1.

01 Pronouns 

 
您
我 你 Nín
Wǒ   Nǐ
You
I You  
(respected)
他 她 它
Tā Tā Tā
He She  It
我们
你们 他们
Wǒmen
Nǐmen Tāmen
You all They
We
1.02 Pronouns and the verb "to be"
您是
我是 你是 Nín shì
Wǒ shì Nǐ shì
You are
I am You  are
(respected)
他是 她是 它是
Tā shì Tā shì  Tā shì
He is She is It is
你们是 我们是 他们是
Nǐmen shì Wǒmen shì  Tāmen shì 

You all We are They

1.03 Pronouns, the verb "to be", and the noun complement "student"
我是学生。Wǒ shì xuésheng. I am a student.
你是学生。Nǐ shì xuésheng. You are a student.
您是学生。Nín shì xuésheng. You (respected) are a student.
他是学生。Tā shì xuésheng. He is a student.
她是学生。Tā shì xuésheng. She is a student.
我们是学生。Wǒmen shì xuésheng.   We are students.
你们是学生。Nǐmen shì xuésheng. You all are students.
他们是学生。Tāmen shì xuésheng. They are students.
1.04 Pronouns, the verb "to be", and the noun complement "teacher" and "business person".
我是老师。 Wǒ shì lǎoshī. I am a teacher.
你是商人。 Nǐ shì shāngrén. You are a business person.
您是老师。 Nín shì lǎoshī. You (respected) are a teacher.
他是商人。 Tā shì shāngrén. He is a business person.
她是老师。 Tā shì lǎoshī. She is a teacher.
我们是商人。 Wǒmen shì shāngrén. We are business people.
你们是老师。 Nǐmen shì lǎoshī. You all are teachers.
他们是商人。 Tāmen shì shāngrén. They are business people.
1.05 Pronouns, the verb "to be", and the noun complements "man" and "woman"
你是男人。Nǐ shì nánrén. You are a man.
你是女人。Nǐ shì nǚrén. You are a woman.
他是男人。 Tā shì nánrén. He is a man.
她是女人。 Tā shì nǚrén. She is a woman.
他们是男人。Tāmen shì nánrén.     They are men.
她们是女人。Tāmen shì nǚrén. They are women.
1.06 You cheeky monkey!
你...
You...
Nǐ...
你是...
You are...
Nǐ shì...
你是木头人!
You are a blockhead!
Nǐ shì mùtóurén!
In this first lesson we will learn the pronouns, the verb "to be", and the occupations "student",
"teacher", and "businessperson".
After all, aren't we a little bit of all three?
The simple sentence pattern of pronoun + be + complement is a a quick and easy way to
convey information about people - "He is an American", "They are students", "She is my
coworker" etc.
Once you get in the basic form, it's simply a matter of plugging in additional vocabulary (which
we will do in later lessons).
1.01 Pronouns 

 
您
我 你 Nín
Wǒ   Nǐ
You
I You  
(respected)
他 她 它
Tā Tā Tā
He She  It
我们
你们 他们
Wǒmen
Nǐmen Tāmen
You all They
We
Notes:
He and she have the same pronunciation in Mandarin, tā; in the written language they are
differentiated by their characters, 他 for he and 她 for she.
To make the plural of any pronoun just add 们 men to the singular form of the pronoun. Please
note that the distinction between plural and singular is not quite as important in Chinese, often
the plural will simply be implied by the context.
1.02 Pronouns and the verb "to be"
我是 你是 您是
Wǒ shì Nǐ shì Nín shì
I am You  are You are
 (respected)
他是 她是 它是
Tā shì Tā shì  Tā shì
He is She is It is
你们是 我们是 他们是
Nǐmen shì Wǒmen shì  Tāmen shì 

You all We are They

Notes:
The verb to be 是 shì does not decline, that is to say that its form stays the same no matter who is
performing the action. Compared to the English "I am", "You are", "He is", it is actually much
easier, right?
Also, please be aware that there are no spaces between the words in a Chinese sentence!
1.03 Pronouns, the verb "to be", and the noun complement "student"
我是学生。Wǒ shì xuésheng. I am a student.
你是学生。Nǐ shì xuésheng. You are a student.
您是学生。Nín shì xuésheng. You (respected) are a student.
他是学生。Tā shì xuésheng. He is a student.
她是学生。Tā shì xuésheng. She is a student.
我们是学生。Wǒmen shì xuésheng.   We are students.
你们是学生。Nǐmen shì xuésheng. You all are students.
他们是学生。Tāmen shì xuésheng. They are students.
Notes:
Nouns in Mandarin Chinese usually have a single form that is used whether the noun is singular
or plural. That is why 学生 xuésheng remains the same for 他是学生。Tā shì xuésheng. and 他
们是学生。Tāmen shì xuésheng.
You can add 们 men to create a special plural form of the noun, but this is really only used in
special situations, often for rhetorical effect.
Vocabulary point:

学 xué is, on its own, a verb that means to study. Paired with the character 生 shēng it creates a
new noun, student 学生 xuésheng.

Pronunciation point:
You may have noticed that on its own, 生 shēng has a line over it, whereas when it is paired with
学 xué it does not. That is because the 生 shēng in 学生 xuésheng changes to a neutral tone, due
something known as "tone sandhi", which is Sanskrit for "incredibly coy linguistic term".
What "tone sandhi" means is that you pronounce words differently based on the words that come
before or after it. Native speakers of Chinese do this intuitively, as do practiced foreign speakers
of Chinese. As a beginner student, it really isn't worth worrying about, and as an intermediate
level student there will be some tricks you can learn that will help you along.
1.04 Pronouns, the verb "to be", and the noun complement "teacher" and "business person".
我是老师。 Wǒ shì lǎoshī. I am a teacher.
你是商人。 Nǐ shì shāngrén. You are a business person.
您是老师。 Nín shì lǎoshī. You (respected) are a teacher.
他是商人。 Tā shì shāngrén. He is a business person.
她是老师。 Tā shì lǎoshī. She is a teacher.
我们是商人。 Wǒmen shì shāngrén. We are business people.
你们是老师。 Nǐmen shì lǎoshī. You all are teachers.
他们是商人。 Tāmen shì shāngrén. They are business people.
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Vocabulary point:

老 lǎo means old, but that is not an exact translation, For starters, it is only used in reference to
people, never things. Secondly, it is often combined with other characters to make positions and
titles of respect, such as 老师 lǎoshī teacher.

People often point out that 老 lǎo carries positive connotations that old does not carry in the
West. Since 老 lǎo refers only to people and never to things, we could translate it as senior, an
English word that has both the meaning of "aged" as well as "having more authority".

商 shāng means business, and 人 rén means person or people, thus 商人 shāngrén literally
means "business person".

1.05 Pronouns, the verb "to be", and the noun complements "man" and "woman"
你是男人。Nǐ shì nánrén. You are a man.
你是女人。Nǐ shì nǚrén. You are a woman.
他是男人。 Tā shì nánrén. He is a man.
她是女人。 Tā shì nǚrén. She is a woman.
他们是男人。Tāmen shì nánrén.     They are men.
她们是女人。Tāmen shì nǚrén. They are women.
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
You will often see Woman 女 nǚ and man 男 nán used on their own as abbreviations on
restrooms, forms, etc.
1.06 You cheeky monkey!
你...
You...
Nǐ...
你是...
You are...
Nǐ shì...
你是木头人!
You are a blockhead!
Nǐ shì mùtóurén!

Notes:

Scattered throughout this course you will find sections at the end of some lessons labeled "You
cheeky monkey!" In these sections we will teach you irreverent, bizarre, or sometimes even
topical things to say.
Vocabulary point:
木头人 mùtourén literally means "wood head person", the meaning of which seems pretty self-
explanatory. We ought to recognize 人 rén from the other words we have studied this lesson,
such as 女人 nǚrén and 商人 shāngrén.

Exercises
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 你 __________________ 2.) 她 ___________________
3.) 我 __________________ 4.) 你们 __________________
5.) 他 __________________ 6.) 我们 __________________
7.) 他们 _________________ 8.) 您 _____________________
B Translate the following pinyin into English
1.) nín ____________________ 2.) nǐmen _________________
3.) wǒ ____________________ 4.) tāmen __________________
5.) wǒmen _________________ 6.) nǐ ____________________
7.) tā _____________________  
C Translate the following sentences into English
1.) Wǒmen shì shāngrén.

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Tā shì xuésheng. 

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Nín shì lǎoshī.

_______________________________________________________.
4.) Tāmen shì nánrén.

_______________________________________________________.
D Match the character to its corresponding pinyin
1.) 是 lǎo
2.) 男 nǐ
3.) 人                         nán 
4.) 你 shì
5.) 老 rén
E Chose the two characters that are not the same
生男你是 商我是们
他 商 我 们               你 他 男 师      
F Make words by matching the two syllables， then match them to the correct characters
lǎo                    men                 我们

shāng                 sheng                 商人

wǒ                 shī                 老师
xué                 rén                  学生
2.01 Simple questions
你是学生。
You are a student.
Nǐ shì xuéshēng.
你是学生吗?
Are you a student?
Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?
他是商人。
He is a business person.
Tā shì shāngrén.
他是商人吗?
Is he a business person?
Tā shì shāngrén ma?
你们是留学生。
You all are foreign students.
Nǐmen shì liúxuéshēnɡ.
你们是留学生吗？
Are you all foreign students?
Nǐmen shì liúxuéshēnɡ ma?
2.02 Countries and Nationalities
中国 Zhōngguó   China       中国人 Zhōngguórén   Chinese people
美国 Měiguó   America 美国人 Měiguórén   American people
英国 Yīngguó   Britain 英国人 Yīngguórén   British people
德国 Déguó   Germany 德国人 Déguórén   German people
印度 Yìndù   India 印度人 Yìndùrén   Indian people
2.03 Pronouns + Nationality complement in statement and question form
我是美国人。
I am American.
Wǒ shì Měiguórén.  
你是美国人吗？
Are you American?
Nǐ shì Měiguórén ma?
他是中国人。
He is Chinese.
Tā shì Zhōngguórén.
他是中国人吗？
Is he Chinese?
Tā shì Zhōngguórén ma?
她是德国人。
She is German.
Tā shì Déguórén.
你们是印度人吗？
Are you all Indian?
Nǐmen shì Yìndùrén ma?
他们是英国人。 
They are English.
Tāmen shì Yīngguórén.
2.04 Nationality - a simple dialogue
A 你是英国人吗?
   Nǐ shì Yīngguórén ma?

B 是，我是英国人。 你是中国人吗？
   Shì，wǒ shì Yīngguórén.  Nǐ shì Zhōngguórén ma? 

A 是，我是中国人。
   Shì，wǒ shì Zhōngguórén.
Exercises
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 美国 _________________ 2.) 中国 __________________
3.) 德国 _________________ 4.) 印度 _________________
5.) 英国 _________________
B Translate the pinyin into English
1.) Déguó __________________ 2.) Zhōngguó ______________
3.) Yīngguó _________________ 4.) Měiguó ________________
C Transcribe the characters into pinyin and then translate into English
1.) 中国人  _____________    ______________
2.) 英国人  _____________    ______________
3.) 德国人  _____________    ______________
4.) 美国人  _____________    ______________
4.) 印度人  _____________    ______________
D Fill in the blanks for this dialogue
A Nǐ shì _____________ ma?
B Shì，wǒ shì Yīngguórén.  Nǐ shì ______________ ma? 
A Shì，wǒ ______ Zhōngguórén.
E Match the character to its pinyin
1.) 美 lǎo
2.) 男 guó
3.) 中                           tā
4.) 国  zhōng
5.) 老 měi
6.) 她 nán
F Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 她是德国人。

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 你们是留学生吗？

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 他是中国人吗？

_______________________________________________________.
4.) 他是商人吗?

_______________________________________________________.
3.01 Asking for a first name

你叫... You are called...

Nǐ jiào...
你叫什么...
You are called by what...
Nǐ jiào shénme...
你叫什么名字？
You are called by what name?
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?
她叫...
She is called...
Tā jiào...
她叫什么...
She is called by what...
Tā jiào shénme...
她叫什么名字？  
She is called by what name?
Tā jiào shénme míngzì?
Notes:

The sentence pattern for asking for a first name is:

Pronoun + call (叫) + what (什么) + name (名字)?

什么 shénme what is an interrogative pronoun, and the first of the big six question words we will
encounter (who, what, when, where, why and how)

Note as well that 叫 jiào does not change form according to the noun.

3.02 Hello! - a simple dialogue

你好!
莎拉:
Nǐ hǎo!
你好! 我是马特。你叫什么名字?
马特:
Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ shì Mǎté. Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?
我叫莎拉。
莎拉: Wǒ jiào Shālā.
Notes:

In Chinese as well as English there are two main ways to state your name, the first being 我叫...
Wǒ jiào My name is... and the second being 我是 Wǒ shì I'm...
你好! Nǐ hǎo! Hello! is the most common greeting in China, a direct translation would be "You
good!"
好 hǎo means good, which in English is an adjective. However, in Chinese, 好 hǎo can also
sometimes be a verb (as in "to get better"), and it can also be something called a "predicate
adjective" which basically means a verb that acts like an adjective. This is why there is no verb
to be 是 shì in the sentence 你好! Nǐ hǎo!
We will cover predicate adjectives more fully in lesson 21. The point to remember here is that
we should say 你好! Nǐ hǎo! not 你是好! Nǐ shì hǎo!

3.03 Nice to meet you! - everyday expressions

很...
Very...
Hěn.
很高兴...
Very nice...
Hěn gāoxìng...
很高兴认识
Very nice to meet...
Hěn gāoxìng rènshi...
很高兴认识你。
Very nice to meet you.
Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
Vocabulary point:

认识 rènshi is a verb that means to know, to recognize, to be familiar with

高兴 gāoxìng is an adjective that means happy, elated, the literal meaning of the first character
of the word, 高 gāo means high and the second character 兴 xìng means interest

很 hěn very is an adverb and is one of the most used words in the Chinese language.

3.04 Hello! - the extended dialogue

你好!
莎拉:
Nǐ hǎo!
你好! 我是马特。你叫什么名字?
马特:
Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ shì Mǎté. Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?
我叫莎拉。很高兴认识你。
莎拉:
Wǒ jiào Shālā. Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
我也很高兴认识你。
马特:
Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
Notes:
也 yě is an adverb that means also.

Some examples:

我也是美国人。 Wǒ yě shì Měiguórén. I am also an American.

她也是学生。 Tā yě shì xuéshēng. She is also a student.

Please take note here that the position of 也 yě is firmly fixed before the verb and after the
subject. For instance, you cannot start a sentence with 也 yě, as you can in English (Also, I am a
doctor).

3.05 What's his name? - concept and vocabulary review dialogue

A: 他叫什么名字？
    Tā jiào shénme míngzi?

