✈ NETCHAI Inbound Chinese Course

Greetings ── Hello问候　打招呼

LESSON
01

01Intro

Learn Chinese greetings and how to say "I / you" and other pronouns. The key point is choosing the right greeting depending on who you're talking to (a friend, a customer, a teacher). By the end, you'll also be able to introduce yourself with "I am ~."

02Words

1
你(pron.)
nǐyou
2
您(pron.)
nínyou (polite form of 你)
3
好(adj.)
hǎogood
4
我(pron.)
wǒI, me
5
他(pron.)
tāhe, him
6
是(v.)
shìto be, is/am/are
7
吗(part.)
maquestion particle (more in Lesson 9)
8
老师(n.)
lǎoshīteacher
9
谢谢(v.)
xièxiethank you
10
欢迎(v.)
huānyíngto welcome, welcome

03Patterns

1
你nǐ好hǎo！
Hello.
2
您nín好hǎo！
Hello (to someone senior).
3
老师lǎoshī好hǎo！
Hello, teacher.
4
我wǒ是shì田中Tiánzhōng。
I am Tanaka.
5
你nǐ是shì田中Tiánzhōng吗ma？
Are you Tanaka?

04Dialog

SCENE　Nice to meet you
田中TiánzhōngTanaka
老师lǎoshī好hǎo！
王老师Wáng lǎoshīTeacher Wang
你nǐ好hǎo！你nǐ是shì田中Tiánzhōng吗ma？
田中TiánzhōngTanaka
是shì，我wǒ是shì田中Tiánzhōng。
王老师Wáng lǎoshīTeacher Wang
欢迎huānyíng你nǐ！

05Grammar

Grammar Point

Choosing greetings by audience / "A 是 B (A is B)"

In Chinese, greetings basically change depending on who you're addressing. Start by learning these three ways to say "hello."

① Choosing the right greeting

你好 is for friends, peers, and first meetings. 您好 is the polite form for seniors and customers. To a teacher, 老师好 sounds the most natural.

  • 你nǐ好hǎo！To a friend or at a first meeting.
  • 您nín好hǎo！Politely, to a customer or someone older.
  • 老师lǎoshī好hǎo！To a teacher. To a teacher, "老师好" is more natural than "你好."
Note: The standard greeting to a teacher is 老师好. "你好" works too, but "老师好" conveys more respect and sounds more natural.

② Personal pronouns and "A 是 B"

我wǒ (I) / 你nǐ (you) / 您nín (you, polite) / 他tā (he). The pattern "A 是 B" expresses "A is B."

  • 我wǒ是shì田中Tiánzhōng。I am Tanaka.
  • 他tā是shì老师lǎoshī。He is a teacher.
Service tip: With customers and older people, using 您nín instead of "你" is polite and makes a good impression.

06Practice

  1. Try giving the greeting that fits the person. friend→你好／customer→您好／teacher→老师好
  2. Introduce yourself by putting your own name into "我wǒ是shì〇〇。"
  3. In pairs, practice "你nǐ是shì〇〇吗ma？" / "是shì，我wǒ是shì〇〇。"

07Translation

Dialog — Reference Translation

TanakaHello, teacher.
Teacher WangHello. Are you Tanaka?
TanakaYes, I am Tanaka.
Teacher WangWelcome!