Learn Chinese

Phonetics and the

Four Tones
The first tone - ā

The second tone - á

The third tone - ă

The fourth tone - à

Combination of initials, finals and tones:
b + a - bā
t + u - tú
n + i - nî
n + in - nín
h + ao - hăo
k + uan – kuān
g + ui - guì
Read the symbols:
• mā dā lï gē bāo fēi
• pāi dūo huān wā yïn

• má dá lí gé báo féi
• pái dúo huán wá yín
• mă dă lî gě băo fěi
• păi duô huăn wă yîn

• mà dà lì gè bào fèi
• pài dùo huàn wà yìn
 Chinese Pinyin and English Translation:

nî - you rén - person

hăo - good, fine, nice ma - an interrogative, particle
wô - I, me tā - he,she
jiào - to call, to be called bù - not
shì - to be ( verb be ) Rìběn- Japan
Făguó – France Fēilübïn – Philippines
Jiānádà – Canada shénme – what
men - indicates plurality yě - also, too
wômen – we, us shéi - who
nîmen - you duö – many
tāmen – they, them dìfang – place
lăosh̅i - teacher míngzi – name
xuésheng – student péngyou – friend
piàoliang – beautiful huānyíng – welcome
shuài - handsome hěn - very
GREETINGS AND MAGIC WORDS
Pinyin English
Zăoshang hăo Good Morning
Zhöngwû hăo Good Noon
Xiàwû hăo Good Afternoon
Wănshang hăo Good Evening
Xièxiè nî Thank You
Búxiè You’re Welcome
Duìbuqî I’m sorry
Méiguānxi It’s ok, never mind
Wăn ān Good night
Wô Ài Nî I Love You
 Try this conversation:
A. Nî hăo ( how are you? B. Wô hěn hăo
(I am good)
A. Nî jiào shénme míngzi? B. Wô jiào Mă LìLi-
( what is your name?) ( I am called Malili)
B. Tā shì wô de péngyou.
A. Tā shì shéi? (She is my friend)
(who is she/he?) Wô yôu hěn duö péngyou
A.Huānyíng! Ni jiā zài shénme (I have lots of friends)
dìfang? ( welcome! Where is B. Wô jiā zài Xiānggăng.
your place?)
 Counting numbers:
One - y̅i Six - liù
Two – ér Seven – qï
Three – sān Eight – bā
Four - sì Nine - jiû
Five – wû Ten - shí
 Table of Combination
of Initials and Finals in
Putonghua
 a o e -i -i er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong I Ia iao ie
a o e er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng yi ya yao Ye
b ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi biao Bie
p pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi piao Pie
m ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi miao Mie
f fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng
d da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di diao Die
t ta te tai tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tiao Tie
n na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni niao Nie
l la le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia liao Lie
z za ze zi zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong
c ca ce ci cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong
s sa se si sai sao sou san sen sang seng song
zh zha zhe zhi zhai zhei zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong
ch cha che chi chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng Chong
sh sha she shi shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng
r re ri rao rou ran ren rang reng rong
j ji jia jiao Jie
q qi qia qiao Qie
x xi xia xiao Xie
g ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong
k ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng Kong
 New Words
duö- how,
• old huí – go back, return jiějie – elder sister
Hànyû – Chinese bî – than hé – and
Yïngyû - English jiā – home, family hē – drink
gāo – high, tall zhè – this göngzuò – job, to work
xièxie – thanks gēge – brother zài – in, at, exist, remain (
jïnnián – this year bàba – father action in progress)
shuö – to speak māma- mother mèimie – younger sister
huì – can de – particle dàifu – doctor
quán- whole dìdi – younger brother
 Sentence Patterns
( Asking Age )
• Nï duö dà ? - How old are you?
• Wö jïnnián shíliù suì – This year I’m sixteen years of age.
• Tā bî wô dă – He is older than me.
• Wô huì shuö Yïngyû- I can speak English
• Nï de Hànyû hěn hăo. Your Chinese is very good.
 Conversation:

Nï duö dà ? Wô jïnnián shíliù

Nî de Hànyû hěn hăo. Xièxie. Nî huì shuö Yïngyû ma?

Huì. Nï huì shuö Făyû ma? Bù huì.

 A.Exercise: Self – Introduction/knowing each other:

Wô jiào Mà Lìli, Wô shì xuésheng. Wô

jïnnián shísì suì. Wô huì shuö Yïngyû, yě huì
shuö Hànyû.Wô de māma shì lăoshï, wô de
bàba bù göngzuò.
B.Fill in the blank in Pinyin to complete the statement:

Wô jiào _________. Wô shì _______. Wô jïnnián

______ suì. Wô huì shuö Yïngyû, yě huì shuö
Hányû.Wôyôu/méiyôu _____(ge)(gege,jiejie,miemei)
Tāmen zài xuéxiào. Wô de bàba shi_____wô de
māma shi ______. Wô ài wô de jiā. Xièxie nî dàjiā.
.
 New words:
kāishî – to begin, to start bān – class míngtiān – tomorrow
mèimei – younger sister duöshao – how many shēngrì – birthday
• – every day
měitiān xuéxí – to study, to zhù – wish
fàn – meal , dinner learn zăoshang – morning
dìdi – younger brother nán – difficult jî – how many
yïyuàn – hospital nánsheng – male student kôu - ( a measure word )
kàn – watch nüshēng – girl student zuò- sit down
búyòng – need not döu – all yòng – use
xìng jiāo – sexual xìng yù- sexual qîng – please
intercourse desire, jìn- enter
zuò ài – make love, lust zìlì – stand
sexual intercourse bàn – half zuótiān – yesterday
xìng sāo răo- sexual búxiè – you are shíjiānbiăo – timetable,
harassment welcome schedule
luán tóng – a boy sòng – give qîchuáng – to get up
having sexual hěn – very wănshang – evening
relationship with gāoxìng – happy líng – zero
a man xiànzài – now fēn – minute
diăn – o’clock chï- eat
 Notes on Language Points:
The Interrogative Sentence with Interrogative
Pronoun:

