 (yue | ㄩㄝˋ) means month.

January = 一月 (yi yue | 一 ㄩㄝˋ)

February = 二月 (er yue | ㄦˋ ㄩㄝˋ)

March = 三月 (san yue | ㄙㄢ ㄩㄝˋ)

April = 四月 (si yue | ㄙˋ ㄩㄝˋ)

May = 五月 (wu yue | ㄨˇ ㄩㄝˋ)

June = 六月 (liu yue | ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄩㄝˋ)

July = 七月 (qi yue | ㄑㄧ ㄩㄝˋ)

August = 八月 (ba yue | ㄅㄚ ㄩㄝˋ)

September = 九月 (jiu yue | ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄩㄝˋ)

October = 十月 (shi yue | ㄕˊ ㄩㄝˋ)

November = 十一月 (shiyi yue | ㄕˊ 一 ㄩㄝˋ)

December = 十 二月 (shier yue | ㄕˊ ㄦˋ ㄩㄝˋ)

While naming the day within a week is another EASY. Starts with 星期 (xing qi | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ) OR 禮拜 (li bai | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ) which both mean "week" and followed by the order of the day.

Monday = 星期一 (xing qi yi | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ 一) OR 禮拜一 (li bai yi | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ 一)

Tuesday = 星期二 (xing qi er | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄦˋ) OR 禮拜二 (li bai er | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ ㄦˋ)

Wednesday = 星期三 (xing qi san | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄙㄢ) OR 禮拜三 (li bai san | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ ㄙㄢ)

Thursday = 星期四 (xing qi si | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄙˋ) OR 禮拜四 (li bai si | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ ㄙˋ)

Friday = 星期五 (xing qi wu | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄨˇ) OR 禮拜五 (li bai wu | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ ㄨˇ)

Saturday = 星期六 (xing qi liu | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄌㄧㄡˋ) OR 禮拜六 (li bai liu | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ ㄌㄧㄡˋ)

Sunday =

01. 星期日 (xing qi ri | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄖˋ) OR 禮拜日 (li bai ri | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ ㄖˋ)

02. 星期天 (xing qi tian | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄊㄧㄢ) OR 禮拜天 (li bai tian | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ ㄊㄧㄢ)

Note. Sunday is NOT 星期七 (xing qi qi | ㄒㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄑㄧ) OR 禮拜七 (li bai qi | ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄞˋ ㄑㄧ)

weekend = 周末 (zhou mo | ㄓㄡ ㄇㄛˋ)

weekday = 平日 (ping ri | ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄖˋ)

holiday = 假日 (jia ri | ㄐㄧㄚˋ ㄖˋ)

Lesson13: Praise for Foreigners

Some people from Chinese-spoken countries (especially the old people) will be surprised finding out foreigners speak Chinese (at least asking for a way or ordering food NOT in fast food restaurant). What usually happens then is they will praise then ask some questions just to fulfill their curiosity (usually it lasts only a while). You may find it like:

01. you speak good Chinese = 你說得中文很好 (ni shuo de zhongwen hen hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄕㄨㄛ ㄉㄜ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ ㄏㄣˇ ㄏㄠˇ)

02. your Chinese is good = 你的中文很好 (ni de zhongwen hen hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄉㄜ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ ㄏㄣˇ ㄏㄠˇ)

03. which country you are from? = 你是哪國人? (ni shi na guo ren? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄕˋ ㄇㄚˇ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄖㄣˊ?)

04. how long you have been here? = 你在這裡多久了? (ni zai zheli duo jiu le? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄗㄞˋ ㄓㄜˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄜ?)

05. how long you have been studying Chinese? = 你學中文多久了? (ni xue zhongwen duo jiu le? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄜ?)

Lesson12: Question on First Meeting

List of questions below are questions that are SAFE to be asked in most Asian countries.

01. what is your name? = 你叫什麼名字? (ni jiao sheme mingzi | ㄋㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗˋ?)

02. what is your surname? = 你姓什麼? (ni xing sheme? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ?)

03. how old you are? = 你幾歲? (ni ji sui? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄐㄧˇ ㄙㄨㄟˋ?)

04. do you have any siblings? = 你有兄弟姊妹嗎? (ni you siongdi jiemei ma? | ㄋㄧˇ 一ㄡˇ ㄒㄩㄥ ㄉㄧˋ ㄐㄧㄝˇ ㄇㄟˋ ㄇㄚ?)

