Common Phrases
| English | Traditional characters | Simplified characters | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello! | 你好！ | 你好！ | Nǐ hǎo! |
| What is your name? | 你叫什麼名字？ | 你叫什么名字？ | Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? |
| My name is... | 我叫... | 我叫... | Wǒ jiào ... |
| How are you? | 你好嗎？/ 你怎麼樣？ | 你好吗？/ 你怎么样？ | Nǐ hǎo ma? / Nǐ zěnmeyàng? |
| I am fine, how about you? | 我很好，你呢？ | 我很好，你呢？ | Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne? |
| I don't want it / I don't want to | 我不要。 | 我不要。 | Wǒ bú yào. |
| Thank you! | 謝謝！ | 谢谢！ | Xièxie |
| Welcome! / You're welcome! (Literally: No need to thank me!) / Don't mention it! (Literally: Don't be so polite!) | 歡迎！/ 不用謝！/ 不客氣！ | 欢迎！/ 不用谢！/ 不客气！ | Huānyíng! / Búyòng xiè! / Bú kèqì! |
| Yes. / Correct. | 是。 / 對。 | 是。 / 对。 | Shì. / Duì. |
| No. / Incorrect. | 不是。/ 不對。 | 不是。/ 不对。 | Búshì. / Bú duì. |
| When? | 什麼時候？ | 什么时候？ | Shénme shíhou? |
| How much money? | 多少錢？ | 多少钱？ | Duōshǎo qián? |
| Can you speak a little slower? | 您能說得再慢些嗎？ | 您能说得再慢些吗？ | Nín néng shuō de zài mànxiē ma? |
| Good morning! / Good morning! | 早上好！ / 早安！ | 早上好！ / 早安！ | Zǎoshang hǎo! / Zǎo'ān! |
| Goodbye! | 再見！ | 再见！ | Zàijiàn! |
| How do you get to the airport? | 去機場怎麼走？ | 去机场怎么走？ | Qù jīchǎng zěnme zǒu? |
| I want to fly to London on the eighteenth | 我想18號坐飛機到倫敦 | 我想18号坐飞机到伦敦 | Wǒ xiǎng shíbā hào zuò fēijī dào Lúndūn. |
| How much will it cost to get to Munich? | 到慕尼黑要多少錢？ | 到慕尼黑要多少钱？ | Dào Mùníhēi yào duōshǎo qián? |
| I don't speak Chinese very well. | 我的漢語說得不太好. | 我的汉语说得不太好. | Wǒ de Hànyǔ shuō de bú tài hǎo. |
| Do you speak English? | 你會說英語嗎？ | 你会说英语吗？ | Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma? |
| I have no money. | 我沒有錢. | 我没有钱. | Wǒ méiyǒu qián. |
Read more about this topic: Standard Chinese
Famous quotes containing the words common and/or phrases:
“I don’t have any doubts that there will be a place for progressive white people in this country in the future. I think the paranoia common among white people is very unfounded. I have always organized my life so that I could focus on political work. That’s all I want to do, and that’s all that makes me happy.”
—Hettie V., South African white anti-apartheid activist and feminist. As quoted in Lives of Courage, ch. 21, by Diana E. H. Russell (1989)
“I know those little phrases that seem so innocuous and, once you let them in, pollute the whole of speech. Nothing is more real than nothing. They rise up out of the pit and know no rest until they drag you down into its dark.”
—Samuel Beckett (1906–1989)