Your first words, and the four tones
๐ฏ Greet someone, thank them, and hear the difference a tone makes.
๐ฃ๏ธ Say these out loud
- ไฝ ๅฅฝ โ nว hวo ๐ nee HOW Hello (literally: you good) Two third tones together: the first becomes a second tone, so it really sounds 'nรญ hวo'. Chinese does this automatically.
- ่ฐข่ฐข โ xiรจxie ๐ SYEH-syeh Thank you The reply is ไธๅฎขๆฐ bรบ kรจqi (boo KUH-chee) โ don't be polite.
- ไฝ ๅฅฝๅ๏ผโ nว hวo ma? ๐ nee how MA How are you? ๅ ma turns any statement into a yes/no question. That is the entire rule.
- ๆๅพๅฅฝ โ wว hฤn hวo ๐ waw hun HOW I am very well. ๅพ hฤn means 'very' but is used as a plain link before adjectives โ Chinese does not need a word for 'am'.
- ๅ่ง โ zร ijiร n ๐ dzye-JYEN Goodbye (literally: again see) ๅ zร i = again, ่ง jiร n = see.
- ๅฏนไธ่ตท โ duรฌbuqว ๐ dway-boo-CHEE I am sorry. ๆฒกๅ ณ็ณป mรฉi guฤnxi (may GWAN-shee) โ it doesn't matter.
Read every line aloud twice before moving on. The mouth learns a language, not the eye.
๐ The question particle that replaces word order
English rearranges words to ask: you are well โ are you well? Chinese does not move anything. It puts ๅ ma at the end and the statement becomes a question.
- ไฝ ๅฅฝ nว hวo (you are well) โ ไฝ ๅฅฝๅ nว hวo ma? (are you well?)
- ไฝ ๆฏๅญฆ็ nว shรฌ xuรฉshฤng (you are a student) โ ไฝ ๆฏๅญฆ็ๅ? (are you a student?)
- For 'what/where/who' questions, the question word simply stands where the answer will stand โ no moving at all.
๐ Among the people
ไฝ ๅฅฝ is slightly formal. Friends say ไฝ ๅฅฝๅ less than textbooks suggest; among themselves they ask ๅไบๅ chฤซ le ma โ 'have you eaten?' โ which is the real everyday greeting, the way 'how are you' is in English.
๐ Practise today
- Say mฤ mรก mว mร twenty times, exaggerating each tone. Record yourself and listen back.
- Greet and thank five people in Chinese today, even if only in your head.
- Turn three statements into questions by adding ๅ.