05. how many people in your family? = 你家裡有幾個人? (ni jia li you ji ge ren? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄌㄧˇ 一ㄡˇ ㄐㄧˇ ㄍㄜˋ ㄖㄣˊ?)

06. where are you from? [origins]= 你來自哪裡? (ni laizi na li? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄌㄞˊ ㄗˋ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ?)

07. where do you come from? = 你從哪裡來? (ni cong nali lai? | ㄋ一ˇ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ ㄌㄞˊ?)

08. what is your job? = 你的工作是什麼? (ni de gongzuo shi sheme? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄉㄜ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄕˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ?)

09. how much is your salary? = 你的薪水多少錢? (ni de xinshui duo shao qian? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄉㄜ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄕㄠˇ ㄑㄧㄢˊ?)

10. what do you like? = 你喜歡什麼? (ni xihuan sheme? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ?)

11. what do you think about ___? = 你覺得 ___ 怎麼樣? (ni juede ___zenmeyang? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄐㄩㄝˊ ㄉㄜ ___ ㄗㄣˇ ㄇㄜ 一ㄤˋ?)

12. are you married? = 你結婚了嗎? (ni jiehun le ma? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄏㄨㄣ ㄌㄜ ㄇㄚ?)

13. do you have ___ ? = 你有 ___ 嗎? (ni you ___ ma? | ㄋㄧˇ 一ㄡˇ ___ ㄇㄚ?)

girlfriend = 女朋友 (nu pengyou | ㄋㄩˇ ㄆㄥˊ 一ㄡˇ)

boyfriend = 男朋友 (nan penyou | ㄇㄢˊ ㄆㄥˊ 一ㄡˇ)

Lesson11: Chatting

Chatting with friends can be a fun activity to do everywhere. You may talk about politics, entertainment, games, or anything interesting. BUT you need to notice that small talks always take part.

When you meet your friend, you will say:

good morning = 早安 (zao an | ㄗㄠˇ ㄢ)

good afternoon = 午安 ( wu an | ㄨˇ ㄢ)

good night = 晚安 (wan an | ㄨㄢˇ ㄢ)

Note. For saying greetings good morning = 早安 (zao an | ㄗㄠˇ ㄢ), mention only 早 (zao | ㄗㄠˇ) is fine.

Then you may add some more like:

where are you going? = 你去哪裡? (ni qu na li? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄑㄩˋ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ?)

what are you doing? = 你在做什麼? (ni zai zuo sheme? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄗㄞˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ?

)

have you had your ___? = 你吃 ___ 了嗎? (ni chi ___ le ma? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄔ ___ ㄌㄜ ㄇㄚ?)

*吃 = eat

breakfast = 早餐 (zao can | ㄗㄠˇ ㄘㄢ)

lunch = 午餐 (wu can | ㄨˇ ㄘㄢ)

dinner = 晚餐 (wan can | ㄨㄢˇ ㄘㄢ)

midnight snack = 消夜 (xiao yie | ㄒㄧㄠ 一ㄝˋ)

Chatting on a social networking application or website can be another fun activity to do. Here is some uniqueness that you can find, like typing some Taiwanese language. As we may know that Taiwanese language uses Chinese character while pronounced in a different way.

Taiwanese language

yes = 黑ㄚ (hei a | ㄏㄟ ㄚ)

hungry = 八豆邀 (ba dou yao | ㄅㄚ ㄉㄡˋ 一ㄠ)

[explicit meaning] = 凸

*the original meaning of this character is raised and is pronounced tu | ㄊㄨ but because the character looks like some that contain explicit meaning, it becomes a joke.

bye bye = 88 OR 881

*88 (ba ba ) OR 881 (baba yi) is to replace bye bye because both of them have similar pronunciation.

haha (laughter) = 哈哈 (ha ha | ㄏㄚ ㄏㄚ) OR ㄏㄏㄏㄏㄏ

*ㄏ is pronounced as h sound.

Lesson10: I/ Me/ My/ Mine

I / me = 我 (wo | ㄨㄛˇ)

you (singular) = 你 (ni | ㄋㄧˇ)

you (plural) = 你們 (ni men | ㄋㄧˇ ㄇㄣ)

he / him = 他 (ta | ㄊㄚ)

she / her = 她 (ta | ㄊㄚ)

it = 它 (ta | ㄊㄚ)

we / us = 我們 (wo men | ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄣ)

they / them = 他們 (ta men | ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ)

Example.

