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 that are 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 where it is.
The circuit that is responsible for the presence of something looks like this:
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 (elder 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 preceded not by the negative particle 不 bù, which we learned in the first lesson, but by the negative particle 没 méi.
This results in a proposal like this:
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 (elder sister) 没 méi 有 yǒu (not to have) 孩 hái 子 zi (child) 。 – The older 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 (younger 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 the question 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？ – She has no money?
The second option for constructing 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 to have) 钱 qián (money) ？ – She has no money?
- Does your company 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 there?
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 a verb "to be in"– 在 zài. The scheme is very simple:
noun 1+ 在 zài + noun 2
For example:
妈 Mā 妈 ma (mother) 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 (all) 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:
noun 1+ 不 bù 在 zài + 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 children are not in the park 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, we put the interrogative particle 吗 ma at the end of the sentence. The word order does not change.
noun 1+ 在 zài + 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 must 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 at 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 question words is the same as in a normal sentence. The word to which the question is asked is replaced by the corresponding question 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 (located in) 哪 nǎ 儿 r ？ – 银 Yín 行 háng (bank) 在 zài (located 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 will indicate the place where something is located (adverbial 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 adverbial place is placed after or before the subject.
noun 1+ 在 zài + place + 有 yǒu (to have) + noun 2 / verb
在 zài + place + noun 1+ 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 (to walk) 。 – They are walking in the park.
That's all. All you have to do is do the exercises, gain vocabulary, listen to the voice-over of every 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 only need to know a little to construct questions. Let's take a closer look at them.
General question
Questions with interrogative particles
General questions are those that have a “yes” or “no” answer.
"It is a table?" "Do you like dogs?" "Have you had lunch?" - all these questions are constructed in the same way: by adding the particle 吗 (ma) to 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 what about the teachers?
Where is my phone? I just put it on the table and it’s gone!
Questions with the affirmative-negative form of the predicate
This is the second way to construct a general question: we repeat the predicate, placing the particle 不 in the middle. Please note that the predicate can be both a verb (what did you do?) and an adjective (which one?).
他要不要咖啡？- Will he have coffee?
你妹妹漂亮不漂亮？-Is your little sister beautiful?
It is impossible to construct a question 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 using 还是 (háishi, or). Usually we 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 to complement, the verb need not be repeated:
你想吃米饭还是面条 ？Do you want noodles or rice?
Of course, if the predicate in a sentence is the verb 是, it is also not repeated:
你是老师还是学生？Are you a teacher or a student?
Special question:question words.
When we want to know a name, we ask “who?”, when the owner – “whose?”, the 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.
A 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'm drinking tea at Teacher Wang's.
The word order in the sentence is also preserved, only instead of “teacher Wang” in the question there is “who?”
Here are the main 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, which
你学习什么？-What are you studying?
你学习什么语言？- What language are you learning? - 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 study kung fu?
夏天你打算去哪儿旅游？Where are you planning to go in the summer? - 多少 (duōshao) how many (more than 10)
一公斤苹果多少钱？How much does a kilogram of apples cost? - 几 (jǐ) how much (less than 10)
你家有几口人？ How many people are 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 to get to the station?
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 doing 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'll encounter.
Bonus: Dividing questions in Chinese.
Such questions are placed after a comma at the end of the sentence.
1.…, 好吗？(行吗？)
It is used, as you might guess, to ask for the consent of the interlocutor.
Let's go for a swim right now, okay?
2. …, 没有？
This option is most often 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 people of the Middle Kingdom use to greet.
How do you say “hello” or “how are you” in Chinese? Just for you - six ways to say it.
Bonus! (ni hao!) / 您好 (Ning hao!) - “Hello!” / “Hello!”
In case you have 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 the Celestial Empire.
“Ni Hao” is the first thing 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, the meaning will be consonant with our “hello”: “neither” - you; "hao" - good.
In fact, locals rarely use this phrase, as it sounds too formal. “Ning hao” is a respectful form (“ning” means you). Most often used to greet teachers or superiors. In this form it is actively used.
