You and Me
Eight words. That's your whole world right now. Learn these cold before anything else.
The eight words
| English | Pinyin | Phonetic | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / Me | wǒ (woh) | woh | 我 |
| You | nǐ (nee) | nee | 你 |
| Good | hǎo (how) | how | 好 |
| Hello | nǐ hǎo (nee how) | nee how | 你好 |
| Goodbye | zài jiàn (dzye jyen) | dzye jyen | 再见 |
| Thank you | xiè xiè (shyeh shyeh) | shyeh shyeh | 谢谢 |
| Sorry / Excuse me | duì bu qǐ (dway boo chee) | dway boo chee | 对不起 |
| I don't understand | wǒ bù dǒng (woh boo dohng) | woh boo dohng | 我不懂 |
nǐ hǎo = you + good
nǐ means "you." hǎo means "good." Put them together and you get "you good" — which is hello. That is not a coincidence. Mandarin greetings are literally descriptions of the other person's state. Keep that pattern in mind.
wǒ and nǐ do most of the work
Almost every sentence you will ever say starts with one of these two:
- wǒ 我 — I, me, my, mine
- nǐ 你 — you, your, yours
That's it. Two words. They cover every first-person and second-person thought you have.
wǒ bù dǒng — your rescue phrase
When someone responds to you in full-speed Mandarin and you have no idea what they said, use this:
wǒ bù dǒng (woh boo dohng) · 我不懂
"I don't understand."
Most people will slow down, use simpler words, or gesture. Say it clearly. It works.
bù means "not." So wǒ bù dǒng is literally "I not understand." Simple structure. You will reuse bù constantly to negate anything.