Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Handful Basic English Phrases intended for Travellers in China


China is a wonderful country to visit to. Who wouldn’t want to come here when in fact, the place is filled with various sights and attractions to see for real! Not to mention the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, Beijing Opera, The Olympic places, The Summer Palace, Parks and Gardens, Temple of Heaven (Tiantan), and of course, the Great Wall of China are just among the most incredible places in China so wonderful to see for real!

So with these great wonders in the country, for sure, there will be lots of travellers and tourists alike who will come and see these attractions for themselves. Pretty sure, knowing a few Chinese lines for communication wouldn’t hurt knowing, would it?

Since we’re talking about travellers here, it’s not necessarily required that they have to learn Chinese in China. There isn’t any law that requires such. Nonetheless, letting these traveller familiarize even a handful Basic English phrases will be very essential especially for them who don’t want to encounter language barriers in a difficult manner. In China, there are more people who prefer speaking Chinese, so to talk to them in their language is a great advantage.

Here are the handful phrases that might be helpful to you.

Common English Phrases
Chinese Translation
Thank you.
Xièxie nǐ.
Thank you very much.
Fēicháng gǎnxiè.
You're welcome
Búyòng kèqì.
Please.
Qǐng.
Yes
Shì.
No.
Búshì.
Excuse me
Duìbuqǐ.
I'm sorry
Hěn bàoqiàn.
I don't understand
Wǒ tīng bù dǒng.
I don't speak Chinese.
Wǒ bú huì jiǎng Zhōngwén.
Where is the bathroom?
Cèsǔo zài nǎ er?
Do you speak English?
Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?
Speak slowly, please
Qǐng nǐ shuō màn yìdiǎn er.
Can you help me?
Nǐ néng bāngbāngmáng ma?
Can I get on the internet?
Wǒ kěyǐ shàngwǎng ma?
Please say (that) one more time.
Qǐng nǐ zài shuō yí biàn.
Where is the subway station?
Qǐngwèn dìtiězhàn zài nǎ er?
What's your name?
Qǐngwèn nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
How are you?
Nǐ hǎo ma?
Is the tip included?
Zhè lǐmiàn bāokuò xiǎofèi ma?
How much does this cost?
Zhè shì duōshǎo qián?
Is there a public phone here?
Zhèlǐ yǒu gōngyòng diànhuà ma?

But of course, if these travellers wanted to really have a formal learning while they’re in the country, sure enough, deciding to Study Mandarin in Beijing is a good idea.