Lesson 3: Asking About Family Information

名字

Learn to use 几, 岁, 叫, 什么名字 through the topic of age, forms of address, family, and common words.

16 words2 grammar points1 dialogues~16 min

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Vocabulary16 words

儿子érziNoun

Examples

我有一个儿子。

wǒyǒuyígèérzi。

I have a son.

他儿子很高。

tāérzihěngāo。

His son is very tall.

和héconjunction

and; together withConnects two nouns or pronouns.

Examples

我和他。

wǒhétā。

Me and him.

没méiAdverb

not, did not, have notNegates a state or an action that has already happened.

Examples

我没去。

wǒméiqù。

I did not go.

名字míngzìNoun

nameUsually refers to one's ordinary given name.

Examples

你的名字是什么？

nǐdemíngzìshìshénme？

What is your name?

我的名字是李华。

wǒdemíngzìshìlǐhuá。

My name is Li Hua.

呢neParticle

a particle used to ask a return question or to soften a suggestionUsually placed at the end of a short sentence.

Examples

你呢？

nǐne？

And you?

女儿nǚérNoun

daughter

Examples

她女儿很可爱。

tānǚérhěnkěài。

Her daughter is very cute.

这是我的女儿。

zhèshìwǒdenǚér。

This is my daughter.

人rénNoun

person, humanThe root word for a human being in general.

Examples

我是人。

wǒshìrén。

I am a person.

水果shuǐguǒNoun

fruita general term for all kinds of fruit

Examples

我喜欢水果。

wǒxǐhuanshuǐguǒ。

I like fruit.

水果很甜。

shuǐguǒhěntián。

The fruit is very sweet.

睡觉shuìjiàoVerb

to sleepthe activity of resting/sleeping

Examples

睡觉了。

shuìjiàole。

Time to go to sleep.

睡觉好。

shuìjiàohǎo。

Sleep well.

岁suìMeasure word

years old, agenumber + years old

Examples

你几岁？

nǐjǐsuì？

How old are you?

太tàiAdverb

too, excessivelyindicates a degree beyond the normal level

Examples

太好了!

tàihǎole!

That's great!

先生xiānshēngNoun

1.sir, Mr. (a respectful term)a polite way to address a man whose name is unknown or someone older
2.husbandin a family context

Examples

先生，您好！

xiānshēng，nínhǎo！

Hello, sir!

这是我的先生。

zhèshìwǒdexiānshēng。

This is my husband.

小姐xiǎojiěNoun

1.young lady, missa polite way to address a young unmarried woman
2.miss (a respectful term)often used to address a woman in service settings

Examples

小姐，请给我菜单。

xiǎojiě，qǐnggěiwǒcàidān。

Miss, please give me the menu.

这位小姐是老师。

zhèwèixiǎojiěshìlǎoshī。

This young lady is a teacher.

在zàiVerb

1.to be at; to be presentWhen used as a verb indicating presence.
2.at; in (a place)When used as a preposition indicating location.

Examples

我在家。

wǒzàijiā。

I am at home.

他在学校。

tāzàixuéxiào。

He is at school.

中文zhōngwénNoun

Chinese (language)

Examples

我学中文。

wǒxuézhōngwén。

I study Chinese.

中文很难。

zhōngwénhěnnán。

Chinese is very hard.

椅子yǐziNoun

chair

Examples

请坐椅子。

qǐngzuòyǐzi。

Please have a seat.

Grammar

Asking someone's age (a young person)

S + 几 + 岁？

This sentence pattern is used to ask someone's age, usually a child or a younger person. '几' (jǐ) means 'how many' and is used for small numbers (usually 1-10). '岁' (suì) means years of age. The answer is: number + 岁.

你儿子几岁？

nǐérzijǐsuì？

How old is your son?

我女儿五岁。

wǒnǚérwǔsuì。

My daughter is five years old.

Asking someone's name

S + 叫 + 什么名字？

This sentence pattern is used to ask someone's name. '叫' (jiào) means 'to be called'. '什么' (shén me) means 'what'. The answer is usually: 我叫 + [name].

先生，您叫什么名字？

xiānshēng，nínjiàoshénmemíngzì？

Sir, what is your name?

我叫王明。

wǒjiàowángmíng。

My name is Wang Ming.

Dialogues

Asking About Family Information

Two neighbors are talking with each other.

Hoa

你好，我叫阮氏花。你叫什么名字？

nǐhǎo，wǒjiàoruǎnshìhuā。nǐjiàoshénmemíngzì？

Hello, my name is Nguyen Thi Hoa. What is your name?

Minh

你好，我叫陈明。你是越南人吗？

nǐhǎo，wǒjiàochénmíng。nǐshìyuènánrénma？

Hello, my name is Tran Minh. Are you Vietnamese?

Hoa

是，我是越南人。你有儿子和女儿吗？

shì，wǒshìyuènánrén。nǐyǒuérzihénǚérma？

Yes, I am Vietnamese. Do you have a son and a daughter?

Minh

我有一个女儿。她今年三岁。

wǒyǒuyígènǚér。tājīnniánsānsuì。

I have one daughter. She is three years old this year.

Hoa

太好了！她叫什么名字？

tàihǎole！tājiàoshénmemíngzì？

Wonderful! What is her name?

Minh

她叫陈小美。你呢？你有孩子吗？

tājiàochénxiǎoměi。nǐne？nǐyǒuháizima？

Her name is Tran Tieu My. What about you? Do you have children?

Hoa

我没有孩子。我先生在睡觉。

wǒméiyǒuháizi。wǒxiānshēngzàishuìjiào。

I do not have children. My husband is sleeping.