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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

Introducing yourself, asking someone's name, simple "是" sentences.

Dialogue

在学校 — At school

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? Hello! My name is Ma Xiaoming. What's your name?
大山你nǐ好hǎo! 我wǒ叫jiào大dà山shān。 Hello! My name is Dashan.
马小明你nǐ是shì学xué生shēng吗ma? Are you a student?
大山是shì! 我wǒ也yě是shì老lǎo师shī! Yes! I'm also a teacher!
马小明不bú是shì不bu是shì! 你nǐ是shì学xué生shēng! No no! You're a student!

Dialogue

在学校 — At school

大山你nǐ好hǎo! 您nín是shì老lǎo师shī吗ma? Hello! Are you (formal) a teacher?
谢小文我wǒ?? 不bù! 我wǒ不bú是shì老lǎo师shī, 我wǒ也yě是shì学xué生shēng! Me?? No! I'm not a teacher, I'm also a student!
大山对duì不bù起qǐ! Sorry!
谢小文没méi关guān系xì。 It's OK.

Dialogue

在学校 — At school

高老师你nǐ好hǎo。我wǒ叫jiào高gāo老lǎo师shī。 Hello. My name is Teacher Gao.
大山您nín好hǎo! 您nín也yě是shì学xué生shēng吗ma? Hello (formal)! Are you also a student?
高老师我wǒ? 我wǒ不bú是shì学xué生shēng! 我wǒ是shì老lǎo师shī! Me? I'm not a student! I'm the teacher!
大山对duì不bù起qǐ! Sorry!

Vocabulary

我wǒ: pronoun I; me
叫jiào: verb to be called
什shén么me: pronoun what
名míng字zì: noun name
是shì: verb to be
老lǎo师shī: noun teacher
学xué生shēng: noun student
吗ma: particle (yes-no question particle)
谁shuí: pronoun who
不bú是shì: phrase not to be; no
也yě: adverb also; too
马mǎ小xiǎo明míng: pn. Ma Xiaoming (a person)
谢xiè小xiǎo文wén: pn. Xie Xiaowen (a person)
大dà山shān: pn. Dashan ("Big Mountain"; common Chinese name adopted by foreigners)
高gāo老lǎo师shī: pn. Teacher Gao

New characters

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: school (in 学校)
学校 xuéxiào — school
叫jiào: to be called
马: horse; (in 马小明, a surname)
马小明 Mǎ Xiǎomíng — Ma Xiaoming (a person)马上 mǎshàng — right away马山 Mǎ Shān — Ma Shan (persona — energetic fitness instructor / 王月 neighbor)
小: 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: bright; (in 马小明)
马小明 Mǎ Xiǎomíng — Ma Xiaoming (a person)明天 míngtiān — tomorrow明年 míngnián — next year
什: "what" component (亻+十, ch3)
什么 shénme — what为什么 wèi shénme — why (Level 1 revisit, formal lesson here)
么: (in 什么 = what)
什么 shénme — what多么 duōme — how (exclamation degree adverb)为什么 wèi shénme — why (Level 1 revisit, formal lesson here)
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 — chapter anchor)
生: 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: (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shuí: who
文wén: language; literature; (in 谢小文)
谢小文 Xiè Xiǎowén — Xie Xiaowen (a person)中文 Zhōngwén — Chinese (written)文山 Wén Shān — Wen Shan (persona — male university student)
他tā: he (亻+也, ch4)
他们 tāmen — they; them (male/mixed)

Hanzi — writing & recognition

我

wǒ I; me Writing

7 strokes single-component

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

是

shì to be Writing

9 strokes top-bottom

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

也

yě also; too Writing

3 strokes single-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

jiào to be called Recognition

5 strokes left-right radical 口

生

shēng to be born; raw; (in 学生 = student) Recognition

5 strokes single-component

学

xué to study; (in 学生 = student) Recognition

8 strokes top-bottom

吗

ma (yes-no question particle) Recognition

6 strokes left-right radical 口

Grammar

The "是" Sentence

Explanation

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

Examples

我是学生。 I am a student.
他不是老师。 He is not a teacher.
我叫马小明，我是学生。 My name is Ma Xiaoming. I am a student.

Grammar

Yes-No Questions with "吗"

Explanation

Add "吗" to the end of a statement to make a yes-no question. The word order does not change.

Examples

你nǐ是shì学xué生shēng吗ma? Are you a student?
您是老师吗? Are you (formal) a teacher?
他是大山吗? Is he Dashan?

Grammar

Specific Questions with "什么" and "谁"

Explanation

Replace the unknown noun with "什么" (for things) or "谁" (for people). The word order does not change.

Examples

你叫什么? What's your name?
谁是大山? Who is Dashan?
谁是学生? Who is a student?

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