DLadySophia's Tips, Diary and Issues

What do you do? Where do you work? These are  two basic questions  when meeting a person for the first time. It is very simple, only need to learn the use of the verb to do  做  (zuò) and the noun work/job  工作  (gōngzuò). Question: What do you do? 你做什么工作? Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? What do you do? Answer 我是 + profession 我是老师 Wǒ shì lǎoshī I am a teacher The noun  工作  can also be used as the verb to work: Question:  Where do you work?  你在哪儿工作? Nǐ zài nǎr gōngzuò? Where do you work? Answer 我在 + place + 工作 我在学校工作 Wǒ zài xuéxiào gōngzuò I work in a school    

Conversation about weather 天气 This is a basic two-person  conversation about the weather . One of the speakers ask about weather, rain, cold, etc. This is a common topic in the first steps in first level HSK studies. 你家乡的天气怎么样？ Nǐ jiāxiāng de tiānqì zěnme yàng? What's the weather like in your hometown? 非常好，在春天和秋天通常都是温暖和阳光明媚的。 Fēicháng hǎo, zài chūntiān hé qiūtiān tōngcháng dōu shì wēnnuǎn huo yángguāng míngmèi de. It's very nice. It's usually warm and sunny in spring and autumn. 那里经常下雨吗？ Nàlǐ jīngcháng xià yǔ ma? Does it often rain there? 是的，特别是在夏天。 Shì de, tèbié shì zài xiàtiān. Yes, it does, especially in summer. 那里冬天非常冷吗？ Nàlǐ dōngtiān fēicháng lěng ma? Is it very cold in winter? 不，不很冷。那里冬天很少下雪。 Bù, bù hěn lěng. Nàlǐ dōngtiān hěn shǎo xià xuě. No, it isn't. It seldom snows there.

Cheers! We started a new season of classes with a list of  useful expressions  for when you are eating in a  restaurant  or just when you are  sharing a table to eat  somewhere. 摆桌子 ( bǎi zhuōzi ) To set the table 上菜 ( shàngcài ) To serve (a dish) 我吃饱了，谢谢 ( wǒ chībǎo le, xièxie ) I'm full, thank you 请再加我一些，好吗？ ( qǐng zài jiā wǒ yì xiē, hǎo ma ) Can I repeat, please? 很好吃 ( hěn hǎo chī ) It was delicious 我不吃肉 ( wǒ bù chī ròu ) I do not eat meat  禁烟区 ( jǐnyānqū ) No smoking area 我们要结账 ( wǒmen yào jiézhàng ) Will you bring me the bill? 干杯 ( gānbēi ) Cheers!    

Chinese astrology Have you have asked for the  Chinese horoscope  of a person? In China it is very popular to know and ask for the Chinese horoscope of a person. Therefore, it is very common to study the different horoscopes (animals) in the first year of Chinese studying for foreigners. The most important word is  属  (shǔ) used to ask about the horoscope but also means class or category. 今天是我的生日. 下午我请你来我家玩儿. Jīntiān shì wǒ de shēngrì. Xiàwǔ wǒ qǐng nǐ lái wǒ jiā wánr. Today is my birthday. I invite you to come my home in the afternoon to play.  祝你生日快乐! 你多大了? Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè! Nǐ duōdàle? Happy birthday to you! How old are you?  二十三岁 Èrshísān suì Twenty-three years old 哦,你是一九八零年出生的. 你属羊还是属猴? Ó, nǐ shì yījiǔbā líng nián chūshēng de. Nǐ shǔ yáng háishì shǔ hóu? Oh, you were born in 1980.  Your horoscope is goat or monkey? 我属羊,我是一月二十六号出生的. 你是属什么的? Wǒ shǔ yáng, wǒ shì yī yuè èrshíliù hào chūshēng de. Nǐ shì shǔ shénme de? I'm a goat, I was born on January 26. What

Bamboo weaving art 竹织造艺术 I think many of you have seen this rain hat made of  bamboo  竹 (zhú) and probably associate it with Chinese peasants. In China hand weaving hats from bamboo is an ancient folk art, and one of the first styles was precisely the round rain hat, which was later adopted by the Red Army during World War II, becoming known as the Red Army Hat. In China the Bamboo Waving Art obviously doesn`t limit itself to rain hats. The product range is actually very wide, and items are classified according to their form and function. Some examples include baskets, trays, jars, boxes, cases, vases, folding screens, models of animals and figures, buildings, furniture, lamps and lanterns, bags, toys, fans and mats. Some are graceful pieces of art for decoration or enjoyment and some are indispensable commodities. China is rich in  bamboo resources  and has a long history of using and planting bamboos. The history of bamboo weaves can be even traced back to the Neolithic Age (