I am ___ = 我是 ___ (wo shi ___ | ㄨㄛˇ ㄕˋ ___)

___ is me = ___ 是我 (___ shi wo | ___ ㄕˋ ㄨㄛˇ)

my / mine = 我的 (wo de | ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ)

your / yours (singular) = 你的 (ni de | ㄋㄧˇ ㄉㄜ)

your / yours (plural) = 你們的 (ni men de | ㄋㄧˇ ㄇㄣ ㄉㄜ)

his = 他的 (ta de | ㄊㄚ ㄉㄜ)

her / hers = 她的 (ta de | ㄊㄚ ㄉㄜ)

its = 它的 (ta de | ㄊㄚ ㄉㄜ)

our / ours = 我們的 (wo men de | ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄣ ㄉㄜ)

their / theirs = 他們的 (ta men de | ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ ㄉㄜ)

Example.

My book = 我的書 (wo de shu | ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ ㄕㄨ)

The book is mine = 書是我的 (shu shi wo de | ㄕㄨ ㄕˋ ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ)

Lesson9: Location

You probably will find out somebody asks you about location of a place, for example:

where is McDonalds? = 麥當勞在哪裡? (maidanglao zai nali? | ㄇㄞˋ ㄉㄤ ㄌㄠˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ?)

McDonalds = 麥當勞 (maidanglao | ㄇㄞˋ ㄉㄤ ㄌㄠˊ)

KFC = 肯德基 (kendeji | ㄎㄣˇ ㄉㄜˊ ㄐㄧ)

Family Mart = 全家 (quan jia | ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄚ)

and you may want to answer with:

next to ___ = ___ 的旁邊 (___ de pangbian | ___ ㄉㄜ ㄆㄤˊ ㄅㄧㄢ)

left side of ___ = ___ 的左邊 (___ de zuobian | ___ ㄉㄜ ㄗㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄧㄢ)

right side of ___ = ___ 的右邊 (___ de youbian | ___ ㄉㄜ 一ㄡˋ ㄅㄧㄢ)

behind ___ = ___ 的後面 (___ de houmian | ___ ㄉㄜ ㄏㄡˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ)

in front of ___ = ___ 的前面 (___ de qianmian | ___ ㄉㄜ ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄇㄧㄢˋ)

across of ___ = ___ 的對面 (___ de duimian | ___ ㄉㄜ ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ)

inside of ___ = ___ 的裡面 (___ de limian | ___ ㄉㄜ ㄌㄧˇ ㄇㄧㄢˋ)

outside of ___ = ___的外面 (___ de waimian | ___ ㄉㄜ ㄨㄞˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ)

upstairs of ___ = ___ 的樓上 (___ de loushang | ___ ㄉㄜ ㄌㄡˊ ㄕㄤˋ)

downstairs of ___ = ___ 的樓下 (___ de louxia | ___ ㄉㄜ ㄌㄡˊ ㄒㄧㄚˋ)

A lot? You just need to review it from day to day, so it can go naturally to your mind.

Lesson8: Going Around

When you are going around in the city, you may want to ask somebody on the street for help. REMEMBER to always start with excuse me = 不好意思 (bu hao yi si | ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄠˇ 一ˋ ㄙ) and ends with thank you = 謝謝 (xie xie | ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄒㄧㄝˋ) (refer to Lesson7: Thank You, Sorry, and Excuse Me)

Here are some phrases that you can use about asking:

how to go? = 怎麼去? (zenme qu? | ㄗㄣˇ ㄇㄜ ㄑㄩˋ?)

how to go to ___? = 怎麼去 ___? (zenme qu ___? | ㄗㄣˇ ㄇㄜ ㄑㄩˋ ___?)

where is ___ = ___ 在哪裡? (___ zai na li? | ___ ㄗㄞˋ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ?)

(refer to Lesson5: 5W1H and Which)

what time is it now? = 現在幾點? (xianzai ji dian? | ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄐㄧˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ?)

(refer to Lesson6: Time)

can u speak [English] ? = 你會說[英文]嗎? (ni hui shuo [yingwen] ma? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄟˋ ㄕㄨㄛ [一ㄥ ㄨㄣˊ] ㄇㄚ?)

