In this post, I would like to start with exercise. I want you to find the meaning for the following basic vocabs. If it is possible, you can try to recognize the Chinese characters too. Although speaking might be your goal in learning the language, however recognizing words (know how to read and the meaning) will come handy one day. It also helps you to understand it better.
Here is the example on how to do this to get the maximal benefit, write it down on a piece of paper, better if you have a book dedicated for this:
E..g 人 rén human/people
1. 头
2. 目
3. 口
4. 嘴巴
5. 耳朵
6. 足 / 脚
7. 大
8. 小
9. 多
10. 少
This will give you the chance to practice using Pleco too :) And of course, do not forget to pronounce it out loud when you have found the pinyin and the meaning. And stop for a while and digest the new vocab before you move on.
Next, I want you to translate from English to Chinese (you can choose to write the characters or just stick to the pinyin)
1. Sun
2. Moon
3. Mountain
4. Field
5. Rock
6. Water
7. Fire
8. Soil
9. Wood
10. I / Me
11. You
12. We /Us
13. He/She/It (same pronunciation different characters)
14. They / Them
Try finish the above, read your answer out loud so that it sticks. Revisit them regularly :)
Now, I am going to introduce you to some simple greetings in Chinese.
The most universal greeting that we use is Hello/Hi. In Chinese we say:
“你好” nǐhǎo Hello
This literally means "you are good." It is something like saying I wish you good / good things.
Just the same as when how we response to "Hello." We say "Hello" too in return.
A: “你好” nǐ hǎo
B: “你好” nǐ hǎo
More specific greeting, depending on the time of the day:
1. Good Morning 早上好 zǎo shàng hǎo OR 早安 zǎo ān
2. Good Noon (12PM - 1PM) 中午好 shàng wǔ hǎo OR 午安 wǔ ān
3. Good Afternoon 下午好 xià wǔ hǎo OR 午安 wǔ ān
4. Good Evening 晚上好 wǎn shàng hǎo
5. Good Night 晚安 wǎn ān
Another reminder, video can only be played on a desktop or laptop.
To avoid confusion, you can just try to memorize one version, for now. However, you have to know both, because certain countries, like Singapore and Taiwan like to use zǎo ān / wǔ ān / wǎn ān, while Mainland Chinese like to use the first that end with ... hǎo. So at least when someone say it, you know what they means. Most of the time, we reply to someone's greeting with the same version that they use. However, it is not wrong too when someone says: "zǎo ān", you reply with: "zǎo shàng hǎo." It is acceptable.
Apart from the above, here are a few more phrases that beginner should know
1. Thanks 谢谢 xiè xie
2. You are welcome 不客气 bú kè qì
3. Sorry 对不起 duì bu qǐ
4. No worries / No problem 没关系 méi guān xi
5. Goodbye / See you again 再见 zài jiàn
If you are on you handheld and can't play the video, you can always practice the correct pronunciation with the help of recorded audio on Pleco! =)
Again no need to rush to finish, revisit lesson 1 when you have time and before you know it, you will have them all on your fingertips :)
xiè xie,
Linda Tan
Wishing you a very happy Mid Autumn Festival! May the joy and happiness of this special occasion be with you always!
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