| |
| |
|
Language Information |
|
|
|
Learn to Speak Basic Chinese (Mandarin) Words and Phrases
The Chinese Language and dialects Each province, each city and even each village speaks their own dialect. There are hundreds of Chinese dialects in China so much so that each dialect speaker is not likely to understand another dialect speaker from another village or city. Fortunately, Mandarin, the official dialect, is understood by all dialect speakers. Let's learn a few useful basic and common Mandarin words and phrases that will help you break barriers with your Chinese friends. How are You? -Ni Hao Ma Also commonly shorten to Ni Hao. This is likely to be the first Mandarin phrase that you will ever learn. Useful as a greeting or a ice-breaker. Suitable for use with all ages and professions. Thank You -Xie Xie. Another polite term that is easy to remember and use. Very Good -Hen Hao. This is useful when giving praise for a job or task well done. Also useful as a reply to anyone who says "Ni Hao Ma?' to you. Ni Hao Ma? (How are you?) Hen Hao (Very Good) No Good -Bu Hao. This is useful when there is a need to comment on a shoddy or incomplete job or task. Can also be used as a reply to Ni Hao Ma? but may not be such a good reply. Ni Hao Ma? (How are you?) Bu Hao (No Good) Very Expensive -Hen Gui. When bargaining at the shops, this is the best term to use when driving a hard bargain. Don't want or No -Bu Yao. This is the best term to use for touts - street hawkers who approach you at every tourist stop to ask you to buy things. Bu Yao....will stop them in their track. This is beautiful -Hen Piao Liang. Use this phrase to praise something that is nice or beautiful. May also be used when meeting a pretty girl too! Taxi -De Shi. De Shi is the correct term but you should be understood even if you use the English word for Taxi. They sound alike anyway. Good Bye or See You Again -Zai Jian. Well, I guess this is another term that will be easily understood even if the English word is used. Excuse Me -Jie Guo. There is always a crowd in touristy areas. There are so many Chinese who wants to see the same monuments too. Rather than push your way through the crowd, using the term Jie Guo may just open the path ahead for you! Receipt -Fa Piao. Always ask for the receipt or Fa Piao at the shops or from a taxi. This may be useful if you need to complain about a fraud or shoddy product. Also useful if you leave behind your bag or camera in the taxi. I don't want -Wo Bu Yao. Useful when refusing a tout or when offered a drink too many at the Dinner table. Ken Cheong lived, worked and travelled in China for the last 7 years. You may find more such articles at his websites. Feel free to distribute these articles as long as you mention his websites at: http://www.chinese-culture.net and http://www.quick-pain-relief.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Language - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Learning a Foreign Language: the Psychological Factor When it comes about learning a foreign language, many people wonder if they will be able to memorize enough vocabulary. But this question never occurs about their mother tongue. Online IELTS Preparation - Why Does It Make Sense? Because IELTS is a difficult test. While most agree that IELTS is a reasonable test, it is generally regarded as one of the most challenging tests of its type. Learn Korean: Part 1 - Asian Languages and Language Families So, you have always been fascinated by Asian culture have you? Maybe you are someone who loves the martial arts; kung fu, tae-kwon-do, or karate. Perhaps you are interested in the cool oriental stores and like to buy many things from them to decorate your house. Learning French in Paris Nothing can be more frustrating than to be in France and not been able to speak their language. For, I remember the days when I was among people chanting around in a language totally alien to me, and me, trying to bring a smile in my face while shaking my head from north to south doing as if I am getting everything what they are speaking about, and waiting impatiently for my French wife to do the translation - and I can't deny, that that was not the most comfortable period of my life. Learning a Foreign Language: Why Should you Learn Words You Never Use in Your Mother Tongue? Imagine a child sitting in front of a desk, his head in his hands, and mumbling various lists of words over and over. Does this child remind you of your own experience? If yes, I bet that "list of words" does not sound appealing to you. Japanese Kanji Learning: Short-Cuts to Rapid Mastery (Part 1) What? Kanji can be learned quickly? This seems an impossible dream to many students of Japanese who come from a non-kanji language culture. Even hiragana and katakana seem impossibly hard to the average beginner, so remembering kanji, with all their intricate strokes and multiple readings, can appear to be beyond the abilities of the human mind. Second Language Competence Beneficial but often Misunderstood Second language learning has associated with it many types of benefits. Among them include: social, economic, intellectual and linguistic. Can You Understand English? There is a lot of talk about making English the official language of the USA. That would stop the need to spend so much money printing out things like drivers license, tax, voter registration and other official forms in so many languages. Chinese Pinyin or Hanyu Pinyin Overview Chinese Pinyin is the romanization of the Chinese "written sound". Romanization approximates Mandarin pronunciation with Western spellings and includes a tone mark to signify the pitch of a word. English Slang For Perplexed Tourists I watched the British version of 'Big Brother' recently. That's the television show which is a human hamster cage. English Has Come A Long, Long Way... I often wonder what would happen if Shakespeare were to be transported in a time machine to our world today. What would he think? How would he react?Yes, Willie would probably tell me "thou hast too much time on thy hands if thou spendeth it wondering about such flights of fancy. Learn Italian for Free Italian is one of the most widespread languages in the world, and speaking it can give you a tremendous sense of accomplishment, an edge in your career, and even a stronger bond with your ancestors if you are of Italian descent. There are many ways you can learn Italian, including textbooks, tapes, CDs, software, group classes or private lessons, but there are also ways you can begin or continue your studies of the Italian language entirely for FREE!1. Show Me the Bunny: Language Acquisition Some children are really funny about experimenting with speech. Nonetheless, the first intelligible words bring such a feeling of elation to a parent. Preschool Spanish Why an EarlyAGE 2nd Language?Research indicates that from ages 1 through 8 is the best time to introduce a new language to a child. If the 2nd language is introduced early in life children will learn it faster and retain it longer. Learn Italian in Italy You can combine your love of the Italian language with an unforgettable experience in the country where the language is spoken by studying Italian in Italy! Hands-down, the best way to learn a foreign language is to live, work, or study in a native speaking environment. Studying Italian in Italy is the best possible experience you can have to learn the language. Teaching Reading to English Language Learners There is an increasing amount of English language learners represented in our schools for whom a unique approach to developing literacy is necessary. The development of literacy by English language learners (ELLs) includes all of the challenges implicit for English speaking children literacy attainments, and is additionally compounded by a diversity of linguistic, cognitive and academic variables. Don't Take The Romaji Short-Cut When Learning Japanese This is an issue many Japanese learners come up against, particularly if they live outside Japan. After all, If you are not in the country, it seems difficult to justify the huge amount of time that learning Japanese characters seems to require. Speaking Spanish To Increase Mind Power Our "mind power" is largely in the way we use our words, and limited by our vocabulary. Words, and the concepts they express, are different in each language, and there are differing common expressions. Aphasia: The Cruelest Language Barrier Imagine the following scenario: You wake up one morning and instead of speaking English, everyone around you--including your family and friends--is speaking Hungarian. This is a problem because you don't speak Hungarian and you don't have a clue what they're saying. Learn Italian in Your Hometown Are you interested in learning the Italian language right in your own hometown? There are several options that you can explore to find the Italian classes that are just perfect for you! First, you should consider whether you would you enjoy the interaction that takes place among students in group classes, or if you would prefer the one-on-one attention of a private instructor.1.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
