When I was younger, it never occurred to me that you could learn Chinese. Of course, dominating it, it will take years of dedicated practice, but the truth is that you can actually pick up the basics quite fast, and you will benefit a lot from doing so. With the help of my Chinese friend Lily, here I take you an introduction to the basic principles of the Chinese and we offer some essential mandarin phrases for new expats from China.
Source: Road trip with Raj
Introduction
English is not talked so widely in mainland China, so it is likely that Need to trust your phone for translations when you arrive for the first time. But do not worry; Many younger people, especially in first level cities, actually understand some English (and more than they will leave). There is also a lot of English written in the signs of the street and in the subway, for example. Some situations will be more challenging than others, but there is almost always a solution.
As you probably have heard, Chinese is a tonal language. These tones can take a while to adapt, but getting them, often, it is essential to transmit the meaning. The best way to learn tones is with the help of a native speaker who can prove them and correct it where it is wrong. Therefore, the new expatriates of China from scratch, therefore, are highly recommended to take at least some formal lessons to make sure it joins the correct tones and sounds of Pinyin, the Romanization of the Chinese script, which does not It is always read as it appears in English. I would also recommend watching several YouTube videos to better understand the tones and pinyin. Both may seem daunting at first, but with a small practice, they will become a second nature before you know it.
Once you have dominated tones and pinyin, a good place to start on your mandarin trip is to learn the numbers and signs of the hand that go with them (no, it is not as simple as keeping The correct amount of the fingers). Learning the numbers will help you navigate many facets of life in China more easily, what, hopefully, will encourage you to learn more Chinese. Like many things, it is more difficult and, sometimes, even impossible to learn from books and screens, so get ready and get involved!
Learning Chinese premises actually use
each language changes time, and it is likely to find that some phrases that can learn when they start in Chinese are not actually used. This could be because they are obsolete or because translations into English simply are not culturally family.
For example, 你 好 吗 (nĭhăo ma) is a precise translation of common English greeting "How are you ??", But it is rarely used by the Chinese. In China, you only really ask how someone is if you know them well and that cares genuinely. Instead, the Chinese tend to ask 你 吃 了 吗 (nǐ chī le ma - have you eaten?) To the meeting.
The new expatriates of China are often told that China is a modest culture and if someone complements you, you must respond with 哪里 哪里 (nǎli nǎli), translated literally as "Where else?". However, while this humble rejection of praise can score some Brownie points with the oldest generation, among the younger crowd, it is a bit dated. Young people in China are more likely to smile and say 谢谢 (Xièxiè - Thank you) when they are complemented.
While we are on the subject of Xièxiè, keep in mind that it is actually used much frequently than in the west. In China, there is no need to thank a service person every time they put a plate on the table or to thank someone on the street to get out of their way. When you say thank you, you will also get an answer from 不 不 谢 (bù yòng xiè), literally "do not use thanks". The word equivalent for please, 请 (Qǐng), is not used in the way we use it in the West, so it embraces the habit of dropping its 'PS' completely.
Categories:
China, Chinese, Learn, English, Actually, Tones, Thank, Mandarin, Younger, Likely, First, Correct, Pinyin, Someone, Essential, Phrases, Expats, Practice, Introduction, Translations, People, Understand, Signs, Street, Example, Language, Often, Where, Therefore, Expatriates, Start, Numbers, Learning, Because, Literally, Never, Occurred, Course, Dominating, Years, Dedicated, Truth, Basics, Quite, Benefit,
