Recently, my friend Jenny wrote an article about things foreigners in China are tired of hearing. Can you guess the number one response?

“Your Chinese is so good!

你中文真好！

(nǐ zhōngwén zhēn hǎo!)”

As the article states, a foreigner need only say “你好(nǐhǎo)” to garner a “你中文真好!” reply, making the compliment sound less than sincere. But foreigners aren’t the only ones hearing the same exhausted comments and questions. The article got me thinking about the top phrases Chinese people are tired of hearing from foreigners. Let’s talk about that today.

1. (You are Chinese,) You must be good at…

You know kungfu, right?

你会功夫吧？

(Nǐ huì gōngfu ba?)

You know how to play Ping-Pong, right?

你会打乒乓球吗？

(Nǐ huì dǎ pīngpāngqiú ma?)

You must be good at math.

你数学很好吧!

(Nǐ shùxué hěn hǎo ba!)

No, no, not at all. Hollywood may show us a fake America, but it also inaccurately exoticizes other countries, especially China. Even in China, Kung-fu is a mysterious art. There are people who practice and master it, but they are few in the grand scheme of things. Please stop asking me to perform Kungfu and Fan Dancing!

2. Do you eat dog meat? Where can I find it if I want to try?

Do you eat dog meat?

你吃狗肉吗？

(Nǐ chī gǒuròu ma?)

Where can you eat dog meat?

哪里可以吃到狗肉？

(Nǎli kěyǐ chī dào gǒuròu?)

It’s true that some people eat dog meat or other foods you would consider strange, but it depends on where they live. Increasingly many people in China raise dogs as pets. Of course these such people wouldn’t consider Fido for food. In cities like Beijing and Shanghai, you rarely find a standard restaurant selling dog meat anymore.

3. How do you learn English?

How do you learn English?

你怎么学英语的？

(Nǐ zěnme xué yīng yǔ de?)

Why do you want to learn English?

你为什么要学英语？

(Nǐ wèishénme yào xué yīngyǔ?)

Perhaps due to underdeveloped language education programs in the U.S., this kind of question is usually from my American friends. In most East Asian countries, English is a required class at school. The classes usually start from elementary school and continue on through college, with college students needing to pass a special English language test to graduate. So no matter whether I like it or not, I have to learn. It’s just like you being required to learn math in school.

4. One-child-policy questions.

Do you want a brother or sister?

你想要兄弟姐妹吗？

(Nǐ xiǎng yào xiōng dì jiě mèi ma?)

If you have twins, will the government take one of them?

如果怀了双胞胎，政府会抱走一个吗？

(Rúguǒ huái le shuāng bāo tāi, zhèngfǔ huì bàozǒu yī gè ma?)

I understand the now-defunct “One Child Policy” seems weird to outsiders. Everyone is curious about it; I get it, but it’s really annoying to answer these questions again and again. Most of us are used to one child families. As a policy, of course, some people are against it and some for it, but it’s not weird or important in our everyday lives. And if you have twins, then you have them. No one will take one away. We’re not barbarians! (As a side note, the policy was recently amended. Now we can have two children.)

Thinking about these top things Chinese people are tired of hearing from our foreign friends, it’s clear to me that the most important thing is getting rid of stereotypes. Americans don’t only eat hamburgers, and not all Chinese people eat dog meat. We are all citizens of the same planet!

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Should I learn characters?

To answer this question, first ask yourself what your goal is.

1. If your goal is short term, i.e. a trip or greeting to your Chinese business partner, the answer is “NO”. Obviously you only need some survival phrases. It just isn’t worth it.

2. For a long term purpose, i.e. mastering the language or passing the HSK test, the answer is “YES”. You might think you don’t need to master the language 100% if you just plan to spend 1-2 years in China, so do you really need to learn characters? The answer is still “yes”. Despite what you might think, it will make your Chinese learning easier and not the other way around. A few reasons here:

1). You can’t survive in China without reading characters. Although we all learn pinyin, you seldom see anything written in pinyin in China. You can’t even recognize a sign without knowing characters.

2). The spoken language is more confusing if you don’t know characters. 致癌(zhì’ái) and 治癌(zhì’ái)  are exactly the same in pinyin, but one means “to cause cancer” and the other means “to treat cancer”. The more words you learn, the more trouble you will have.

