Basic Mandarin Chinese | Lesson 3 | Learn other useful greetings!
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Basic Mandarin Chinese | Lesson 3 | Learn other useful greetings!
1. To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin
2. Nǐ hǎo
Lesson 3 on Basic Mandarin!
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3. Revision - Tones
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7. What's in store today?
Alright! So you now know how to say
'hello' in Mandarin!
Let's move on and look at some
other greetings
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9. Greetings and pleasantries
How are you?
'How are you?' is literally translated as
'you good?' in Mandarin
We saw that Nǐ hǎo = You good
We just need to convert it to a question now...
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10. Greetings and pleasantries
You good = Nǐ hǎo
To convert this into a question (you good?),
we only need to add a question particle; ‹ma›
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11. Tonal tip
As a question particle, 'ma' is pronounced using a
neutral tone which carries a soft falling sound, as
if the sound is fading away
Let’s try and say 'ma'
Great! Now let's try it in a question!
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12. Greetings : How are you?
How are you?
Nǐ hǎo ma?
Literally : you good?
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13. Grammar tip
Ma is a question particle
Adding the particle ‹ma› to the end of a sentence
makes a statement into a question
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14. Grammar tip
Ma is usually used for questions which can be
answered by a yes/no
Eg: Nǐ hǎo ma? = you good?
Can be answered by saying 'yes/no'
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15. So remember!
'Ma' is pronounced using a neutral tone which
carries a soft falling sound, as if the sound
is fading away
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16. Tonal tip
Let's try saying Nǐ hǎo ma?
It is said using a mid rising tone for Nǐ, a
rising falling tone for 'Hǎo'and a neutral tone
for the question particle 'ma'
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17. Let's see if you remember…
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18. Pick the right option
How do we say, 'How are you?'
1
2
3
Nǐ hāo ma?
Nǐ hǎo ma?
Nǐ háo ma?
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19. Solution
How do we say, 'How are you?'
1
2
3
Nǐ hāo ma?
Nǐ hǎo ma?
Nǐ háo ma?
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20. Responding to : how are you?
Let's see how to answer the question
How are you? / you good? = 'Nǐ hǎo ma?'
You will say 'I am very good' or
'I am very well'
Let’s learn the vocabulary for this!
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22. Pronunciation tip
Before moving on, lets take a look
at the pronunciations for the new
words we've just learnt!
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23. Tonal tip
I, Me = Wǒ
It is pronounced using a
'falling rising' tone (3rd)
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24. Tonal tip
Let's try and say Wǒ
It is said with a 'falling rising' tone - also
known as the third tone, Wǒ
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25. Tonal tip
Very = Hěn
It is also pronounced using a
'falling rising' tone (3rd)
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26. Tonal tip
Let's try and say Hěn
It is said with a 'falling rising' tone - also
known as the third tone, Hěn
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27. Tonal tip
Good = Hǎo
It is also pronounced using a
'falling rising' tone (3rd)
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28. Tonal tip
Let's try and say Hǎo
It is said with a 'falling rising' tone - also
known as the third tone, Hǎo
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29. Tonal tip
'To-be' verb = Shì
( 'To-be' verbs include : is, am, are, etc...)
It is pronounced using a
'falling' tone (4th)
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30. Tonal tip
Let's try and say Shì
It is said with a 'falling' tone - also known as
the fourth tone, Shì
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31. Moving on...
Great! Now that we know
how to pronounce these words,
let's use them in a sentence!
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32. Responding to : how are you?
I
am
very
good
↓
↓
↓
↓
Wǒ
shì
hěn
hǎo
In Chinese, 'am', 'is', 'are' etc.
are not used with adjectives
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33. Grammar tip
We noticed that we did not translate 'am' in
the last sentence
Unlike English, in Chinese, the 'to-be' verb
(shì = am, is, are) is not used with
adjectives (good, bad etc.)
I am very good = Wǒ hěn hǎo = I very good
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34. Responding to : how are you?
I am very good / I am very well
Wǒ hěn hǎo
'am' is not translated
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35. So do you remember?
Very good = Hěn hǎo
I am very good = Wǒ hěn hǎo
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36. Let's see if you remember…
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37. Pick the right option
'How are you?' translates as?
1
2
3
Nǐ hǎo ma?
Nǐ hǎo
Wǒ hěn hǎo
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38. Solution
'How are you?' translates as?
1
2
3
Nǐ hǎo ma?
Nǐ hǎo
Wǒ hěn hǎo
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39. Pick the right option
'I am very good' translates as?
1
2
3
Nǐ hǎo
Wǒ shì
hěn hǎo
Wǒ hěn
hǎo
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40. Solution
'I am very good' translates as?
