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 …
Nǐ zài zuò shén me? 你在做什么？ What are you doing?
Wǒ zài zuò zuò yè. 我在做作业。 I’m doing homework.
Wǒ zài kàn shū. 我在看书。 I’m reading.
Wǒ zài tīng gē. 我在听歌。 I’m listening to music.
Wǒ zài kàn diàn shì. 我在看电视。 I’m watching TV.
Wǒ …
If you’re studying in New Zealand, you already know the job market is competitive.
Good grades, internships, and fluent English are expected — not impressive. So what actually makes candidates stand out today?
For a growing number of students, the answer is Mandarin Chinese.…
Wǒ xiǎng yào zhè ge. 我想要这个。 I want this.
Zhè ge shì shén me? 这个是什么？ What is this?
Wǒ yào yī fèn zhè ge. 我要一份这个。 I want one of this.
Bù yào là. 不要辣。 Not spicy.
Zài yào yī gè. 再要一个。 One more.
Hái yào …
Hái hǎo 还好 It’s okay / Not bad (neutral, emotionally reserved)
Zuì jìn máng ma? 最近忙吗？ Have you been busy lately?
Hái hǎo. 还好。 It’s okay.
Méi shén me 没什么 It’s nothing / Nothing much (often means “I don’t want to talk about it”)
Nǐ …
Wǒ jǐn kuài chǔ lǐ. 我尽快处理。 I’ll handle it as soon as possible.
Shāo hòu huí fù. 稍后回复。 I’ll reply later.
Zàn shí yǒu diǎn máng. 暂时有点忙。 I’m a bit busy for now.
Gǎi tiān zài chǔ lǐ. 改天再处理。 I’ll handle it another day.
Wǒ …
When you learn Mandarin, you expect vocabulary lists, tones, grammar patterns… But what most learners don’t expect is that everyday Chinese is full of soft-sounding phrases with sharp hidden meanings.
They look polite.
They sound gentle.
But the tone and context can carry frustration, …
Nà jiù suàn le 那就算了 Forget it then / Let it go
Hái kěyǐ 还可以 Not bad / It’s okay
Zhēn de ma 真的吗 Really? / Is that true?
Duì a 对啊 Yeah / That’s right
Zhēn yǒu yì si 真有意思 Really interesting / Fun…
Wǒ xiǎng mǎi zhè ge. 我想买这个。 I want to buy this.
Duō shǎo qián? 多少钱？ How much is it?
Tài guì le. 太贵了。 Too expensive.
Wǒ mǎi zhè ge. 我买这个 I’ll buy this one
Wǒ yào zěn me zhī fù? 我要怎么支付？ How do I pay?…
Wǒ è le. 我饿了。 I’m hungry.
Wǒ kě le. 我渴了。 I’m thirsty.
Wǒ lèi le. 我累了。 I’m tired.
Wǒ yào qù cè suǒ. 我要去厕所。 I need to go to the bathroom.
Wǒ yào shuì jiào. 我要睡觉。 I want to sleep.
If you consider having your …
Kě yǐ kě yǐ 可以可以 Okay, okay / Sounds good
Hái xíng ba 还行吧 It’s okay / Not bad
Kàn yuán fèn 看缘分 Depends on fate / Let’s see how it goes
Mǎ mǎ hū hū 马马虎虎 So-so / Not great but acceptable
Nà jiù …
Shuō de hěn duì, xià cì bié shuō le. 说得很对，下次别说了。 You’re absolutely right—don’t say it again. Meaning: Love you, but please stop talking.
Wǒ jiù xǐ huan nǐ zhè fù jiāo ào de yàng zi. 我就喜欢你这副骄傲的样子。 I just love how proud you are. Meaning: …
Qǐng zuò xià！ 请坐下！ Please sit down！
Qǐng zhù yì tīng. 请注意听。 Please listen carefully.
Dǎ kāi shū. 打开书。 Open your book.
Qǐng gēn wǒ niàn. 请跟我念。 Please read after me.
Tí gōng wèn tí. 提问题。 Ask a question.
Qǐng xiě xià lái. 请写下来。 Please …
