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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 1 · Chapter 3

你叫什么名字What's your name

Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi

Say your name, ask someone's, and ask questions with 吗 and 谁.

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在学校— At school

  1. 马小明你nǐ好hǎo! 我wǒ叫jiào马mǎ小xiǎo明míng。你nǐ叫jiào什shén么me名míng字zì?Hello! My name is Ma Xiaoming. What's your name?
  2. 大山你nǐ好hǎo! 我wǒ叫jiào大dà山shān。Hello! My name is Dashan.
  3. 马小明你nǐ是shì学xué生shēng吗ma?Are you a student?
  4. 大山是shì, 我wǒ是shì学xué生shēng. 你nǐ也yě是shì学xué生shēng吗ma?Yes, I'm a student. Are you a student too?
  5. 马小明是shì, 我wǒ也yě是shì学xué生shēng!Yes, I'm a student too!

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在学校— At school

  1. 高老师你nǐ们men好hǎo! 我wǒ是shì高gāo老lǎo师shī. 谁shuí是shì大dà山shān?Hello, everyone! I'm Teacher Gao. Who is Dashan?
  2. 大山我wǒ是shì大dà山shān. 老lǎo师shī好hǎo!I'm Dashan. Hello, teacher!
  3. 高老师你nǐ是shì谢xiè小xiǎo文wén吗ma?Are you Xie Xiaowen?
  4. 马小明不bú是shì, 我wǒ是shì马mǎ小xiǎo明míng.No, I'm Ma Xiaoming.
  5. 谢小文老lǎo师shī, 我wǒ是shì谢xiè小xiǎo文wén!Teacher, I'm Xie Xiaowen!

Vocabulary

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叫jiào

verbto be called

什shén么me

pronounwhat

名míng字zì

nounname

是shì

verbto be

学xué生shēng

nounstudent

吗ma

particle(yes-no question particle)

谁shéi / shuí

pronounwho

不bú是shì

phrasenot to be; no

也yě

adverbalso; too

马mǎ小xiǎo明míng

pn.Ma Xiaoming (a person)

谢xiè小xiǎo文wén

pn.Xie Xiaowen (a person)

New characters

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在zài

at; on (preposition)

现在 xiànzài — now正在 zhèngzài — right now (V-ing)
学xué

to study; (in 学生 = student)

学生 xuéshēng — student同学 tóngxué — classmate; fellow student大学 dàxué — university
校xiào

school (in 学校)

学校 xuéxiào — school
叫jiào

to be called

马mǎ

horse; (in 马小明, a surname)

马小明 Mǎ Xiǎomíng — Ma Xiaoming (a person)马上 mǎshàng — right away
小xiǎo

small; little (common in given names)

马小明 Mǎ Xiǎomíng — Ma Xiaoming (a person)谢小文 Xiè Xiǎowén — Xie Xiaowen (a person)小学 xiǎoxué — primary school
明míng

bright; (in 马小明)

马小明 Mǎ Xiǎomíng — Ma Xiaoming (a person)明天 míngtiān — tomorrow明年 míngnián — next year
什shén

"what" component (亻+十, ch3)

什么 shénme — what为什么 wèi shénme — why
么me

(in 什么 = what)

什么 shénme — what多么 duōme — how (exclamation degree adverb)为什么 wèi shénme — why
是shì

to be

不是 bú shì — not to be; no但是 dànshì — but; however还是 háishi — or (in question A or B); "let us just" (in 还是…吧 frame)
生shēng

to be born; raw; (in 学生 = student)

学生 xuéshēng — student大学生 dàxuéshēng — university student中学生 zhōngxuéshēng — middle / high school student
吗ma

(yes-no question particle)

真的吗 zhēn de ma — really? (frequent reaction)
也yě

also; too

也许 yěxǔ — perhaps; maybe怎么也 zěnme yě — no matter how; in no way
名míng

(in 名字 = name)

名字 míngzi — name
字zì

(in 名字 = name); written character

名字 míngzi — name汉字 Hànzì — Chinese character
谁shéi / shuí

who

文wén

language; literature; (in 谢小文)

谢小文 Xiè Xiǎowén — Xie Xiaowen (a person)中文 Zhōngwén — Chinese (written)
他tā

he (亻+也, ch4)

他们 tāmen — they; them (male/mixed)

Hanzi — writing & recognition

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我

wǒI; meWriting

7 strokessingle-component

Originally depicted a weapon. Later borrowed to mean the first-person pronoun "I".

是

shìto beWriting

9 strokestop-bottom

Top: "日" (sun). Bottom: "正" (correct). Originally meant "correct", later became the copula "to be".

也

yěalso; tooWriting

3 strokessingle-component

The shape originally depicted an ancient vessel. Today it is the adverb "also". It appears as a component in many characters: 他, 她, 地, 池.

叫

jiàoto be calledRecognition

5 strokesleft-rightradical 口

生

shēngto be born; raw; (in 学生 = student)Recognition

5 strokessingle-component

学

xuéto study; (in 学生 = student)Recognition

8 strokestop-bottom

吗

ma(yes-no question particle)Recognition

6 strokesleft-rightradical 口

Grammar

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The "是" Sentence

Explanation

"是" links a subject to a noun, expressing equality or membership. The negative is "不是".

Examples

  • 我wǒ是shì学xué生shēng。I am a student.
  • 他tā不bú是shì老lǎo师shī。He is not a teacher.
  • 我wǒ叫jiào马mǎ小xiǎo明míng，我wǒ是shì学xué生shēng。My name is Ma Xiaoming. I am a student.

Grammar

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Asking questions: 吗, 什么 and 谁

Explanation

Add 吗 to the end of a statement to make a yes-no question: 你是学生吗? (Are you a student?). To ask about something you don't know, replace it with 什么 (for things) or 谁 (for people): 你叫什么? (What's your name?), 谁是大山? (Who is Dashan?). The word order doesn't change in either kind. A question with 什么 or 谁 takes no 吗.

Examples

  • 你nǐ是shì学xué生shēng吗ma?Are you a student?
  • 您nín是shì老lǎo师shī吗ma?Are you (formal) a teacher?
  • 你nǐ叫jiào什shén么me?What's your name?
  • 谁shuí是shì大dà山shān?Who is Dashan?

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