Chinese for Glyphers 2 Flashcards
An introduction to 日用语, useful, everyday Chinese language that you can put into practice!
的
de
[possessive particle]
这是我的！
zhè shì wǒ de!
This is mine!
有
yǒu
there is; to have
他有一只狗。
tā yǒu yī zhǐ gǒu.
He has a dog.
没
měi
not
我没有朋友。
wǒ méi yǒu péng yǒu.
I don’t have any friends.
人
rén
person; people
这里没有人。
zhè lǐ méi yǒu rén.
There’s no one here.
美国
měi guó
United States of America
美国人的生活很忙。
měi guó rén de shēng huó hěn máng.
American life is very busy.
中国
zhōng guó
China
我没有去过中国。
wǒ méi yǒu qù guò zhōng guó.
I haven’t been to China.
吗
ma
[question particle]
你有钱吗？
nǐ yǒu qián ma?
Do you have any money?
朋友
péng yǒu
friend
他朋友是美国人。
tā péng yǒu shì měi guó rén.
His friend is an American.
他
tā
he; him
他不高兴。
tā bù gāo xìng.
He is not happy.
去
qù
to go
我想去吃饭。
wǒ xiǎng qù chī fàn.
I want to go eat.
老外
(lǎo wài)
老外
老外 (lǎo wài) is one of the first words you will hear as a foreigner in China. Despite being very ethnically diverse (there are 56 ‘official’ nationalities in China!), most Han Chinese regions are extremely homogenous and foreigners are a curious oddity. 老外 literally means ‘old outsider’ and Chinese will often say 老外！when they spy a foreigner.
In practical use, 老外 means ‘westerner’. Foreigners of Asian-decent are not called 老外 in China and you may even be called 老外 in the Chinatown of your home city!
