Chinese Greetings and Basic Grammar

Dialogue and Vocabulary

• The most common Chinese greeting is "你好" (nǐhǎo), which means "hello."

• When on the telephone or using online communication tools, it is common to answer the call with "喂" (wéi), which translates to "hello" when answering the phone.

• "是吗" (shì ma?) is a common interjection similar to the English phrases "Really?" or "Oh yeah?"

• "旅途愉快" (lǚtú yúkuài!) is a common phrase to use when someone is going on a trip, meaning "Have a nice trip."

Grammar

• When identifying oneself on the telephone in Chinese, the sentence structure uses [subject] + [verb] + [object] order.

• The order of "Time When" phrases in Chinese is [subject + time when + predicate].

• The particle "吗" (ma) adds the question to statements and turns statements into yes/no questions.

Common Greetings

• The most common greeting in Chinese is "你好!" (nǐhǎo!")
• When answering a phone call, the most common greeting is "喂!" (wéi!)
• "谢谢" (xièxie) is the phrase you can use as a "thank you."
• "再⻅" (zàijiàn) is the phrase you can use as a "goodbye," meaning "see you again."
• "我的朋友很帅" (wǒ de péngyǒu hěn shuài) means "my friend is really handsome."
• "他是我哥哥" (tā shì wǒ gēge) means "he is my older brother."
• "明天是我的⽣⽇" (míngtiān shì wǒ de shēngrì) means "Tomorrow is my birthday."
• "明天下午" (míngtiān xiàwǔ) means "tomorrow afternoon."
• "明天⽓会很晴朗" (míngtiān tiānqì huì hěn qínglǎng) means "It will be sunny tomorrow."
• "明天晚上" (míngtiān wǎnshang) means "tomorrow night"
• "明天⻅!" (míngtiān jiàn!) means "see you tomorrow!"
• "明天10：10" (míngtiān shí diǎn shí fēn) means "tomorrow at 10:10."
• "明天我去公园" (míngtiān wǒ qù gōngyuán) means "Tomorrow I'm going to the park."
• "下周末谁去海边?" (xià zhōumò shéi qù hǎibiān?) means "Who is going to the beach next weekend?"
• "我去了动物医院" (wǒ qù le dòngwù yīyuàn) means "I went to the animal hospital."
• "我去公园 " (wǒ qù gōngyuán) means "I go to the park."
• "你好，我想找安娜" (nǐhǎo, wǒ xiǎng zhǎo Ānnà) means "Hello, can I speak to Anna?"
• "你好，我叫王国易" (nǐhǎo, wǒ jiào Wáng Guóyì) means "Hello, my name is Wang Guoyi."
• "谢谢你的帮助" (xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù) means "Thank you for your help."
• "谢谢，再⻅!" (xièxie, zàijiàn!) means "Thanks, bye!"
• "喂! 你找谁 ?" (wéi! Nǐ zhǎo shéi?) means "Hello! Who are you looking for?"
• "我明天去中国" (wǒ míngtiān qù Zhōngguó) means "I'm going to China tomorrow."
• "你要去中国吗?" (nǐ yào qù Zhōngguó ma?) means "You're going to China?"
• "旅途愉快!" (lǚtú yúkuài!) means "Have a great trip!"
• "我每天都很早上床睡觉" (wǒ měi tiān dōu hěn zǎoshang chuáng shuìjiào) means "I go to bed early every day."
• "我每天喝茶" (wǒ měitiān hē chá) means "I drink tea every day."

Sample Sentences

• Examples were given in the text to illustrate the sentence structures for: identifying oneself on the telephone, "Time When" phrases, and questions using the particle "吗" (ma).

This quiz will test your knowledge of common Chinese greetings and basic grammar rules. You will learn useful phrases for both in-person and telephone conversations, as well as sentence structures that are essential for communicating effectively in Chinese. Prepare to enhance your vocabulary and understanding of Chinese etiquette.