Welcome to Mandarin basics! Let's start with the most important greeting: 你好, pronounced 'Nǐ hǎo', which means hello. The character 你 means 'you' and 好 means 'good'. Together they form a friendly greeting used throughout the day.
Mandarin is a tonal language with four main tones. The first tone is high and flat, like 'mā' meaning mother. The second tone rises, like 'má' meaning hemp. The third tone falls then rises, like 'mǎ' meaning horse. The fourth tone falls sharply, like 'mà' meaning to scold. The same sound with different tones creates completely different meanings.
Now let's learn self-introduction. To say 'I am', we use '我是', pronounced 'Wǒ shì'. The character 我 means 'I' or 'me', and 是 means 'am', 'is', or 'are'. For example, to say 'I am David', you would say '我是大卫', pronounced 'Wǒ shì Dàwèi'. This is the basic pattern for introducing yourself in Mandarin.
Let's learn essential polite expressions. '谢谢' pronounced 'Xièxie' means thank you. '不客气' pronounced 'Bù kèqi' means you're welcome, literally meaning 'don't be polite'. '再见' pronounced 'Zàijiàn' means goodbye, literally meaning 'see again'. And '对不起' pronounced 'Duìbuqǐ' means sorry or excuse me. These phrases will help you be polite in daily conversations.
Let's practice with a simple conversation. Person A says 'Nǐ hǎo' meaning hello. Person B responds with hello and introduces themselves as Li Ming. Person A then introduces themselves as David. Person B says 'Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ' meaning 'Nice to meet you'. Person A responds 'Wǒ yě shì, xièxie' meaning 'Me too, thank you'. This covers the basic phrases we've learned today.