To express  actions ,  things  or  how  we  like  something, we should always follow the same grammatical structure:  喜欢 xǐhuan to like Actions subject + 喜欢 + verb +object  我喜欢看电视 Wǒ xǐhuan kàn diànshì I like to watch TV  Objects  subject + 喜欢 + noun 我喜欢电视 Wǒ xǐhuan diànshì I like TV  How do we like subject + 喜欢 + adjective+ 的 我喜欢大的 Wǒ xǐhuan dà de I like big  These are the most common constructions in which we express with  喜欢  (xǐhuan)   that we like it. In the first structure a verb indicates the  action  we like. With a noun we express that we like something, an  object . The third construction uses an adjective + 的 to express  how we like something . 喜欢   literally means 'to like', however, if we want to express something we do not like? We simply add the character  不   before  喜欢 :  Negation subject + 不喜欢 + verb/noun/adjective + object /-/的 我不喜欢看电视 Wǒ bù xǐhuan kàn diànshì I do not like to watch TV  我不喜欢电视 Wǒ bù xǐhuan diànshì I do not like TV

As the days of the week,  months in Chinese  are extremely simple, as they are built with a number plus the word "month"  月  (yuè). 一月 yīyuè January 七月 qīyuè July 二月 èryuè February 八月 bāyuè August 三月 sānyuè March 九月 jiǔyuè September 四月 sìyuè April 十月 shíyuè October 五月 wǔyuè May 十一月 shíyīyuè November 六月 liùyuè June 十二月 shí'èryuè December  

We can refer to a  past or future actions  in time using the words "before" or "after".  verb + 后 hòu after 今天早饭后我要去上班 Jīntiān zǎofàn hòu wǒ yào qù shàngbān After breakfast I must go to work verb +  前 qián  before 去中国前要学习一点儿汉语 Qù zhōngguó qián yào xuéxí yīdiǎner hànyǔ Before going to China need to learn a little Chinese We can also use these characters  before a substantive  rather than a verb. An easy example is to indicate a specific time. substantive + 后 hòu after 两个月后 Liǎng gè yuè hòu Two months later substantive +  前 qián  before 六点前 Liù diǎn qián Before six

The  Chinese family  is quite different in some aspects to the western family. The Chinese differentiate between brothers if they are older or younger among them, giving it a completely different name to each one. Similarly happens with grandparents if they are maternal or paternal. myself 我 wǒ me brothers and sisters 兄弟 xiōngdì older 哥哥 gēge older brother 姐姐 jiějie older sister younger 弟弟 dìdi younger brother 妹妹 mèimei younger sister parents 父母 fùmǔ informal 爸爸 bàba father 妈妈 māma mother formal 父亲 fùqīn father 母亲 mǔqīn mother grandparents 祖父母 zǔfùmǔ paternal 爷爷 yéye grandfather 奶奶 nǎinai grandmother maternal 外公 wàigōng grandfather 外婆 wàipó grandmother

After learning the most common classifiers, is a good time to start learning some Chinese  vocabulary  with which to use them. Let's start with such common objects and everyday objects like the items we use at home. Classifier Nouns 张 zhāng flat objects 桌子 zhuōzi table 床 chuáng bed 报纸 bàozhǐ newspaper 本 běn books and similar 书 shū book 本子 běnzi notebook 画报 huàbào magazine 支 zhī long thin objects 铅笔 qiānbǐ pencil 圆珠笔 yuánzhūbǐ pen 钢笔 gāngbǐ fountain pen 把 bǎ objects with handle 椅子 yǐzi chair 剪刀 jiǎndāo scissors 尺子 chǐzi rule 台 tái devices and gadgets 电视机 diànshìjī television 电脑 diànnǎo computer 手机 shǒujī cell phone    

Let's start today the conversation posts. We will post conversation about different topics or situations, to study a real conversation focused in some vocabulary that we have already studied. 你好! Nǐ hǎo! Hello! 你好! Nǐ hǎo! Hello! 我很高认识你. Wǒ hěn gāo rènshi nǐ. I'm glad to meet you. 我也很高认识你. Wǒ yě hěn gāo rènshi nǐ. I'm glad to meet you too. 我叫大卫.你呢? Wǒ jiào dàwèi (David). Nǐ ne? My name is David. What's yours? 我叫玛利亚. 他 是我的同学,叫安娜. Wǒ jiào mǎlìyǎ (Maria). T ā  shì wǒ de tóngxué,  jiào ānnà (Anna). My name is Maria. She's my classmate, her name is Anna. 你好安娜! Nǐ hǎo ānnà! Hello Anna! 现在我们去上课, 所以 明天见大卫. Xiànzài wǒmen qù shàngkè, suǒyǐ míngtiān jiàn dà wèi. Now we are going to class, so see you tomorrow David. 你们明天见! Nǐmen míngtiān jiàn See you tomorrow!     

