Free Mandarin Chinese Lessons
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Free Mandarin Chinese LessonsMain Menu | Cantonese Lessons | Chinese Tutoring | Bookmark & Share | Link to Us |
These Mandarin Chinese lessons have been designed to provide practical travel vocabulary and a foundation for basic conversational skills. You may also download a complete audio transcript for listening in your car. |
| SECTION: TO NEED / TO WANT / TO EAT |
| English: | To want / to need | |
| Chinese: | yau |
| English: | What do you want? | |
| Chinese: | nee yau shun-muh | |
| Literally: | you want what? |
| The verb yau followed by a noun means to want, and followed by a verb implies to need. |
| English: | I want rice | |
| Chinese: | woh yau ee-guh fahn | |
| Literally: | I want one rice |
| We will discuss the word for one later |
| English: | I want you | |
| Chinese: | woh yau nee | |
| Literally: | (same) |
| English: | I need to eat | |
| Chinese: | woh yau chih | |
| Literally: | (same) |
| English: | I need to eat (a meal) | |
| Chinese: | woh yau chih fahn | |
| Literally: | I need to eat rice |
| English: | Do you want? | |
| Chinese: | nee yau mah | |
| Literally: | you want +? |
| Another way of asking a questing (other than using mah) is to instead place the positive and negative forms of a verb back-to-back, effectively giving the listener a choice: |
| English: | Do you want? (using +/- verb construction) | |
| Chinese: | nee yau boo yau | |
| Literally: | you want-not-want? |
| English: | Don't want (say this to pushy merchants) | |
| Chinese: | boo yau | |
| Literally: | not want |
| English: | No thanks | |
| Chinese: | see-ay-see-ay, boo yau | |
| Literally: | thanks, not want |
| SECTION: DELICIOUS |
| English: | Delicious (said about food) | |
| Chinese: | hau chih | |
| Literally: | good to eat |
| English: | Very delicious | |
| Chinese: | hun hau chih | |
| Literally: | very good to eat |
| English: | Really | |
| Chinese: | jun / jeun |
| English: | Really delicious | |
| Chinese: | jun hau chih | |
| Literally: | really good to eat |