B: 他叫马特。
    Tā jiào Mǎté.

A: 他是美国人吗？
    Tā shì Měiguórén ma?

B: 是，他是美国人。
    Shì, tā shì Měiguórén.

A: 他是留学生吗？
    Tā shì liúxuéshēnɡ ma?

B: 是，他是留学生。
    Shì, tā shì liúxuéshēnɡ.
Notes:
Remember that in Chinese there is no direct correspondent to the English word yes. Instead, in
many Chinese sentences they will reuse the verb from the question, e.g.

他是...? Tā shì...? Is he...?

- 是, 他是 Shì, tā shì... Yes, he is...

In spoken Chinese, people will often answer with the verb alone, indicating affirmation.

Exercises
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 名字 ___________________ 2.) 高兴 __________________
3.) 留学生 _________________ 4.) 叫 ____________________
5.) 认识 ___________________ 6.) 也 ____________________
B Translate the following sentences
1.) Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Wǒ yě shì Zhōngguórén.

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?

_______________________________________________________.
4.) Tāmen yě shì liúxuéshēnɡ.

_______________________________________________________.
C Rearrange the words into complete sentences
1. shì    Tā    ma    Měiguórén ?

   ______________________________________________________________?
2. míngzi    jiào    shénme    Tā ?
   ______________________________________________________________?
3. Tā    liúxuéshēnɡ    ma    shì ?

   ______________________________________________________________?
D Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word
莎拉: Nǐ _____!
马特: Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ shì Mǎté. Nǐ jiào shénme ___________?
莎拉: Wǒ ______ Shālā. Hěn _________ rènshi nǐ.
马特: Wǒ _____ hěn gāoxìng ______ nǐ.
E Circle the character that matches the pinyin
shì : 你     是     我     高 yě : 叫     是     我     也
nǐ : 老     你     叫     好  hěn : 很     你     叫     人 
rén : 很     你     人     吗  měi : 美     她     人     你 
F Match the words with the translation
1.) Liúxuéshēnɡ Happy
2.) Gāoxìng Student
3.) Déguó                                                         India
4.) Xuésheng Foreign student
5.) Yìndù Also
6.) Yě Germany
4.01 Common last names with social titles.

李 李先生 李小姐
 Lǐ Lǐ xiānsheng Lǐ xiǎojiě
 Lee  Mr. Lee Ms. Lee
王 王先生 王小姐
 Wáng Wáng xiānsheng Wáng xiǎojiě
 Wang Mr. Wang Ms. Wang
张 张先生 张小姐
 Zhāng Zhāng xiānsheng Zhāng xiǎojiě

 Zhang Mr. Zhang Ms. Zhang

刘 刘先生 刘小姐
 Liú Liú xiānsheng Liú xiǎojiě
 Liu Mr. Liu Ms. Liu
Vocabulary point:

先 xiān means first, so 先生 xiānsheng can be translated directly as "first born". Note that the
second character of 先生, 生 shēng, is pronounced as a neutral tone in 先生. 

In other words, please note that the 生 shēng in xiānsheng doesn't have a line over it. That means
that you should put more emphasis on the first syllable of the word, 先 xiān.
4.02 Introductions - simple formal 
A 您贵姓?
   Nín guì xìng?

B 我姓李。您贵姓?
   Wǒ xìng Lǐ. Nín guì xìng?

A 我姓张。
   Wǒ xìng Zhāng.
Notes:
您贵姓? Nín guì xìng? is a formal and polite way to ask another person's last name. 姓 xìng
means family name, and 贵 guì is an adjective modifying 姓 xìng that literally means
"expensive". I 姓 xìng is analogous to the British English use of "dear" to mean both "expensive"
and, well, "dear".

4.03 Full Chinese Names

我姓李, 叫李雪。
My name is Li Xue.
Wǒ xìng Lǐ, jiào Lǐ Xuě.
我姓王, 叫王军。
My name is Wang Jun.
Wǒ xìng Wáng, jiào Wáng Jūn.
她姓张,  叫张小鱼。
Her name is Zhang Xiaoyu.
Tā xìng Zhāng, jiào Zhāng Xiǎoyú.
他姓刘， 叫刘强国。
His name is Liu Qiangguo.
Tā xìng Liú, jiào Liú Qiángguó.
4.04 Common last names with professional titles.

李 李经理 李老师
Lǐ Lǐ jīnglǐ Lǐ lǎoshī
Lee Manager Lee Teacher Lee
王 王经理 王老师
Wáng Wáng jīnglǐ Wáng lǎoshī
Wang Manager Wang Teacher Wang
张
张经理 张老师
Zhāng
Zhāng jīnglǐ Zhāng lǎoshī
Manager Zhang Teacher Zhang
Zhang
刘 刘经理 刘老师
Liú Liú jīnglǐ Liú lǎoshī
Liu Manager Liu Teacher Liu
Notes:
It is quite common in Chinese to use professional titles when addressing adults - in English, we
really only do this with doctors, politicians, and people in the military. Bear in mind as well that
the person's title comes after, not before the family name.

4.05 Hello teacher! - concept and vocabulary review dialogue

老师， 您好！
马特:
Lǎoshī ，nín hǎo!
你好！你是留学生吗？
张老师:
Nǐ hǎo！ Nǐ shì liúxuéshēnɡ ma?
是，我是留学生。
马特: Shì, wǒ shì liúxuéshēnɡ.
你叫什么名字？
张老师:
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?
我叫马特。
马特:
Wǒ jiào Mǎtè.
Exercises
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 贵 _____________________ 2.) 小姐 ____________________
3.) 我 _____________________ 4.) 老师 ____________________
5.) 经理  __________________ 6.) 留学生 __________________
7.) 姓 _____________________ 8.) 叫 _______________________
B Match the words with their translation
1.) 叫 teacher
2.) 老师 last name (surname)
3.) 经理                  expensive
4.) 贵 to be called, to be named
5.) 姓 manager 
C Fill in the blanks
A  Nín ______ xìng?

B  Wǒ __________ Lǐ. ________ guì xìng?

A   _______ xìng Zhāng.

D  Circle the pinyin for the characters
高 : shēnɡ     jiào     xìng     gāo 留 : hǎo     liú     xiān     xìng
先 : xiān     xìng      shén     hǎo  小 : hěn     wǒ     xiǎo     míng 
名 : xìng     gāo     míng     ma  什 : míng     tā     hǎo     shén 
E Write the English meanings next to the words
1.) 高兴 Gāoxìng _________________
2.) 叫 Jiào _________________
3.) 姓 Xìng _________________
4.) 经理  Jīnglǐ _________________
5.) 名字  Míngzì _________________
6.) 商人 Shāngrén _________________
F Write questions for the following answers
1.) _______________________________________________________?

      是，我是英国人。 Shì，wǒ shì Yīngguórén.

2.) _______________________________________________________?

     是，他们是学生。 Shì，tāmen shì xuésheng.

3.) _______________________________________________________?

     我叫王军。 Wǒ jiào Wáng Jūn.

5.01 How is your health? - sentence pattern for a basic conversational pleasantry
你...
  ...your...
Nǐ...
你身体...
  ...your health?
Nǐ shēntǐ...
你身体好...
  ....is your health?
Nǐ shēntǐ hǎo...
你身体好吗？
  How is your health?
Nǐ shēntǐ hǎo ma?
Notes:

A more direct translation of this phrase would be "Is your health good?"

This is a polite question that is asked when we assume that the other person is in fact well. If we
know that the person has recently been sick, or looks sick at the moment, there are other
questions we can ask to show a greater degree of awareness or concern. We will study these in
later units.

5.02 I am also...
我很好。他也很好。
Wǒ hěn hǎo. Tā yě hěn hǎo.
I am fine. He is also fine.
李雪是大学生。 王军也是大学生。
Lǐ Xuě shì dàxuéshēng. Wáng Jūn yě shì dàxuéshēng.
Li Xue is a university student. Wang Jun is also a university student.
刘老师身体很好。李经理身体也很好。
Liú lǎoshī shēntǐ hěn hǎo. Lǐ jīnglǐ shēntǐ yě hěn hǎo.
Teacher Liu's health is good. Manager Li's health is also good.
Notes:

A little more about 也 yě:

 也 yě is an adverb that introduces additional information. It does this in two ways, one by
introducing additional information about a subject, and the second by stating a similarity
between two different subjects. So far, we have only seen the second type, but as new verbs get
introduced in later lessons we will see the first type more and more.

Vocabulary point:

大学生 dàxuéshēng university student is made by combining 大 dà big with 学生 xuéshēng

student. On its own, 大学 dàxué means university

5.03 How is your health? - dialogue between two people of different social status
张老师， 您好！
马特:
Zhāng lǎoshī ，nín hǎo!
你好！
张老师: Nǐ hǎo！
您身体好吗？
马特:
Nín shēntǐ hǎo ma?
很好。你呢？
张老师: Hěn hǎo. Nǐ ne?
也很好，谢谢您。
马特:
Yě hěn hǎo, xièxie nín.
再见。
张老师:
Zàijiàn.
再见。
马特:
Zàijiàn.
Notes:

马特 Mǎtè shows his respect for 张老师 Zhāng lǎoshī by using the respectful form of the
pronoun you, 您 nín, as well as by using the teacher's title, 老师 lǎoshī while speaking to her.

你呢？ Nǐ ne? can be translated as And you? Follow up questions with 呢 ne are used to ask the
same question as the preceding question, but about another subject or object.

Vocabulary point:

身体 shēntǐ means health. On its own, 身 shēn means body.

谢谢 xièxie means thank you. Adding a pronoun to the end makes it more polite, as in 谢谢你
xièxie nǐ.

再见 zàijiàn means good bye, although it literally means see you again.

5.04 See you tomorrow! - dialogue between two people of equal social status
你好吗？
莎拉:
Nǐ hǎo ma?
我很好，你呢？
王军: Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?
马特: 我也很好。明天见！
 Wǒ yě hěn hǎo. Míngtiān jiàn!
明天见。
王军:
Míngtiān jiàn.
Notes:

再见 zàijiàn is the most common way to say goodbye, it literally means "see you again". There
are other ways to say goodbye used when speakers have a more or less particular time they
expect to see each other again. 明天见  Míngtiān jiàn, meaning See you tomorrow, is one of
these expressions.

Vocabulary point:

明天 Míngtiān means tomorrow. On its own, 明 Míng means bright and is the same 明 Míng as
in The Ming Dynasty. 天 tiān means sky.

5.05 The Horrors of Pronunciation

什么
什 身 身体
Shénme
Shén Shēn Shēntǐ
What Body Body
What
名字
明 明天 名 Míngzì
Míng Míngtiān Míng
Bright Tomorrow Name
Name
Exercises
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
2.) 再见
1.) 也 _____________________
____________________
4.) 好
3.) 身体 _____________________
____________________
6.) 谢谢
5.) 大学生 __________________
___________________
7.) 明天 __________________
B Translate the following sentences
1.) Nín shēntǐ hǎo ma?

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Wáng Jūn yě shì dàxuéshēng.

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Míngtiān jiàn.

_______________________________________________________.
C Fill in the blanks
A: Nín shēntǐ ________ ma?
B: Hěn hǎo. _________ ne?
A: ________ hěn hǎo, xièxie nín.
B: Zàijiàn.
A: ___________.
D Convert the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 我姓李。

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 李经理身体也很好。

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 你是留学生吗？

_______________________________________________________.
E Circle the pinyin for the character
见 : shēnɡ     jiào     jiàn     gāo 名 : xìng     gāo     míng     ma 
身 : xiān     shēn      shén     hǎo  小 : hěn     wǒ     xiǎo     míng 
先 : wǒ     xiān      shén     hǎo  明 : hěn     wǒ     xiǎo     míng 
谢 : xìng     xiè     míng     ma  什 : míng     tā     hǎo     shén 
F Rearrange the words into complete sentences
1. yě     hǎo     Wǒ     hěn .

   ______________________________________________________________.
2. shēntǐ     lǎoshī     hǎo     hěn     Liú.

   ______________________________________________________________.
3.  shì    yě   Wáng    Jūn    dàxuéshēng .

   ______________________________________________________________.
G Match the words with the translation
1.) Shénme Manager
2.) Xìng To be acquainted with
3.) Jīnglǐ                                                   Also
4.) Gāoxìng  What
5.) Rènshi Happy
6.) Yě Last name (Surname)
H Count the number of times the following characters appear
体 ( tǐ ) 叫 ( jiào ) 认 ( rèn ) 国 ( guó ) 是 ( shì )

________ ________ ________ ________ ________

他不认识我。      你是哪国人？      她姓李，叫李雪。
你叫什么名字？      我很高兴认识你。      你是美国人吗？
他们是中国人。      你身体好吗？      他们是学生
6.01 He is not a.... - pronouns with negation
我不是商人。
I am not a businessperson.
Wǒ bú shì shāngrén.
他不是美国人。
He isn't an American.
Tā bú shì Měiguórén.
她不是老师。
She isn't a teacher.
Tā bú shì lǎoshī.
我们不是留学生。
We are not foreign exchange students.
Wǒmen bú shì liúxuéshēnɡ.
他们不是大学生。
They are not university students.
Tāmen bú shì dàxuéshēng.
Notes:
不 bù is basically the equivalent of the English word not. It is one of the two main negation
words used in Chinese, the second being 没 méi, which we will take a look at in a second. 不 bù
and 没 méi have different connotations, but the main difference is simply that they collocate with
different verbs. Since 不 bù collocates with 是 shì we will focus on it for the time being.

6.02 I'm not German! - concept and vocabulary review dialogue

你好！
A: Nǐ hǎo！
你好！
马特: Nǐ hǎo！
你是德国人吗？
A:
Nǐ shì Déguórén ma?
不是，我是美国人。
马特: Bú shì, wǒ shì Měiɡuórén.
是吗？你是商人吗？
A:
Shì ma? Nǐ shì shāngrén ma?
不是，我是留学生。
马特: Bú shì, wǒ shì liúxuéshēnɡ.
Notes:

是吗？ Shì ma? means Is that so?

Remember that in Mandarin Chinese there is no universal way to say "yes" or "no" to a question.
To respond in negative to a question you can usually add 不 bù or 没 méi plus the verb, please
note though that the verb must be the same one as used in the question. In general, English
speakers tend to overuse or misuse 不是 bú shì in conversations, so be careful.

