Telephone
Tone changes with 一 (yī)
一 (yī) is pronounced with the first tone in a series of numbers or as part of an address or date. Otherwise, 一 becomes a fourth tone (yì). If it’s already followed by a fourth tone, it’s pronounced as a second tone (yí).
Counting
一、二、三、四
(yī, èr, sān, sì) one, two, three, four
Followed by 1st, 2nd, 3rd tone
一点儿
(yì diǎr) a little bit
Followed by 4th tone
一次
(yí cì) one time
得 (de) to describe actions
In English, when we say He eats slowly, the word slowly describes how he eats. To describe an action in Chinese, add 得 (de) plus an adjective right after the verb. And don’t forget that most adjectives require 很 (hěn).
你说得很快。
(Nǐ shuō de hěn kuài.) You speak quickly.
我吃得很慢。
(Wǒ chī de hěn màn.) I eat slowly.
他说得很好。
(Tā shuō de hěn hǎo.) He speaks well.
3) Hello?
To say hello in person, you’ll use 你好. But when you say hello on the phone, you should use 喂 (wéi, hello)!
喂？
(Wéi?) Hello?
喂，你好！你在哪里？
(Wéi, ní hǎo! Nǐ zài nǎlǐ?) Hello, hi! Where are you?
我在家！
(Wǒ zài jiā!) I’m at home!