3). Understanding new words will be easier if you’ve studied the writing. If you know characters, you can guess the meaning of new words. For example, if you know “车chē” (vehicle, A1 level) and “马mǎ”(horse, A1 level), you can probably get “马车(mǎchē)” is “carriage”. If you only know pinyin, there are six characters marked as “mǎ”; it will be hard for you to figure out which one is relevant. As you see, you will be able to make out Chinese words when you are able to recognize the characters. So I suggest you learn characters from the very beginning!

How should I learn characters?

Now you make your decision. Writing characters is a bit like drawing a picture. Even Chinese kids need to learn for several years before they master it. You may be wondering, “How can I do it?” Don’t worry—we have tips here!

1. Learn rules and strokes for handwriting first. Although there are thousands of characters, there are only 4 main types of Chinese characters and only 8-40 (depending on how you count) strokes used to write these characters, and the order is rule based. For example: always write from left to right, from top to bottom, and from outside to inside.

2. Learn radicals and components second. Along with strokes, radicals and components are also very helpful. For example: the radical “氵” (three drops of water) is always on the left side of a character and it usually implies the character is somehow related to water. If you learn a new character with it, you can memorize it as “the left part is three drops of water”.

3. Recognizing characters is much easier and more important than handwriting. Two reasons here:

1) Before you can write, you need to know how to read. That’s the same principle in language learning.

2) You can type characters if you can recognize them. Like this:

You only need to choose which one you want. Even Chinese people type characters more than they handwrite nowadays. This can save you a lot of time and energy.

Of course handwriting is still useful for memorizing what characters look like, so having a piece of paper and a pencil around is still a good idea. The tricky part is that you may have no idea if your characters are right or not without a Chinese teacher. This is where tools such as Skritter or HelloChinese and books such as Learning Chinese Characters come in handy.

The post Chinese Characters: Are they worth learning? How do I get started? appeared first on .

At first I thought it was my Chinglish and tones. But then one day they asked me: “What did you say just now?” I repeated but they laughed even harder and pointed out that I kept saying the “N” word again and again. At that time I didn’t even know what the “N” word was and I was speaking in Chinese not English.

Come on guys, be fair!

Fortunately, we finally figured out the issue. I didn’t get fired (woop, woop!) and my students learned some uses of “那个” pronounced as “nà ge” or “nèi ge”. I, know, it sounds similar to the “N” word, right? Therefore, I think it’s necessary to sit down and have a little chat about how Chinese people use this word, just in case you feel uncomfortable when you talk to a Chinese person.

1. Interjection

“那个(nèi ge)” is often used as interjection to express thoughtful absorption, hesitation, doubt, or perplexity. It’s basically a filler word, pretty similar to “ummm” or “weeellllll”. For example,

Yesterday I went to that…that…
我昨天去了那个……那个……
(Wǒ zuótiān qù le nàge… nàge…)

Note: I just can’t remember the name of the place, so I use那个to express I am thinking.

Yesterday we learned “lunch”, ummm… Today we will learn “brunch”.
昨天我们学了“lunch”, 那个……，今天我们要学“brunch”。
(Zuótiān wǒ men xué le “lunch”, nèi ge… jīntiān wǒmen yào xué “brunch”.)

Note: Here 那个 is used to fill in the gap of two sentences. I need a second but I don’t want silence.

Using this too much will make your speech a bit stilted, but it’s better than complete silence if you plan on saying something else!

Most Chinese people like me don’t even realize the amount that we use this, which is why when my students asked me what I had said, it took me a really long time to work out what they meant. It’s so automatic that filtered it out when thinking over what I said. However, learners are more sensitive to it.

2. Demonstrative pronoun

Another interesting usage of “那个” is to express something you can’t say directly (for example you are too shy to say or you don’t want others know…)

Honey, tonight let’s XXXX.
亲爱的，今天晚上我们那个吧。
(Qīn’ài de, jīntiān wǎnshang wǒ men nèi ge ba.)

Be careful, you definitely need a context to understand what “那个” means in this case.

3. Excuse me

“那个” can be used as “excuse me” to get someone’s attention.

Excuse me, where is the subway station?
那个，地铁站在哪里？
(Nèi ge, dìtiězhàn zài nǎli?)

Note: It’s not as polite as “请问(qǐngwèn)”, but it’s still perfectly acceptable in an informal setting, such as in a corner shop.

