Section 01
Vocabulary
你好
Hello / Hi
greeting
你
You
pronoun
我
I / Me
pronoun
他
He / Him
pronoun
她
She / Her
pronoun
是
To be (am/is/are)
verb
不
Not
adverb
叫
To be called / named
verb
名字
Name
noun
姓
Surname
noun
谢谢
Thank you
expression
再见
Goodbye
expression
老师
Teacher
noun
美国
The United States
proper noun · country
中国
China
proper noun · country
人
Person / People
noun · also nationality suffix
学生
Student
noun
吗
Question particle
particle · turns statement into yes/no question
你好吗
Hello, how are you?
phrase · greeting
很
Very
adverb
New words this Topic: 美国, 中国, 人, 学生, 吗 are highlighted in red. Nationality pattern: country + 人 = nationality (e.g. 美国人 = American, 中国人 = Chinese person). Click 🔊 on any card to hear the pronunciation via your device's Mandarin voice.
Practice Time
Interactive Vocabulary Games
Interactive Game
Play Kahoot! — Vocabulary Review
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Section 02
Grammar Points
1. The Verb 是 (shì) — "To Be"
是 means "to be" and does not change form based on subject. Negative: 不是 (bù shì). It connects a subject to a noun — including nationalities and roles like 学生 (student).
Structure
Subject + 是 + Noun | Subject + 不是 + Noun
Examples
1.
我是学生。
Wǒ shì xuésheng.
I am a student.
2.
她是老师。
Tā shì lǎoshī.
She is a teacher.
3.
他不是学生。
Tā bù shì xuésheng.
He is not a student.
2. Expressing Nationality — 国家 + 人
In Mandarin, nationalities are formed by adding 人 (rén, person) after the country name. For example: 美国 (USA) + 人 = 美国人 (American). Combined with 是, you can state where you or others are from.
Structure
Subject + 是 + Country + 人
Examples
1.
我是美国人。
Wǒ shì Měiguó rén.
I am American.
2.
她是中国人。
Tā shì Zhōngguó rén.
She is Chinese.
3.
你是美国人吗？
Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?
Are you American?
3. The Question Particle 吗 (ma)
Adding 吗 to the end of any statement turns it into a yes/no question — no word order changes needed. This is one of the most useful particles in Mandarin. The tone of 吗 is neutral (no tone mark).
Structure
Statement + 吗？ = Yes/No Question
Examples
1.
你是学生吗？
Nǐ shì xuésheng ma?
Are you a student?
2.
他是中国人吗？
Tā shì Zhōngguó rén ma?
Is he Chinese?
3.
她是老师吗？ — 是的，她是老师。
Tā shì lǎoshī ma? — Shì de, tā shì lǎoshī.
Is she a teacher? — Yes, she is a teacher.
4. Asking & Giving Names with 叫 (jiào)
叫 means "to be called." Use it to ask someone's name or state your own. 什么 (shénme) means "what" and 名字 (míngzi) means "name."
Structure
你叫什么名字？ → 我叫＿＿。
Examples
1.
你叫什么名字？
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
What is your name?
2.
我叫李明。我是美国学生。
Wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng. Wǒ shì Měiguó xuésheng.
My name is Li Ming. I am an American student.
Section 03
Reading Practice
自我介绍
Presentational
我的自我介绍
My Self-Introduction (Monologue)
Beginner
你好！我叫李明。我是美国人，我是中文学生。我的老师叫邓老师，她是中国人。你叫什么名字？你也是学生吗？很高兴认识你！再见！
Hello! My name is Li Ming. I am American, and I am a Chinese language student. My teacher is called Teacher Deng, and she is Chinese. What is your name? Are you also a student? It's very nice to meet you! Goodbye!
Comprehension Questions
1
李明是哪国人？
What is Li Ming's nationality?
2
邓老师是哪国人？
What is Teacher Deng's nationality?
3
李明学什么语？
What language does Li Ming study?
对话练习
Conversational
第一次见面
Meeting for the First Time (Dialogue)
Beginner
A
你好！我叫王芳。你叫什么名字？
Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Wáng Fāng. Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
Hello! My name is Wang Fang. What is your name?