6.03 Are you the teacher? - concept and apologizing for small errors
你好！
莎拉: Nǐ hǎo！
你好！
王军: Nǐ hǎo！
你是老师吗？
莎拉:
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?
王军: 不是，我是学生。
 Bú shì, wǒ shì xuésheng.
啊,对不起！
莎拉:
ā, duìbuqǐ!
没关系。
王军:
Méiguānxi.
Notes:
对不起 duìbuqǐ is a formal way for apologizing for small errors and misunderstandings, when
the speaker (or someone the speaker represents) has in fact been the cause of the error. This
makes it quite different from "I'm sorry", which can be used in situations in which the speaker
has done nothing wrong, i.e. "I'm sorry to hear that you got the flu".
Of course, the difference between 对不起 duìbuqǐ and I'm sorry is apparent if you actually look
at the meaning of the two phrases. 对不起 duìbuqǐ directly translated means something like
"Don't get excited" or "Don't get piqued", whereas when we say I'm sorry what we are saying,
after all, is something along the lines of "This situation has caused me sorrow. I feel bad about
it". Thus, I'm sorry refers back to a situation from which we can infer whether the speaker is
apologizing or expressing condolence, whereas 对不起 duìbuqǐ directly refers to the attitude of
the one who has been transgressed, and the wish on the part of the speaker not to be taken the
wrong way.
6.04 Is that a man's name or a woman's name?
李雪是女名吗？
马特:
Lǐ Xuě shì nǚ míng ma?
是，李雪是女名。
萨拉: Shì, Lǐ Xuě shì nǚ míng.
王军呢?
马特:
Wáng Jūn ne?
王军不是女名，是男名。
萨拉:
Wáng Jūn bú shì nǚ míng, shì nán míng
Notes:
Remember that 不 bú always precedes the verb in a sentence.
Woman 女 nǚ and man 男 nán are used as complements for 名 míng, the root word for 名字
míngzi name.

Be aware that it can be as hard for Chinese people to differentiate male and female names in
English as it is for Westerners to differentiate male and female names in Chinese.

Adding 呢 ne to the end of the sentence can be, depending on the context, an informal way to
construct a question, similar to adding "And...?" to a noun to make a question.  

Exercises
A Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 他不是中国人。

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 我不是老师。
_______________________________________________________.
3.) 他们不是德国人。

_______________________________________________________.
B Translate the following sentences
1.) 我不是老师。

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 他们不是英国人。

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 她不是学生。

_______________________________________________________.
C Chose the two characters that are not the same
你学人什 他学美什
他 商 国 美               你 商 国 们         
D Fill in the blanks with the correct word
莎拉: _______ hǎo！
王军: Nǐ ________！
莎拉: Nǐ ______ lǎoshī _______?
王军: _____ shì, wǒ shì _________.
莎拉: ā, __________!
王军: Méiguānxi.
E Fill in the blanks with the correct word
马特: Lǐ Xuě shì nǚ ________ ma?
萨拉: _______, Lǐ Xuě _______ nǚ míng.
马特: _________ ne?
萨拉: Wáng Jūn bú shì nǚ míng, shì _______ míng.
F Turn the following into negative sentences by adding 不 bù.
1.) Wǒ shì liúxuéshēnɡ. 

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Tā shì shāngrén.

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Nǐmen shì lǎoshī.

_______________________________________________________.
G Match the characters with their pinyin
1.) 女 jiàn
2.) 名 bù
3.) 留                           nǚ
4.) 不  liú
5.) 很 míng
6.) 见 hěn
H Circle the pinyin for the character
商 : shēnɡ     jiào     jiàn     shāng 经 : xìng     jīng     míng     ma 
师 : shī     shēn      shén     hǎo  认 : hěn     rèn     xiǎo     shī  
叫 : jiào     xiān      shén     hǎo  理 : hěn     lǐ     xiǎo     míng 
7.01 Countries and citizens

日本 Rìběn Japan 日本人 Rìběnrén Japanese people

韩国 Hánguó S. Korea 韩国人 Hánguorén Korean people
泰国 Tàiguó Thailand 泰国人 Tàiguórén Thai people
俄国 Éguó Russia 俄国人 Éguórén Russian people
法国 Fǎguó France 法国人 Fǎguórén French people
Notes:

Notice that each of the nationalities are comprised of a country plus the word 人 rén, we see here
an example of a noun (the country) functioning as a modifier of another noun (the common noun
person).

For example, 日本 Rìběn Japan + 人 rén person = 日本人 Rìběnrén Japanese person.
Note as well that although "Japanese person" counts as two separate words in English, we are
treating it as one word in Chinese - it would be just as easy to translate 日本人 Rìběnrén as
Japanese, as in "He is Japanese."
Finally, do remember that rén could be singular or plural depending on the context - thus 日本人
Rìběnrén perhaps could most explicitly be rendered in English as Japanese (person/people). Of
course, that would be a crazy thing to write!
As with all languages, translation is an inexact science, especially with Chinese, which is a very
context-dependent language. You should be careful when (for instance) asking your Chinese
friends "How would I say X in Chinese?" because the sentence they give you, while perhaps
rendering the meaning of the English in Chinese, might not be a normal-sounding Chinese
sentence, in fact, in might not even be a functioning Chinese sentence at all.

7.02 What country are you from?

你...
  You...
Nǐ...
你是...
  You are...
Nǐ shì...
你是哪...
  You are from what
Nǐ shì nǎ...
你是哪国人？
Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?   You are from what country?
Notes:
Notice that this question does not use the question particle 吗 ma at the end. This is because it is
not a simple yes/no question, but uses the question word 哪 nǎ.

哪 nǎ literally means which, it is a common question word and component of 哪里 nǎlǐ where
which we will look at in lesson 12. 哪 nǎ is the first question word we are going to learn in this
program. Properly speaking, it is an interrogative pronoun.

The word order for questions in Chinese that use an interrogative pronoun is the same as the
word order in a statement - the question word occupies the space in the sentence where you
would expect to find the  information in the answer. This is unlike English, where the question
word usually is at the beginning of a sentence.

7.03 Not everyone is Chinese - dialogue

请问，你贵姓？
马特:
Qǐngwèn, nǐ guì xìng?
我姓李。
李智慧: Wǒ xìng Lǐ.
你叫什么名字？
马特:
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
我叫李智慧。
李智慧: Wǒ jiào Lǐ Zhìhuì.
我叫马特。
马特:
Wǒ jiào Mǎtè.
你是哪国人？
李智慧: Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
我是美国人。你是中国人吗？
马特:
Wǒ shì Měiguórén. Nǐ shì Zhōngguórén ma?
不是，我是韩国人。 
李智慧:
Bú shì, wǒ shì Hánguórén.
Notes:

请问 qǐngwèn can be translated as "Can I ask you a question?" or "Excuse me".

7.04 Do you know her?
你认识她吗？
王军:
Nǐ rènshi tā ma?
认识。
李雪:
Rènshi.
她是哪国人？
王军: Tā shì nǎ guórén?
她是日本人。
李雪: Tā shì Rìběnrén.
她叫什么？
王军:
Tā jiào shénme?
她叫金井泉。
李雪: Tā jiào Jīnjǐng Quán.
Notes:

The verb 认识 rènshi, like 是 shì and 叫 jiào, does not change form according to the noun. In
fact, this is the case for all Mandarin Chinese verbs, because Mandarin verbs are not inflected.

Since Chinese verbs do not change according to the subject of the sentence a lot of Chinese verbs
can also double as nouns.

7.05
我认识一个印度学生。
I know an Indian student.
Wǒ rènshi yí gè Yìndù xuésheng.
她认识一个俄罗斯学生。
She knows a Russian student.
Tā rènshi yí gè Éluósī xuésheng.
大卫认识一个越南学生。
David knows a Vietnamese student.
Dàwèi rènshi yí gè Yuènán xuésheng.
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 哪 _____________________ 2.) 再见 ____________________
3.) 韩国人 _____________________ 4.) 认识 ____________________
5.)日本 __________________ 6.) 对不起 ___________________
7.) 明天 __________________ 8.) 请问 __________________
B Circle the two characters that are not the same
你学人什 学韩美什
日 商 国 美               你 商 国 人         
C Fill in the blanks
 
马特: Qǐngwèn, nǐ guì ________?
李智慧: Wǒ ________ Lǐ.
马特: Nǐ jiào shénme _________?
李智慧: Wǒ________ Lǐ Zhìhuì.
马特: ______ jiào Mǎtè.
李智慧: Nǐ shì _____ guó rén?
马特: Wǒ shì __________. Nǐ shì __________ ma?
李智慧: Bú shì, wǒ shì  __________ .
D Translate the following sentences into Chinese
1.) Do you know her?

_______________________________________________________.
2.) You are from what country?

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Are you Chinese?

_______________________________________________________.
 

 E Circle the pinyin for the character

韩 : Hán     jiào     jiàn     xiān 认 : xìng     rèn     míng     ma 
泰 : xiān     shēn      shén     tài  日 : hěn     wǒ     xiǎo     rì 
先 : wǒ     xiān      shén     hǎo  明 : hěn     wǒ     xiǎo     míng 
本 : xìng     xiè     běn     ma  国 : guó     tā     hǎo     shén 
F Match the characters to their English definitions
1.) 明天 to become acquainted with
2.) 身体 university student
3.) 认识             tomorrow
4.) 大学生 also
5.) 也 health
G Write questions for the following answers
1.) _______________________________________________________?

      她是日本人。 Tā shì Rìběnrén.

2.) _______________________________________________________?

     不是,他们不是大学生。 Bú shì, tāmen bú shì dàxuéshēng.

3.) _______________________________________________________?

     是，我是老师。 Shì, wǒ shì lǎoshī.

H Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate choice
留学生 姓 名字 哪国人 男人
Liúxuéshēnɡ Xìng Míngzì Nǎ guórén Nánrén
1.) 他叫什么 ________ ?
2.) 王军是 ________。
3.) 马特不是商人，他是 ________。
4.) - 她是 ___________ ?
 - 她是韩国人。
5.) 他 _______ 王, 叫王军。
8.01 Cities and city residents
上海人 北京人
上海 Shànghǎirén 北京 Běijīngrén
Shànghǎi Shanghai Běijīng Beijing
person person
南京人 青岛人
南京 Nánjīngrén 青岛 Qīngdǎorén
Nánjīng Nanjing Qīngdǎo Qingdao
person person
重庆 重庆人 广州 广州人
Chóngqìng Chóngqìngrén Guǎngzhōu Guǎngzhōurén

Guangzhou
 Chongqing
person
person
Notes:

To state that a person is a (presumably proud) resident of a certain city, add 人 rén person to the
end of the city name, the same as you would do for describing a person's citizenship.
This is the same as adding "er" or "n" or "ite" to certain city names in English. Of course, in
English we can only do this with certain cities - "Londoner, New Yorker," is a lot easier to say
than "Cardiffer, Bakersfieldinian". In Chinese, however, pretty much any city can be turned into
a complement describing a person.

8.02 She is...she isn't - concept review with titles and localities
李先生不是南京人, 他是重庆人。
Lǐ xiānsheng bú shì Nánjīngrén, tā shì Chóngqìngrén.
Mr. Lee is not from Nanjing, he is from Chongqing.
刘小姐不是重庆人, 她是广州人。
Liú xiǎojiě bú shì Chóngqìngrén, tā shì Guǎngzhōurén.
Ms. Liu is not from Chongqing, she is from Guangzhou.
李老师不是上海人, 他是北京人。
Lǐ lǎoshī bú shì Shànghǎirén, tā shì Běijīngrén.
Teacher Lee is not from Shanghai, he is from Beijing.
刘经理不是北京人, 她是青岛人。
Liú jīnglǐ bú shì Běijīngrén, tā shì Qīngdǎorén.
Mananger Liu is not from Beijing., she is from Qingdao
8.03 Really? Really! - dialogue with localities and titles
张老师是北京人吗？
马特:
Zhāng lǎoshī shì Běijīngrén ma?
是，她是北京人。
李雪: Shì, tā shì Běijīngrén.
你也是北京人吗？
马特:
Nǐ yě shì Běijīngrén ma?
不是，我是重庆人。
李雪:
Bú shì, wǒ shì Chóngqìngrén.
真的吗？
马特:
Zhēn de ma?
真的!
李雪:
Zhēn de!
Notes:

真的吗？ Zhēn de ma? is a common rhetorical question that means Really? It is often used to
express surprise and show interest. The simplest answer to the question is to drop the
interrogative particle 吗 ma from the question to make it a declarative sentence, 真的! Zhēn de!
Really!
//A Match the characters with the pinyin
南京                       Běijīng
北京                       Shànghǎi
青岛                       Guǎngzhōu
上海                       Qīngdǎo 
广州                       Nánjīng
B Make words by matching the two syllables， then match them to the correct characters
xiǎo                    xìng                 名子

míng                 guó                 高兴

gāo                 jiě                 小姐

Měi                 shī                  美国
lǎo                 zì                 老师
C Fill in the blanks
马特: Zhāng lǎoshī shì ____________ ma?
李雪: Shì, _______ shì Běijīngrén.
马特: _____ yě shì Běijīngrén ______?
李雪: Bú ______, wǒ ______ Chóngqìngrén.
马特: ________ ma?
李雪: Zhēn de!
D Translate the following sentences
1.) Wǒ bú shì Chóngqìngrén, wǒ shì Qīngdǎorén.

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Zhāng lǎoshī bú shì Shànghǎirén, tā shì Běijīngrén. 

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Lǐ xiǎojiě bú shì Guǎngzhōurén, tā shì Chóngqìngrén.

_______________________________________________________.
E Rearrange the words into complete sentences
1. Rìběnrén       shì      Tā      ma  ?

   ______________________________________________________________?
2. Nánjīngrén      yě      shì      ma      Nǐ ?

   ______________________________________________________________?
3. lǎoshī       Zhāng         Běijīngrén       ma      shì ?

   ______________________________________________________________?
F Circle the character that matches the pinyin
nán : 姓     南     日     北 qīng : 青     是     人     师
zhēn : 国     本     开     真  jīng : 海     上     叫     京 
běi : 很     国     北     英  míng : 名     商     很     学 
G Transcribe the characters into pinyin and then translate into English
1.) 韩国  _____________    ______________
2.) 再见  _____________    ______________
3.) 日本  _____________    ______________
4.) 身体  _____________    ______________
4.) 老师  _____________    ______________
9.01 Not too busy... sentences with the attributive "busy"
马特很忙。
Matt is very busy.
Mǎtè hěn máng.
张先生很忙。
Mr. Zhang is very busy.
Zhāng xiānsheng hěn máng.
李经理不太忙。
Manager Lee is not too busy.
Lǐ jīnglǐ bú tài máng.
刘老师不太忙。
Teacher Liu is not too busy.
Liú lǎoshī bú tài máng.
他们忙吗？
Are they busy?
Tāmen máng ma?
Notes:

忙 máng is an adjectival verb, as the predicate of a sentence it describes the subject just like an
adjective. Various intensifiers can be placed before the verb to modify the degree of the adjective
verb, for instance, 太 tài too and 很 hěn very.

