Learn Mandarin Chinese for free using self-paced audio-visual lessons and interactive practice exercises - CultureAlley - master conversations, grammar, vocabulary and more! This lesson will teach you some etiquette conversations like 'how are you?', 'I am good', 'not bad', 'I am fine', 'I am also very good', 'thank you', 'you're welcome', 'sorry', 'it's alright' etc.To study this at your own pace, take quizzes and explore more lessons go to www.culturealley.com. See you at the Alley!

1. To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

2. Nǐ hǎo
Lesson 4 on Basic Mandarin!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

3. Revision
English
Mandarin
Lisa
Hello!
Nǐ hǎo!
Mark
Hello!
Nǐ hǎo!
Lisa
How are you?
Nǐ hǎo ma?
Mark
I am very good, and you?
Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?
Lisa
I am also very good
Yě hěn hǎo
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

4. 1
Greetings
2 Etiquette conversation
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

5. What's in store today?
Today we will learn some more common
greetings and some etiquette phrases like
'thank you' and 'sorry'!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

6. 1
Greetings
2 Etiquette conversation
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

7. Greetings
Today we will learn some other responses to 'How
are you?' or 'Nǐ hǎo ma?' - to help you learn
some interesting conversations!
Let’s start with a common one : 'Not bad!'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

8. Vocabulary
English
Not
Bad
Mandarin
Bú
Cuò
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

9. Pronunciation tip
Before moving on, lets take a closer look
at the pronunciations for the new
words we've just learnt!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

10. Pronunciation tip
Not = Bú
It is pronounced using a
'mid rising' tone (2nd)
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

11. Tonal tips
Let's try and say Bú
It is said with a 'mid rising' tone - Bú
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

12. Pronunciation tip
Bad = Cuò
It is pronounced using a
'falling' tone (4th)
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

13. Tonal tips
Let's try and say Cuò
It is said with a 'falling' tone - Cuò
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

14. Responding to 'how are you?'
Great! Now let's use them as a phrase!
Not bad!
Not = Bú (adv.)
Bad = Cuò (adj.)
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

15. Grammar tip
Not = Bú
Bú is an adverb and is used to negate verbs
In Mandarin, adverbs always come before the
verb
Eg:
To be (is/am/are) = Shì
Not to be (is not/ am not/ are not) = Bú shì
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

16. So one of the responses to 'how are you?' is...
Not bad
Bú cuò
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

17. So remember!
English
Not
Bad
Mandarin
Bú
Cuò
Type
Adv.
Adj.
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

18. Let’s try this in a conversation!
English
Mandarin
Lisa
How are you?
Nǐ hǎo ma?
Mark
I am very good, and you?
Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?
Lisa
Not bad
Bú cuò
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

19. Moving on…
We can also reply to 'how are you?' by
saying 'Fine'
Let's take a look at the vocabulary
required for the same!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

20. Vocabulary
English
Mandarin
Still
Ok
Hái
Kěyǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

21. Pronunciation tip
Still = Hái
It is pronounced using a
'mid rising' tone (2nd)
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

22. Tonal tips
Let's try and say Hái
It is said with a 'mid rising' tone - Hái
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

23. Pronunciation tip
Ok = Kěyǐ
'Kěyǐ', stresses on two tones, 'e' and 'i'
On both, it uses the ‘falling rising’ tone
Let’s break it down and see how
each one is pronounced!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

24. Tonal tips
Let's try and say Kě
It is said with a 'falling rising' tone -Kě
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

25. Tonal tips
Let's try and say Yǐ
It is said with a 'falling rising' tone -Yǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

26. Tonal tips
Great! Now lets try it together
Let's try and say Kěyǐ
It is said with a 'falling rising' tone - Kěyǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

27. As we saw...
Still = Hái
Ok = Kěyǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

28. Responding to : how are you?
Fine
Hái kěyǐ
Literally : Still ok
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

29. Grammar tip
Apart from meaning 'Ok', Kěyǐ also reflects
the 'ability' to ask permission
Kěyǐ is made up of two characters
The first (kě) means 'can' or 'may' and the
second (yǐ) means 'according to'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

30. Let's see if you remember…
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

31. Pick the right option
How do we say 'not bad'?
1
2
3
Bú cuò
Hái kěyǐ
Nín hǎo
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

32. Pick the right option
How do we say 'not bad'?
1
2
3
Bú cuò
Hái kěyǐ
Nín hǎo
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

33. So remember!
English
Mandarin
Type
Not
Bú
Adv.
Bad
Cuò
Adj.
Still
Hái
Adv.
Ok
Kěyǐ
Adj.
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

34. 1
Greetings
2 Etiquette conversation
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

35. Moving on...
Let's learn a few new
expressions used daily!
Let's begin with 'thanks'!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

36. Etiquette conversation
Thanks
Xièxie
Literally : thanks, to thank
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

37. Pronunciation tip
In pinyin 'X' is pronounced
with a 'sh' or 'zh' sound, unlike the
English 'x' as in 'xylophone'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

38. Pronunciation tip
Thanks = Xièxie
It is pronounced using a
'falling' tone (4th)
Note, that 'Xièxie' can be broken into two
similar parts, except that the second time we
say 'xie', the sound softly fades away
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

39. Tonal tips
Let's try and say Xièxie
It is said with a 'falling' tone -Xièxie
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

40. Etiquette conversation
Thank you
Xièxie nǐ
Thanks = Xièxie
You = Nǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

41. Etiquette conversation
In English, we would typically say 'You are
welcome' while responding to 'Thank you'
In Mandarin, 'You are welcome' is used as
'Don't be polite'
(to indicate ‘You don't need to thank me’)
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

