Languages 101 - Basic Words and Common Phrases

Mandarin Chinese

Greetings and polite expressions

你好 (nǐ hǎo) (Hello)

你好吗？ (nǐ hǎo ma?) (How are you?)

谢谢，我很好 (xiè xie, wǒ hěn hǎo) (Thank you, I'm good)

打扰一下 (dǎ rǎo yī xià) (Excuse me)

请 (qǐng) (Please)

上次谢谢 (shàng cì xiè xie) (Thank you for last time)

Basic conversational phrases

我的名字是... (wǒ de míng zi shì...) (My name is...)

你叫什么名字？ (nǐ jiào shén me míng zi?) (What's your name?)

这是什么？ (zhè shì shén me?) (What is this?)

这意味着什么？ (zhè yì wèi zhe shén me?) (What does this mean?)

在哪里... (zài nǎ lǐ...) (Where is...)

你能帮帮我吗？ (nǐ néng bāng bāng wǒ ma?) (Can you help me?)

Numbers and counting

一 (yī) (one)

二 (èr) (two)

三 (sān) (three)

四 (sì) (four)

五 (wǔ) (five)

Directions and locations

向左 (xiàng zuǒ) (to the left)

向右 (xiàng yòu) (to the right)

往前 (wǎng qián) (straight ahead)

后面 (hòu miàn) (behind)

附近 (fù jìn) (near)

远处 (yuǎn chù) (far)

Eating and drinking

我可以要...吗？ (wǒ kě yǐ yà

一杯咖啡，请 (yī bēi kā fēi, qǐng) (A cup of coffee, please)

一瓶啤酒，请 (yī píng pí jiǔ, qǐng) (A beer, please)

...和一个盘子 (...hé yī gè pán zi) (A plate with...)

我是素食主义者 (wǒ shì sù shí zhǔ yì zhě) (I am a vegetarian)

Shopping

这个多少钱？ (zhè gè duō shǎo qián?) (How much does this cost?)

我可以打折吗？ (wǒ kě yǐ dǎ zhé ma?) (Can I get a discount?)

我想用卡付款 (wǒ xiǎng yòng kǎ fù kuǎn) (I would like to pay with a card)

我想换这个 (wǒ xiǎng huàn zhè gè) (I would like to exchange this)

Transportation

哪里可以买票？ (nǎ lǐ kě yǐ mǎi piào?) (Where can I buy tickets?)

哪辆公共汽车去... (nǎ liàng gōng gòng qì chē qù...) (Which bus goes to...)

火车去哪里？ (huǒ chē qù nǎ lǐ?) (Where do the trains go?)

去...旅行多少钱？ (qù...lǚ xíng duō shǎo qián?) (How much does a trip to...)

Accommodation

一晚的房间多少钱？ (yī wǎn de fáng jiān duō shǎo qián?) (How much does a room cost for one night?)

我可以先看看房间吗？ (wǒ kě yǐ xiān kàn kàn fáng jiān ma?) (Can I see the room first?)