9.02 I'm busy too... introductory dialogue

你好！
李雪: Nǐ hǎo！
你好！ 你忙吗？
王军:
Nǐ hǎo！ Nǐ máng ma?
我很忙。你呢？
李雪: Wǒ hěn máng. Nǐ ne?
我也很忙。
王军: Wǒ yě hěn máng.
明天见！
李雪:
Míngtiān jiàn!
明天见！
王军:
Míngtiān jiàn!
Notes:

A little more about the adverb 很 hěn very:

很 hěn is an adverbial adjunct, which means that it is used to modify a verb, or in this case, an
adjective acting as a verb. In a lot of sentences with adjectival predicates, 很 hěn does not
necessarily indicate an increased degree of the verb or adjective, but rather fulfills a purely
grammatical function.
In other words, a lot of times 很 hěn doesn't really mean anything, it is just put in the sentence
because otherwise it will sound weird.
9.03 Are you guys busy?... dialogue between three people
老师好！
莎拉:
Lǎoshī hǎo!
你们好！
张老师:
Nǐmen hǎo!
老师忙吗？
马特:
Lǎoshī máng ma?
很忙，你们呢？
张老师:
Hěn máng, nǐmen ne?
我不太忙。
李雪: Wǒ bú tài máng.
我也不太忙。
王军: Wǒ yě bú tài máng.
otes:

Notice that when Matt addresses Teacher Zhang he uses her professional title of "teacher" in
place of a personal pronoun or name. This is a way of conveying respect.

9.04 They are not tired... sentences with the attributive "tired"
李小姐累吗？
Is Ms. Lee tired?
Lǐ xiǎojiě lèi ma?
我不太累。
I am not too tired.
Wǒ bú tài lèi.
李雪很累。
Li Xue is very tired.
Lǐ Xuě hěn lèi.
王老师很累。
Teacher Wang is very tired.
Wáng lǎoshī hěn lèi
他们不累。
They are not tired.
Tāmen bú lèi.
9.05 Yes! I am very tired - dialogue
你好！
莎拉: Nǐ hǎo！ 
你好！ 
王军:
Nǐ hǎo！ 
你累吗?
莎拉:
Nǐ lèi ma?
是的，我很累。你呢？
王军: Shì de, wǒ hěn lèi. Nǐ ne?
我也很累。晚安！
莎拉:
Wǒ yě hěn lèi. Wǎnān！
王军: 晚安！
 Wǎnān！
Vocabulary point:

晚安 wǎnān means good night, the character 安 ān means peaceful and is the same character
used in Tiananmen Gate.
9.06 I am tired to death! - Colloquial expression
我忙死了。
Wǒ máng sǐ le. I am busy to death
我累死了。
I am tired to death.
Wǒ lèi sǐ le.
我饿死了。
I'm hungry to death.
Wǒ è sǐ le.
我渴死了。
I'm thirsty to death.
Wǒ kě sǐ le.
Notes:

死了 sǐ le is a conventional phrase, which means that the 死 sǐ and 了 le always go together. The
phrase emphasizes the degree of the adjective.

9.07
太贵了
太大了
Tài guì le Tài dà le
Too Too big
expensive
太忙了 太旧了
Tài máng Tài jiù le
Too busy Too old
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 死 ___________________ 2.) 累 __________________
3.) 太 _________________ 4.) 忙 ____________________
5.) 明天 ___________________ 6.) 见 ____________________
7.) 旧 ___________________ 8.) 贵 ____________________
B Write the English meanings next to the words
1.) 韩国人 Hánguórén __________________
2.) 叫 Jiào __________________
3.) 姓 Xìng __________________
4.) 法国人  Fǎguórén __________________
5.) 名字  Míngzì __________________
6.) 留学生 Liúxuéshēnɡ __________________
7.) 忙 Máng __________________
8.) 累 Lèi __________________
C Translate the following sentences into English
1.) Wǒ bú tài lèi.
_______________________________________________________.
2.) Lǐ jīnglǐ bú tài máng.

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Wǒ kě sǐ le.

_______________________________________________________.
4.) Wǒ yě hěn máng. 

_______________________________________________________.
D Complete the dialogue
莎拉: Nǐ _______！ 
王军: _______ hǎo！ 
莎拉: Nǐ _______ ma?
王军: ______ de, wǒ ________ lèi. Nǐ ne?
莎拉: ______ yě hěn lèi. _________！
王军: Wǎnān！
E Circle the two characters that are not the same
你学人累 学忙美累
日 商 死 美               你 商 日 人         
F Match the character with its pinyin
1.) 也 zhēn
2.) 哪 jīng
3.) 经             rèn
4.) 真 nǎ
5.) 认 yě
G Count the number of times the following characters appear
累 ( lèi ) 理 ( lǐ ) 不 ( bù ) 也 ( yě ) 太 ( tài )

________ ________ ________ ________ ________

我累死了。      他也是韩国人。      李经理不太忙。
他不是学生。      我不太累。      你也是北京人吗？
我也很忙。      刘经理不是北京人。      我也不太忙。
10.01 Question forms with complement

你是老师吗？ 你是不是老师？
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?    Nǐ shì bú shì lǎoshī?
Are you a teacher?  Are you a teacher?
她是日本人吗 她是不是日本人？
Tā shì Rìběnrén ma? Tā shì bú shì Rìběnrén?
Is she Japanese? Is she Japanese?
张老师是青岛人吗？ 张老师是不是青岛人？
Zhāng lǎoshī shì Qīngdǎorén Zhāng lǎoshī shì bú shì
ma? Qīngdǎorén?
Is Teacher Zhang from Qingdao? Is Teacher Zhang from Qingdao?
Notes:

The form for this question is verb (不) verb, or to put it another way, the verb followed by the
negation of the verb. It is important to remember that some verbs use 没 méi and not 不 bù in the
negative form, in which case the pattern should be verb (没) verb.

This question is a yes-no question, meaning that the answer to the question should typically be
either an affirmative or negative, as opposed to open-ended questions which use specific
question words.
10.02 Not everyone is an American!
你是不是美国人？
A: Nǐ shì bú shì Měiguórén?
不是，我是英国人。
大卫: Bú shì, wǒ shì Yīngguórén.
你是不是老师？
A:
Nǐ shì bú shì lǎoshī?
不是，我是商人。
大卫: Bú shì, wǒ shì shāngrén.
10.03 Affirmative-negative form with attributives
李小姐忙吗? 李小姐忙不忙? 
Lǐ xiǎojiě máng ma?    Lǐ xiǎojiě máng bù máng?

Is Ms. Lee busy?  Is Ms. Lee busy?

他累吗? 他累不累?
Tā lèi ma? Tā lèi bú lèi?
Is he tired? Is he tired?
你饿了吗? 你饿不饿?
Nǐ è le ma? Nǐ è bú è?
Are you hungry? Are you hungry?
孩子渴了吗? 孩子渴不渴? 
Háizi kě le ma? Háizi kě bù kě?
Is the child thirsty? Is the child thirsty?
Notes:

了 le is a past particle that serves a purely grammatical function. It implies a state that someone
is already hungry or thirsty. In this particular situation the 了 le is optional, although the 了 le
form question is more popular.

10.04 Is China good or not good?

你是哪国人？
A: Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?
我是韩国人。
李智慧:
Wǒ shì Hánguórén.
 你是留学生吗？
A:
Nǐ shì liúxuéshēng ma?
是，我是留学生。
李智慧: Shì, wǒ shì liúxuéshēng.
中国好不好？
A: Zhōngguó hǎo bù hǎo?
很好！
李智慧: Hěn hǎo!
10.05 Are you or aren't you a man?
你是不是男人？
Nǐ shì bú shì nánrén？ Are you or aren't you a man?
你是不是女人？
Nǐ shì bú shì nǚrén？ Are you or aren't you a woman?
你是不是老师？
Are you or aren't you a teacher?
Nǐ shì bú shì lǎoshī？
你是不是大人？
Nǐ shì bú shì dàrén？ Are you or aren't you an adult?
Notes:

In certain situations the affirmative / negative form of the question in Chinese takes on the
sardonic note found in similar constructions in English - "Are you or aren't you man?!?" etc. etc.
However, English speakers should note that in most situations the affirmative-negative form
does not have the same sarcastic and / or confrontational feel that it has in English.

10.06 Are you hungry? - Concept review dialogue

你渴不渴？
王军:
Nǐ kě bù kě ?
我不渴。我饿死了。
李雪:
Wǒ bù kě. Wǒ è sǐ le.
我也很饿。
王军:
Wǒ yě hěn è.
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 渴 ___________________ 2.) 日本人 __________________
3.) 韩国人 _________________ 4.) 饿 ____________________
5.) 男人 ___________________ 6.) 死 ____________________
B Convert these questions into the affirmative-negative form
1.) Lǐ xiǎojiě è le ma?

_______________________________________________________?
2.) Nǐ máng ma?

_______________________________________________________?
3.) Zhāng lǎoshī shì Qīngdǎorén ma?
_______________________________________________________?
4.) Nǐ shì Hánguórén ma?

_______________________________________________________?
C Translate the following sentences
1.) Nǐ kě bù kě ? 

_______________________________________________________?
2.) Nǐ shì bú shì dàrén？

_______________________________________________________?
3.) Nǐ shì bú shì Měiguórén?

_______________________________________________________?
4.) Zhōngguó hǎo bù hǎo?

_______________________________________________________?
D Fill in the blanks
A: Nǐ shì _____ shì _________?
大卫:  Bú ___, wǒ shì Yīngguórén.
A: Nǐ ____ bú ____ lǎoshī?
大卫: Bú shì, wǒ shì __________.
E Circle the pinyin for the character
饿 : shēnɡ     è     jiàn     gāo 渴 : kě     gāo     míng     ma 
累 : xiān     shēn      shén     lèi  男 : nán     wǒ     xiǎo     míng 
忙 : wǒ     xiān      shén     máng  太 : tài      wǒ     xiǎo     míng 
死 : xìng     xiè     míng     sǐ  女 : míng     tā     nǚ     shén 
F Write questions for the following answers
1.) _______________________________________________________?

      我不渴。 Wǒ bù kě.

2.) _______________________________________________________?

     他是韩国人。 Tā shì Hánguórén.

3.) _______________________________________________________?

     是，我是老师。 Shì, wǒ shì lǎoshī.

G Arrange the words into sentences
1.) lǎoshī     shì     Nǐ     bú     shì     ? 

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Wǒ     è     hěn     yě    .
_______________________________________________________.
3.) kě     Háizi     kě     bù    ?

_______________________________________________________.
4.) shì     Qīngdǎorén     Zhāng     shì     lǎoshī     bú     ?

_______________________________________________________?
H Select the right character for the word
1.) 女_____ (rén)
(A) 商 (B) 是 (C) 人 (D) 识
2.) 老_____ (shī)
(A) 是 (B) 京 (C) 商 (D) 师
3.) 南_____ (jīng)
(A) 京 (B) 经 (C) 什 (D) 人
4.) 中_____ (guó)
(A) 老 (B) 真 (C) 京 (D) 国
11.01 Example sentences with the adverb 都 dōu with noun and adjective complements
我们都是留学生。
We are all exchange students.
Wǒmen dōu shì liúxuéshēnɡ.
他们都是北京人。
They are all Beijing people.
Tāmen dōu shì Běijīngrén.
你们都忙吗？
Are you all busy?
Nǐmen dōu máng ma?
我们都很累。
We are all very tired.
Wǒmen dōu hěn lèi.
孩子们都饿了。
The children are all hungry.
Háizimen dōu è le.
孩子们都渴了。
The children are all thirsty.
Háizimen dōu kě le.
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:

If 都 dōu is used together with other adverbs such as 很 hěn it should come before the other
adverbs, as in 我们都很好。 Wǒmen dōu hěn hǎo.
11.02 How are you all? - Dialogue between three people
你们好吗？
张老师:
Nǐmen hǎo ma?
我们都很好。您身体好吗？
莎拉:
Wǒmen dōu hěn hǎo. Nín shēntǐ hǎo ma?
也很好。你们忙不忙？
张老师:
Yě hěn hǎo. Nǐmen máng bù máng?
我们都很忙。
马特:
Wǒmen dōu hěn máng.
 再见！
张老师:
Zàijiàn！
再见！
莎拉:
Zàijiàn！
再见！
马特:
Zàijiàn！

11.03 Example sentences with the adverb 都 dōu all and the adjectives 开心 kāixīn happy and
兴奋 xīngfèn excited
他很兴奋。我也很兴奋。我们都很兴奋。
Tā hěn xīngfèn. Wǒ yě hěn xīngfèn. Wǒmen dōu hěn xīngfèn.
He is very excited. I am also very excited. We are all very excited.
王先生很开心。李小姐也很开心。他们都很开心。
Wáng xiānsheng hěn kāixīn. Lǐ xiǎojiě yě hěn kāixīn. Tāmen dōu hěn kāixīn.
Mr. Wang is very happy. Ms. Lee is also very happy. They are all very happy.
莎拉很兴奋。马特也很兴奋。他们都很兴奋。
Shālā hěn xīngfèn. Mǎtè yě hěn xīngfèn. Tāmen dōu hěn xīngfèn.
Sarah is very excited. Matt is also very excited. They are all very excited.
李雪很开心。你也很开心。你们都很开心。
Lǐ Xuě hěn kāixīn. Nǐ yě hěn kāixīn. Nǐmen dōu hěn kāixīn.
Li Xue is very happy. You are also very happy. You all are very happy.
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:

It is not always necessary to add 都 dōun all to every sentence, but adding or omitting it changes
the emphasis of the sentence. 我们都很兴奋 Wǒmen dōu hěn xīngfèn. emphasizes that both of us
are excited, whereas 我们很兴奋 Wǒmen hěn xīngfèn. simply describes the state of being
excited. 

11.04 If you're happy and you know it... dialogue with the complements 兴奋 xīngfèn excited
and 开心 kāixīn happy
你累吗？
王军:
Nǐ lèi ma?
我不累，我很兴奋！
莎拉:
Wǒ bú lèi, wǒ hěn xīngfèn!
真的吗？马特也很兴奋吗？
王军:
Zhēnde ma? Mǎtè yě hěn xīngfèn ma?
是的，我们都很兴奋，很开心。
莎拉:
Shìde, wǒmen dōu hěn xīngfèn, hěn kāixīn.

Notes:

Notice that in Chinese sentences when listing complements it is not required to use a
conjunction. Sarah says  that they are 很兴奋，很开心 hěn xīngfèn, hěn kāixīn excited and
happy but there is no actual conjunction connecting excited and happy in the Chinese sentence.
A direct translation of the sentence would be something like "We are all very excited, very
happy" which, while possible in English, is not as standard as "We are very excited and happy."
11.05 You Cheeky Monkey!
美国...
  American...
Měiguó...
美国留学生...
  American foreign students...
Měiguó liúxuéshēnɡ....
美国留学生都...
  American foreign students...all...
Měiguó liúxuéshēnɡ dōu...
美国留学生都是...
  American foreign students are all...
Měiguó liúxuéshēnɡ dōu shì...
美国留学生都是间谍!
  American foreign students are all spies!
Měiguó liúxuéshēnɡ dōu shì jiàndié!
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
11.06 The Horrors of Pronunciation
兴 姓
Xīng Xìng
Happy Last name
A Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 他们都是北京人。

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 李小姐也很开心。

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 孩子们都饿了。

_______________________________________________________.
4.) 他们都很兴奋。

_______________________________________________________.
B Translate the following sentences into English
1.) Wǒ bú lèi, wǒ hěn xīngfèn!