LANGUAGE

Chinese = 中文 (zhong wen | ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ)

French = 法文 (fa wen | ㄈㄚˋ ㄨㄣˊ)

German = 德文 (de wen | ㄉㄜˊ ㄨㄣˊ)

Spanish = 西班牙文 ( xi ban ya wen | ㄒㄧ ㄅㄢ 一ㄚˊ ㄨㄣˊ)

Korean = 韓文 (han wen | ㄏㄢˊ ㄨㄣˊ)

Japanese = 日文 (ri wen | ㄖˋ ㄨㄣˊ)

Indonesian = 印尼文 (yin ni wen | 一ㄣˋ ㄋㄧˊ ㄨㄣˊ)

Note. From the above vocabulary, you can find the final word 文 (wen | ㄨㄣˊ) which means language. To say one's language just simply:

[name of country] + 文 (wen | ㄨㄣˊ)

During your asking, you may sometimes find that you don't understand or you don't know.

I don't understand = 我不懂 (wo bu dong | ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˇ)

*懂 (dong | ㄉㄨㄥˇ) = to understand

more specific:

I don't understand [listening] = 我聽不懂 (wo ting bu dong | ㄨㄛˇ ㄊㄧㄥ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˇ)

*聽 (ting | ㄊㄧㄥ) = to listen

I don't understand [reading] = 我看不懂 (wo kan bu dong | ㄨㄛˇ ㄎㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˇ)

*看 (kan | ㄎㄢˋ) = to see. Here, means to read.

I don't know = 我不知道 (wo bu zhidao | ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄉㄠˋ)

*知道 (zhi dao | ㄓ ㄉㄠˋ) = to know

Note.

I = 我 (wo | ㄨㄛˇ)

don't/ doesn't = 不 (bu | ㄅㄨˋ)

Viewers' Q&A:

我不明白 (wo bu ming bai | ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄞˊ) = I don't understand.

*This phrase can be used either in listening situation or reading situation. So I can say that this phrase is used for the general meaning of I don't understand.

I don't understand:

1. 我不懂 (wo bu dong | ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˇ)

2. 我不明白 (wo bu ming bai | ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄞˊ)

Both of them mean I don't understand. The difference is on WHERE these phrases are used. As I am living in Taiwan, I find out that Taiwanese tend to use the first one which is 我不懂 (wo bu dong | ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˇ)

Lesson7: Thank You, Sorry, and Excuse Me

You may find once you will be in a situation where you need to ask strangers, say, you got lost in your way to train station. So, the magic word to ask is:

excuse me = 不好意思 (bu hao yi si | ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄠˇ 一ˋ ㄙ)

Then you can ask about what, which, why, who, when, and how (refer to Lesson5: 5w1H). In the end after you have asked, show some gratitude by saying thank you.

thank you = 謝謝 (xie xie | ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄒㄧㄝˋ)

They way to say sorry is:

sorry = 對不起 (dui bu qi | ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧˇ)

RESPONSE

You may hear the response to sorry = 對不起 (dui bu qi | ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧˇ) :

never mind = 沒關係 (mei guan xi | ㄇㄟˊ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄒㄧˋ)

And the response to thank you = 謝謝 (xie xie | ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄒㄧㄝˋ)

you're welcome = 不客氣 (bu ke qi | ㄅㄨˊ ㄎㄜˋ ㄑㄧˋ)

Note. Always make yourself accustomed to these three words (thank you, sorry, and excuse me) as it will be considered polite in communicating.

Lesson6: Time

I bet you will use this often. To ask about time.

what time is it? = 幾點? (ji dian? | ㄐㄧˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ?)

what time is it now? = 現在幾點? (xianzai ji dian? | ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄐㄧˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ?)

*現在 (xianzai | ㄒㄧㄢˋ ㄗㄞˋ) = now

what time to go? = 幾點去? (ji dian qu? | ㄐㄧˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄑㄩˋ?)

what time to go to ___? = 幾點去___? (ji dian qu ___? | ㄐㄧˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄑㄩˋ ___?)

