In the second lesson of the course "Chinese in 7 lessons" we will deal with those constructions in Chinese, which will allow us to say phrases familiar to us in Russian "I have something" or "where is the railway station?".
In other words, thanks to the outline of today's lesson, we will be able to talk about what we have, and about where it is.
The circuit that is responsible for the presence of something is as follows:
noun 1+ 有 yǒu (to have) + noun 2
我 Wǒ (I) 有 yǒu (to have) 猫 māo (cat) 。 – I have a cat.
姐 Jiě 姐 jie (older sister) 有 yǒu (to have) 孩 hái 子 zi (child) 。 – The older sister has a child.
前 Qián 边 bian (in front) 有 yǒu (to have) 公 gōng 园 yuán (park) 。 – There is a park ahead.
Negation
If we don’t have something, then we need to remember that the verb 有 yǒu is not preceded by the negative particle 不 bù , which we learned in the first lesson, but the negative particle 没 méi .
It turns out the following scheme of the proposal:
noun 1+ 没 méi 有 yǒu (not to have) + noun 2
我 Wǒ (I) 没 méi 有 yǒu (not to have) 猫 māo (cat) 。 - I don't have a cat.
姐 Jiě 姐 jie (older sister) 没 méi 有 yǒu (not to have) 孩 hái 子 zi (child) 。 – The elder sister does not have a child.
前 Qián 边 bian (in front) 没 méi 有 yǒu (not to have) 公 gōng 园 yuán (park) 。 – There is no park ahead.
她 Tā (she) 没 méi 有 yǒu (not to have) 妹 mèi 妹 mei (little sister) 。 – She doesn't have a younger sister.
我 Wǒ (I) 没 méi 有 yǒu (not to have) 电 diàn 脑 nǎo (computer) 。 – I don't have a computer.
Question
If we want to ask if we have something, then at the end we simply add an interrogative particle 吗 ma.
您 Nín (You) 有 yǒu (to have) 时 shí 间 jiān (time) 。 – You have time.
您 Nín (You) 有 yǒu (to have) 时 shí 间 jiān (time) 吗 ma ？ – Do you have time?
她 Tā (she) 没 méi 有 yǒu (not to have) 钱 qián (money) 。 – She has no money.
她 Tā (she) 没 méi 有 yǒu (not to have) 钱 qián (money) 吗 ma ？ – Does she have no money?
The second way to construct a question in Chinese is the form 有 yǒu 没 méi 有 yǒu (to have - not to have) in place of the verb. In such interrogative sentences, the interrogative particle 吗 ma is not placed at the end of the sentence.
For example:
您 Nín (You) 有 yǒu 没 méi 有 yǒu 时 shí 间 jiān (time) ？ – Do you have time?
她 Tā (she) 有 yǒu 没 méi 有 yǒu (not have) 钱 qián (money) ？ – Does she have no money?
你 Nǐ 们 men 公 gōng 司 sī (company) 有 yǒu 没 méi 有 yǒu 经 jīng 理 lǐ (manager) ？ – Does your firm have a manager?
那 Nà 儿 r (there) 有 yǒu 没 méi 有 yǒu 洗 xǐ 手 shǒu 间 jiān (toilet) ？ – Is there a toilet?
That's all you need to know to talk about the presence of something.
In Russian, most often within the framework of this topic we say phrases like “I have an idea”, “there is no work now”, “there are many parks in the city”, “there are many foreigners in the country”. That is, all those sentences when we mean the word "there is."
In order to say where something is in Chinese, you need to use the verb "to be in"– 在 zai. The scheme is very simple:
noun1+ 在 zai + noun 2
For example:
妈 Mā 妈 ma (mom) 在 zài (located in) 银 yín 行 háng (bank) 。 - Mom is in the bank.
孩 Hái 子 zi (children) 在 zài (located in) 学 xué 校 xiào (school) 。 - Children at school.
我 Wǒ 们 men (we) 都 dōu (everyone) 在 zài (located in) 北 Běi 京 jīng (Beijing) 。 – We are all in Beijing.