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Tāmen dōu hěn kāixīn.

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Wǒmen dōu hěn lèi.

_______________________________________________________.
4.) Háizimen dōu kě le.

_______________________________________________________.
C Arrange the words into sentences.
1.) dōu      Wǒmen      máng      hěn 

_______________________________________________________.
2.) xīngfèn     Wǒmen     dōu     hěn ,    kāixīn     hěn     dōu

_______________________________________________________.
3.) yě       kāixīn        hěn         Nǐ

_______________________________________________________.
4.)  yě       hěn       Wǒ       xīngfèn

_______________________________________________________.
D Circle the character that matches the pinyin
xīng : 姓     兴     都     高 dōu : 也     是     累     都
kāi : 老     真     开     忙  fèn : 奋     心     叫     人 
yīng : 很     国     忙     英  kě : 美     俄     渴     奋 
E Fill in the blanks for the dialogue
张老师: ________ hǎo ma?
莎拉: Wǒmen _______ hěn_______. Nín ________ hǎo _____?
张老师: ______ hěn hǎo. Nǐmen _______ bù _______?
马特: _______ dōu ________máng.
F Transcribe the characters into pinyin and then translate into English
1.) 兴奋  _____________    ______________
2.) 身体  _____________    ______________
3.) 开心  _____________    ______________
4.) 孩子  _____________    ______________
G Match the words with the translation
1.) Rìběnrén Woman
2.) Máng All
3.) Dōu                                               Tired
4.) Nǚrén Japanese person
5.) Lèi Busy
12.01 Where are you from (in China)?

你...
  ...you...
Nǐ...
你是...
  ...are you...
Nǐ shì...
你是哪里...
  Where are you....
Nǐ shì nǎli...
你是哪里人？
  Where are you from?
Nǐ shì nǎli rén?
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
你是哪里人？ Nǐ shì nǎli rén? is usually used to ask just Chinese people where they come from
within China.

12.02 So where are you from? - Concept practice dialogue

张老师是上海人吗？
马特:
Zhāng lǎoshī shì Shànghǎirén ma?
不是，她是北京人。
李雪: Bú shì, tā shì Běijīngrén.
你是哪里人？
马特: Nǐ shì nǎli rén?
我是南京人。
李雪: Wǒ shì Nánjīngrén。
12.03 Where are you from?
你...
  ...you...
Nǐ...
你来自...
  ...are you from?
Nǐ láizì...
你来自哪里?
  Where are you from?
Nǐ láizì nǎli?
她...
  ...she...
Tā...
她来自...
  ...is she from?
Tā láizì...
她来自哪里?
  Where is she from?
Tā láizì nǎli?
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
12.04 Where are you from? - Concept review dialogue
你来自哪里？
A: Nǐ láizì nǎli?
我来自美国。你是中国人吗？
马特:
Wǒ láizì Měiguó. Nǐ shì Zhōngguórén ma?
当然是！
A: Dāngrán shì!
你是哪里人？
马特: Nǐ shì nǎli rén?
我是北京人。
A: Wǒ shì Běijīngrén.
北京好不好？
马特: Běijīng hǎo bù hǎo?
非常好！
A: Fēicháng hǎo!
Vocabulary point:
当然 dāngrán means of course, 当然是 Dāngrán shì means "Of course I am."
非常 fēicháng is an intensifier that means extremely, it precedes verbal predicates such as 好
hǎo.
12.05 Where do you come from?
你...
  ...you...
Nǐ...
你从...
  ...you from...
Nǐ cóng...
你从哪里...
  Where do you....from?
Nǐ cóng nǎli ...
你从哪里来？
Nǐ cóng nǎli lái？   Where do you come from?
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
你从哪里来？ Nǐ cóng nǎli lái？ could be translated as "Where are you from?" It could be
considered non-standard because of the ambiguity of the question, since it can be taken to mean
"Where did you just come from?"
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 哪里 _________________ 2.) 从 __________________
3.) 非常 _________________ 4.) 当然 _________________
5.) 来 _________________ 6.) 来自 _________________
B Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 她来自哪里?

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 你是哪里人？

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 北京好不好？

_______________________________________________________.
4.) 当然是！

_______________________________________________________.
C Transcribe the characters into pinyin and then translate into English
1.) 北京人  _____________    ______________
2.) 南京人  _____________    ______________
3.) 上海人  _____________    ______________
4.) 留学生  _____________    ______________
5.) 再见  _____________    ______________
D Fill in the blanks for the dialogue
A: Nǐ láizì ________?
马特: Wǒ ________ Měiguó. Nǐ ________ Zhōngguórén ma?
A: _________ shì!
马特: Nǐ shì nǎli _________ ?
A: _________ shì Běijīngrén.
马特: _________ hǎo bù hǎo?
A: _________ hǎo!
E Circle the two characters that are not the same
你学来从 学日美商
日 商 里 美               从 你 来 国         
 
F Write questions for the following answers
1.) _______________________________________________________?

       我身体很好。 Wǒ shēntǐ hěn hǎo.

2.) _______________________________________________________?

      我们都很忙。 Wǒmen dōu hěn máng.

3.) _______________________________________________________?

      我来自英国。 Wǒ láizì Yīngguó.

4.) _______________________________________________________?

      我是北京人。 Wǒ shì Běijīngrén.

G Circle the character that matches the pinyin
cóng : 京     自     我     从 hǎi : 海     是     自     也
zì : 老     心     兴     自  jīng : 很     非     当     京 
dāng : 很     北     当     吗  nán : 美     南     人     你 
13.01 The major cardinal directions
北 北部 南 南部
Běi Běibù Nán Nánbù
north northern part south southern part
东
西 西部 东部
Dōng
Xī Xībù Dōngbù
west western part eastern part
east
中 中部
Zhōng Zhōngbù    
middle central part
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Vocabulary point:

The cardinal directions are all used in place names that we have already covered or that should
be familiar to us.

北 běi, meaning north is used in the city name 北京 Běijīng, meaning literally "North Capital".
Likewise, 南 nán meaning south is used in the city name 南京 Nánjīng, meaning "South
Capital".
The capital of Japan, 东京 Dōngjīng contains the character 东 dōng meaning East*, so likewise
Tokyo literally translated means "Eastern Capital".
西 xī means west and is used in the city name 西安 Xī'ān the famous home of the terracotta
warriors.
Finally, 中国 Zhōngguó China itself contains the character 中 Zhōng meaning middle.
*The Kanji for Tokyo uses the traditional character 東 for east, so in Japan "Tokyo" is written 東
京.
13.02  North or south, east or west...or the middle? - example sentences
大卫来自英国北部。
David is from the North of England.
Dàwèi láizì Yīngguó běibù.
安娜来自英国南部。
Ānnà láizì Yīngguó nánbù. Anna is from the South of England.
马特来自美国中部。
Matt is from the American Midwest.
Mǎtè láizì Měiguó zhōngbù.
萨拉来自美国东部。
Sarah is from the Eastern part of the USA.
Sàlā láizì Měiguó dōngbù。
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
The pattern is (nation) (cardinal direction)+(area), with the nation acting as a modifier of the
area. In English we use a somewhat similar pattern when talking about the American Midwest,
but usually the pattern is the opposite, with the nation acting as the headword.
13.03 What part of the country are you from?
你...
  You...
Nǐ...
你从...
  You .... from..?
Nǐ cóng...
你从美国...?
  You ... from .....of the United States?
Nǐ cóng Měiguó...
你从美国什么...
  You ... from what.....of the United States?
Nǐ cóng Měiguó shénme...
你从美国什么地方...
  You ... from what part of the United States?
Nǐ cóng Měiguó shénme dìfang...
你从美国什么地方来？
  You come from what part of the United States?
Nǐ cóng Měiguó shénme dìfang lái？
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
你从什么地方来? Nǐ cóng shénme dìfang lái？ has two meanings, based on context. If it is the
first time people meet each other, than it has roughly the same meaning as 你来自什么地方? Nǐ
láizì shénme dìfāng? This sentence asks for the place, so the answer should be the name of place,
as in 我从美国华盛顿来。Wǒ cóng Měiguó Huáshèngdùn lái.
However, if you are already know the other person, then 你从什么地方来? Nǐ cóng shénme
dìfang lái？ has the meaning, “Where did you come from (just now)?” For instance, if you just
visited some place and your friend wants to know where you visited, they can ask 你从什么地方
来? Nǐ cóng shénme dìfang lái？ to get the answer.
In English, this question lacks ambiguity due to the differences in verb tense used – present
simple connotes a question about your permanent identity, whereas the simple past connotes an
inquiry into your recent activities.
13.04 What part of England are you from? - Dialogue practice
你是哪国人？
A: Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?
我是英国人。
大卫: Wǒ shì Yīngguórén.
你从英国什么地方来？
A:
Nǐ cóng Yīngguó shénme dìfang lái？
我来自英国北部。
大卫: Wǒ láizì Yīngguó dōngbù.
13.05 What you are a person from what part of the country?
你...
  You...
Nǐ...
你是...
  You are...?
Nǐ shì...
你是美国...?
  You are... of the United States?
Nǐ shì Měiguó...
你是美国什么...
  You are... from what.....of the United States?
Nǐ shì Měiguó shénme...
你是美国什么地方...
  You ... from what part of the United States?
Nǐ shì Měiguó shénme dìfang ...
你是美国什么地方人？
  You are a person from what part of the United States?
Nǐ shì Měiguó shénme dìfang rén?
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes: 
你是美国什么地方人？Nǐ shì Měiguó shénme dìfang rén? From point of view of grammar, this
is a predicate adjective sentence. The emphasis in the sentence is on the person, with the place
modifying the individual's identity. Since this sentence asks about a person, so the answer should
add 人 rén, as in 我是美国华盛顿人。 Wǒ shì Měiguó Huáshèngdùn rén. But normally people
just answer with the place, like 华盛顿 Huáshèngdùn.
13.06 Northerner or Southerner? - vocabulary introduction
北方 Běifāng North (of China)     北方人 Běifāngrén Northerner
南方 Nánfāng South (of China) 南方人 Nánfāngrén Southerner
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
Normally people just use the 长江 Chángjiāng or Yangtze river to separate South and North,
but strictly speaking the 秦岭 Qínlǐng Qinling Mountains and the 淮河 Huái Hé Huai River
are the dividing line.
13.07 Northerner or Southerner? - example sentences
李雪是南方人。她来自中国南方。
Lǐ Xuě shì Nánfāngrén. Tā láizì Zhōngguó Nánfāng.
Li Xue is a Southerner. She is from the South of China.
王军是北方人。他来自中国北方。
Wáng Jūn shì Běifāngrén. Tā láizì Zhōngguó Běifāng.
Wang Jun is a Northerner. He is from the North of China.
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
13.08 Are you from the North or the South? - Concept review dialogue
李雪，你是北方人吗？
莎拉:
Lǐ Xuě, nǐ shì Běifāngrén ma?
不是，我是南方人。我来自南京。
李雪: Bú shì, wǒ shì Nánfāngrén. Wǒ láizì Nánjīng .
王军也是南方人吗？
莎拉:
Wáng Jūn yě shì Nánfāngrén ma?
不是，他是北方人。他来自北京。
李雪: Bú shì, tā shì Běifāngrén. Tā láizì Běijīng.
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 南方 _____________________ 2.) 东部 ____________________
3.) 来自_____________________ 4.) 地方 ____________________
5.) 西 __________________ 6.) 北方人 ___________________
7.) 也 __________________ 8.) 中 __________________
B Translate the pinyin into English
1.) Běifāng __________________ 2.) Dìfang ______________
3.) Nánbù _________________ 4.) Nánfāng ________________
5.) Zhōngbù _________________ 6.) Běibù ________________
C Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 你是北方人吗？

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 她来自中国南方。

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 你是美国什么地方人？

_______________________________________________________.
4.) 我来自英国北部。

_______________________________________________________.
D Translate the following sentences
1.) Nǐ shì Nánfāngrén ma?

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Nǐ cóng Yīngguó shénme dìfang lái？

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Ānnà láizì Yīngguó nánbù.

_______________________________________________________.
E Circle the pinyin for the character
方 : fāng     jiào     jiàn     gāo 北 : lái     gāo     míng     běi 
来 : xiān     fāng      shén     lái  自 : hěn     běi     zì     fāng 
部 : wǒ     lái      shén     bù  哪 : nǎ     bù     fāng     míng 
东 : xìng     fāng     nǎ     dōng  西 : xī     xìng     hǎo     shén 
F Fill in the blanks
莎拉: Lǐ Xuě, nǐ shì ______________ ma?
李雪: Bú ____, wǒ shì Nánfāngrén. Wǒ _________ Nánjīng .
莎拉: Wáng Jūn yě shì __________ ma?
李雪: Bú shì, tā shì _________ . ____ láizì Běijīng.
G Arrange the words into sentences
1.) láizì       Měiguó       Tā        nánbù

_______________________________________________________.
2.) nǎli       Nǐ      lái      cóng ？

_______________________________________________________?
3.) Měiguó       láizì        xībù       Wǒ

_______________________________________________________.
4.) Shànghǎirén        lǎoshī        Zhāng        shì       ma ?

_______________________________________________________?
H Write questions for the following answers
1.) _______________________________________________________?

      不是，他是南方人。 Bú shì, tā shì Nánfāngrén.

2.) _______________________________________________________?

      我来自英国北部。 Wǒ láizì Yīngguó dōngbù.

3.) _______________________________________________________?

    马特来自美国中部。 Mǎtè láizì Měiguó zhōngbù.

4.) _______________________________________________________?

    不是，我是北方人。 Bú shì, wǒ shì Běifāngrén.

