Basic Chinese Phrases to Start Speaking as a Beginner

90 Basic Chinese Phrases to Start Speaking as a Beginner

In Beginner Tutorials, Practical Chinese Phrases by Angel Huang

From greetings & introductions to shopping & small talk...

In today's lesson you'll learn 90 useful phrases to start speaking Chinese as a beginner!

⤷  Review & practice the phrases from this video with a free downloadable  ebook (including audio). 

Essential Chinese Phrases for Beginners

Basic Chinese Phrases Greetings

 
Section 1 Greetings in Mandarin Chinese

问候 wèn hòu

wéi!

喂!

Hello! (on the phone)

nǐ hǎo!

你好!

Hello! / Hi!

dà jiā hǎo!

大家好!

Hi, everyone!

lǎo shī hǎo!

老师好!

Hello, teacher!

zǎo!

早!

Morning!

zuì jìn zěn me yàng?

最近怎么样?

How are you doing recently? / How are things?

hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn!

好久不见!

Long time no see!

Basic Chinese Phrases INTRODUCTIONS

 
Section 2 Introductions in Mandarin Chinese

介绍 jiè shào

wǒ jiào Angel. nǐ jiào shén me míng zi?

我叫Angel. 你叫什么名字?

My name is Angel. What's your name?

wǒ xìng huáng. nǐ xìng shén me?

我姓黄。你姓什么?

My last name is Huang. What is your last name?

zěn me chēng hū nǐ ?

怎么称呼你?

How should I address you?

bù hǎo yì si! wǒ bù jì dé nǐ de míng zì le. nǐ shì......?

不好意思!我不记得你的名字了。你是......?

I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name. You are…?

zhè shì......

这是......

This is...

zhè shì ào lì.

这是奥利。

This is Ollie.

zhè shì wǒ de hǎo péng you.

这是我的好朋友。

This is my good friend.

hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ!

很高兴认识你!

Nice to meet you!

xìng huì xìng huì!

幸会幸会!

Pleased to meet you!

Basic Chinese Phrases ASKING FOR INFORMATION

 
Section 3 Asking for information in Mandarin Chinese

询问信息 xún wèn xìn xī

qǐng wèn......

请问......

Excuse me... / May I ask...

qǐng wèn, fù jìn yǒu kā fēi guǎn ma?

请问,附近有咖啡馆吗?

Excuse me, is there a cafe nearby?

qǐng wèn, yín háng jǐ diǎn kāi mén?

请问,银行几点开门?

Excuse me, what time does the bank open?

nǐ néng gào su wǒ......ma?

你能告诉我......吗?

Can you tell me…?

nǐ néng gào su wǒ zuì jìn de dì tiě zhàn zài nǎ ma?

你能告诉我最近的地铁站在哪吗?

Can you tell me where the nearest subway station is?

nǐ néng gào su wǒ xiàn zài qì wēn duō shao dù ma?

你能告诉我现在气温多少度吗?

Can you tell me what the temperature is now?

nǐ zhī dào...... ma?

你知道......吗?

Do you know...?

nǐ zhī dào zěn me qù fù xìng gōng yuán ma?

你知道怎么去复兴公园吗?

Do you know how to get to Fuxing Park?

nǐ zhī dào lǎo bǎn shén me shí hou qù shàng hǎi ma?

你知道老板什么时候去上海吗?

Do you know when our boss is going to Shanghai?

wǒ xiǎng zhī dào nǐ néng bù néng gào su wǒ……

我想知道你能不能告诉我……

I wonder if you could tell me…

wǒ xiǎng zhī dào nǐ néng bù néng gào su wǒ nǐ de wēi xìn hào.

我想知道你能不能告诉我你的微信号。

I wonder if you could tell me your WeChat ID.

wǒ xiǎng zhī dào nǐ néng bù néng gào su wǒ nǐ de shēng rì.

我想知道你能不能告诉我你的生日。

I wonder if you could tell me your birthday.

⤷  Review & practice the phrases from this video with a free downloadable  ebook (including audio). 