Negation
If we want to say that something or someone is not there, then we simply put the negative particle 不 bù before the verb 在 zài. We get the following proposal:
noun1+ 不 bù 在 zai + noun 2
我 Wǒ 朋 péng 友 you (friend) 不 bù 在 zài (not to be in)中 Zhōng 国 guó (China) 。 – My friend is not in China.
经 Jīng 理 lǐ (manager) 不 bù 在 zài (not to be in)办 bàn 公 gōng 室 shì (office) 。 – The manager is not in the office.
孩 Hái 子 zi (children) 现 xiàn 在 zài (now) 不 bù 在 zài (not to be in)公 gōng 园 yuán (park) 。 – The kids aren't in the park right now.
Note!
Only the negative particle 不 bù is placed before 在 zài. And before 有 yǒu there is only a negative particle 没 méi
Question
To ask a question, put an interrogative particle 吗 ma at the end of the sentence. The word order does not change.
noun1+ 在 zai + noun 2+吗ma？
医 Yī 生 shēng (doctor) 在 zài (to be in) 医 yī 院 yuàn (hospital) 吗 ma ？ Is the doctor in the hospital?
你 Nǐ 们 men (you) 都 dōu (everyone) 在 zài (to be in) 宾 bīn 馆 guǎn (hotel) 吗 ma ？ – Are you all at the hotel?
钥 Yào 匙 shi (keys) 在 zài (to be in) 房 fáng 间 jiān (room) 吗 ma ？ Are the keys in the room?
The answer to such a question should begin with 在 zài or 不 bù 在 zài.
For example:
医 Yī 生 shēng 在 zài 医 yī 院 yuàn 吗 ma ？ – Is the doctor in the hospital?
在Zài。 - Yes.
不 Bù 在 zài 。 - No.
The second version of the question is the form 在 zài 不 bu 在 zài (to be - not to be) in place of the verb.
In such interrogative sentences, the interrogative particle 吗 ma is not placed at the end of the sentence.
For example:
老 Lǎo 师 shī (teacher) 在 zài 不 bu 在 zài (to be - not to be)学 xué 校 xiào (school) ？ Is the teacher at school?
李 Lǐ (Li) 先 xiān 生 sheng (lord) 在 zài 不 bu 在 zài (to be not to be)北 Běi 京 jīng (Beijing) ？ – Mr. Li in Beijing?
Interrogative sentences with question words
In Chinese, the word order in interrogative sentences with interrogative words is the same as in a normal sentence. The word to which the question is asked is replaced by the corresponding interrogative word. In such sentences, the interrogative particle 吗 ma is not placed at the end of the sentence. The most common question word used in such interrogative sentences is 哪 nǎ 儿 r (where).
For example:
你 Nǐ (you) 在 zài (to be in) 哪 nǎ 儿 r (where) ？ – 我 Wǒ (I) 在 zài (to be in) 办 bàn 公 gōng 室 shì (office) 。 – Where are you? - I'm at the office.
银 Yín 行 háng (bank) 在 zài (to be in) 哪 nǎ 儿 r ？ – 银 Yín 行 háng (bank) 在 zài (to be in) 那 nà 儿 r (there) 。 – Where is the bank located? - The bank is there.
The word 在 zài can be not only a verb, but also a preposition "V". In this case, 在 zài would indicate the place where something is located (adverb of place): 在 zài 中 Zhōng 国 guó (in China) , 在 zài 洗 xǐ 手 shǒu 间 jiān (in the toilet) . Usually in Chinese, the adverbial modifier is placed after or before the subject.
noun 1+ 在 zài + place + 有 yǒu (to have) + noun 2 / verb
在 zai + place + noun1+ 有 yǒu (to have) + noun 2 / verb
For example:
在 Zài (in) 北 Běi 京 jīng (Beijing) 我 Wǒ (I) 有 yǒu (to have) 朋 péng 友 you (friend) 。 – I have a friend in Beijing.