14.01 How's it going? - concept introduction dialogue

你怎么样？
李雪:
Nǐ zěnmeyàng?
不错。你呢？
王军:
Bú cuò. Nǐ ne?
李雪: 我也不错。明天见。
 Wǒ yě bú cuò. Míngtiān jiàn.
明天见。
王军:
Míngtiān jiàn.
Notes:
怎么 zěnme is the question, together with 样 yàng it forms a question expression that asks for a
description.
Remember that in Mandarin Chinese the question word goes in the same place that the answer
goes.
14.02 Not bad, how 'bout yourself? - dialogue practice
你怎么样？
莎拉:
Nǐ zěnmeyàng?
还行。你呢？
王军:
Hái xíng. Nǐ ne?
我也还行。再见！
莎拉:
Wǒ yě hái xíng. Zàijiàn!
再见！
王军:
Zàijiàn!
14.03 How's Beijing? It's fantastic!
你是哪里人？
李智慧: Nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?
我是北京人。
王军: Wǒ shì Běijīngrén.
北京怎么样？
李智慧:
Běijīng zěnmeyàng?
非常非常好！
王军: Fēicháng fēicháng hǎo!
14.04 How about China?
你是哪国人？
A: Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?
我是美国人。
马特: Wǒ shì Měiguórén.
你从美国什么地方来？
A:
Nǐ cóng Měiguó shénme dìfang lái?
我来自美国中部。
马特: Wǒ láizì Měiguó zhōngbù.
中国怎么样？
A:
Zhōngguó zěnmeyàng?
非常好！
马特: Fēicháng hǎo!
14.05 What's Tokyo like?
你是日本什么地方人？
萨拉:
Nǐ shì Rìběn shénme dìfang rén?
我是东京人。
金井泉:
Wǒ shì Dōngjīng rén.
萨拉: 东京怎么样？
 Dōngjīng zěnmeyàng?
很好！
金井泉: Hěn hǎo!
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 还行 _____________________ 2.) 不错 ____________________
3.) 东京_____________________ 4.) 怎么样 ____________________
5.) 日本 __________________ 6.) 中部 ___________________
B Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 我也不错。

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 东京怎么样？

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 你是日本什么地方人？

_______________________________________________________.
C Translate the pinyin into English
1.) Zěnmeyàng __________________ 2.) Dōngjīng ______________
3.) Fēicháng _________________ 4.) Bú cuò ________________
D Fill in the blanks
李雪: Nǐ ____________?
王军: Búcuò. Nǐ ne?
李雪: Wǒ yě _________ . Míngtiān jiàn.
王军: ________   _______.
E Fill in the blanks
萨拉: Nǐ shì Rìběn _________ dìfang ______?
金井泉: Wǒ ______ Dōngjīng rén.
萨拉: __________  zěnmeyàng?
金井泉: Hěn _______!
F Circle the two characters that are not the same
美学非部 错日部哪
日 你 哪 错               学 你 非 国         
G Match the characters with the pinyin
1.) 非 zěn
2.) 错 yàng
3.) 样             fēi
4.) 怎 xíng
5.) 行 cuò
H Match the words with the translation
1.) Dìfang Man
2.) Nǎli Place
3.) Nánrén                                           Person
4.) Háizi  Child
5.) Rén Where
I Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate choice
都 太 来自 从 身体
Dōu Tài Láizì Cóng Shēntǐ
1.) 他 _________ 哪里来?
2.) 您 _________ 好吗？
3.) 我 _________ 自美国中部。
4.) 我们 _________ 是北京人。
5.) 学生们不 _________ 累。
15.01 Who are you?
你是谁？
Who are you?
Nǐ shì shéi？
他是谁？
Who is he?
Tā shì shéi？
她是谁？
Who is she?
Tā shì shéi？
他们是谁？
Who are they?
Tāmen shì shéi？
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Pronunciation point:
shéi is the typical pronunciation of 谁. There is another pronunciation for this word, shuí which
you may see in textbooks, but nobody ever pronounces it that way. Well, almost nobody.
Sadistically enough, Chinese speakers may use this less common pronunciation when addressing
you, precisely because it is the pronunciation you see (or saw) in textbooks.
15.02 Yes, and who are you? - Concept review dialogue
您好！
莎拉: Nín hǎo!
你好！
王老师: Nǐ hǎo!
您是老师吗？
莎拉:
Nín shì lǎoshī ma?
是。你是谁？
王老师:
Shì. Nǐ shì shéi？
我叫莎拉，是美国留学生。老师贵姓？
莎拉:
Wǒ jiào Shālā, shì Měiguó liúxuéshēnɡ. Lǎoshī guì xìng?
我姓王，叫王红。
王老师:
Wǒ xìng Wáng, jiào Wáng Hóng.
15.03 My, Hers, His, Theirs, Yours, etc. - Table of Possessive Adjectives
我的
Wǒ de 他的 她的
Tā de Tā de
His Her
My
你的 我们的 他们的
Nǐ de Wǒmen de Tāmen de
Your Their
Our
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
The Mandarin Chinese equivalent of the possessive pronoun is made by taking a pronoun and
attaching the particle 的 de to it.
的 de has no meaning by itself, but instead creates a relationship between two words. Generally
speaking, 的 de makes the word that comes before it define the word that comes after it in some
way.
When used to create possessive adjectives (and pronouns), 的 de indicates that the pronoun
(我，你，她 etc.) will alter the identity of another word, specifically by claiming some kind of
possession over it.
When talking about possession, we can think of 的 de as being similar to the apostrophe + s in
English - Matt's book, Sarah's pen.
15.04 What's the name of your company? - Concept review dialogue
你们的公司叫什么名字？
A:
Nǐmen de gōngsī jiào shénme míngzi?
我们的公司叫今紧金。
大卫:
Wǒmen de gōngsī jiào Jīnjǐnjīn.
谢谢。
A:
Xièxie.
不客气。
大卫: Búkèqi.
15.05
王老师是他的老师。
Wang teacher is his teacher.
Wáng lǎoshī shì tā de lǎoshī.
他的老师是王老师。
His teacher is Wang teacher.
Tā de lǎoshī shì Wáng lǎoshī.
谁是你的老师？
Who is your teacher?
Shéi shì nǐ de lǎoshī?
你的老师是谁？
Your teacher is who?
Nǐ de lǎoshī shì shéi?
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:

Of course, strictly speaking Your teacher is who? is not correct English; however, such a
construction is perfectly OK in Mandarin Chinese. If you remember from lesson 7, where we
looked at 哪 nǎ which, the interrogative pronoun occupies the same place in a sentence that the
answer does.
15.06 Friends
朋友 男朋友 女朋友
péngyou nánpéngyou nǚpéngyou
friend boyfriend girlfriend
新朋友 老朋友 好朋友
xīn péngyou lǎo péngyou hǎo péngyou
new friend old friend
 good friend
外国朋友 中国朋友
wàiguó péngyou Zhōngguó péngyou
 
foreign friend Chinese friend
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:

In cases where adjectives are single syllables there is no need to add the particle 的 de between
the adjective and the noun it is modifying, 好朋友 hǎo péngyou good friend.

Likewise, when a noun is used to modify another noun, 中国朋友 Zhōngguó péngyou Chinese
friend, 外国朋友 wàiguó péngyǒu foreign friend, there is no need to add the particle 的 de.
15.07 He and I are friends - comparison of sentence structure.
我和他是朋友。 他是我的朋友。
Wǒ hé tā shì péngyou. Tā shì wǒ de péngyou.
He and I are friends. He is my friend.
他和马特是老朋友。 马特是他的老朋友。
Tā hé Mǎtè shì lǎo péngyou.  Mǎtè shì tā de lǎo péngyou.
He and Matt are friends.  Matt is his old friend. 
萨拉是王军的新朋友。
萨拉和王军是新朋友。
Sàlā shì Wáng Jūn de xīn péngyou
Sàlā hé Wáng Jūn shì xīn péngyou
Sarah and Wang Jun are new friends.
Sarah is Wang Jun's new friend. 
Notes:

的 de can likewise be added after names to indicate possession. As with possessive pronouns, it
follows the pattern: (possessor) 的 de (possessed).
 
15.08 Please enter! Please sit!
这是王老师，这是我的外国朋友。
王军:
Zhè shì Wáng lǎoshī, zhè shì wǒ de wàiguó péngyou.
王老师，您好！
马特:
Wáng lǎoshī, nín hǎo!
你好！ 请进！请坐！
王老师:
Nǐ hǎo! Qǐnɡ jìn! Qǐng zuò!
谢谢！
马特:
Xièxie!
不客气！
王老师: Búkèqi!
Notes:

请进! Qǐnɡ jìn! and 请坐! Qǐng zuò! are often the first things you hear when visiting a person's
home, office, restaurant, etc. 进 jìn means enter and 坐 zuò means sit. 请 Qǐnɡ, meaning please,
is added before the verbs to convey a feeling of hospitality and warmth.
The verb 坐 zuò sit is used for myriad purposes that its English counterpart is not, and we will be
looking at it again more closely. Likewise, 请 Qǐnɡ has connotations and uses that the English
equivalent please does not have - 请 Qǐnɡ can be used when inviting someone out, or when
offering to treat the other person to a meal, as well as when instructing a superior on procedure.
15.09 Do you know his name?
你知道他的名字吗？
王军:
Nǐ zhīdào tā de míngzi ma?
不知道。你呢？
马特: Bù zhīdào. Nǐ ne?
我也不知道。
王军: Wǒ yě bù zhīdào.
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 谁 _____________________ 2.) 知道 ____________________
3.) 朋友 _____________________ 4.) 坐 ____________________
5.) 外国 __________________ 6.) 新 ___________________
B Translate the following pinyin into English
1.) nǚpéngyou ____________________ 2.) lǎo _________________
3.) gōngsī ____________________ 4.) nánpéngyou __________________
5.) shéi __________________ 6.) péngyou ____________________
C Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 这是我的老朋友。

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 他是我的男朋友。

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 谁是你的女朋友？

_______________________________________________________.
D Match the two characters together to make a word, then write the pinyin
1.) 朋 道 _________________
2.) 名 友 _________________
3.) 知             司 _________________
4.) 公 常 _________________
5.) 非 字 _________________
E Translate the following sentences into English
1.) Tā shì wǒ de péngyou. 

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Tāmen shì shéi？

_______________________________________________________?
3.) Nǐmen de gōngsī jiào shénme míngzi? 
_______________________________________________________?
4.) Tā hé Mǎtè shì lǎo péngyou.

_______________________________________________________.
F Fill in the blanks
王军: Zhè shì Wáng lǎoshī, ______ shì wǒ de wàiguó __________.
马特: Wáng _________, nín hǎo!
王老师: Nǐ hǎo! Qǐnɡ _____! Qǐng _________!
马特: ________!
王老师: Búkèqi!
G Fill in the blanks
王军: Nǐ zhīdào tā de __________ ma?
马特: Bù __________. Nǐ ne?
王军: Wǒ ______ bù zhīdào.
H Match the characters with the pinyin
nán : 姓     男     朋     高 xīn : 男     是     新     非
guì : 老     贵     男     忙  sī : 司     心     男     人 
wài : 贵     国     忙     外  dào : 新     俄     渴     道 
I Select the right character for the word
1.) 开_____ (xīn)
(A) 商 (B) 心 (C) 京 (D) 新
2.) 当_____ (rán)
(A) 心 (B) 京 (C) 商 (D) 然
3.) 北_____ (bù)
(A) 京 (B) 经 (C) 部 (D) 人
4.) 明_____ (tiān)
(A) 老 (B) 天 (C) 京 (D) 国
16.01 Vocabulary using the root character 同 tóng

同屋 同学 同事
tóngwū tóngxué tóngshì
roommate classmate coworker
同胞 同志
tóngbāo tóngzhì
compatriot comrade
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
同 tóng means same and is used to make numerous words in Chinese, functioning somewhat
similarly to the English prefix co-.
16.02
你认识她吗？
金井泉:
Nǐ rènshi tā ma?
王军: 认识。
 Rènshi.
她是哪国人？
金井泉: Tā shì nǎ guórén?
她是美国人。
王军: Tā shì Měiguórén.
她叫什么？
金井泉:
Tā jiào shénme?
她叫莎拉 。她是李雪的同屋。
王军: Tā jiào Shālā. Tā shì Lǐ Xuě de tóngwū.
16.03 How do you know him? - concept review dialogue
他是谁？
刘小芳:
Tā shì shéi?
他是美国留学生。他叫马特。
李雪:
Tā shì Měiguó liúxuéshēnɡ. Tā jiào Mǎtè.
你怎么认识他？
刘小芳:
Nǐ zěnme rènshi tā?
他是我同屋的朋友。
李雪: Tā shì wǒ tóngwū de péngyou.
16.04 She is my classmate - concept review dialogue
她是谁？
王军:
Tā shì shéi?
他是我的同学。
马特: Tā shì wǒ de tóngxué.
她叫什么名字？
王军:
Tā jiào shénme míngzi?
她叫李智慧。
马特: Tā jiào Lǐ Zhìhuì.
她是中国人吗？
王军:
Tā shì Zhōngguórén ma?
不是，她是韩国人。
马特:
Bú shì, tā shì Hánguórén.
她从韩国什么地方来？
王军:
Tā cóng Hánguó shénme dìfang lái?
我不知道。
马特: Wǒ bù zhīdào.
16.05 She is my classmate - concept review dialogue
你认识金井泉吗？
莎拉:
Nǐ rènshi Jīnjǐng Quán ma?
认识。她是我的同学。
王军:
Rènshi. Tā shì wǒ de tóngxué.
金井泉是哪国人？
莎拉: Jīnjǐng Quán shì nǎ guórén?
她是日本人。
王军: Tā shì Rìběnrén.
16.06
在你的同学中，谁来自中国北方？
Zài nǐ de tóngxué zhōng, shéi láizì Zhōngguó Běifāng?
Among your classmates, who is from the North of China?
在你的同事中，谁来自中国南方？
Zài nǐ de tóngshì zhōng, shéi láizì Zhōngguó Nánfāng?
Among your coworkers, who is from the South of China?
在你的外国朋友中，谁来自美国？
Zài nǐ de wàiguó péngyǒu zhōng, shéi láizì Měiguó?
Among your foreign friends, who is from America?
在留学生中，谁来自英国？
Zài liúxuéshēnɡ zhōng, shéi láizì Yīngguó?
Among the exchange students, who is from England?
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
16.07 What about your boyfriend?
李智慧，你好吗？
李雪:
Lǐ Zhìhuì, nǐ hǎo ma?
我很好。你父母好吗？
李智慧:
Wǒ hěn hǎo. Nǐ fùmǔ hǎo ma?
他们都很好，谢谢。你忙吗？
李雪:
Tāmen dōu hěn hǎo, xièxie. Nǐ máng ma?
我不忙。你呢?
李智慧:
Wǒ bù máng. Nǐ ne?
我不太忙。
李雪: Wǒ bú tài máng.
那你男朋友呢？
李智慧: Nà nǐ nánpéngyou ne?
他很忙。
李雪: Tā hěn máng.
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 同学 _____________________ 2.) 中 ____________________
3.) 男朋友 _____________________ 4.) 父母 ____________________
5.) 来自 __________________ 6.) 同胞___________________
7.) 地方 __________________ 8.) 同事 __________________
B Translate the following pinyin into English
1.) tóngxué ____________________ 2.) tóngzhì _________________
3.) zài ____________________ 4.) dōu __________________
5.) cóng _________________ 6.) Rìběnrén ____________________
C Translate the following sentences into English
1.) Zài nǐ de wàiguó péngyǒu zhōng, shéi láizì Měiguó?