4. That

This is the meaning you will probably know anyway from textbooks. It’s always used before a noun, since “个” is a measure word, therefore make sure the noun fits the measure word “个”!

that person
那个人
(nà ge rén)

So, hopefully now you understand a little bit more about 那个 and won’t just think Chinese people are being really rude! We even don’t even know what the “N” word is! Hopefully now you can pick out how it is used in it’s many applications.

The post Confusing Chinese “N” word: 那个(nà ge/ nèi ge) appeared first on .

She is right these two sentences are not 100% same. Although “我想喝酒(wǒ xiǎng hē jiǔ)” is a very common and natural Chinese sentence, its English version “I want to drink alcohol” sounds a bit weird.

This brings me a question: Why there are more collective nouns in Chinese than that in English? Actually English also has collective nouns such as “cat”, “dog”. For example people will probably say “I have a dog” instead of “I have a Shih Tzu”. But if you take a close look, Chinese has many more: “牛(niú)”, “羊(yáng)”, “鼠(shǔ)”, “酒(jiǔ)”, “笔(bǐ)”…

Early this year, western media had a report that 2015 was the year of “Yang” in China. Chinese people noticed that different media sources used different meanings of “Yang”, which are related, but not quite the same. We asked ourselves whether “Yang” was a sheep, a goat or a ram. Of course, no one knows.

I guess one reason is that Chinese is an economical language. For all those collective nouns there are more specific secondary words. “Sheep” is “绵羊(miányáng)”, “goat” is “山羊(shānyáng)” and “ram” is “岩羊(yányáng)”. But most of the time no one cares what kind of “Yang” it is, it’s just a symbol.

Returning to our first example, when I say “我想喝酒(wǒ xiǎng hē jiǔ)”, I’m only expressing that I want to have a drink with alcohol. It is unimportant what exact kind of drink I want, so we try to deduct any redundant information. Meanwhile English has a reputation for being scientific, which needs to be precise.

Of course that’s just a guess. There are also collective nouns used more often in English than they are in Chinese. For example, I am always confused that there are so many vegetables that you can call “squash” in the grocery store. For me they are all distinctly different things for me.

Another good example is we don’t have an identical word for “dumpling” in Chinese. We are more precise, saying “包子(bāozi)”, “饺子(jiǎozi)”, “小笼包(xiǎolóngbāo)”, “馒头(mántou)”, “馄饨(húntun)” etc.

So, here is a tip for when you are learning Chinese, remember that a noun may have different or alternative meanings from what you learn in your textbooks. “酒(jiǔ)” is often translated as “wine” but it could mean “beer” as well!

Do you have any suggestions how I could translate 我想喝酒(wǒ xiǎng hē jiǔ)? Tell me about it in the comments!

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From acquiring new skills to answering phone calls, the Chinese language contains a rich variety of expressions that vary depending on the context. And hey, don’t worry, we might just touch upon the dating scene too! But first, let’s begin with a more academic example to whet your appetite for knowledge!

学会(xué huì)-pick up a skill

In this phrase, 学 (xué) means ‘learn’ or ‘study,’ and 会 (huì) means ‘master a skill.’ When you combine the two, you get ‘pick up a skill.’ You can use this structure with either a verb phrase or a noun.

For example:

• 学会做饭(xué huì zuòfàn) Pick up cooking
• 学会英语(xué huì yīngyǔ) Pick up English

接(jiē)-pick up the phone

接 (jiē) has multiple meanings, but in this case, we’re referring to 接电话 (jiē diànhuà), which means to pick up a phone call. In case you’re wondering, “to hang up” is 挂电话 (guà diànhuà).

For example:

• 别挂电话 (bié guà diànhuà) Don’t hang up.
• 快接电话！（kuài jiē diànhuà）Pick up the phone!

接(jiē)-pick someone up

If you need to pick someone up from the airport, work, or school (not at a bar!), you can use 接 (jiē). The structure is:

接 (jiē) + someone

For example:

你今天会去接他吗？(Nǐ jīntiān huì qù jiē tā ma?)
Will you go pick her up today?

请五点来机场接我。(Qǐng wǔdiǎn lái jīchǎng jiē wǒ.)
Please come to the airport to pick me up at 5 o’clock.