他 Tā 们 men (they) 在 zài (in) 公 gōng 园 yuán (park) 散 sàn 步 bù (walk) 。 – They are walking in the park.
That's all. You just have to do the exercises, gain vocabulary, listen to the voice acting of each Chinese word and sentence, try to repeat the intonation and pronunciation and that's it.
The first words in a foreign language, of course, are affirmative: "I want this, I don't want that." But soon we need to know “how” or “where” to go, “with whom” and “where” to dine, “how much” and “who” pays.
Fortunately, Chinese grammar is simple, and you need to know very little to construct questions. Let's take a closer look at them.
General question
Questions with interrogative particles
General questions are those that are answered with “yes” or “no”.
"It is a table?" "Do you like dogs?" "Have you had lunch?" - all these questions are built in the same way: by adding the particle 吗 (ma) at the end of the affirmative sentence.
他爱中国。 - He loves China
他爱中国吗？- Does he like China?
The situation is slightly different with the particle 呢 (ne). It is translated by the Russian word "a" and means "What about ...?" or “Where is…?”.
同学们都来了，老师呢？The students have all come, but the teachers?
我的手机呢？刚把它放在桌子上，就不见了！Where is my phone? Just put it on the table - and it's gone!
Questions with an affirmative-negative form of the predicate
This is the second way to build a general question: we repeat the predicate, putting the particle 不 in the middle. Please note that the predicate can be both a verb (what did you do?) and an adjective (what?).
他要不要咖啡？- Will he have coffee?
你妹妹漂亮不漂亮？- Is your little sister pretty?
It is impossible to construct a question in this way if the predicate is preceded by an adverb (very, often). In such cases, we ask the question with 吗.
Alternative question
This is a question where the answer can only be one of the proposed options. (你要茶还是要咖啡？Will you have tea or coffee?)
Such questions are asked with 还是 (háishi, or). We usually repeat the verb (on both sides of 还是).
你一个人去 超市还是跟朋友一起去 ？Will you go to the supermarket alone, or with a friend (will you go)?
If the question is asked for addition, the verb can be omitted:
你想吃米饭还是面条 ？Do you want noodles or rice?
Of course, if the predicate in the sentence is the verb 是, it also does not repeat:
你是老师还是学生？Are you a teacher or a student?
Special question:question words.
When we want to know the name, we ask "who?" When the owner - "whose?" Address - "where?". In other words, we are looking for some information.
Notice how these are built. interrogative sentences. We do not put all question words in one place. We put each of them where we expect to see the answer.
你去哪儿 ？- Where are you going?
我去学校 . - I am going to school.
Please note that the word order in the sentence does not change: subject-predicate-object.
More complicated example:
你在谁 那儿喝茶？- Who do you drink tea from?
我在王老师那儿喝茶。 - I drink tea at Master Wang's.
The word order in the sentence is also preserved, only instead of "teacher Wang" the question is "who?".
Here are the basic question words:
- 谁 (shéi/shuí) who
这是谁？- Who is this? - 谁的 (shéi de) whose
这是谁的衬衫？- Whose shirt is this? - 什么 (shénme) what, what
你学习什么？- What do you study?
你学习什么语言？- What language do you learn? - 哪 (nǎ) which (of)
这儿有几个杯子，哪个是你的？ There are several glasses here, which one is yours? - 哪儿 (nǎr) where, where
你在哪儿学了中国功夫？Where did you learn kung fu?
夏天你打算去哪儿旅游？Where are you planning to go in summer? - 多少 (duōshao) how many (more than 10)
一公斤苹果多少钱？How much is a kilogram of apples? - 几 (jǐ) how many (less than 10)
你家有几口人？ How many people are there in your family? - 为什么 (wèishénme) why
你为什么不想去北京？Why don't you want to go to Beijing? - 怎么 (zěnme) how, why (emotional)
到火车站怎么走？How do I get to the train station?
你怎么不喜欢他？他是个好人！Why don't you love him? He is a good man! - 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) how, how about…
你最近过得怎么样？How have you been lately?