0 = 零 (ling | ㄌㄧㄥˊ)

1 = 一 (yi | 一)

2 = 二 (er | ㄦˋ) OR 兩 (liang | ㄌㄧㄤˇ)

3 = 三 (san | ㄙㄢ)

4 = 四 (si | ㄙˋ)

5 = 五 (wu | ㄨˇ)

6 = 六 (liu | ㄌㄧㄨˋ)

7 = 七 (qi | ㄑㄧ)

8 = 八 (ba | ㄅㄚ)

9 = 九 (jiu | ㄐㄧㄡˇ)

10 = 十 (shi | ㄕˊ)

Note. In describing time, 2 = 兩 (liang | ㄌㄧㄤˇ) NOT 二 (er | ㄦˋ)

For example:

02.30 = 兩點半 (liang dian ban | ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄅㄢˋ)

*半 (ban | ㄅㄢˋ) means half. So, it means half past two.

Other way to say 02.30 is:

兩點三十分 (liang dian sanshi fen | ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄈㄣ)

Let's break the word down into 兩點 (liang dian | ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ) = two o'clock and 三十分 (sanshi fen | ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄈㄣ) = 30 minutes. 分 (fen | ㄈㄣ) means minute. So, it is two o'clock and 30 minutes.

___o'clock ___minute(s) = ___ 點 ___分 (___ dian ___ fen | ___ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ___ ㄈㄣ)

morning = 早上 (zao shang | ㄗㄠˇ ㄕㄤˋ)

noon = 中午 (zhong wu | ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨˇ)

afternoon = 下午 (xia wu | ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄨˇ)

night = 晚上 (wan shang | ㄨㄢˇ ㄕㄤˋ)

You may want to use those words above in describing time like: 14.30

14.30 is also 兩點半 (liang dian ban | ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄅㄢˋ) OR 兩點三十分 (liang dian sanshi fen | ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄈㄣ) because it is also to be called 02.30.

You can add to make it clear like: Afternoon 14.30

Afternoon 14.30 = 下午兩點半 (xiawu liang dian ban | ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄨˇ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄅㄢˋ) OR 下午兩點三十分 (xiawu liang dian sanshi fen | ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄨˇ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄈㄣ)

After learning that ___o'clock ___minute(s) = ___ 點 ___分 (___ dian ___ fen | ___ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ___ ㄈㄣ), you may wonder what is second(s)? and what is hour? Note that o'clock is different from hour.

hour = 小時 (xiao shi | ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˊ)

second(s) = 秒 (miao | ㄇㄧㄠˇ)

You may hear your friend ask How long you have been waiting? = 你等多久了? (ni deng duo jiu le? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄉㄥˇ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄜ?) (lit. you wait how long [time indicator] have). 了 is used to show that the action has passed.

Probably your answer is like:

1 hour 10 minutes 10 seconds = 一小時十分十秒 (yi xiaoshi shi fen shi miao | 一 ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄕˊ ㄕˊ ㄈㄣ ㄕˊ ㄇㄧㄠˇ)

Lesson5: 5W1H and Which

You may be familiar with the 5W1H, which is Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. This is the very basic of questioning.

Who = 誰 (shei | ㄕㄟˊ)

What = 什麼 (she me | ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ)

When = 什麼時候 (sheme shihou | ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ)

Where = 在哪裡? (zai na li? | ㄗㄞˋ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ?)

Why = 為什麼 (wei she me | ㄨㄟˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ)

How = 怎麼 (zen me | ㄗㄣˇ ㄇㄜ)

Which = 哪一個? (na yi ge ? | ㄋㄚˇ 一 ㄍㄜˋ ?)

That for the basic. Now let's put it into sentence.

who is he/ she? = 他是誰? (ta shi shei | ㄊㄚ ㄕˋ ㄕㄟˊ?)

who are they? = 他們是誰? (tamen shi shei | ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ ㄕˋ ㄕㄟˊ?)

Note. 他 (ta | ㄊㄚ) means "he/ she/ it" (singular). While for the plural form which is "they", just add 們 (men | ㄇㄣ). So it becomes 他們 (ta men | ㄊㄚ ㄇㄣ).

what is that? = 那是什麼? (na shi sheme? | ㄋㄚˋ ㄕˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ?)

what is this? = 這是什麼? (zhe shi sheme? | ㄓㄜˋ ㄕˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ?)