Also, quite often, even in the first lessons of Chinese, they learn: if you add an interrogative particle to “ni hao”, then the greeting turns into the question “how are you” (“ni hao ma?”). However, this will immediately make you look like a foreigner. The Chinese use this phrase not to ask how things are, but to make sure that everything is fine. That is, when you say “ni hao ma,” you focus on the fact that the person looks, to put it mildly, unimportant and you want to find out if he is healthy.
早！(Zao!) - “Good morning!”
"Zao" is short for 早上好! ("Zao shang hao!"), which means " Good morning". This is one of the popular ways to say “hello” in Chinese. The only case when using 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 le 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 doing. It is enough to simply answer: “Chi le. No ne? (“I’ve eaten, and you?”). This is how you express unobtrusive concern for the person. If you ask this way, no one will demand treats from you, but it is quite possible that the locals’ attitude towards you will become several degrees warmer. The Chinese love foreigners who not only know how to say “hello” in Chinese, but are also not surprised when asked about food.
最近好吗？(Zui jin hao ma?) - “How are things going?”
“Zui jin hao ma?” similar to 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 affirmatively. Or, if your language level allows you, you can 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?"
“Ni 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 casual acquaintance. However, for the Chinese this is just a way to show concern and show some respect for a 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 can ask: “Chu shan ky le?” (“Are you going to class/classes?”).
好久不见！(Hao jou bu zen!) - "Long time no see!"
“Hao jou bu zen!” - this is how you can say “hello” in Chinese to an old acquaintance whom you have not seen for quite a long time. This phrase has a very positive emotional connotation.
Small "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 warned: knowing how to say "hello" in Chinese isn't enough. Pronunciation also plays an important role.
There is a very simple option for those who are not going to seriously study the language - enter the 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 understanding the nuances of one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn.
Most importantly, don't be afraid to speak up. The Chinese will always be happy to tell you how to do it right. Especially if you respond by taking a photo with them and teaching them a few phrases in Russian or English. Or buy something since the noodle vendor 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 ？ Nà shì shénme?
Don't know what to name an item in Chinese? Point it out!
这是什么? (Zhè shì shénme?) means that the thing you are interested in is nearby or a couple of steps away.
And the question 那是什么? (Nà shì shénme?) is used to clarify about something located at a distance.
Advice:
When you hear an unfamiliar word, repeat it adding the phrase “是什么?” shì shénme? You will get “What does _____ mean?” This will help you clarify the unclear word and better understand what you were just told.
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 is worth. Get used to it, you're a foreigner!
Advice:
remember this phrase together with 太贵了! (Tài guìle!) Too expensive! And don't be shy to bargain!
Phrase 太贵了! (Tài guìle!) plus your acting skills will help you reduce the price significantly.
3. Where is it located?(something)? ___在哪里 ? ___ zài nǎlǐ?
This phrase will help you find everything you want! 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 prep work. Look up the names of the places you plan to visit and write down their names in Chinese. This will come in handy if you have to ask 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 is also important in Chinese. Therefore, if in a conversation with you the Chinese began to endlessly tell different stories, and you do not understand them, stop them with these phrases. Or ask them to repeat the same thing, just slowly.
6. Can you repeat it again more slowly? 你能再说慢一点吗? Nǐ néng zàishuō màn yīdiǎn ma?
You need to learn this phrase, it will come in handy more than once! The Chinese may not always understand that you have difficulty understanding rapid speech. So don't be shy and ask your interlocutors to repeat it slowly again. 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 is not going well, 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. It is extremely unpleasant to get confused while abroad. This is where this phrase comes in handy.
9. PosHello the police! 叫警察 ! Jiào jǐngchá!
Rest is relaxation, but caution doesn’t 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 ! Xièxiè!
你好吗? ( Nǐ hǎo ma? How are you?), 再见 ( Zaijiàn Goodbye), 对不起 ( Duìbùqǐ Sorry).
一路顺风 ！ Yī lù shùnfēng！ Fair wind!
Happy practice!
Svetlana Khludneva
P.S. Take care of yourself!
