GCSE Mandarin: Greetings and Personal Information Revision Guide

Key vocabulary

• 你好 (nǐ hǎo) — hello
• 早上好 (zǎoshang hǎo) — good morning
• 晚安 (wǎn'ān) — good night
• 再见 (zàijiàn) — goodbye
• 谢谢 (xièxie) — thank you
• 不客气 (bú kèqi) — you're welcome
• 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) — sorry
• 没关系 (méi guānxi) — it's okay / no problem
• 请 (qǐng) — please

Introducing yourself

To give your name, use 我叫... (wǒ jiào...), which literally means 'I am called...'. For example: 我叫汤姆 (wǒ jiào Tāngmǔ) — 'My name is Tom'. To ask someone's name politely, say 你叫什么名字? (nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?) — 'What is your name?'.

Numbers 0–10

• 零 (líng) — 0
• 一 (yī) — 1
• 二 (èr) — 2
• 三 (sān) — 3
• 四 (sì) — 4
• 五 (wǔ) — 5
• 六 (liù) — 6
• 七 (qī) — 7
• 八 (bā) — 8
• 九 (jiǔ) — 9
• 十 (shí) — 10

Grammar point: age and nationality with 是

The verb 是 (shì) means 'to be' and is used to state who or what someone is. To say your age, combine a number with 岁 (suì, 'years old'): 我十五岁 (wǒ shíwǔ suì) — 'I am 15 years old' (note that no verb 'to be' is needed here). To ask someone's age, say 你几岁? (nǐ jǐ suì?). To state nationality, use 是: 我是英国人 (wǒ shì Yīngguó rén) — 'I am British'. Adding 吗 (ma) to the end of any statement turns it into a yes/no question, e.g. 你是英国人吗? (nǐ shì Yīngguó rén ma?) — 'Are you British?'.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting that Mandarin does not use a verb 'to be' before an age — do not say 我是十五岁; simply say 我十五岁.
• Mixing up 请 (please, used when asking for something) with 谢谢 (thank you, used after receiving something).
• Forgetting the tone marks on pinyin, which changes the meaning of a word — for example 妈 (mā, mum) versus 马 (mǎ, horse).