The  days of the week  are especially easy to express in Chinese. All the days use the same word "week" followed by a number from 1 to 7. 星期 xīngqī week days of the week 星期 + number 星期一 xīngqīyī Monday 星期二 xīngqī'èr Tuesday 星期三 xīngqīsān Wednesday 星期四 xīngqīsì Thursday 星期五 xīngqīwǔ Friday 星期六 xīngqīliù Saturday 星期日 xīngqīrì Sunday Sunday can also be expressed with  天  instead of  日 : 星期天 xīngqītiān Sunday    

The first part of a conversation is the  presentation . You should be able to ask for a name and surname, ask about nationality and ask about what languages somebody speaks. These are the questions and answers to use. Ask for name and surname Question Answer 你叫什么名字? Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì Whats your name? 我叫大卫. 你呢? Wǒ jiào dà wèi. Nǐ ne? My name is David. How about you? 你姓什么? Nǐ xìng shénme? What's your last name? 我姓张 Wǒ xìng zhāng My surname is Zhang Ask for nationality Question Answer 你是哪国人? Nǐ shì nǎ guórén? Where are you from? 我是中国人 Wǒ shì zhōngguó rén I am Chinese 你是不是英国人? Nǐ shì bù shì yīngguó rén? Are you British? 是/ 不 是 shì/bù shì I am/I am not Ask about spoken languages Question Answer 你会说汉语吗? Nǐ huì shuō hànyǔ ma? Do you speak Chinese? 我会说一点儿 Wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎnr I can speak a little 你会说英语吗? Nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma? Do you speak English? 我会说 Wǒ huì shuō I do 你会说西班牙语吗? Nǐ huì shuō xībānyáyǔ ma? Do you speak Spanish? 我不会说 Wǒ bù huì shu

Chinese school structure In China the  school  year begins in September and the first semester ends in min-January. The second semester begins in February, after three weeks of vacation for the  Spring Festival  and the  Chinese New Year . This second semester ends in mi-July, when the six weeks summer vacations starts. The structure of the regular Chinese education system follows a 6-3-3-4 year pattern. First, six years of  primary school 小学  (xiǎoxué). After primary school, three years of  junior high school 初中 (chūzhōng) and three years of  senior high school 高中  (gāozhōng). After all these years, is time for  University/College 大学 (dàxué). 小学 xiǎoxué Primary school 初中 chūzhōng Junio high school 高中 gāozhōng Senior High school 大学 dàxué University/College

China, a safe country Maybe you are studying Chinese because you are planning to work or study in China. Do you know anything about  health ,  crime  or  economy  situation  in   China ? Our friends of  NextStepChina  send us an infographic that represents with numbers the situation of China in these topics and more. Basically, it is a  comparison  with the statistics of the  United States of America . And of course,  China is a safe country . We know the largest cities like Shanghai and Beijing and we can confirm that China is safer than USA and even than Europe. If you have plans in China, don't worry about safety of China.  

People's Republic of China regions The  People's Republic of China  is divided into  34 regions : 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 2 special administrative regions and the claimed province of Taiwan. Municipalities 直辖市 (zhíxiáshì) The municipalities are the  higher level of city  which is directly under Chinese goverment, with a status similar to provinces.  Beijing 北京市 ,  Tianjin 天津市 and  Shanghai 上海市  cities are municipalities. Provinces 省 (shěng) The most common division on China and the highest level of division after Municipalities. The PRC has 22 provinces. Autonomous regions 自治区 (zìzhìqū) A minority ethnic group that has a high population has his own government and a special autonomous province. There are five autonomous regions, for example Inner Mongolia   內蒙  or  Tibet  西藏 . Special Administrative Regions 特别行政区 (tèbié xíngzhèngqū) These regions are highly autonomous and self-governed, but not totally independent. Are like a sub nation inside the People'

Chinese has a very simple way to say  hello and  goodbye : 你好 nǐhǎo Hello   再见 zàijiàn Goodbye Besides, there are different  alternatives with some meaning differences: 早上好 zǎoshanghǎo Good morning 明天见 míngtiānjiàn See you tomorrow   一会儿 yīhuìr See you later Finally, if you want to express  good evening/night  and  good weekend : 晚安 wǎn'ān Good night 周末好 zhōumòhǎo good weekend    

One of the first grammar rules to learn is the  structure of the Chinese sentence . The common structure for a simple declarative sentences is: subject + verb + object 我喝咖啡 Wǒ hē kāfēi I drink coffee Because Chinese  verbs are not conjugated , is extremely important to understand the use of  adverbs  and other  particles . With them Chinese language expresses the differences that we do in English with the verb conjugation. subject + adverbs +  verb + object 她明天去学校 Tā míngtiān qù xuéxiào She will go to school tomorrow subject + adverbs + verb + object 他昨天买的 Tā zuótiān mǎi de He bought it yesterday Let's see a more complex sentence, be aware about the time adverb, because you are free to place it before or after the subject: adverbs + subject + verb + object 上个月我和我爸去山 Shàng gè yuè wǒ hé wǒ bà qù shān Last month me and my dad went to the mountain To compose  Chinese basic sentences correctly, the rule is very simple: place the  subject and adverbs before the verb .