* that = 那 (na | ㄋㄚˋ) this = 這 (zhe | ㄓㄜˋ)

when to go? = 什麼時候去? (sheme shihou qu? | ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄑㄩˋ)

when to go to ___? = 什麼時候去 ___? (sheme shihou qu ___? | ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄑㄩˋ ___)

where is ___ = ___ 在哪裡? (___ zai na li? | ___ ㄗㄞˋ ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ?)

which one is yours? = 哪一個是你的? (na yi ge shi ni de? | ㄋㄚˇ 一 ㄍㄜˋ ㄕˋ ㄋㄧˇ ㄉㄜ?)

why to go there? = 為什麼去那邊? (weisheme qu na bian? | ㄨㄟˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄇㄜ ㄑㄩˋ ㄋㄚˋ ㄅㄧㄢ?)

how to go? = 怎麼去? (zenme qu? | ㄗㄣˇ ㄇㄜ ㄑㄩˋ?)

how to go to ___? = 怎麼去 ___? (zenme qu ___? | ㄗㄣˇ ㄇㄜ ㄑㄩˋ ___?)

Lesson4: Greetings

How do people usually greet each other? Saying hi maybe the short common greetings ever heard. In Chinese, this word is pronounced similar to English.

hi = 嗨 (hai | ㄏㄞ)

The other way of greetings is 你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) which has a similar meaning to hello. 你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) consists of two words: 你 (ni | ㄋㄧˇ) = you and 好 (hao | ㄏㄠˇ) = good. So, it is literally translated as "you good". BUT, 你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) as greetings means hello.

*Hello while talking on the phone is 喂 (wei | ㄨㄟˋ). Although it is written with the fourth tone, usually is pronounced with the second tone which sounds softer.

Meanwhile,

how are you? = 你好嗎? (ni hao ma?| ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ ㄇㄚ?)

(lit. you good?)

Note. __嗎? (__ma? | __ㄇㄚ?) is ALWAYS added at the final of a sentence to show question sentence. So it is used most of the time to ask something.

Do you like ___?

你喜歡 ___ 嗎? (ni xihuan ___ ma? | ㄋㄧˇ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ ___ ㄇㄚ?)

RESPONSE

The response to 你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) is 你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ). Easy way to remember this is: 你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) means hello, so when someone says hello, the response is hello.

Response to 你好嗎? (ni hao ma?| ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ ㄇㄚ?) will be different because it means how are you?. You may want to reply I am fine.

I am fine = 我很好 (wo hen hao | ㄨㄛˇ ㄏㄣˇ ㄏㄠˇ)

Then add thank you = 謝謝 (xie xie | ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄒㄧㄝˋ) afterward.

The formal greetings of 你好 (ni hao | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ) and 你好嗎? (ni hao ma?| ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ ㄇㄚ?) is 您好 (nin hao | ㄋㄧㄣˊ ㄏㄠˇ) and 您好嗎? (nin hao ma?| ㄋㄧㄣˊ ㄏㄠˇ ㄇㄚ?)

The difference is 你 (ni | ㄋㄧˇ) changes into 您 (nin | ㄋㄧㄣˊ). This form is used when you are talking to your superior or in a formal meeting.

Good morning = 早安 (zao an | ㄗㄠˇ ㄢ)

Good afternoon = 午安 (wu an | ㄨˇ ㄢ)

Good night = 晚安 (wan an | ㄨㄢˇ ㄢ)

Goodbye = 再見 (zai jian | ㄗㄞˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ)

(lit. again see)

OR

Bye Bye = 拜拜 (bai bai | ㄅㄞˋ ㄅㄞˋ)

Lesson3: Number

0 = 零 (ling | ㄌㄧㄥˊ)

1 = 一 (yi | 一)

2 = 二 (er | ㄦˋ) OR 兩 (liang | ㄌㄧㄤˇ)

3 = 三 (san | ㄙㄢ)

4 = 四 (si | ㄙˋ)

5 = 五 (wu | ㄨˇ)

6 = 六 (liu | ㄌㄧㄨˋ)

7 = 七 (qi | ㄑㄧ)

8 = 八 (ba | ㄅㄚ)

9 = 九 (jiu | ㄐㄧㄡˇ)

10 = 十 (shi | ㄕˊ)

Note. 2 = 兩 (liang | ㄌㄧㄤˇ) is used in classification. For example: two books, two pens, two years, etc.

*The rest is simply combination of the number above.

