These phrases were chosen because they actually get used in the first week of living in or visiting Taiwan or China. Learn them by situation, one block a day, and say them out loud.
Introductions
| Characters | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 你好，我叫Anna。 | Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Anna. | Hello, my name is Anna. |
| 我是英国人。 | Wǒ shì Yīngguó rén. | I'm British. |
| 很高兴认识你。 | Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. | Nice to meet you. |
| 你叫什么名字？ | Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? | What's your name? |
| 我在学中文。 | Wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén. | I'm learning Chinese. |
| 我的中文不太好。 | Wǒ de Zhōngwén bú tài hǎo. | My Chinese isn't very good. |
| 你是做什么工作的？ | Nǐ shì zuò shénme gōngzuò de? | What do you do for work? |
| 我是学生。 | Wǒ shì xuésheng. | I'm a student. |
At a restaurant
| Characters | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 我要这个。 | Wǒ yào zhège. | I'll have this one. |
| 有菜单吗？ | Yǒu càidān ma? | Is there a menu? |
| 不要辣。 | Bú yào là. | Not spicy, please. |
| 我不吃猪肉。 | Wǒ bù chī zhūròu. | I don't eat pork. |
| 一杯珍珠奶茶，少糖。 | Yì bēi zhēnzhū nǎichá, shǎo táng. | One bubble tea, less sugar. |
| 买单。/ 结账。 | Mǎidān. / Jiézhàng. | The bill, please. |
| 很好吃！ | Hěn hǎochī! | Delicious! |
| 内用还是外带？ | Nèiyòng háishi wàidài? | Eat in or take away? (what the cashier asks) |
Shopping
| Characters | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 这个多少钱？ | Zhège duōshao qián? | How much is this? |
| 太贵了。 | Tài guì le. | Too expensive. |
| 可以便宜一点吗？ | Kěyǐ piányi yìdiǎn ma? | Can you make it a bit cheaper? |
| 我可以试试吗？ | Wǒ kěyǐ shìshi ma? | Can I try it? |
| 有没有大一点的？ | Yǒu méiyǒu dà yìdiǎn de? | Do you have a bigger one? |
| 可以刷卡吗？ | Kěyǐ shuākǎ ma? | Can I pay by card? |
Getting around
| Characters | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 请问，车站在哪里？ | Qǐngwèn, chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ? | Excuse me, where is the station? |
| 我要去这里。 | Wǒ yào qù zhèlǐ. | I want to go here. (pointing at a map) |
| 坐几号线？ | Zuò jǐ hào xiàn? | Which line do I take? |
| 在这里下车。 | Zài zhèlǐ xiàchē. | Get off here. |
| 离这里远吗？ | Lí zhèlǐ yuǎn ma? | Is it far from here? |
| 往左 / 往右 / 直走 | wǎng zuǒ / wǎng yòu / zhí zǒu | left / right / straight ahead |
When you don't understand
| Characters | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 对不起，我听不懂。 | Duìbuqǐ, wǒ tīng bu dǒng. | Sorry, I don't understand. |
| 请再说一遍。 | Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn. | Please say that again. |
| 请说慢一点。 | Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn. | Please speak more slowly. |
| 这个中文怎么说？ | Zhège Zhōngwén zěnme shuō? | How do you say this in Chinese? |
| 你会说英文吗？ | Nǐ huì shuō Yīngwén ma? | Do you speak English? |
| 没关系。 | Méi guānxi. | No problem. |
Wrapping up
| Characters | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 谢谢你的帮助。 | Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù. | Thanks for your help. |
| 明天见。 | Míngtiān jiàn. | See you tomorrow. |
| 慢走。 | Màn zǒu. | Take care. (said to someone leaving) |
| 加油！ | Jiāyóu! | Go for it! / Keep it up! |
| 辛苦了。 | Xīnkǔ le. | Thanks for your hard work. |
| 下次见。 | Xià cì jiàn. | See you next time. |
Note: In Taiwan you'll hear 珍珠奶茶 and 内用/外带 every day. In mainland China, "to take away" is more often 打包 dǎbāo.
Want phrases for your own situation — a job interview, a doctor's visit, haggling at a night market? Type the situation into Mixora AI and get the full dialogue with audio.