Basic Chinese Phrases Ordering food in a restaurant

 
Section 4 Ordering food in a restaurant in Mandarin Chinese

在饭店点餐 zài fàn diàn diǎn cān

fú wù yuán, qǐng gěi wǒ kàn yī xià cài dān.

服务员,请给我看一下菜单。

Waiter, please show me the menu.

...... shì zěn me yàng de?

......是怎么样的?

What is the...like?

huǒ guō shì zěn me yàng de?

火锅是怎么样的?

What is the hot pot like?

jiǎo zi shì zěn me yàng de?

饺子是怎么样的?

What are the dumplings like?

nǐ kě yǐ tuī jiàn jǐ gè cài ma?

你可以推荐几个菜吗?

Can you recommend a few dishes?

wǒ kě yǐ diǎn...... ma?

我可以点......吗?

Could I order the...?

wǒ kě yǐ diǎn yī gè gōng bǎo jī dīng ma?

我可以点一个宫保鸡丁吗?

Can I order the Kung Pao Chicken?

wǒ kě yǐ zài lái...... ma?

我可以再来......吗?

Can I get another...?

wǒ kě yǐ zài lái yī wǎn mǐ fàn ma?

我可以再来一碗米饭吗?

Can I get another bowl of rice?

fú wù yuán, mǎi dān!

服务员,买单!

Waiter, bill please!

fú wù yuán, jié zhàng!

服务员,结账!

Waiter, bill please!

fú wù yuán,ràng wǒ sǎo yī xià wēi xìn.

服务员,让我扫一下微信。

Waiter, let me scan the WeChat QR code (to pay).

Basic Chinese Phrases for Beginners INTERRUPTING

 
Section 5 Interrupting in Mandarin Chinese

打断 dǎ duàn

bù hǎo yì si, dǎ rǎo yī xià. ......

不好意思,打扰一下。......

I'm sorry to interrupt you...

bù hǎo yì si, dǎ rǎo yī xià. nǐ jīn wǎn yào hé wǒ yī qǐ qù kàn diàn yǐng ma?

不好意思,我打扰一下。你今晚要和我一起去看电影吗?

I'm sorry to interrupt you. Would you like to go to the movies with me tonight?

bào qiàn! wǒ kě yǐ dǎ duàn yī xià ma?......

抱歉! 我可以打断一下吗?......

Sorry! Could I cut in for a moment? ...

bào qiàn! wǒ kě yǐ dǎ duàn yī xià ma?nǐ wǔ fàn xū yào diǎn shén me wài mài?

抱歉! 我可以打断一下吗?你午饭需要点什么外卖?

Sorry! Could I cut in for a moment? What do you want to order for takeaway for lunch?

Basic Chinese Phrases for Beginners AGREEING WITH SOMEONE

 
Section 6 Agreeing with someone

同意某人 tóng yì mǒu rén

duì duì duì!

对对对!

Correct! Correct! Correct!

yǒu dào lǐ!

有道理。

Make sense.

jiù shì jiù shì.

就是就是。

Exactly!

tóng yì.

同意。

I agree.

wǒ wán quán tóng yì nǐ de kàn fǎ.

我完全同意你的看法。

I totally agree with you.

zhèng què.

正确。

That's right. / Correct.

nǐ de yì jiàn fēi cháng zhèng què!

你的意见非常正确!

Your are so right!

dāng rán.

当然。

Of course.

wǒ bǎi fēn zhī yī bǎi tóng yì.

我百分之一百同意。

I agree 100%.

Basic Chinese Phrases for Beginners DISAGREEING WITH SOMEONE

 
Section 7 Disagreeing with someone

不同意某人 bù tóng yì mǒu rén

bù duì.

不对。

Incorrect.

cuò le.

错了。

Wrong.

bù shì de.

不是的。

No.

wǒ bù què dìng.

我不确定。

I'm not sure.

bù tóng yì.

不同意。

I disagree.

wǒ bù tóng yì nǐ de kàn fǎ.

我不同意你的看法。

I disagree.

nǐ de yì jiàn bù zhèng què.

你的意见不正确。

Your opinion is factually incorrect.

bù hǎo yì si, wǒ jué de nǐ cuò guò le zhòng diǎn.