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Tāmen dōu hěn hǎo, xièxie. 

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Nǐ zěnme rènshi tā?
_______________________________________________________.
4.) Nǐ fùmǔ hǎo ma?

_______________________________________________________.
D Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 那你男朋友呢？

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 在你的同事中，谁来自中国南方？

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 他是美国留学生。

_______________________________________________________.
E Fill in the blanks
金井泉: Nǐ rènshi tā ma?
王军: _____________ .
金井泉: Tā shì _____  _________?
王军: _____  ____ Měiguórén.
金井泉: Tā ______ shénme?
王军: _____ jiào Shālā. Tā shì Lǐ Xuě de_________.
F Fill in the blanks
李雪: Lǐ Zhìhuì, nǐ hǎo ma?
李智慧: Wǒ hěn _______. Nǐ _________ hǎo ma?
李雪: Tāmen _______ hěn hǎo, xièxie. Nǐ máng ______?
李智慧: Wǒ bù ________. Nǐ ne?
李雪: _____ bú _____ máng.
李智慧: Nà nǐ nánpéngyou _____?
李雪: ______ hěn _______.
G  Circle the pinyin for the characters
屋 : shēnɡ     wū     shì     gāo 父 : hǎo     liú     xiān     fù
谁 : shéi     xìng      shén     shì  外 : wài     fù     xiǎo     míng 
朋 : xìng     gāo     péng     shéi  母 : míng     tā     fù     mǔ 
同 : tóng     gāo     péng     fù  地 : míng     péng     fù     dì 
H  Arrange these words into sentences
1.) máng       Wǒ       hěn        nánpéngyou

_______________________________________________________.
2.) shì       Tā       wǒ        tóngshì        de

_______________________________________________________.
3.) zěnme       tā       Nǐ      rènshi ?
_______________________________________________________?
4.) Tā     Hánguó      cóng     dìfang     lái      shénme ?

_______________________________________________________.
I Match the words with the translation
1.) Xīn péngyou Tokyo
2.) Dōngjīng Compatriot
3.) Tóngbāo                                                         Middle
4.) Zěnme New Friend
5.) Zhōng What
6.) Shénme How
17.01 Introduction - sentence pattern
我...
  I...
Wǒ...
我来...
  I'll make....
Wǒ lái..
我来介绍...
 I'll make a ....introduction.
Wǒ lái jièshào....
我来介绍一下。
  I'll make a short introduction.
Wǒ lái jièshào yíxià.
17.02 Li Xue introduces Sarah
我来介绍一下, 她是我的同屋。她叫萨拉。她是美国留学生。
她来自美国东部。
Wǒ lái jièshào yíxià, tā shì wǒ de tóngwū. Tā jiào Sàlā. Tā shì Měiguó liúxuéshēnɡ. Tā láizì
Měiguó dōngbù.
17.03 Li Xue introduces Wang Jun
我来介绍一下, 他是我的男朋友。他姓王，叫王军。他是中国人，
来自北京。他是研究生。
Wǒ lái jièshào yíxià, tā shì wǒ de nánpéngyou. Tā xìng Wáng, jiào Wáng Jūn. Tā shì
Zhōngguórén, láizì Běijīng. Tā shì yánjiūshēnɡ.
17.04
.
自...
  myself...
Zì...
自我...
  I'll...myself...
Zì wǒ...
自我介绍...
 I'll introduce...myself....
Zì wǒ jièshào...
自我介绍一下。
 I'll introduce myself a little.
Zì wǒ jièshào yíxià.
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
17.05
自我介绍一下, 我叫大卫。我是商人。我是英国人，来自英国北部。
Zì wǒ jièshào yíxià, wǒ jiào Dàwèi. Wǒ shì Yīngguórén, láizì Yīngguó běibù.
17.06 Guess which country I'm from!
猜猜 ...
  Guess...
Cāicai...
猜猜我...
  Guess...I'm...
Cāicai wǒ...
猜猜我来自...
 Guess...I'm from!
Cāicai wǒ láizì...
猜猜我来自哪个...
 Guess which...I'm from!
Cāicai wǒ láizì nǎge...
猜猜我来自哪个国家！
Cāicai wǒ láizì nǎge guójiā!  Guess which country I'm from!
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
17.07 Where are you from? Guess!
你是哪国人？
刘小芳: Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?
猜一猜！
萨拉: Cāi yì cāi!
你是俄国人吗？
刘小芳:
Nǐ shì Éguórén ma?
不是，我是美国人！
萨拉: Bú shì， wǒ shì Měiguórén！
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 介绍 _____________________ 2.) 研究生 ____________________
3.) 猜 _____________________ 4.) 国家 ____________________
B Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 我来介绍一下, 她是我的同屋。

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 他是中国人，来自北京。

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 猜猜我来自哪个国家！

_______________________________________________________.
C Translate the following sentences into English
1.) Bú shì，wǒ shì Měiguórén！

________________________________________________________.
2.) Wǒ shì Yīngguórén, láizì Yīngguó běibù.

________________________________________________________.
3.) Nǐ máng ma?

________________________________________________________.
4.) Tā shì yánjiūshēnɡ.

________________________________________________________.
D Circle the two characters that are not the same
来学自累 学下美人
绍 商 下 美               累 商 自 来         
E Circle the character that matches the pinyin
cāi : 自     是     猜     高 shāng : 商     屋     我     介
jiè : 商     美     自     介  wū : 很     屋     商     猜 
jiào : 叫     猜     介     吗  xià : 美     介     屋     下 
F Fill in the blanks
刘小芳: Nǐ ______ nǎ guórén?
萨拉: ______ yì cāi!
刘小芳: ______ shì Éguórén ______?
萨拉: Bú shì， ______ shì Měiguórén！
G Match the words with the translation
1.) Tóngwū Know
2.) Gōngsī Who
3.) Tóngxué                                                         Roommate
4.) Zhīdào Company
5.) Tóngshì Classmate
6.) Shéi Coworker
H Write questions for the following answers
1.) _______________________________________________________?

      她男朋友很忙。 Tā nánpéngyou hěn máng.

2.) _______________________________________________________?

      她不是中国人，她是韩国人。 Tā bú shì Zhōngguórén, tā shì Hánguórén.

3.) _______________________________________________________?

    认识。他是我的老朋友。 Rènshi. Tā shì wǒ de lǎo péngyou.

4.) _______________________________________________________?

    是,他是研究生。 Shì，tā shì yánjiūshēnɡ.

I Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate choice
中 叫 怎么 谁 介绍
Zhōng Jiào Zěnme Shéi Jièshào
1.) 你们的公司 _______ 什么名字？
2.) 你的老师是 _______？
3.) 你 _______ 认识他？
4.) 我来 _______ 一下, 她是我的同屋。
5.) 在你的同学 _______ ，谁来自日本。
18.01 Family names with informal titles
王
Wáng 老王 小王
Lǎo Wáng Xiǎo Wáng
Senior Wang Junior Wang
Wang
杨 老杨 小杨
Yáng Lǎo Yáng Xǎo Yáng
Yang Senior Yang Junior Yang
吴 老吴 小吴
Wú Lǎo Wú Xiǎo Wú
Wu Senior Wu Junior Wu
陈 老陈 小陈
Chén Lǎo Chén Xiǎo Chén
Chen Senior Chen Junior Chen
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
18.02 How should I address you?
我...
...I...
Wǒ...
我该...
...should I....
Wǒ gāi...
我该怎么...
How should I....
Wǒ gāi zěnme....
我该怎么称呼...
How should I address...
Wǒ gāi zěnme chēnghu...
我该怎么称呼你？
How should I address you?
Wǒ gāi zěnme chēnghu nǐ？
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
18.03 Just call me...Little Zhang!?! 
你好。自我介绍一下，我叫大卫。
大卫:
Nǐ hǎo. Zì wǒ jièshào yíxià, wǒ jiào Dàwèi.
我叫张小鱼。
小张:
Wǒ jiào Zhāng Xiǎoyú.
我该怎么称呼你？
大卫:
Wǒ gāi zěnme chēnghu nǐ？
叫我小张。
小张:
Jiào wǒ Xiǎo Zhāng.
很高兴认识你。
大卫:
Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
我也很高兴认识你。
小张:
Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
18.04 Come and Help Me!
你忙不忙？
大卫: Nǐ máng bù máng?
我忙死了！你呢？
小张: Wǒ máng sǐ le! Nǐ ne?
 不太忙。
大卫: Bú tài máng.
来，帮帮我。
小张: Lái, bāngbāng wǒ.
好吧。
大卫: Hǎo ba.
Notes:
吧 ba is a modal particle that is added to the end of sentences to make them more agreeable.
18.05 Hello! I'm your manager!
你好! 你是新来的职员吗?
杨经理:
Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ shì xīn lái de zhíyuán ma?
是。我叫安娜 。
安娜: Shì. Wǒ jiào Ānnà.
安娜, 你好! 我姓杨, 是你的经理。
杨经理:
Ānnà, nǐ hǎo! Wǒ xìng Yáng, shì nǐ de jīnglǐ.
杨经理,您好!
安娜:
Yáng jīnglǐ, nín hǎo!
你累不累？
杨经理: Nǐ lèi bú lèi?
我不累，我很开心，很兴奋。
安娜:
Wǒ bú lèi, wǒ hěn kāixīn, hěn xīngfèn.
好的，来帮帮小王。
杨经理: Hǎo de，lái bāngbāng Xiǎo Wáng.
马上!
安娜:
Mǎshàng!
18.06 Do you know where she is from?
她是谁？
大卫:
Tā shì shéi?
她是新来的同事。她叫安娜。
小张: Tā shì xīn lái de tóngshì. Tā jiào Ānnà.
你知道她来自哪里吗？
大卫:
Nǐ zhīdào tā láizì nǎlǐ ma?
知道。她是你的同胞。
小张 : Zhīdào. Tā shì nǐ de tóngbāo.
真的吗？她来自英国哪里？
大卫:
Zhēn de ma? Tā láizì Yīngguó nǎlǐ?
我不知道。
小张: Wǒ bù zhīdào.
18.07 Don't we work together? - Expansion dialogue
你看，她是不是我们新来的同事？
王冬梅:
Nǐ kàn, tā shì bú shì wǒmen xīn lái de tóngshì?
我问一下。请问，你是我们同事吗？
陈大同:
Wǒ wèn yíxià. Qǐngwèn, nǐ shì wǒmen xīn lái de tóngshì ma?
是的。你是。。。
安娜: Shì de. Nǐ shì...
 我们认识一下，这是我的名片。我叫陈大同， 她叫王冬梅。我们都是你的同事。
陈大同: Wǒmen rènshi yíxià, zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn. Wǒ jiào Chén Dàtóng, tā jiào Wáng
Dōngméi. Wǒmen dōu shì nǐ de tóngshì.
啊，我叫安娜。很高兴认识你 。
安娜：
À， wǒ jiào Ānnà. Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
我们也很高兴。
王冬梅:
Wǒmen yě hěn gāoxìng.
你们都好吗？
安娜:
Nǐmen dōu hǎo ma?
很好。你呢？
陈大同: Hěn hǎo. Nǐ ne?
我很累。好，再见！
安娜:
Wǒ hěn lèi. Hǎo, zàijiàn!
再见！
王冬梅:
Zàijiàn!
Notes:
Adding 一下 yíxià after a verb conveys the idea of brevity or informality. Thus, 我们认识一下
Wǒmen rènshi yíxià could be translated as "Let's get to know each other a little bit". 我问一下
Wǒ wèn yíxià could be translated as "I'll go and quickly ask (her)."  However, in both cases a
translator could omit the diminutive element from the translation.
The important idea here is that the speaker does not intend to take up too much of the other
person's time, or to stand on ceremony. The attitude is of friendly respect without too much
ostentation. However, do be aware that in formal situations it could come across as being a bit
cavalier.
18.08
我...
I...
Wǒ...
我不...
I don't....
Wǒ bù...
我不知道...
I don't know...
Wǒ bù zhīdào...
我不知道怎么...
I don't know how...
Wǒ bù zhīdào zěnme ...
我不知道怎么称呼
I  don't know how to address...
Wǒ bù zhīdào zěnme chēnghu
我不知道怎么称呼他。
I   don't know how to address him.
Wǒ bù zhīdào zěnme chēnghu tā.
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 帮 _____________________ 2.) 名片 ____________________
3.) 马上 _____________________ 4.) 职员 ____________________
B Translate the following pinyin into English
1.) cāi ____________________ 2.) jièshào _________________
3.) guójiā ____________________ 4.) míngpiàn __________________
5.) bāng _________________ 6.) mǎshàng ____________________
C Translate the following pinyin into English
1.) Wǒ yìdiǎn lèi.

_______________________________________________________.
2.) Wǒ gāi zěnme chēnghu nǐ？

_______________________________________________________.
3.) Tā shì nǐ de tóngbāo.

_______________________________________________________.
4.) Nǐ shì xīn lái de zhíyuán ma?

_______________________________________________________.
D Convert the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 请问，你是我们同事吗？

___________________________________________________________.
2.) 我姓杨, 是你的经理。

___________________________________________________________.
3.) 我们认识一下，这是我的名片

___________________________________________________________.
E Fill in the blanks
杨经理: Nǐ ______! Nǐ shì ______ lái de zhíyuán ma?
安娜: Shì. Wǒ _______ Ānnà.
杨经理: Ānnà, nǐ hǎo! Wǒ _______  Yáng, shì nǐ de jīnglǐ.
安娜: Yáng _______ , nín hǎo!
杨经理: Nǐ ______ bú ______ ?
安娜: Wǒ bú lèi, wǒ ______  kāixīn, ______  xīngfèn.
杨经理: Hǎo de，______ bāngbāng Xiǎo Wáng.
安娜: Mǎshàng!
F Fill in the blanks
大卫: Tā shì ______?
小张: Tā shì ______ lái de tóngshì. Tā jiào Ānnà.
大卫: Nǐ ________ tā láizì _______ ma?
小张 : Zhīdào. Tā _____ nǐ ____ tóngbāo.
大卫: Zhēn de ______? Tā ______ Yīngguó _______?
小张: Wǒ bù ___________.
G Match the words with the translation
1.) 同胞 Coworker
2.) 猜 Guess
3.) 同事                   Introduce
4.) 国家 Compatriot
5.) 介绍 Country
H Circle the character that matches the pinyin
zhī : 姓     知     下     高 yuán : 知     下     累     员
xià : 老     真     下     道  piàn : 片     心     叫     职 
dào : 知     道     忙     英  zhí : 美     职     渴     奋 
I Arrange the words into sentences
1.) nǎlǐ    tā    láizì    Nǐ    zhīdào    ma?