鸡汤 (jī tāng)-pick-me-up

No, I didn’t make a mistake. In Chinese, the equivalent phrase for “pick-me-up” is 鸡汤 (jī tāng), which literally means “chicken soup.” Just like how chicken soup can make you feel better when you’re sick, the Chinese use the term 鸡汤 (jī tāng) to refer to expressions and kind words that uplift your spirits as well! Here’s a serving of 鸡汤 (jī tāng) for you: 明天会更好.

皮卡 (píkǎ) – pickup truck

I suspect that the word 皮卡 (píkǎ) is borrowed from English. It sounds just like “pickup,” doesn’t it? In China, only a few people drive pickup trucks, especially in cities. Chinese people believe that the only reason someone would drive a 皮卡 (píkǎ) is if they work as a truck driver.

搭讪 (dāshàn) – pick up someone romantically

Finally, here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! 搭讪 (dāshàn) is used when you approach and strike up a conversation with someone. It’s a verb, but in most cases, you can’t directly use an object with it.

So, “I picked her up” is NOT 我搭讪她 (Wǒ dāshàn tā). No, no, no.

The correct way to use it would be:

For example:

他喜欢在酒吧搭讪。(Tā xǐhuan zài jiǔbā dāshàn.)
He likes to pick up people at bars.

他向她搭讪。(Tā xiàng tā dāshàn.)
He picked her up.

However, I must warn you that 搭讪 (dāshàn) carries a slightly negative connotation in Chinese, especially among more traditional individuals. So, if you want to use it, please be cautious. Otherwise, you might be considered a 不正经 (bù zhèngjīng), or a bad person.

When it comes to approaching someone, some phrase books might teach you words like:

• 美女(měinǚ) beauty
• 帅哥(shuàigē) handsome guy

But in my opinion, using these words will give the impression that you’re only interested in picking someone up rather than forming a genuine relationship. They are also not very creative. So, last but not least, let’s learn the best sentence to use for 搭讪 (dāshàn)!

For example:

我不懂这个。你可以帮我吗? (Wǒ bù dǒng zhège. Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma?)
I don’t understand this. Can you help me?

Find something with characters, a menu, a ticket, or a message, and ask them the question. Chinese people are patient, and who knows, maybe you’ll even make a new friend or meet someone special along the way!

Closing Thoughts

Congratulations! You’ve now explored the many uses of “picking up” in Mandarin Chinese. From acquiring new skills to answering phone calls, and even exploring the delicate realm of dating, you’ve gained insights into the various  translations and cultural nuances of this seemingly simple phrase.

Remember, in your quest to learn and connect with Chinese speakers, it’s essential to approach each situation with respect and cultural sensitivity. Whether you’re using 学会 (xué huì) to pick up a skill, 接 (jiē) to pick up a phone call, or even venturing into the realm of 搭讪 (dāshàn) to pick up someone romantically, always be mindful of the context and the impact your words may have.

So, armed with this newfound knowledge, go forth and explore the Chinese language with confidence!

The post Master the Art of ‘Picking Up’ in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know! appeared first on .

After reading comments and questions from our users, I have decided to write a second post about the differences between Chinese and English verbs so that I can explain some more common verbs that I didn’t cover in part one. I hope will it help clear up some misunderstandings!

写作业(xiězuòyè) – do homework

I once asked my American colleague if I could translate “写作业” (xiě zuòyè) into “write homework”. She insisted that an American would never say “write homework” but rather, “do homework”.

Since I had found this difference strange myself, I wasn’t surprised when I received an email this week in which the learner asked how on earth the word “write” could also mean “do”!

Actually”写 ”(xiě) doesn’t mean “do” at all. Chinese people just use the “写” (xiě) for “homework”. Maybe this is because most Chinese homework is paper work, so we can assume that most homework will involve having to write something.

Another phrase “做作业” (zuòzuòyè) is a bit more similar to the English “do homework”. So if you like, you can always say “做作业” (zuòzuòyè). Just remember “写作业” (xiězuòyè) is also very common!

打电话(dǎ diàn huà) – make a phone call

One learner sent me a message and asked what the word for “make” was in this sentence:“他在打电话”.

“他在打电话”(Tā zài dǎ diànhuà) again can’t be neatly translated from Chinese to English. In fact, there is no word that exactly translates to “make” in this sentence. “打” (dǎ) has a rich meaning in Chinese and is probably best understood as “beat” or “hit”. It is also the correct verb in the phrase “make a phone call”.