不好意思,我觉得你错过了重点。

Sorry, but I think you've missed the point.

bào qiàn, wǒ bù tóng yì.

抱歉,我不同意。

Sorry, I don't agree.

⤷  Review & practice the phrases from this video with a free downloadable  ebook (including audio). 

Basic Chinese Phrases for Beginners SHOPPING

 
Section 8 Shopping

购物 gòu wù

wǒ zhǐ shì suí biàn kàn kàn.

我只是随便看看。

I'm just looking around.

xiè xie! wǒ bù xū yào rèn hé bāng zhù, wǒ zhǐ shì kàn kàn ér yǐ.

谢谢!我不需要任何帮助,我只是看看而已。

Thank you! I don’t need any help, I’m just browsing.

nǐ kě yǐ bāng wǒ zhǎo yī xià...... ma?

你可以帮我找一下......吗?

Can you help me find...?

nǐ kě yǐ bāng wǒ zhǎo yī xià yī gè hóng sè de shǒu tí bāo ma?

你可以帮我找一下一个红色的手提包吗?

Can you help me find a red handbag?

zhè gè yǒu tè jià ma?

这个有特价吗?

Is this on sale? / Is there a special price for this?

mǎi yī sòng yī.

买一送一。

Two for the price of one.

mǎi sān fù èr.

买三付二。

Three for two.

wǒ kě yǐ shì shì zhè gè ma?

我可以试试这个吗?

Can I try this on?

nǐ néng bāng wǒ dǎ gè zhé ma?

你能帮我打个折吗?

Can you give me a discount?

hǎo de! wǒ jiù mǎi zhè gè!

好的!我就买这个!

Great! I'll take it!

nǐ néng bāng wǒ bāo zhuāng yī xià ma?

你能帮我包装一下吗?

Could you gift-wrap it for me?

wǒ kě yǐ fù xiàn jīn ma?

我可以付现金吗?

Can I pay in cash?

wǒ kě yǐ shuā xìn yòng kǎ ma?

我可以刷信用卡吗?

Can I pay by credit card?

wǒ kě yǐ sǎo yī xià wēi xìn ma?

我可以扫一下微信吗?

Can I scan the WeChat QR code (to pay)?

wǒ kě yǐ yòng zhè zhāng yōu huì quàn ma?

我可以用这张优惠券吗?

Can I use this coupon?

wǒ kě yǐ yòng zhè gè zhé kòu mǎ ma?

我可以用这个折扣码吗?

Can I use this discount code?

Basic Chinese Phrases for Beginners BEING LATE

 
Section 9 Being late

迟到  chí dào

duì bu qǐ! wǒ chí dào le.

对不起! 我迟到了。

Sorry! I'm late.

wǒ huì zài……fēn zhōng hòu dào.

我会在……分钟后到。

I’ll be there in … minutes.

wǒ huì zài 15 fēn zhōng hòu dào.

我会在15分钟后到。

I’ll be there in 15 minutes.

kě bù kě yǐ jiāng wǒ men de yuē huì chóng xīn ān pái zài......?

可不可以将我们的约会重新安排在......?

Would it be possible to reschedule our appointment for...?

kě bù kě yǐ jiāng wǒ men de yuē huì chóng xīn ān pái zài xià zhōu?

可不可以将我们的约会重新安排在下周?

Would it be possible to reschedule our appointment for next week?

kě bù kě yǐ jiāng wǒ men de yuē huì chóng xīn ān pái zài wǎn shang 7 diǎn?

可不可以将我们的约会重新安排在晚上7点?

Would it be possible to reschedule our appointment for 7pm?

xiè xie nǐ de děng dài.

谢谢你的等待。

Thank you for waiting.

wǒ hěn bào qiàn ràng nǐ jiǔ děng le.

我很抱歉让你久等了。

I’m sorry to keep you waiting.

Basic Chinese Phrases for Beginners EVENT SMALL TALK

 
Section 10 Event small talk

活动小谈 huó dòng xiǎo tán

zhè shì yī gè jǔ bàn huó dòng de hǎo dì fang.

这是一个举办活动的好地方。

This is a great place to host an event.

nǐ shì zěn me zhī dào zhè gè huó dòng de?

