YOUR PHRASEBOOK - Travel Club Elite

Now you have learnt how to greet someone you may like to
learn something about them, their name, where they are
from or what they do for a living.
The following words and phrases should help you with that.
May I ask your name?
qĭngwèn, nín guìxìng
ching when nin gwee shing
The above form of asking someones name is quite formal
and would be answered thus:
My family name is Brown, given name John
wŏ xìng Brown, jiào John
war shing Brown, jow John
A less formal and easier way of asking a name is thus:
What’s your name?
nĭ jiào shénme míngzi
nee jow shenmer minzar
Where are you from?
What is your country?
nĭ shì nă guó rén
knee sher nar gorun
If you are asked this question your answer would be:
I be wŏ shì war sher
Australia
Àodàlìyà rén
owdarleeyar run
England
Yīnggúo rén
eeingor run
New Zealand
Xīnxīlán rén
shinshilun run
South Africa
Nánfēi rén
nunfay run
Ireland
Àiĕrlán rén
iairlan run
Scotland
Sūgēlăn rén
sir ger larn run
Canada
Jiānádà rén
geeunudar run
Chinese
Zhōngguó rén
dzonggur run
What do you do?
What is your work?
nĭ shì nă gongzuò?
knee sher na gondzer
You have learnt a very important word in this last exercise
and that is the verb “to be”.
Actually, in the Chinese language, unlike in English, there
is only one word for all the parts of the verb “to be” and
that is:
To be
shì
sher
Thus:
I am
wŏ shì
war sher
You are
nĭ shì
knee sher
He is
tā shì
ta sher
She is
tā shì
ta sher
They are
tāmen shì
tar mun sher
We are
wŏmen shì
war mun sher
The Chinese word shì is the equivalent of the English verb
“to be” and describes a person.
This should not be confused with another very useful
Chinese word zaì which is “to be in a location” and can be
used to express the English equivalent of; here, there, in,
on, at.
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