Tag Archives: spoken Chinese

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 13: 吧 ba, another common particle

Listen and download Lesson 13 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 13: 吧 ba, another common particle Literally: No equivalent in English. Usage: Used to give a suggestion, or to express a speculation. It can also be used to concede a point when used with 好 hǎo as in 好吧!hǎo ba (“all […]

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 12: 不 bù, a negating word

Listen and download Lesson 12 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 12: 不 bù, a negating word Literally: No exact equivalent in English. Usage: Used as a negating word. Put before a verb or adjective, or on its own, as similar to English “no”. There is another negating word 没 méi that […]

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 11: 来 lái, “to come”

Listen and download Lesson 11 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 11: 来 lái, “to come” Literally: “to come”. Usage: Used to attract the attention of the other person; in Chinese culture, directly saying “come” to someone is not considered rude but warm and considerate of others. Examples: 1) 来来来,吃饭。 Lái lái […]

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 10: 高兴 gāoxìng, “pleased”

Listen and download Lesson 10 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 10: 高兴 gāoxìng, “pleased” Literally: “pleased”. Meaning: Used to express one’s pleasure when interacting with others. Examples: 1) 认识你很高兴。 Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng. Pleased to meet you. Note: Can also be expressed as 很高兴认识你 hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. 2) 我们很高兴为您服务。 Wǒmen […]

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 9: 休息 xiūxi, “to rest”

Listen and download Lesson 9 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 9: 休息 xiūxi, “to rest” Literally: “to rest”. Meaning: “To rest; to take a break”. Can also infer “to sleep” or “to take break from work; to go on holiday” depending on the context. Examples: 1) 今天忙了一天,大家辛苦了。赶紧回家休息吧! Jīntiān mángle yītiān, dàjiā […]

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 8: 加油 jiāyóu, “to add oil”

Listen and download Lesson 8 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 8: 加油 jiāyóu, “to add oil” Literally: “Add oil!” Usage: Used to encourage someone to make extra effort, to do better or to cheer someone on. Can also be used as a verb, “to work hard”. Near-equivalent in English: “You can […]

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 7: 哪 nǎ, “where, which”

Listen and download Lesson 7 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 7: 哪 nǎ, “where, which” Literally: “where” or “which” depending on context. Examples: 1) 哪 + 儿 = 哪儿 nǎr (“where”) 请问,厕所在哪儿? Qǐngwèn, cèsuǒ zài nǎr? Excuse me. Where is the toilet? Note: 哪儿 nǎr can also be expressed as 哪里 […]

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 6: 等 děng, “to wait”

Listen and download Lesson 6 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 6: 等 děng, “to wait” Literally: “to wait”. Examples: 1) 请稍等,我帮您看看他在不在。 Qǐng shāo děng, wǒ bāng nín kànkan tā zài bù zài. One moment, I’ll see if he’s here. 2) 我要等多久?我已经等了半天了。 Wǒ yào děng duōjiǔ? Wǒ yǐjīng děng le bàntiān le. […]

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 5: 谢谢 xièxie, “thank you”

Listen and download Lesson 5 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 5: 谢谢 xièxie, “thank you” Literally: “thank you”. Examples: 1) 谢谢夸奖。Xièxie kuājiǎng. Thanks for the compliment. 2) 谢谢你的合作。Xièxie nǐ de hézuò. Thanks for cooperating. 3) 请原谅,耽误您时间了,谢谢!Qǐng yuánliàng, dānwù nín shíjiān le, xièxie! Please forgive us for holding you up. Thank you! […]

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 4: 了 le, a common particle

Listen and download Lesson 4 of Basic Spoken Chinese Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 4: 了 le, a common particle Literally: No equivalent in English. Usage: Used after a verb to indicate that the action has been completed, or that there has been a change of state. Examples: 1) 我肚子饿了。 Wǒ dùzi è le. I’m […]