你是怎么知道这个活动的?

How did you find out about this event?

nǐ shì běn dì de ma?

你是本地的吗?

Are you from around here? / Are you a local?

nǐ shì nǎ lǐ rén?

你是哪里人?

Where are you from?

zhè lǐ de...... bù cuò. nǐ yǒu...... guò ma?

这里的......不错。你有......过吗?

The ... here is good. Have you ever ...?

zhè lǐ de kā fēi bù cuò. nǐ yǒu hē guò ma?

这里的咖啡不错。你有喝过吗?

The coffee here is good. Have you tried (drinking) it?

zhè lǐ de qiǎo kè lì bù cuò. nǐ yǒu chī guò ma?

这里的巧克力不错。你有吃过吗?

The chocolate here is good. Have you tried (eating) it?

Basic Chinese Phrases for Beginners BUSINESS PHONE CALLS AND MEETINGS

 
Section 11 Business phone calls and meetings

商务电话和会议  shāng wù diàn huà hé huì yì

wǒ xiǎng zài nǐ fāng biàn de shí hou jǐn zǎo yǔ nǐ huì miàn. nǐ shén me shí hou yǒu kòng?

我想在你方便的时候尽早与你会面。你什么时候有空?

I'd like to set up a meeting with you at your earliest convenience. When are you free?

xīng qī èr zǎo shang 9:00, xíng ma?

星期二早上9:00,行吗?

Does Tuesday 9:00 a.m. work for you?

wǒ men jīn tiān zài zhè lǐ tǎo lùn yī xià.......

我们今天在这里讨论一下.......

We’re here today to discuss...

wǒ men jīn tiān zài zhè lǐ tǎo lùn yī xià hé tóng de xì jié.

我们今天在这里讨论一下合同的细节。

We’re here today to discuss the details of the contract.

wǒ men jīn tiān zài zhè lǐ tǎo lùn yī xià xià zhōu de cài dān.

我们今天在这里讨论一下下周的菜单。

We’re here today to discuss next week's menu.

wǒ jīn tiān xiǎng tán yī xià wǒ men de.... jì huà.

我今天想谈一下我们的....计划。

I would like to talk about our plans for ... today.

wǒ jīn tiān xiǎng tán yī xià wǒ men de wǔ nián jì huà.

我今天想谈一下我们的五年计划。

I would like to talk about our plans for the next five years today.

wǒ jīn tiān xiǎng tán yī xià wǒ men de zhuāng xiū jì huà.

我今天想谈一下我们的装修计划。

I would like to talk about our plans for the renovation today.

Basic Chinese Phrases for Beginners ENDING A CONVERSATION

 
Section 12 Ending a conversation

结束对话 jié shù duì huà

zài jiàn!

再见!

Goodbye!

míng tiān jiàn!

明天见!

See you tomorrow!

yī huìr jiàn!

一会儿见!

See you later!

yǐ jīng hěn wǎn le, wǒ bì xū huí jiā le.

已经很晚了,我必须回家了。

It's getting late, I have to go home.

shí hou bù zǎo le, wǒ men gǎi tiān zài liáo ba.

时候不早了,我们改天再聊吧。

It's getting late, let's talk another day.

wǒ děi zǒu le. fēi cháng gǎn xiè nǐ jīn tiān hé wǒ zài yī qǐ!

我得走了。非常感谢你今天和我在一起!

I have to go. Thank you so much for staying here with me today!

hé nǐ liáo tiān zhēn de hěn kāi xīn! qī dài hěn kuài jiàn dào nǐ!

和你聊天真的很开心!期待很快见到你!

It was really nice chatting with you! I'm looking forward to seeing you soon!

wǒ děi qù xué xiào jiē wǒ nǚ ér, xià cì jiàn!

我得去学校接我的女儿,下次见!

I have to pick up my daughter from school, see you next time!

wǒ men wēi xìn lián xì ba!

我们微信联系吧!

Let's stay in touch on WeChat!

wǒ men diàn huà lián xì ba!

我们电话联系吧!

Let's stay in touch via phone!

⤷  Review & practice the phrases from this video with a free downloadable  ebook (including audio). 

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