Remember that you cannot use both question words and the particle 吗 in the same sentence.
These three ways to ask a question will help you create and understand 90% of the questions you will come across.
Bonus: tag questions in Chinese.
Such questions are put after a comma at the end of the sentence.
1.…, 好吗？(行吗？)
It is used, as you might guess, to ask about the consent of the interlocutor.
我们现在就去游泳，好吗？Let's go swimming right now, okay?
2. …, 没有？
Most often this option is used in the past tense:
你做好了作业，没有？Have you done your homework?
你去过北京，没有？Have you been to Beijing?
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Do you know what is the most embarrassing moment for all foreigners learning Chinese? When they realize that "ni hao" is far from the most popular word that the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom use to greet.
How do you say "hello", "how are you" in Chinese? Especially for you - six ways to say it.
Bonus 你好! (ni hao!) / 您好 (Ning hao!) - “Hello!” / “Hello!”
In case you just started learning Chinese, or you are a simple tourist who is not even going to learn the language, but has already applied for a visa to China.
"Ni hao" is the first thing that all foreigners learn. And even those who are completely unfamiliar with the language know that if you want to say “hello” in Chinese, say “ni hao”. If translated literally, then the meaning will be consonant with our “hello”: “neither” - you; hao is good.
In fact, locals rarely use this phrase, as it sounds too formal. "Ning hao" is a respectful form ("nin" - you). Most often used to greet teachers or superiors. In this form, it is actively used.
Also, quite often, even in the first Chinese lessons, they study: if you add an interrogative particle to “ni hao”, then the greeting turns into a question “how are you” (“ni hao ma?”). However, this will immediately give you a foreigner. The Chinese use such a turnover not to ask how things are, but to make sure that everything is in order. That is, by saying “ni hao ma”, you focus on the fact that a person looks, to put it mildly, unimportant and you want to know if he is healthy.
早！(Zao!) - "Good morning!"
"Zao" is short for 早上好! ("Zhao shang hao!"), which means " Good morning". This is one of the popular ways to say "hello" in Chinese. The only case when the use of this word is inappropriate is if it is evening outside.
你吃了吗？ (Ni chi le ma?) - "Have you eaten?"
If you are asked, "Ni chi la ma?", don't rush to talk about the delicious sandwich you had for breakfast or look around for food.
For the Chinese, this is not an invitation to dinner, but a way to ask how you are. It is enough to simply answer: “Chi Le. No ne?" (“I ate, and you?”). This is how you express unobtrusive concern for a person. if you ask so, no one will demand treats from you, but it is quite possible that the attitude of the locals towards you will become a few degrees warmer. The Chinese love foreigners who not only know how to say hello in Chinese, but are also not surprised by the question of food.
最近好吗？ (Zui jin hao ma?) - "How are things going?"
"Zui zhin hao ma?" similar to the Russian "how are you?". The answer may be the same as in the native language. You can limit yourself to a short “hao” - “good”, or simply nod your head in the affirmative. And you can, if the level of the language allows you, say a couple of phrases about how things are going.
喂 (Way!) - "Hello?"
This is how the Chinese answer the phone. A very simple and pleasant sounding word. It is used by everyone, regardless of age, gender and social status.
去哪儿？(Chu nar?) - "Where are you going?"
"No chu nar?" is the Chinese way of saying "hello" when you run into someone. By our standards, such a question may seem like excessive curiosity, especially when the interlocutor is a hated acquaintance. However, for the Chinese, this is just a way to show participation and show some respect for the person.
Often the form of a question is used, where the location is already indicated. For example, when faced with a student or schoolchild, you might ask, “Chu shan ki le?” (“Are you going to the lesson / couples?”).
好久不见！(Hao jou bu zen!) - "Long time no see!"
"Hao jou bu zen!" - so you can say in Chinese "hello" to an old acquaintance whom you have not seen for quite a long time. This phrase has a very positive emotional connotation.