42. Etiquette conversation
You are welcome = Don't be polite
Polite = Kèqi
Don't be polite = Bú kèqi
Remember that 'Bú' means not
'Be' is not translated here, as 'polite' is an adjective
Let's see how to pronounce the following words!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

43. Pronunciation tip
We already know how to pronounce Bú,
it is said with a 'mid rising' tone
Let's see how to pronounce 'Kèqi'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

44. Pronunciation tip
Note that in pinyin 'q' is pronounced
with a 'ch' sound, unlike the
English 'q' as in 'quiet'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

45. Pronunciation tip
Polite = Kèqi
Kè is pronounced using a
'falling' tone (4th)
Let's try and say Kèqi
Great! Now lets say the whole
phrase together!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

46. So now you know!
Don't be polite (reply to 'Thank you')
Bú kèqi
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

47. Moving on...
Now let's look at how we would say 'sorry'
There are many ways to say 'sorry' in
Mandarin, but one of the most common
and versatile phrases is duì bu qǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

48. Tonal tip
Duì is pronounced using a 'falling' tone
Let's try and say it again, Duì
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

49. Tonal tip
Bù is pronounced using a 'falling' tone
Let's try and say it again, 'Bù'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

50. Tonal tip
Remember that in Mandarin 'Q' is
pronounced with a 'ch' sound
Qǐ is pronounced using the
'falling rising' tone
Let's try and say it again, Qǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

51. Etiquette conversation
Sorry
Duì bù qǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

52. Pronunciation tip
Try saying Duì bù qǐ
Remember 'Q' takes up the sound of 'ch'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

53. Another way to say 'sorry'
Sorry
Bù hǎo yì si
Literally, 'not a good meaning'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

54. Grammar tip
Bù hǎo yì si is frequently used in the Chinese
culture as a way of saying 'sorry' or
to mean 'I'm embarrassed'
Since we already know how to pronounce 'Bù
hǎo',
let's learn how to say 'yì si'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

55. Pronunciation tip
Yì si
'Yì' is pronounced using a
'falling' tone (4th)
'Si' is a neutral tone and is
pronounced with a soft fading tone
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

56. Tonal tips
'Meaning' translates to 'Yì si'
Let's try and say Yì si
Yì is said with a falling tone - Yì si
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

57. Grammar tip
Bù hǎo yì si can also be used as 'Thank you' in
some cases – usually when you want to say
'Your kindness is too much'/ 'This wasn't needed'
Situations include accepting gifts or tips
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

58. Cultural tip
The Chinese tradition of gift-giving demands that
the gift is first refused, and finally accepted with
'xièxie' or 'Bù hǎo yì si'
This is done for any type of gift, including picking
up the tab in a restaurant
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

59. More greetings
It's alright
Méi ɡuān xi
Literally, 'that's alright /
doesn't matter'
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

60. Pronunciation tip
Méi
'Méi' is pronounced using a
'mid rising' tone (2nd)
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

61. Tonal tips
Let's try and say Méi
It is said with a 'mid rising' tone - Méi
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

62. Pronunciation tip
Guān
'Guān' is pronounced using a
'high level' tone (1st)
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

63. Tonal tips
Let's try and say Guān
It is said with a 'high level' tone - Guān
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

64. Tonal tip
Xi
'Xi' is pronounced in the neutral tone, like a
soft fading away sound
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

65. Let's see if you remember…
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

66. Pick the right option
How do we say 'thanks'?
1
2
3
Xièxie
Bú kèqi
Hái kěyǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

67. Pick the right option
How do we say 'thanks'?
1
2
3
Xièxie
Bú kèqi
Hái kěyǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

68. Pick the right option
How do we say 'you're welcome'?
1
2
3
Bú kèqi
Xièxie
Hái kěyǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

69. Pick the right option
How do we say 'you're welcome'?
1
2
3
Bú kèqi
Xièxie
Hái kěyǐ
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

70. Pick the right option
How do we say 'sorry'?
1
2
3
Bù hǎo yì si
Bú kèqi
Xièxie
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

71. Pick the right option
How do we say 'sorry'?
1
2
3
Bù hǎo yì si
Bú kèqi
Xièxie
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

72. Let’s revise!
English
Mandarin
Thanks
Xièxie
You are welcome
Bú kèqi
Bù hǎo yì si /
Sorry
Duì bù qǐ
It's alright
Méi ɡuān xi
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

73. Culture Leaf
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

74. Culture leaf : Chinese names
Names in China are used slightly differently
than names you would hear in the west
Let's look at some examples…
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

75. Culture leaf : Chinese names - Boys
Wāng Péng is a boy's name
In China, family (or clan) names always precede
personal or given names
'Wāng' is family name and 'Péng' is
given name
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

76. Culture leaf : Chinese names - Girls
Lǐ Yǒu is a girl's name
Lǐ is the family name
Yǒu is the given name
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

77. Culture leaf : Chinese names
In Chinese culture the use of given names (first
names in
west) often suggests a much higher degree of
intimacy than
is the case in the west
If one’s given name is monosyllabic, it's used is
even more limited, usually confined to one’s lover
or spouse
For example, Wāng Péng’s girlfriend can address
him as
Péng, but most people would call him Wāng Péng
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin
rather than Péng

78. What's next?
In the next lesson, we will learn some
common expressions such as 'good
morning', 'good evening' etc...!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

79. Credits
Content
Team CultureAlley, Sunny Dang
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin

80. See you at the Alley!
To view this with Audio and practice games, visit www.CultureAlley.com/Mandarin