Nationality
Initial Sounds
To practice z and c, place the tip of your tongue against the back of your upper teeth and pronounce the end of cards and cats.
zài
再 (as in “cards”)
cuò
错 (as in “cats”)
哪国 (nǎ guó) Which country?
To ask about someone’s nationality, add 哪 (nǎ), or which, before 国人(guó rén).
你是哪国人？
(Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?) Which country are you from?
Tones
The trick to remembering the 1st and 3rd tones is to think of them as the highest (1st) and the lowest (3rd).
一
yī, 1st tone: Highest Stays high, as in "Yay!"
五
wǔ, 3rd tone: Lowest Dips and then rises, as in "Well..."
When a 3rd tone is on its own, it dips and then rises again (for example, 马 mǎ). But when a 3rd tone is followed by anything other than another 3rd tone, the sound dips but doesn’t rise.
我是多儿。
(Wǒ shì Duō ér.) I am Duo.
五元
(wǔ yuán) five Yuan
Questions and Answers
To ask a question in Chinese, begin by thinking about the answer to your question. Then replace the part you’re asking about with a question word like 什么 (shénme), 哪 (nǎ), or 多少 (duōshǎo).
什么 (shénme), What?
什么 (shénme), What?
你叫什么？
(Nǐ jiào shénme?) What’s your name?
我叫多儿。
(Wǒ jiào Duō ér.) I am Duo.
哪 (nǎ), Which?
她是哪国人？
(Tā shì nǎ guó rén?) Which country is she from?
她是中国人。
(Tā shì Zhōngguó rén.) She is Chinese.
多少 (duōshǎo), Asking about numbers
你的电话号码是多少？
(Nǐ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshǎo?) What is your phone number?
我的电话号码是12345678。
(Wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì 12345678.) My phone number is 12345678.