Little "but"
As you probably know, Chinese is a tonal language. The same word, spoken in a different tone, can mean something completely different. Of course, if you are a tourist, and even a fair-haired one, then the good-natured Chinese will definitely make a discount on this. But if you want to sound like a local, be aware that it's not enough to know how to say "hello" in Chinese. Pronunciation also plays an important role.
There is a very simple option for those who are not going to seriously study the language - type a phrase into an online translator with the ability to listen to the typed text and just try to copy the speaker's intonation. It's much easier than figuring out the nuances of one of the most difficult languages to learn in the world.
Most importantly, don't be afraid to speak up. The Chinese are always happy to tell you how to do it right. Especially if you take a picture with them in response and teach a couple of phrases in Russian or English. Or buy something, since the noodle dealer helped you.
Are you planning a trip to China and don't know Chinese?
We have prepared a short selection of useful phrases that will help when communicating with the Chinese.
1. What is it?这是什么？ Zhè shì shénme?
What is there?那是什么 ？ Na shì shénme?
Don't know how to name an object in Chinese? Point to him!
这是什么? (Zhè shì shénme?) indicates that the thing you are interested in is nearby or a couple of steps away.
What about the question 那是什么? (Nà shì shénme?) is used to clarify something that is far away.
Advice:
When you hear an unfamiliar word, repeat it by adding the phrase "是什么?" shy shenme? You will get “What does _____ mean?” So you clarify the incomprehensible word and better understand what you just said.
2. How much does it cost?多少 钱 ? Duō shǎo qián?
The Chinese will always try to sell you a product for more than it's worth. Get used to it, you're a foreigner!
Advice:
memorize this phrase with 太贵了! (Tài guile!) Too expensive! And feel free to bargain!
Phrase 太贵了! (Tài guile!) plus your acting skills will help you bring the price down significantly.
3. Where is located(something)? ___在哪里 ? ___ zai nǎlǐ?
This phrase will help you find whatever you want! Do you need a taxi? Restaurant? Pencil? Telephone? Toilet?
Substitute any noun and ask a question.
For example, 厕所在哪里? (Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?) I am looking for the restroom. We also recommend learning this phrase by heart. Believe me, one day she will save you.
Advice. When planning a trip to China, do a little preparatory work. Look up the names of the places you plan to visit and write them down in Chinese. This will come in handy if you have to ask the locals for directions.
4. I don't speak Chinese very well. 我的汉语不太好。 Wǒ de Hànyǔ bù tài hǎo.
5. I don't understand.我不懂. Wǒ bù dǒng.
Asking a question is half the battle. It's also important in Chinese. Therefore, if in a conversation with you the Chinese began to tirelessly tell different stories, and you do not understand them, stop them with these phrases. Or ask them to repeat the same thing, only slowly.
6. Can you repeat again more slowly? 你能再说慢一点吗? Nǐ néng zàishuō màn yīdiǎn ma?
This phrase needs to be learned, it will come in handy more than once! The Chinese may not always realize that it is difficult for you to understand fast speech. Therefore, do not be shy and ask your interlocutors to repeat slowly one more time. This will help you begin to understand much more.
7. You speakBy-RusskAnd(in English)? 你会 说 俄语 (英语 ) 吗 ? Nǐ huì shuō éyǔ (yīngyǔ) ma?
If the conversation in Chinese does not work out, try switching to a language that is more understandable to you.
8. Can you help me?你可以帮我 吗 ? Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma?
We all face situations where we need help. Getting lost while abroad is extremely unpleasant. This is where this phrase comes in handy.
9. Poscall the police! 叫警察 ! Jiào jǐngchá!
Rest rest, and caution does not hurt. Always be careful! We really hope that you will never need this phrase, but you need to learn it.
10. Thank you! 谢谢 ! Xiexi!
你好吗? ( Nǐ hǎo ma? How are you?), 再见 ( Zaijian Goodbye), 对不起 ( Duìbuqǐ Sorry).
一路顺风 ！ Yī lù shùnfēng！ Favorable wind!
Successful practice!
Svetlana Khludneva
P.S. Take care of yourself!