• Shéi – to ask about person

• Shénme – to ask about object
• Jî– to ask about number
Shéi Shéi shì Lăoshï? Tā shì shéi? Zhè shì shéi de shü?
(who,whom) (who is she/he?) ( who’s book is this?)
Wô bàba shì
Lăoshï. Tā shì wô de bàba.

Shénme Zhè shì shénme? Nî bàba zuò shénme

(what) (( what is this? göngzuò
Zhè shì dìtú. ( what is your father’s
( This is a map.) work/job/)

Tā shì Lăoshï.
Jî Nî jiā yôu jî kôu rén?
(how many) ( How many are you in
the family?
 Try this conversation:
Shānběn, nî jiā yôu jî kôu rén? Sì kôu rén, bàba, māma. Jiějie hé wô.
( Shanben, How many are you ( four people, father, mother, elder
in the fanily?) sester and I.)
• Wô bàba shì Lăoshï, māma bù
Nî bàba, māma zuò shénme göngzuò.( My father is a teacher, my
göngzuò?( What is the work of mother has no work.)
your mother and father?)
Wô jiā yě yôu sì kôu rén.
Dàwèi, nî jiā yôu jî kôu rén? Wô méiyôu jiějie, wô yôu yí ge mèimie

Nî māma göngzuò ma? Göngzuò. Tā shì dàifu.

Activity ( by pair) – do the same by
asking family members.
Months:
Yï yuè - January Qïyuè - July

Èryuè- February Bāyuè – August

Sānyuè- March Jiûyuè – September

Sìyuè – April Shìyuè – October

Wûyuè – May Shíyïyuè - November

Liùyuè – June Shíèryuè- December

Days:
Xïngqïyï – Monday Xïngqïwû- Friday
Xïngqïèr – Tuesday Xïngqïliù- Saturday
Xïngqïsān - Wednesday Xïngqïrì- Sunday
Xïngqïsì – Thursday
 Ways of Expressing date

• Jïntiān èryuè èrshísì hào xïngqïliù –

Today is February 24, Saturday.
Subject Predicate
Wûyuè qï
Jïntiān hào xïngqï èr
A. Activity – Look and Say: ( Use calendar to
identify dates, months and days.)

B. How to Express Dates, days and age in

birthday
 Topic Structure Language Points
Birthday Jintian wûyuè qï hào 1.Ways of Expressing
xïngqïér Date
(Today, May 7,
Tuesday)

Wô de shēngrì shì
shíyuè shí èr hào 2. Sentences with
Adjectives Predicates
Wô hěn gāoxìng
 Ex: Nï de shēngrì shí jî yuè jî
hào.
( When is your birthday,
Asking Birthday: month and date?)
Wô de shēngrì shì wûyuè
qï hào.
( My birthday is May 7 )
 Activity: Ask your partner’s birthday:

Ways of Expressing Time

In Chinese, time is expressed in the
sequence of hour, minute, quarter and half.
Subject Predicate
Xiànzài bā diăn shí fēn
Xiànzài wû diăn yï kè
Xiànzài shí diăn bàn
Time Words as Adverbial:
When functioning as an
adverbial, time words
can be put at the
beginning of the verb.
 Predicate
S Adverbial Verb
Wô wănshang shí shuìjiào
diăn
Ānnï zăoshang qi qîchuáng?
diăn
Nîmen xïnggïwû Yôu ke ma?
 New Words:
Wèi- hello wănfàn – supper, gēn – with
Yìxiē – some dinner jiànmiàn- to meet
zhèxiē – these yìqî –together cháng –often
nàxiē – those shítang-canteen xiăng – to miss, to
bāng – help ménkôu- doorway think
fàn – meal túshüguăn – library dă diànhuà – to
zăofàn – breakfast diànshì – television make a phone call
wûfàn – lunch huòzhě – or
 Try this conversation:
• Wèi
• Wèi, shì Xiăoming ma?
• Wô shì.
• Wô shì Dàwèi.Wô yôu yìxiē hànyû wèntí.Qîng nî
bāng wô yíxiàr, xíng ma?
• Xíng.
• Nî shénme shíhou kòngr.
• Míngtiān xiàwû zěnmeyàng?
• Hăo. Nî zhöngwû zài nar chï fàn? Wômen yìqî chï
wûfàn ba.
• Hăo. Míngtiān jiàn
 Foods/drinks/restaurants
miànbāo – bread jïdàn – egg
miànbāo jï- bread maker hăochï – delicious
miàntiáo – noodle fànguănr - restaurant
cài - vegetables mîfàn – rice
yû – fish fúwùyuán- waiter, waitress,
niùròu- beef meat attendant
zhüròu – pork meat bïn guăn – hotel
jï ròu – chicken lü guăn- inn, motel