Chinese Link Lesson 2Vocabulary

Nín guì xìng?

您贵姓？Joanne Chen

IVC Chinese instructor

2014

您 nín (polite) you

•您贵姓？•Nín guì xìng?• What is your honorable last name?

• (A polite way of asking someone’s last name.)

贵 guì noble, expensive

•您贵姓？•Nín guì xìng?• What is your honorable last name?

姓 xìnglast name

•您贵姓？•Nín guì xìng?• What is your honorable last name?

请问 qǐngwèn may I ask

•请问， 您贵姓？•Qǐngwèn , nín guì xìng?• May I ask, what is your honorable last name?

的 de particle

• 我的 wǒde (my)

• 你的 nǐde (your)

In Chinese, the possessive is formed by placing the particle de after a noun to form the possessor of an object. A noun + de is similar to apostrophe +’s construction in English.

• 他的 tāde (his)

• 她的 tāde (her)

英文 yīngwénEnglish

•我的英文老师很好• Wǒ de yīngwén lǎoshī hěn hǎo.• My English teacher is very nice.

名字 míngziname

•你叫什么名字？•Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi ?• What is your name?

中文 zhōngwénChinese

•我的中文老师很好• Wǒ de zhōngwén lǎoshī hěn hǎo.

• My Chinese teacher is very nice.

叫 jiàocall, to be called

• 你叫什么名字？• Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi ?• What is your name?

tā xìng Chan (His last name Chan)

tā jiào Jacky Chan （ He is called Jacky Chan)

什么 shénmewhat

•你叫什么名字？•Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi ?• What is your name?

什么 shénme what Question

• Chinese sentence structure

You called what name?

• nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?• (What is your name?)

• wǒ jiào Joanne. • (I am called Joanne)

她 tāshe

•她叫什么名字？• tā jiào shénme míngzi ?• What is her name?

谁 shéiwho

•他是谁？• Tā shì shéi?• Who is he?

谁“ Shei?” who question

• Who is he ?

• Chinese sentence structure He is Who?

• Ta shi shei?

• 他是谁？

同学 tóngxuéclassmate

•他是我的同学。• Tā shì wǒde tóngxué.• He is my classmate.

Introducing a person:

1. Tā xìng Chan. (His last name is Chan.)

2. Tā jiào Jacky. (He is called Jacky.)

3. Tā de míngzi jiào Jacky Chan. (His name is called Jacky Chan.)

4. Tā de míngzī shì Jacky Chan. (His name is Jacky Chan.)

“Ma?” question• Is he your classmates?

• He is your classmates + ma?

• tā shì nǐde tóngxué ma ma?

• 他是你的同学吗？

不 bù / bú +verb

• To make a negative sentence,

simply place the adverb 不 before the verb.

• bù / bú : 不 tone changes according to the tone followed.

•不是 bú shì

•不好 bù hǎo