Your First Conversation in Chinese
Learn the greetings and polite phrases you’ll use every day.
Introduction
One of the best ways to begin learning Mandarin is by mastering a handful of everyday expressions. With only a few HSK 1 words, you can greet someone, ask how they are, introduce yourself and say goodbye.
Conversation
Person A: 你好！(Nǐ hǎo!)
Person B: 你好！(Nǐ hǎo!)
Person A: 你好吗？(Nǐ hǎo ma?)
Person B: 我很好，谢谢。你呢？(Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie. Nǐ ne?)
Person A: 我也很好。(Wǒ yě hěn hǎo.)
Person B: 再见！(Zàijiàn!)
Translation
Person A: Hi!
Person B: Hi!
Person A: How are you?
Person B: I’m very well, thank you. And you?
Person A: I’m well too.
Person B: Goodbye!
Vocabulary Spotlight
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | Hello | |
| 你 | nǐ | you | |
| 我 | wǒ | I, me | |
| 很 | hěn | very | |
| 好 | hǎo | good; well | |
| 谢谢 | xièxie | thank you | |
| 也 | yě | also | |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye |
Grammar Tip
Notice that Chinese doesn’t use “am” or “are” here.
Instead of saying:
I am very good.
Chinese simply says:
我很好。
literally
I very good.
Try it yourself
Can you answer these?
- How would you say “Hello”?
- How would you say “I’m very well”?
- How would you thank someone?