If you‘ve ever spent New Year‘s Day in a Chinese-speaking environment, you might have noticed something surprising. People don’t immediately say “Happy New Year.“
Before midnight, conversations focus on plans, invitations, and how the evening will unfold.
As a Mandarin learner, …
Jīn tiān wǎn shang yǒu kòng ma? 今天晚上有空吗？ Are you free tonight?
Yǒu a. 有啊。 Yes, I am.
Yào bù yào yī qǐ chī fàn? 要不要一起吃饭？ Do you want to eat together?
Hǎo a. 好啊。 Sure.
Nǐ xiǎng chī shén me? 你想吃什么？ What do you …
Wǒ Xiǎng Yào… 我想要… I Want…
Wǒ xiǎng yào hē shuǐ. 我想要喝水。 I want to drink water.
Wǒ xiǎng yào chī bīng qí lín. 我想要吃冰淇淋。 I want to eat ice cream.
Wǒ xiǎng yào mā ma bào. 我想要妈妈抱。 I want a hug from mom.
Wǒ …
You think it means:“I don‘t need help, thanks.“
😳 What Chinese people hear:
“I don‘t need you.” This sounds cold, rejecting, even hurtful.
🔥 Why it’s dangerous:Chinese is sensitive to who is being rejected.…
Bù hǎo yì si. 不好意思。 Excuse me.
Zěn me le? 怎么了？ What’s wrong?
Wǒ mí lù le. 我迷路了。 I’m lost.
Nǐ yào qù nǎr? 你要去哪儿？ Where are you going?
Wǒ yào qù dì tiě zhàn. 我要去地铁站。 I want to go to the subway station.
Wǒ …
Nǐ dào nǎr le? 你到哪儿了？ Where are you now?
Wǒ zài lù shang. 我在路上。 I’m on the way.
Hái yào duō jiǔ? 还要多久？ How long will it take?
Dà gài shí fēn zhōng. 大概十分钟。 About ten minutes.
Méi guān xi, wǒ děng nǐ. 没关系，我等你。 No …
Wèi shén me 为什么 Why
Wèi shén me yào shàng xué? 为什么要上学？ Why do we go to school?
Wèi shén me yào shuì jiào? 为什么要睡觉？ Why do we need to sleep?
Wèi shén me bù kě yǐ wán? 为什么不可以玩？ Why can’t I play?
Wèi shén …
Zěn me 怎么 How
Zhè ge zěn me wán? 这个怎么玩？ How do we play this?
Zěn me qù xué xiào? 怎么去学校？ How do we go to school?
Zěn me shuō? 怎么说？ How do you say it?
Zěn me zuò? 怎么做？ How do I do it?…
If you’ve been learning Chinese for a while, you’ve probably heard this word very early on:
东西(Dōng xi). Most textbooks translate it as “thing.”
Simple. Neutral. Harmless.But here’s what many learners don’t realize until much later:
“东西” is one of the …
Nǐ zěn me le? 你怎么了？ What’s wrong?
Wǒ yǒu diǎn bù shū fu. 我有点不舒服。 I don’t feel very well.
Nǎ lǐ bù shū fu? 哪里不舒服？ Where does it hurt?
Tóu yǒu diǎn téng. 头有点疼。 My head hurts a bit.
Nà nǐ xiān xiū xi yī …
Kě yǐ ma 可以吗 Can I
Wǒ kě yǐ wán ma? 我可以玩吗？ Can I play?
Wǒ kě yǐ chī ma? 我可以吃吗？ Can I eat?
Wǒ kě yǐ qù ma? 我可以去吗？ Can I go?
Wǒ kě yǐ mǎi zhè ge ma? 我可以买这个吗？ Can I buy this?…
Fú wù yuán, mǎi dān. 服务员，买单。 Check, please.
Hǎo de, shāo děng. 好的，稍等。 Okay, one moment.
Qǐng wèn Xiàn jīn hái shì shuā kǎ? 请问现金还是刷卡？ Cash or card?
Shuā kǎ ba. 刷卡吧。 Card, please.
Hǎo de, Yào fā piào ma? 好的，要发票吗？ Do you need a …
Duō shǎo 多少 How much / How many
Zhè ge duō shǎo qián? 这个多少钱？ How much is this?
Yǒu duō shǎo gè? 有多少个？ How many are there?
Nǐ yào duō shǎo? 你要多少？ How many do you want?
Wǒ hái néng wán duō shǎo fēn zhōng? …
I’ve been teaching Mandarin to adult learners for years. And if there’s one sentence I hear over and over again, it’s this:“I’m just not good at Chinese.”
But here’s what I want to say — honestly, and professionally: Most of the time, you’re not bad …
Shén me 什么 What
Zhè shì shén me? 这是什么？ What is this?
Wǒ men chī shén me? 我们吃什么？ What are we eating?
Shén me shí hòu chī fàn? 什么时候吃饭？ When do we eat?
Zhè shì shén me yán sè? 这是什么颜色？ What color is this?
Nǐ …
Animated films aren’t just entertainment — they’re a shortcut to real emotional language.
And few movies do this better than Zootopia.
If you’re learning Mandarin, you may already know basic phrases. But sounding natural in Chinese requires more than vocabulary — it requires …
Nǐ qù nǎ lǐ? 你去哪里？ Where are you going?
Wǒ yào qù shāng diàn. 我要去商店。 I’m going to the store.
Nǐ qù gàn má? 你去干嘛？ What are you going to do?
Wǒ yào qù mǎi dōng xī. 我要去买东西。 I’m going to buy something.
Mǎi shén …
Nǎ lǐ 哪里 Where
Wǒ men qù nǎ lǐ? 我们去哪里？ Where are we going?
Nǐ zài nǎ lǐ? 你在哪里？ Where are you?
Shū zài nǎ lǐ? 书在哪里？ Where is the book?
Shū bāo zài nǎ lǐ? 书包在哪里？ Where is my backpack?
Nǎ lǐ kě yǐ …
Zhēn yí hàn 真遗憾 What a pity / That’s unfortunate
Tài kě xī le 太可惜了 What a shame / Too bad
Yǒu diǎn yí hàn 有点遗憾 A bit disappointing
Bù yào tài nán guò 不要太难过 Don’t be too sad
Nǐ yǐ jīng hěn bàng le …
Shén me shí hòu 什么时候 When
Bà ba shén me shí hòu huí lái? 爸爸什么时候回来？ When will dad come back?
Wǒ men shén me shí hòu qù kàn diàn yǐng? 我们什么时候去看电影？ When are we going to watch a movie?
Wǒ men shén me shí hòu …
