Our language experts care deeply about your ability to have real conversations in Chinese as fast as possible. That's why, rather than bombarding you with complex notions at the beginning of your course, we start by involving you in a real conversation. Through this approach, you will be able to have your first Chinese conversation after only 5 minutes of using our app. Encouraging, right?
Did you know that learning by doing is the most effective learning method? Practice Chinese a little bit every day and you’ll speak like a native forever! Start right now with these top 10 most common Chinese words and phrases pronounced by native Chinese speakers.
First impressions matter. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Learning as little as “hello” in Chinese can work wonders in your interactions with the natives. So here’s exactly how to pronounce it:
The next polite thing to do is ask “how are you?”. Sometimes, you can even skip the hello and directly ask how things are going. Here’s how to pronounce it in Chinese:
When you travel abroad, you usually make a lot of new friends. Whether we are talking about the nice stranger on the plane, your host, or the driver, here’s how to ask them what their name is:
The natives will always regard your attempt to speak their language as a sign of respect towards their culture. Another basic phrase you can use when making new friends is “nice to meet you”. Click and listen to how is it pronounced:
Manners are a must everywhere you go. And China makes no exception. Saying “please” the right way and at the right time will open many doors in your path. To pronounce it in Chinese, you simply say:
Mothers are the best thing that ever happened to us. Not only did they raise us, but they also taught us basic manners like saying “thank you” in the proper context. Following their example, here’s how to say “thank you” in Chinese:
It doesn't matter where you are in the world. Common sense translates the same in all languages. Here's how a person from Beijing would say “you’re welcome”:
We only need 7 seconds to make an impression that may last a lifetime. And sometimes, the only difference between a good impression and a bad one is just a simple “excuse me”. Listen to how it's pronounced in Chinese:
Shopping sprees are an essential part of every city break. The vacation isn’t over until you buy souvenirs for each member of your family. So here’s how to ask “how much does it cost?” in Chinese:
If you want to maintain the good first impression you managed to make with your flawless Chinese greetings and introductions, end the conversation by saying “goodbye” exactly like a native:
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What’s extremely important to know when you speak Mandarin Chinese is that there are 4 different tones: flat, rising, falling, rising, and falling. Fortunately, the 4 tones are easily learned in Pinyin, the version of Chinese that uses Roman characters. The rising tone is represented by an upward sign above a letter(á), the flat one by a horizontal line(ā), the falling tone by a downward sign(à), and the rising and falling tone by an upward and downward sign(ǎ). There is also a neutral tone which means there is no tone or sign on a letter(a).
Tones matter because phrases with a falling tone might mean a thing and one with a rising and falling tone might mean a totally different thing. For example, “wǒ xiǎng wèn nǐ” (我想问你) means “I want to ask you something” while the very similar “wǒ xiǎng wěn nǐ” (我想吻你) means “I want to kiss you”.
Chinese is the most spoken language worldwide, so you'll definitely have a lot to gain by learning conversational Chinese. For example, you'll be able to interact with people anytime you visit China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan.
Wherever you plan to travel to China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan, speaking Chinese will enhance your experience significantly. You will be able to experience Chinese-speaking countries like a native and have an authentic experience in the process.
Being able to speak Chinese increases your employability significantly and makes you stand out from the crowd. This means that you will have better chances of getting a well-paid job in the first place, better chances of getting promoted or getting a better job in a Chinese-speaking country.
Studies indicate that being bilingual or a polyglot increases the grey matter in your brain. This means that speaking Chinese makes you smarter than you currently are. So, what are you waiting for?
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