_______________________________________________________?
2.) de   Tā   shì   tóngbāo   nǐ   .

_______________________________________________________.
3.) xīn   Nǐ   shì    de   ma   lái    zhíyuán  ?

_______________________________________________________.
4.) gāi   chēnghu   zěnme   nǐ    Wǒ ？

_______________________________________________________?
19.01 Mom and Dad
爸爸 哥哥 弟弟
Bàbɑ Gēge Dìdi
Dad Older brother Younger brother
妈妈
姐姐 妹妹
Māma Jiějie Mèimei
Older sister Little sister
Mom
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
Unlike in English, there are separate terms for older and younger siblings. Younger siblings
usually refer to their older siblings by their family position, not their name. There are also
separate terms for maternal and paternal family members, which we will look at later.
Vocabulary point:
妈妈 māma mother, 姐姐 jiějie older sister, 妹妹 mèimèi younger sister all share the same root
character, or radical, 女 nǚ which means female.
好 hǎo good and 她 tā she also share this root character.
19.02 How's your Mom and Dad?
王军，你好！
萨拉:
Wáng Jūn，nǐ hǎo！
你好！
王军: Nǐ hǎo!
你爸爸，妈妈身体好吗？
萨拉:
Nǐ bàbɑ，māma shēntǐ hǎo ma?
他们都很好，谢谢。
王军:
Tāmen dōu hěn hǎo, xièxie.
Notes:
If there is a close relationship between the possessor and the possessed, 的 de is usually not used.
It should be noted here if that if 的 de is used in a relationship that is presumably close, it
indicates a degree of estrangement.
19.03 My Dad's from the Northeast
你爸爸是北方人吗？
马特:
Nǐ bàbɑ shì Běifāngrén ma？
是啊。他是东北人， 他来自哈尔滨。
王军:
Shì a. Tā shì Dōngběirén, tā láizì Hàěrbīn.
你妈妈也是东北人吗?
马特:
Nǐ māma yě shì Dōngběirén ma?
不是，她是南方人。
王军: Bú shì, tā shì Nánfāngrén.
Notes:

东北 Dōngběi is a region of China famous among students of Mandarin Chinese for having
arguably the most standard pronunciation of any area in the country.

Dōng means east and 北 Běi means north, altogether the region consists of the three provinces
northeast of the Great Wall that were until the 19th century off limits to Han Chinese.
Consequently, many of the major urban areas in the region are quite new, most being around 100
years old.

19.04 Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers

工人 农民
Gōngrén Nóngmín 军人
Jūnrén
Worker Peasant Soldier
母亲 父亲 父母
Mǔqin Fùqin Fùmǔ
Mother Father Parents
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:

母亲 mǔqīn and 父亲 fùqīn are the formal words for mother and father, the first character from
each combine to make the plural parents 父母 fùmǔ . The character 亲 qīn indicates family
relation.

19.05 Example Sentences

.
我父亲是工人。
My father is a worker.
Wǒ fùqin shì gōngrén.
我母亲是老师。
My mother is a teacher.
Wǒ mǔqin shì lǎoshī.
我哥哥是军人。
My older brother is a soldier.
Wǒ gēge shì jūnrén.
他父母是农民。
His parents are peasants.
Tā fùmǔ shì nóngmín.
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
19.06 He is a worker
他是谁？
A:
Tā shì shéi?
他是我哥哥。
B: Tā shì wǒ gēge.
他也是大学生吗？
A:
Tā yě shì dàxuéshēng ma?
不是，他是工人。
B: Bú shì, tā shì gōngrén.
19.07 She is a businessperson
她是谁？
A:
Tā shì shéi?
她是我妹妹。
B: Tā shì wǒ mèimei.
你妹妹是老师吗？
A:
Nǐ mèimèi shì lǎoshī ma?
不是，她是商人。
B: Bú shì, tā shì shāngrén.
19.08 Are your teachers all Chinese?
王军，那是谁？
萨拉:
Wáng Jūn，nà shì shéi？
那是我们老师。
王军:
Nà shì wǒmen lǎoshī.
她是哪国人？
萨拉: Tā shì nǎ guórén?
她是中国人。
王军: Tā shì Zhōngguórén.
你们老师都是中国人吗？
萨拉:
Nǐmen lǎoshī dōu shì Zhōngguórén ma?
不是，我们系也有外国老师。
王军:
Bú shì, wǒmen xì yě yǒu wàiguó lǎoshī.
Notes:
有 yǒu means to have. We will look at this verb more closely in the next lesson.
A Transcribe the characters below into pinyin
1.) 哥哥 _____________________ 2.) 名片 ____________________
3.) 工人 _____________________ 4.) 妹妹 ____________________
5.) 姐姐 _____________________ 6.) 弟弟 ____________________
7.) 农民 _____________________ 8.) 父母 ____________________
B Translate the following pinyin into English
1.) jūnrén ____________________ 2.) shāngrén _________________
3.) nóngmín ____________________ 4.) fùqin __________________
5.) mèimei  _________________ 6.) mǔqin ____________________
C Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 你妹妹是商人吗？

_________________________________________________________.
2.) 你哥哥是工人吗？

_________________________________________________________.
3.) 你爸爸是北方人吗？ 

_________________________________________________________.
D Match the words with the translation
1.) 父亲 Worker
2.) 军人 Father
3.) 妹妹                   Older brother
4.) 工人 Little sister
5.) 哥哥 Soldier
E Fill in the blanks
萨拉: Wáng Jūn，nà shì ________？
王军: Nà shì ________ lǎoshī.
萨拉: Tā shì nǎ ________?
王军: Tā shì ___________.
萨拉: Nǐmen l________ dōu _______ Zhōngguórén ma?
王军: Bú shì, wǒmen xì yě ______ wàiguó lǎoshī.
F Circle the pinyin for the character
妹 : shēnɡ     mèi     jiàn     gāo 军 : kě     gāo     míng     jūn 
农 : xiān     shēn      shén     nóng  母 : nán     mǔ     xiǎo     míng 
工 : gōng     xiān      shén     máng  弟 : dì      wǒ     xiǎo     mèi 
父 : xìng     xiè     míng     fù  民 : míng     mín     nǚ     shén 
G Arrange the words into sentences
1.) Zhōngguórén      lǎoshī       Nǐmen      dōu      ma     shì  ?

_______________________________________________________?
2.) ma      lǎoshī      shì      Nǐ      mǔqin  ?

_______________________________________________________?
3.) gōngrén      Tā      fùmǔ      shì .

_______________________________________________________.
4.)  shì      Tā      ma      jūnrén      yě ?

_______________________________________________________?
H Select the right character for the word
1.) 名_____ (piàn)
(A) 商 (B) 兴 (C) 片 (D) 绍
2.) 介_____ (shào)
(A) 绍 (B) 京 (C) 屋 (D) 片
3.) 同_____ (wū)
(A) 京 (B) 经 (C) 兴 (D) 屋
4.) 职_____ (yuán)
(A) 介 (B) 员 (C) 片 (D) 国
20.01 Do you have a brother or a sister? - Example sentences
.
你有哥哥吗？
Do you have an older brother?
Nǐ yǒu gēge ma?
你有妹妹吗？
Do you have a younger sister?
Nǐ yǒu mèimei ma?
你有弟弟吗？
Do you have a younger brother?
Nǐ yǒu dìdi ma?.
你有姐姐吗？
Do you have an older sister?
Nǐ yǒu jiějie ma?
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
20.02 I don't have an older sister - Negation
我没有姐姐, 我有哥哥。
Wǒ méi yǒu jiějie, wǒ yǒu gēge.
I don't have an older sister, I have an older brother.
王军没有妹妹, 他有姐姐。
Wáng Jūn méi yǒu mèimei, tā yǒu jiějie.
Wang Jun does not have a younger sister, he has an older sister.
她没有弟弟, 她有妹妹。
Tā méi yǒu dìdi, tā yǒu mèimei.
He does not have a younger brother, he has a younger sister.
>> Listen to the MP3 (right click to save)
Notes:
The negation for the verb 有 yǒu is 没 méi. In Chinese some verbs use the negation 没 méi while
others use 不 bù, there is no real rule as to which verbs use which negation, so you must simply
memorize which uses which.
20.03 Do you or don't you have a brother or a sister? - Example sentences
.
你有没有哥哥？
Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu gēge? Do you (or don't you) have an older brother?
你有没有妹妹？
Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu mèimei? Do you (or don't you) have a younger sister?
你有没有弟弟？
Do you (or don't you) have a younger brother?
Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu dìdi?
你有没有姐姐？
Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu jiějie? Do you (or don't you) have an older sister?
20.04 Do you have any siblings?
你...
...you...
Nǐ...
你有...
...you have....
Nǐ yǒu...
你有兄弟...
...you have any brothers...
Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì....
你有兄弟姐妹...
...you have any brothers or sisters?
Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ...
你有兄弟姐妹吗？
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma?
20.05 Do you have any siblings? - Concept review dialogue
你有兄弟姐妹吗？
王军:
Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma?
我有一个妹妹。你呢？
同学: Wǒ yǒu yí gè mèimei. Nǐ ne?
我有一个姐姐。
王军: Wǒ yǒu yí gè jiějie.
Notes:
个 gè is the first "counter word" or "classifier" that we will learn, and it is the one most
commonly used.
What is a counter word, you ask? Well, remember how we said that Chinese nouns don't change
forms for singular or plural? In effect, that means every noun in Chinese is the equivalent of a
collective noun in English, such as water or rice. Just as we would say "a bottle of water" or "a
bowl of rice",  we need to put a classifier in front of a Chinese noun when enumerating it.

There are numerous counter words in Chinese, but the basic, nearly all-purpose one is 个 gè. We
will be slowly learning several counter words throughout the course, and lesson 41 we will
summarize the counter words that are the most commonly used.
20.06 An only child
他是...
He is...
Tā shì...
他是独生...
He is an only....
Tā shì dúshēng...
他是独生子。
Tā shì dúshēngzǐ. He is an only son.
她是...
She is...
Tā shì...
她是独生
She is an only...
Tā shì dúshēng
她是独生女。
Tā shì dúshēngnǚ. She is an only daughter.
20.07 I'm an only child - concept review dialogue
你有兄弟姐妹吗？
大卫:
Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma?
我是独生子。你呢？
小张: Wǒ shì dúshēngzǐ. Nǐ ne?
我有一个哥哥。
大卫: Wǒ yǒu yí gè gēge.
20.08 Do you have a Chinese name?
李雪，你有英文名字吗？
马特:
Lǐ Xuě，nǐ yǒu Yīngwén míngzi ma?
我没有英文名字。你有汉语名字吗？
李雪:
Wǒ méi yǒu Yīngwén míngzi. Nǐ yǒu Hànyǔ míngzi ma?
有。我的汉语名字是"流氓"。
马特:
Yǒu. Wǒ de Hànyǔ míngzi shì “liúmáng”.
很好的名字。你真是个流氓！
李雪: Hěn hǎo de míngzi. Nǐ zhēn shì ge liúmáng!
20.09 Do you have a boyfriend?
你有男朋友吗？
王军:
Nǐ yǒu nánpéngyou ma?
没有。你有女朋友吗？
萨拉:
Méi yǒu. Nǐ yǒu nǚpéngyou ma?
我有。
王军: Wǒ yǒu.
她叫什么名字？
萨拉:
Tā jiào shénme míngzi?
她叫李雪。
王军: Tā jiào Lǐ Xuě.
20.10
他有点累。
He is a little tired.
Tā yǒu diǎn lèi.
李雪有点饿。
Li Xue is a little hungry.
Lǐ Xuě yǒu diǎn è.
陈大同有点忙。
Chen Datong is a little busy.
Chén Dàtóng yǒu diǎn máng.
我有点渴。
I am a little thirsty.
Wǒ yǒu diǎn kě.
他有点不高兴。
He is a little unhappy.
Tā yǒu diǎn bù gāoxìng.
王军有点困。
Wang Jun is a little sleepy.
Wáng Jūn yǒu diǎn kùn.
20.11 The Horrors of Pronunciation
没
Méi 美 妹
Měi Mèi 
Beautiful Younger sister
Not
A Match the words with the translation
1.) Mèimei Older sister
2.) Jiějie Younger sister
3.) Nánpéngyou                                                      Name
4.) Míngzi Older brother
5.) Gēge Sleepy
6.) Kùn Boyfriend
B Transcribe the following sentences into pinyin
1.) 你有女朋友吗？

_______________________________________________________.
2.) 我没有英文名字。

_______________________________________________________.
3.) 你真是个流氓！

_______________________________________________________.
4.) 他有点不高兴。

_______________________________________________________.
C Translate the following sentences into English
1.) Tā yǒu diǎn lèi.

________________________________________________________.
2.) Nǐ yǒu Hànyǔ míngzi ma?

________________________________________________________.
3.) Nǐ yǒu mèimei ma?

________________________________________________________.
4.) Tā méi yǒu gēge, tā yǒu mèimei..

________________________________________________________.
5.) Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma?

________________________________________________________.
D Circle the pinyin for the character
兄 : fāng     xiōng     jiàn     gāo 姐 : jiě     gāo     míng     běi 
猜 : xiān     fāng      shén     cāi  有 : yǒu     běi     zì     fāng 
点 : dú     diǎn     shén     bù  流 : nǎ     bù     fāng     liú 
独 : xìng     fāng     dú     dōng  没 : xī     xìng     méi     shén 
E Fill in the blanks
马特: Lǐ Xuě，nǐ yǒu __________ míngzi ma?
李雪: Wǒ _____ yǒu Yīngwén __________. Nǐ yǒu _________ míngzi ______ ?
马特: _______ . _______ de Hànyǔ míngzi shì “liúmáng”.
李雪: Hěn hǎo de _________ . Nǐ zhēn shì ge ________ !
F Arrange the words into sentences
1. míngzi       yǒu       Nǐ       ma      Yīngwén ?

   ______________________________________________________________.
2. diǎn    bù    gāoxìng   Tā    yǒu .
   ______________________________________________________________.
3.  yǒu      méi     dìdi     yǒu     Nǐ  ?

   ______________________________________________________________.
4. diǎn      gāoxìng      yǒu      Tā      bù      .

   ______________________________________________________________.
G Circle the two characters that are not the same
没有累兄 有独美困
独 哥 点 美               没 兄 累 哥         
I Write questions for the following answers
1.) _______________________________________________________?

      我没有英文名字。 Wǒ méi yǒu Yīngwén míngzi.

2.) _______________________________________________________?

      我是独生子。 Wǒ shì dúshēngzǐ.

3.) _______________________________________________________?

    我没有弟弟，我有哥哥。 Wǒ méi yǒu dìdi，wǒ yǒu gēge.

4.) _______________________________________________________?

    那是我们老师。 Nà shì wǒmen lǎoshī.