A word of warning! Memorizing “打”as “make” might not help your future learning because “打电话” (dǎ diànhuà) is a very special use of the verb.

吃早饭(chīzǎofàn) – have breakfast

In order to let our learners understand each word in the sentence, we try to translate as literally as possible. For example:“我八点以前吃早饭” (Wǒ bādiǎn yǐqián chī zǎofàn.)equates to “I eat breakfast before 8:00”.

Unfortunately this caused confusion for another lovely learner who pointed out that English speakers usually say ”I have breakfast.” rather than “I eat breakfast”. T_T

In English a more general word, “have”, can usually be used to express “have a meal” and “have a drink”. However in Chinese we use more specific nouns. “吃” (chī) or “喝” (hē) should be used for consuming food or drink.

送你回家(sòngnǐhuíjiā) – take you home

Usually “送” is translated into the verb “to send”. But in my experience I have found that “送” rarely means “send” in a sentence but more often means “take”.

“我送你回家吧” (Wǒ sòng nǐ huíjiā ba) means“ let me take you home”. “我会送你去机场” (Wǒ huì song nǐ qù jīchǎng.) means “I will take you to the airport”.

This is a very useful word! In order to “take somebody to some place” we “送(sòng)[somebody]去(qù)/回(huí)[some place]”.

看书(kàn shū) – study

This is a very tricky one because看书(kàn shū) actually has two meanings. In most cases, it can be translated into “read a book”. But did you know its second translation is “to study”?

I heard this second use all the time when I was a student. My parents always told me “去看书” (qù kàn shū). But they didn’t mean I should go and read, they were reminding me to study! Maybe this is because Chinese parents believe “studying” is more or less identical to “reading (a book)”, just like they believe “doing” homework is identical to “writing” something.

Sometimes, I feel a little bit frustrated when I find I can’t translate perfectly between two languages. Perhaps if we could, it would make learning Chinese easier. But then, I also think this is part of the fun of learning a language. While initially they may seem difficult, these differences between verbscan offer you a window into the mind of a Chinese person! By learning how to see the world in a different way you can gain a valuable new perspective in life.

The post Basic Verbs that are Different in Chinese and English Part II appeared first on .

The inspiration for this discussion came from a user who encountered the phrase “我怕太多冷 (wǒ pà tài duō lěng),” which, upon translation, didn’t make much sense. In this article, we will shed light on the proper usage of 太多 (tài duō) in Mandarin. We’ll explore various scenarios and provide clear guidelines to help you navigate the complexities of using 太多 (tài duō) accurately. By the end, you’ll have a solid understanding of when to use 太多 (tài duō) and when to opt for alternative expressions to effectively convey your intended meaning.

1. 太多  + Real objects

When the phrase “too much” or “too many” modifies a real object, you can confidently use 太多 (tài duō). The structure to follow is 太多 (tài duō) + 的 (de) + Noun or Subject + 太多 (tài duō) + 了 (le).

For example:

你的衣服太多了！(Nǐ de yīfu tài duō le!)
You have too many clothes.

他有太多的女朋友。(Tā yǒu tài duō de nǚpéngyou.)
He has too many girlfriends.

It’s important to note that while both sentences are grammatically correct, the second one is rarely used by native Chinese speakers. The construction of Subject + 太多 + 了 is more commonly used.

For example:

他的女朋友太多了(Tā de nǚpéngyou tài duō le.)
He has too many girlfriends.

你的钱太多了(Nǐ de qián tài duō le.) 
You have too much money.

你知道的太多了(Nǐ zhīdào de tài duō le.)
You know too much.

2. 太……了

When saying “too much” in Mandarin, it’s crucial to understand the distinction between real objects and abstract concepts. Using 太多 (tài duō) to modify nouns like “cold” or “comfort” is incorrect—let’s avoid this mistake! In Chinese, these words are considered adjectives, not nouns as in English. Instead, use adverbs that modify adjectives, such as 太 (tài) + adjective + 了 (le).

For example:

• 太冷了(tài lěng le)  too cold
• 太舒服了(tài shūfu le)  too comfortable

The main idea is this: to know if you should use “太多(tài duō)” or “太(tài)……了(le),” ask yourself if the word after “too much” is a noun or adjective in Chinese. For nouns, use “太多(tài duō),” and for adjectives, use “太(tài)……了(le).”