B
你好，王芳！我叫李明。
Nǐ hǎo, Wáng Fāng! Wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng.
Hello, Wang Fang! My name is Li Ming.
A
你好，李明！你是美国人吗？
Nǐ hǎo, Lǐ Míng! Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?
Hi, Li Ming! Are you American?
B
是的，我是美国人。我是学生。你呢？
Shì de, wǒ shì Měiguó rén. Wǒ shì xuésheng. Nǐ ne?
Yes, I'm American. I'm a student. What about you?
A
我是中国人，我也是学生。
Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén, wǒ yě shì xuésheng.
I'm Chinese, and I'm also a student.
B
很高兴认识你！
Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ!
Very nice to meet you!
A
我也很高兴认识你。再见！
Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. Zàijiàn!
I'm also very happy to meet you. Goodbye!
B
再见！
Zàijiàn!
Goodbye!
Comprehension Questions
1
王芳是美国人吗？
Is Wang Fang American?
2
李明和王芳都是学生吗？
Are both Li Ming and Wang Fang students?
3
李明是哪国人？
What is Li Ming's nationality?
Preview words in these passages: 很 (hěn – very), 高兴 (gāoxìng – happy), 认识 (rènshi – to know/meet), 也 (yě – also), 呢 (ne – and you?). These will be covered in future Topics.
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Practice Reading — Comprehension Quiz
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Section 04
Listening Practice
🔊
AI Text-to-Speech (No files needed) — Audio is generated live by your device's built-in Mandarin voice engine. Works on all modern browsers. For the most natural Mandarin pronunciation, use Chrome on desktop or Safari on iPhone/iPad, which use high-quality neural Chinese voices.
Use the speed selector on each track to switch between slow practice and natural pace.
Use the speed selector on each track to switch between slow practice and natural pace.
Track 1 — Vocabulary Pronunciation Drill
All 17 Topic words read individually · Repeat after each word
Speed:
你好
Nǐ hǎo
Hello
美国
Měi guó
USA
中国
Zhōng guó
China
人
Rén
Person
学生
Xué sheng
Student
吗
Ma
Question particle
老师
Lǎo shī
Teacher
名字
Míng zi
Name
谢谢
Xiè xie
Thank you
再见
Zài jiàn
Goodbye
Track 2 — Self-Introduction Passage
Presentational text read aloud · Listen & follow along
Speed:
你好！我叫李明。我是美国人，我是中文学生。
Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng. Wǒ shì Měiguó rén, wǒ shì Zhōngwén xuésheng.
Hello! My name is Li Ming. I am American, and I am a Chinese language student.
我的老师叫邓老师，她是中国人。
Wǒ de lǎoshī jiào Dèng lǎoshī, tā shì Zhōngguó rén.
My teacher is Teacher Deng, and she is Chinese.
你叫什么名字？你也是学生吗？很高兴认识你！再见！
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? Nǐ yě shì xuésheng ma? Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ! Zàijiàn!
What is your name? Are you also a student? Very nice to meet you! Goodbye!
Track 3 — Conversational Dialogue
Full A/B dialogue read aloud · Follow the conversation
Speed:
A你好！我叫王芳。你叫什么名字？
Hello! My name is Wang Fang. What is your name?
B你好，王芳！我叫李明。
Hello, Wang Fang! My name is Li Ming.
A你是美国人吗？
Are you American?
B是的，我是美国人。我是学生。你呢？
Yes, I'm American. I'm a student. What about you?
A我是中国人，我也是学生。很高兴认识你！
I'm Chinese, I'm also a student. Nice to meet you!
B我也很高兴认识你。再见！
I'm also glad to meet you. Goodbye!
Ready to test yourself?
Practice Listening — Interactive Mode
Full listening player · Comprehension questions after each track · Instant feedback
Cultural Note
Chinese Name Order & Address
In Chinese, the family name (姓 xìng) comes first, followed by the given name (名 míng). "李明" means surname 李 (Lǐ) and given name 明 (Míng). When addressing a teacher, always use their surname + 老师 — for example, 邓老师 — never their first name alone. This is a sign of respect deeply rooted in Chinese culture.