Greetings that are not questions, making plans, phone calls and neighbours: the Chinese of an ordinary day.
34 sentences · 3 dialogues · 18 words
Daily life in China runs on short exchanges: a greeting in the lift, a message to fix a time, a call that was missed, a neighbour who helps with a parcel. They are the sentences you need most often and the ones a textbook dialogue rarely contains.
They also show how Chinese is polite: less through grammar than through the choice of words — 您 or 你, a modest answer to a compliment, and greetings that are really a way of saying hello.
Goals by level. Tick what you can already do — the tick stays in this browser only.
18 words from the word lists, ordered by level. A coloured edge shows what you have already practised.
Short dialogues to read along and repeat. Say one part first, then the other.
A friend messages you about the weekend.
周六你有空吗？Are you free on Saturday?
有啊。有什么事？Yes. What’s up?
我们去爬山吧！Let’s go walking in the hills!
好啊！几点见？Great! What time shall we meet?
早上八点，在地铁站门口。Eight in the morning, outside the metro station.
行，到时候见！OK, see you then!
A friend has been trying to reach you.
我给你打了好几个电话，你怎么不接啊？I called you several times — why didn’t you answer?
对不起，我的手机静音了。Sorry, my phone was on silent.
没事。明天的聚会你来吗？Never mind. Are you coming to the party tomorrow?
来！要带什么吗？Yes! Should I bring anything?
不用，人来就行。No need — just bring yourself.
好的，明天见！OK, see you tomorrow!
You meet your neighbour in the lift.
你好！你是新搬来的吧？Hi! You’ve just moved in, haven’t you?
是的，我住在三楼。Yes, I live on floor three.
欢迎！有什么需要就说。Welcome! If you need anything, just say.
谢谢！请问附近有超市吗？Thank you! Is there a supermarket nearby?
有，出了小区往右走就是。Yes — leave the estate, turn right and it’s there.
太好了，谢谢您！Great, thank you!
The label says where a sentence belongs. The speaker next to it reads it aloud.
你好！好久不见！Hi! Long time no see!
你最近怎么样？How have you been?
谢谢你的帮助。Thank you for your help.
明天给我打电话。Call me tomorrow.
你去哪儿？Where are you off to?
今天天气很好。The weather is lovely today.
我住在学校附近。I live near the school.
他是我的好朋友。He’s a good friend of mine.
吃了吗？Have you eaten?
对不起，我迟到了。Sorry I’m late.
没关系，我也刚到。Never mind, I’ve only just got here myself.
我每天七点起床。I get up at seven every day.
你的手机号码是多少？What’s your mobile number?
周末你有空吗？Are you free at the weekend?
我们去公园散步吧。Let’s go for a walk in the park.
对不起，我打错了。Sorry, wrong number.
我的手机没电了。My phone’s battery is dead.
到了给我发个短信。Send me a message when you get there.
我还不太习惯这儿的生活。I’m still not quite used to life here.
晚上一起看电影怎么样？How about watching a film together this evening?
我们加个好友吧。Let’s add each other as contacts.
小王，你等我一下！Xiao Wang, wait for me a moment!
有空来我家玩儿！Come round to my place when you have time!
不好意思，让你久等了。Sorry to have kept you waiting.
我刚才在洗澡，没听到电话。I was in the shower just now and didn’t hear the phone.
他的电话一直打不通。I just can’t get through to him.
要是下雨，我们就在家聊天。If it rains, we’ll just stay in and chat.
这儿买东西基本上都用手机付钱。Here people pay for almost everything with their phones.
我的快递到了，我下楼去拿一下。My parcel has arrived — I’m popping downstairs to get it.
你别客气，就当自己家一样。Don’t stand on ceremony — make yourself at home.
哪里哪里，你过奖了。Oh, you flatter me.
我的邻居人特别好。My neighbours are really nice.
见面问吃没吃饭，其实只是打招呼。Asking whether someone has eaten when you meet is really just a way of saying hello.
对长辈要用您，对朋友用你就行了。With elders you use the polite "you"; with friends the ordinary one is fine.
6 questions on the words and sentences of this field. The word questions count in your progress like any other exercise.
Read the meaning, say the sentence aloud in Chinese, then open it to compare.
你好！好久不见！
吃了吗？
我的手机没电了。
我刚才在洗澡，没听到电话。
Every sentence on this page was written for EveryLingua. There are no quotations from films, series, books or songs here, and no titles or names of artists — the page shows how people talk in this field, not what somebody once said.