11 = 十一 (shi yi | ㄕˊ 一)

12 = 十二 (shi er | ㄕˊ ㄦˋ)

Note. 11 is 10 = 十 (shi | ㄕˊ) and 1 = 一 (yi | 一), it becomes 11 = 十一 (shi yi | ㄕˊ 一).

hundreds = 百 (bai | ㄅㄞˇ) 100 = 一百 (yi bai | 一 ㄅㄞˇ)

thousands = 千 (qian | ㄑㄧㄢ) 1,000 = 一千 (yi qian | 一 ㄑㄧㄢ)

ten thousands = 萬 (wan | ㄨㄢˋ) 10,000 = 一萬 (yi wan | 一 ㄨㄢˋ)

hundred million = 億 (yi | 一ˋ) 100,000,000 = 一億 (yi yi | 一 一ˋ)

*You may wonder how to say 100,000 , 1,000,000 , and 10,000,000. Note that the separator for number more than 10,000 is ten thousands = 萬 (wan | ㄨㄢˋ). So that:

100,000 = 十萬 (shi wan | ㄕˊ ㄨㄢˋ)

1,000,000 = 一百萬 (yibai wan | 一 ㄅㄞˇ ㄨㄢˋ)

10,000,000 = 一千萬 (yiqian wan | 一 ㄑㄧㄢ ㄨㄢˋ)

Whatever is the number in front the last 4 digits will be followed by ten thousand = 萬 (wan | ㄨㄢˋ)

Lesson2: Introducing Yourself

Here is the most important beginning of your conversation as if you are going to have more friends, Introducing Yourself. Basically, you don't need to have many sentences to introduce yourself, "your name" and "where you are from" are enough. BUT, I will provide more sentences for you to use.

Let's start with

My name is ___

1. 我的名子是 ___ (wo de mingzi shi ___ | ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗˇ ㄕˋ ___)

2. 我叫 ___ (wo jiao ___ | ㄨㄛˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ___)

* You may think which one to use and when. The first one is more formal than the second one. Since Chinese-spoken countries are considered Asia, so the hierarchy rule works!

I come from ___(region, country, city)

1. 我來自___ (wo laizi ___ | ㄨㄛˇ ㄌㄞˊ ㄗˋ ___)

2. 我從 ___ 來 (wo cong ___ lai | ㄨㄛˇ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ___ ㄌㄞˊ)

*The first one is used to state your origin, like country or city you come from. While the second can be used as a replacement to the first BUT it also can be used in a different situation apart from Introducing Yourself-situation, for example:

I come from the dormitory.

我從宿舍來. (wo cong sushe lai | ㄨㄛˇ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄙㄨˋ ㄕㄜˋ ㄌㄞˊ)

Then, as I have written above that I will provide more sentences for you to use. Let's start with saying how old you are. (Asking about age in Asian countries is a common question. This is because the hierarchy rule works!)

I am ___ years old.

我 ___ 歲. (wo ___ sui | ㄨㄛˇ ___ ㄙㄨㄟˋ)

I live/ stay in ___

我住在 ___ (wo zhu zai ___ | ㄨㄛˇ ㄓㄨˋ ㄗㄞˋ ___)

I have been here for ___ year(s).

我在這裡 ___ 年了. (wo zai zheli ___ nian le. | ㄨㄛˇㄗㄞˋ ㄓㄜˋ ㄌㄧˇ ___ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄜ)

*First of all, 年 (nian | ㄋㄧㄢˊ) = year(s). You can replace it or add it with 月 (yue | ㄩㄝˋ) = month(s) or 天 (tian | ㄊㄧㄢ) = day(s). Note that singular and plural for the word doesn't make any difference on the chinese word.

I like ___

我喜歡 ___ (wo xihuan ___ | ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ ___)

Lesson1: Introduction 加油 JiaYou

Probably you have heard a lot about 加油 (jiayou | ㄐㄧㄚ 一ㄡˊ ) (as it is written on the title) in every competition. So what is the meaning actually? Let's break the word down into 加 and 油. 加(jia | ㄐㄧㄚ) means to add and 油 (you | 一ㄡˊ) means oil. Thus, the combination is to add oil. BUT, the real meaning is to give support. Here, you can see that 加油 is literally translated into to add oil but the real meaning is to give support. And this is the reason why you hear it a lot especially in competition.

Now, what if you want to say "I want to add oil". You can simply use the same word which is 加油. Don't worry to be misunderstood because it will have a different meaning when used in different situation. It doesn't make sense when you are holding a bottle of oil and your friend misunderstand your word to "to give support" instead of "to add oil".