The key idea to remember is this: to determine whether to use 太多 (tài duō) or 太 (tài) + adjective + 了 (le), ask yourself if the following word is a noun or an adjective in Chinese. For nouns, use 太多 (tài duō), and for adjectives, use 太 (tài) + adjective + 了 (le).

3. 过分 and 过头

In English, we often say something is  “too much” to express when someone goes beyond their limits or overdoes something. In Mandarin, we have a couple of terms  to convey this meaning: 过分 (guòfèn) or 过头 (guòtóu). Simply construct the sentence with a subject or statement, followed by 过分 (guòfèn) or 过头 (guòtóu), and then add 了 (le) for emphasis.

For example:

你过分了。(Nǐ guòfèn le.)
It’s too much of you.

你这么做太过分了。(Nǐ zhème zuò tài guòfèn le.)
It’s too much of you to do this.

4. 多了, 太多, and 得多

In English, we often use the word “much” to indicate a significant difference in a comparison, for example “He is much taller than you.” In Mandarin, we have several options to convey this idea: 多了 (duō le), 太多 (tài duō), or 得多 (de duō). The structure to follow is: A + 比 (bǐ) + B + adjective + 多了 (duō le)/太多 (tài duō)/得多 (de duō).

For example:

他比你帅多了。(Tā bǐ nǐ shuà duō le.)
He is much more handsome than you.

泰国菜比英国菜好吃太多了。(Tàiguó cài bǐ Yīngguó cài hàochī tài duō le!) 
Thai food is much more delicious than British food.

我的钱比你多多了。(Wǒ de qián bǐ nǐ duō duō le.)
I have much more money than you. (The first “多” means “more”, the second “多了” is “too much”.)

Conclusion

In conclusion, mastering the correct usage of 太多 (tài duō) is a valuable skill for Mandarin learners. By understanding the subtle differences in how the phrases “too much” and “too many” are expressed in Chinese, you can avoid common pitfalls and communicate your ideas with clarity and accuracy.

We have explored the various scenarios where 太多 (tài duō) is appropriate, such as when modifying real objects or expressing a comparison. Additionally, we’ve emphasized the importance of recognizing whether the word following “too much” is a noun or an adjective in Chinese, as this determines the appropriate construction to use.

Remember, language is a living entity, and context plays a vital role in its usage. As you continue to immerse yourself in Mandarin, pay attention to native speakers, engage in conversations, and practice using expressions like 太多 (tài duō) to master them

The post Various Chinese Translation for “Too Many” and “Too Much” appeared first on .

It’s common for an English speaker to say “sorry” when he or she feels sorry for someone else’s problem. For example, if I told you that I failed my TOEFL exam, you might expect to be able to reply “对不起(duì bù qǐ)”. However, instead of feeling comforted, most Chinese would feel confused by that reply. As we stated above, this phrase is only used when the person saying it did something wrong. It’s not your fault the person failed the exam! An appropriate response for this bad news could be:

• 啊？太糟了(a? tài zāo le)。Ah? That’s too bad.
• 别难过(bié nánguò)。Don’t be sad.
• 怎么会(zěnme huì)？How come this happened?

The only case you could use “对不起(duì bù qǐ)” in response to bad news is if you mentioned something that made the other person sad or uncomfortable. For example,

A：你的狗怎么样(nǐ de gǒu zěnmeyàng)？How is your dog?
B：我的狗死了(wǒ de gǒu sǐ le)。My dog passed away.
A：对不起(duì bù qǐ)！I’m sorry.

In this case, it’s your “fault” that you mentioned the sad thing, so it would make sense to use “对不起(duì bù qǐ)” to apologize.

One other time it’s appropriate to use “对不起(duì bù qǐ)” is when we might use the English phrase “Excuse me”. Again, if you’re causing someone trouble or inconvenience, then you can use “对不起(duì bù qǐ).” For example,

• 对不起，这是我的座位(duì bù qǐ, zhè shì wǒ de zuòwèi)。= Excuse me, but this is my seat.
• 对不起，请让我过去(duì bù qǐ, qǐng ràng wǒ guòqù)。= Excuse me, please let me pass.
• 对不起，请再说一遍(duì bù qǐ, qǐng zài shuō yíbiàn)。= Pardon me, please say it again.