Hanyu pinyin  is literally the phonetic spelling of the Chinese language. This system of phonetic transcription uses the Latin alphabet to write Chinese characters phonetically. The main use of this system is to get a Chinese language study much more easier for those unfamiliar with its writing, and the ability to write Chinese characters using QWERTY keyboards. Pinyin has  6 simple vowels :  a ,  o ,  e ,  i ,  u ,  ü All these vowels can be combined (at the end of a word) with consonants consonant to form  word endings . Double vowels: - ai , - ei , - ao , - ou Vowels and nasal consonants: - an , - en , - ang , - eng , - ong  Combinations vowel i: - ia , - ie , - iao , - iou , - ian , - iang , - in , - ing , - iong  Combinations vowel u: - ua , - uo , - uai , - uei , - uan , - uen , - uang , - ueng  Combinations vowel ü: - üe , - üan , - ün Below is a list of all consonants that can be combined with previous word endings  to make words : Group 1 b, p, m, f - Do not combine w

Chinese  is the official language of China and Taiwan, and it is also spoken in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries. It is the  most widely-spoken language in the world . Mandarin Chinese is considered the standard Chinese language, it is based on the pronunciation of Beijing. Chinese uses a  character system  based on pictographs with more than two thousand years of history. It is a very complex writng system, problably the more difficult part of the Chinese learning. There are thousand of characters (40-50,000) and the only way to write Chinese is to memorize them. Normally it is needed around 5,000 characters to dominate the language. Each character is composed by a  group of strokes , writen in a established stroke order. There are very simple and other much more complex characters. The number of strokes required to draw a Chinese character can be as high as 36. Character 一 人 我 Meaning onepersonI/me To facilitate the learning, decades ago Chinese intr

Chinese  is the official language of China and Taiwan, and it is also spoken in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries. It is the  most widely-spoken language in the world . Mandarin Chinese is considered the standard Chinese language, it is based on the pronunciation of Beijing. Chinese uses a  character system  based on pictographs with more than two thousand years of history. It is a very complex writng system, problably the more difficult part of the Chinese learning. There are thousand of characters (40-50,000) and the only way to write Chinese is to memorize them. Normally it is needed around 5,000 characters to dominate the language. Each character is composed by a  group of strokes , writen in a established stroke order. There are very simple and other much more complex characters. The number of strokes required to draw a Chinese character can be as high as 36. Character 一 人 我 Meaning onepersonI/me To facilitate the learning, decades ago Chinese intr

Chinese is a  tonal language , this means that the tones are used to distinguish words each other like we do with the use of consonants or vowels. Tonal pronunciations is essential for intelligibility, even more important than the vowels pronunciation. There are many words with the same pronunciation but with different tones. This tonal pronunciation is the only unique mark to differentiate these words. There are  four tones , and one more  neutral tone : First tone (high-level tone) It is a steady high sound. It is represented by a straight horizontal line in pinyin or with the number 1. 吃 三 ch ī s ā n chi 1 san 1 Second tone (rising tone) The second tone rises moderately from mid-level tone to high-level. English equivalent of tone of questions. It is represented by a rising diagonal line above pinyin or with the number 2. 人 来 r é n l á i ren 2 lai 2 Third tone (dipping tone) This third tone has a descent tone followed by a rising tone. This behavior happens when

Let's introduce the  Chinese Simplified Stroke Order . We will learn about the simplified hanzi stroke order, which can differ from the traditional stroke order. This standardization is used in mainland China, except Hong Kong. Taiwan and other countries like Vietnam or Japan have their own stroke order. There are some  rules  to follow, but there are some exceptions too. Then we will name this rules as  guidelines  instead. Chinese Stroke Order Guidelines 1.  Write from top to bottom, from left to right . This is the first and most important guideline to follow the right stroke order. 2.  Horizontal before vertical . When horizontal and vertical strokes cross, horizontal strokes are usually written before vertical strokes. 3.  Diagonal right-to-left strokes are written before diagonal left-to-right strokes . This is for symmetric diagonal strokes. 4.  Center vertical before outside strokes . In  symmetrical characters  vertical strokes are written before components on th