1
2
3
Nǐ hǎo
Wǒ shì
hěn hǎo
Wǒ hěn
hǎo
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41. Moving on…
While responding to 'how are you?' you
would often say :
'I am very good, and you?'
Let's see how we say this in Mandarin…
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42. Responding to : how are you?
Now you know
I am very good = Wǒ hěn hǎo
To additionally ask 'and you?' we need to
learn one new question particle, 'ne'
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43. Tonal tip
'Ne' is spoken in a neutral tone
It is pronounced using a soft falling sound,
as if the sound is fading away
Let’s try and pronounce 'Ne'
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44. Grammar tip
Ne is also a particle used to convert
statements to questions
Ending with 'ne' makes a question when the
context is already known
nǐ ne? = and you?
A common circumstance is when you wish to
repeat a question that was just asked
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45. Responding to : how are you?
I
am
very
good,
and
you?
↓
↓
↓
↓
Wǒ
hěn
hǎo,
nǐ ne?
Remember! In Mandarin, 'am',
'is', 'are' etc. are not
used with adjectives
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin
46. Responding to : how are you?
nǐ ne? = and you?
We used 'ne' here as we were answering to
'how are you?' by saying 'I am good, and you? '
hence we were repeating the question
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47. Responding to : how are you?
I am very good, and you?
Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?
'am' is not translated
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48. Responding to : I am good, and you?
You can also reply to 'I am good, and you?'
by saying 'I am also very good'
For this we will need to
learn how to say 'also'
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49. Tonal tip
Also = Yě
It is pronounced using a
'falling rising' tone (3rd)
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50. Tonal tip
Let's try and say Yě
It is said with a 'falling rising' tone - also
known as the third tone, Yě
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51. Responding to : I am good, and you?
I
am
also
very
good
↓
↓
↓
↓
Wǒ
yě
hěn
hǎo
Remember!In Mandarin, 'am',
'is', 'are' etc. are not
used with adjectives
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin
52. Grammar tip
We can just say 'also very good'
instead of saying
'I am also very good'
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53. Responding to : how are you?
Also very good
Yě hěn hǎo
Literally : also very good
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54. Let's see if you remember…
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55. Pick the right option
How do we say 'I am also very good'
in Mandarin?
1
2
3
Nǐ
hěn hǎo
ma
Nǐ
yě hěn
hǎo
Wǒ
yě hěn
hǎo
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56. Solution
How do we say 'I am also very good'
in Mandarin?
1
2
3
Nǐ
hěn hǎo
ma
Nǐ
yě hěn
hǎo
Wǒ
yě hěn
hǎo
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57. Pick the right option
What tone does 'yě' carry?
1
2
3
High
level
Falling
rising
Mid
rising
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58. Solution
What tone does 'yě' carry?
1
2
3
High
level
Falling
rising
Mid
rising
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59. Pick the right option
What tone does 'ne' carry?
1
2
3
Neutral
Falling
High level
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60. Solution
What tone does 'ne' carry?
1
2
3
Neutral
Falling
High level
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61. Vocabulary for today
English
Mandarin
Type
I, Me
Wǒ
Pronoun
Nǐ
Pronoun
Very
Hěn
Adv
Good
Hǎo
Adj
Also / too
Yě
Adv
Ne
Question particle
You (singular,
informal)
Ma
Question particle
(yes/no questions)
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62. Let's practice
English
Mandarin
Lisa
Hello!
Nǐ hǎo
Mark
Hello!
Nǐ hǎo
Lisa
How are you?
Nǐ hǎo ma?
Mark
I am very good, and you?
Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?
Lisa
I am also very good
Yě hěn hǎo
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63. Culture Leaf
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64. Culture leaf : Yin and yang
The concept of yin and yang (Pinyin:
yīnyáng)originates in ancient Chinese philosophy,
which describes two opposing but complementary
forces found in all things in the universe
Literally meaning 'shadow and light'
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65. Culture leaf : Yin and yang
Many natural dualities — e.g., dark and
light,female and
male, low and high, cold and hot, water and fire,
earth and air — are thought of as manifestations
of
yin and yang (respectively)
Everything has both Yin and Yang aspects - E.g.
We could
not have appreciated 'Light' had there been no
'Darkness'
and 'Shadow (a form of darkness)' could not have
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existed
without there being 'Light'!
66. What's next?
In the next lesson, we will learn more
greetings and pleasantries and common
phrases like 'thank you'!
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67. Credits
Content
Team Culture Alley, Sunny Dang
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_and_yang
Images
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Guanhua.png
User: Raghith
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pinyin_Tone_Char
User : Wereon
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68. See you at the Alley!
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