Aside from “对不起(duì bù qǐ),” there are always other phrases one might hear a lot in Chinese. One of these is “不好意思(bù hǎo yì si),” which also means “sorry,” but is not as emotionally strong as “对不起(duì bù qǐ).” In most cases, “不好意思(bù hǎo yì si)” is equal to “excuse me.” For example, if you accidentally bump into someone, “不好意思(bù hǎo yì si)” is a good choice.

Another often-used phrase is “抱歉(bào qiàn)”. This one is quite formal, but is still used very frequently, especially in Taiwan. “抱歉(bào qiàn)” is often preceeded by “很(hěn),” which intensifies it. For example:

• 我们没有完成合同，我很抱歉(wǒ men méiyǒu wán chéng hétong, wǒ hěn bàoqiàn)。We didn’t complete the contract. I feel sorry.
• 我不能参加这次会议，我很抱歉(wǒ bù néng cānjiā zhè cì huìyì, wǒ hěn bàoqiàn)。I can’t attend this meeting. I feel sorry.

Because of how formal this phrase is, it typically doesn’t carry much emotional weight. As a native speaker, I usually won’t use this phrase with my friends.

Now you know the secrets of saying “sorry” in Chinese. So, next time your Chinese friend tells you they failed their exam, don’t say “对不起(duì bù qǐ)!” Unless, of course, you caused it to happen.

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When a Chinese teacher teaches “和”(hé), he or she will always mention that “和(hé)” is used to connect two nouns not adjectives or sentences. For example:

Two nouns: 我有苹果和香蕉(wǒ yǒu píngguǒ hé xiāngjiāo)。= I have apples and bananas. √

Two adjectives: 她很高和很漂亮(tā hěn gāo hé hěn piàoliàng)。= She is tall and pretty. ×

Two sentences: 明天我去学校和我去超市。= I will go to school, and I will go to the supermarket tomorrow. ×

It looks simple but why do people keep on making mistakes on it? I think that’s because even if you know “和(hé)”, it can’t be used to connect two adjectives and sentences. Therefore, you still don’t know the correct way. To avoid the mistakes, you need to know how to use “and” to connect two adjectives and nouns.

For two adjectives:

1. 又(yòu)……又(yòu) for adjectives. It is a common pattern to connect two adjectives. When using this pattern, you shouldn’t use “很”(hěn). For example,

• 她又高又漂亮(tā yòu gāo yòu piàoliàng)。= She is tall and pretty.
• 这件衣服又贵又难看(zhè jiàn yīfu yòu guì yòu nánkàn)。= This clothing is expensive and ugly.

Notice that the two adjectives you use in this pattern should be either positive or both negative. It doesn’t work if you use one positive adjective and one negative adjective.

这件衣服又贵又漂亮(zhè jiàn yīfu yòu guì yòu piàoliàng)。= This clothing is expensive and pretty. ×

2. A comma is another option. A comma can be used to connect two adjectives too. Simply place it between the two adjective phrases. For example,

• 她很高，很漂亮(tā hěn gāo ，hěn piàoliàng)。= She is tall and pretty.
• 这件衣服很贵，很难看(zhè jiàn yīfu hěn guì, hěn nánkàn)。= This clothing is expensive and ugly.
• 我有一件很贵，很漂亮的衣服(wǒ yǒu yí jiàn hěn guì, hěn piàoliàng de yīfu)。= I have a piece of expensive and pretty clothing.

For two sentences:

1. A period is most commonly used. Compare to English, Chinese prefer a short sentence. That means Chinese would rather use two sentences than use “和”(hé) to connect them. For example,

• 他觉得不舒服(tā juéde bù shūfu)。他决定回家(tā juédìng huí jiā)。= He felt sick and decided to go back home. 

In many cases, if the subjects of these sentences are the same, a comma also works.

他觉得不舒服，他决定回家(tā juéde bù shūfu, tā juédìng huí jiā)。

An English speaker might feel weird to use two consequent sentences without any conjunction. But that’s the most common way how Chinese say it.

2. Other conjunctions.

If you just feel too ackward to use two sentences with no conjunction, then try some other conjunctions. A good one for two consequent sentences is “然后(ránhóu)-then”.

• 他看了电影，然后睡觉了(tā kàn le diànyǐng, ránhòu shuìjiào le)。= He watched a movie and went to bed.
• 他吃了饭，然后回家了(tā chī le fàn, ránhòu huí jiā le)。= He had the meal and went back home.

Sometimes “and” could mean “but”, in that case “可是(kěshì)-but” is also a good choice.

• 他想去中国，可是他不能(tā xiǎng qù zhōng guò, kěshì tā bù néng)。= He wants to go to China and can’t do it.

So one simple tip is if you want to use “and” but it’s not to connect two nouns, the easiest way is just OMIT “and”. You don’t need anything here! Now you mastered the way to express “and” in different situations. Please don`t write a “她很高和很漂亮(tā hěn gāo hé hěn piàoliàng)” any more.

Leave me a comment if you have any question. See you next time!

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1.  Structure One – Sentences with no object

Subject + Verb + 得(de) + 很(hěn) + Adjective.

• 我吃得很慢(wǒ chī de hěn màn)。I eat slowly.
• 我唱得很好(wǒ chàng de hěn hǎo)。I sing well.
• 我说得很流利(wǒ shuō de hěn liú lì)。I speak fluently.
• 我运动得很多(wǒ yùndòng de hěn duō)。I work out often (a lot).

To use this structure, simply add “得 (de)” and “很 (hěn)” after the verb.

(Check out this link for more HSK3-related grammar tutorials and a detailed explanation of the differences between 的 vs 地 vs 得.)

But what if we want to use an object with the verb? For example, what if I only eat fish slowly, not everything slowly? In that case, the sentence would be: 我吃鱼吃得很慢(wǒ chī yú chī de hěn màn).

2. Structure Two: Sentences with an object

Subject + Verb + Object + Verb(reduplication) + 得(de) + 很 (hěn) + Adjective.

• 我唱英语歌唱得很好(wǒ chàng yīngyǔ gē chàng de hěn hǎo)。I sing English songs well.
• 我说汉语说得很流利(wǒ shuō hànyǔ shuō de hěn liú lì)。I speak Chinese fluently.
• 我复习汉语复习得很好(wǒ fùxí hànyǔ fùxí de hěn hǎo)。I review Chinese well.

If you follow these two rules, you’ll be correct in most situations. However, there are still about 30% of cases where these rules don’t apply.

For example, the sentence “我睡觉睡得很好” (wǒ shuìjiào shuì de hěn hǎo) means “I sleep well.” Even though the word 睡觉(shuìjiào) means “to sleep,” there is no object in this sentence, so it doesn’t fit either of the rules we have already seen.

ד我睡觉得很好” – (wǒ shuì jiào de hěn hǎo).

3. Structure Three: Certain two-character verbs

Subject + Verb + First character of the verb + 得(de) + 很(hěn) + Adjective.

• 我洗澡洗得很快。(Wǒ xǐzǎo xǐ de hěn kuài.) I take a shower quickly.
• 我跳舞跳得很好。(Wǒ tiàowǔ tiào de hěn hǎo.) I dance well.
• 我开车开得很慢。(Wǒ kāichē kāi de hěn màn.) I drive slowly.

We only duplicate the first character of these two-character verbs because the first character represents the action while the second character represents the object of that action.

For instance, 跳舞(tiàowǔ) means “to dance” with 跳(tiào) meaning “to jump” and 舞(wǔ) meaning “a dance (noun).” Therefore, we only duplicate the “action” character, which is the first character.

There is no shortcut for learning which two-character verbs fall into this type. Unfortunately, memorization is the most common way to learn them. Here is a list of the most common ones to get you started:

• 跳舞(tiào wǔ) to dance
• 唱歌(chàng gē) to sing
• 睡觉(shuìjiào) to sleep
• 开车(kāi chē) to drive
• 帮忙 (bāng máng) to help
• 见面(jiàn miàn) to meet (someone)
• 结婚(jié hūn) to get married
• 生气(shēng qì) to be angry

A helpful tip is to not get discouraged if you can’t recall all the special verbs at first. Even if you just say “我跳舞得很好” (wǒ tiàowǔ de hěn hǎo), most Chinese people will still understand you. Take the leap and begin practicing describing actions with 得(de). The more you practice, the better you’ll become!

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