You finished this day
Daily lessons · Day 14 of 90
Where you're from
Countries, cities and where you live
This is the conversation you will have most often as a foreigner in China, sometimes several times a day. Ten minutes now buys you a hundred smoother exchanges later.
Which country
Country plus 人 makes the nationality. No extra word is needed.
Why it works
从 behaves like time and place words: it goes before the verb, not after it. English says come from London, Chinese says from London come. The same slot takes 到, to, and 跟, with, which is why once you have the shape of one you have the shape of all of them.
Where you live now
住 is to live somewhere, and it takes 在 with the place.
Why it works
在 is doing the same job it did on day 7, marking a place, and 住在 is simply live at. Note 离 in the last line: it means away from, and it is the word for distances, while 从 is for starting points of movement. 离这儿很近 is near here, 从这儿走 is walk from here.
When your Chinese runs out
Four lines that keep a conversation alive instead of ending it.
Why it works
我听不懂 is more precise than saying you do not understand: it says you heard it and the meaning did not arrive, which invites the other person to repeat it more slowly rather than to give up. The 不 in the middle is a pattern you will meet again, and it always means the action was attempted and did not succeed.
The compliment you will get every time
Say almost anything in Chinese and someone will tell you 你的中文很好, your Chinese is very good. It is politeness rather than assessment, and the expected reply is to wave it away: 哪里哪里, nǎlǐ nǎlǐ, or 还差得远, hái chà de yuǎn, still a long way off. Accepting the compliment flatly is not wrong, just noticeably foreign.
Carried over from earlier days
Say each one out loud before you look at the English.
Today’s words 12
Check yourself
8 questions. Get 6 right to finish the day.
Where does 从 go in a sentence?
- before the verb
- after the verb
- at the end
- either end
Show the answer
before the verb 从伦敦来, from London come. The verb goes last.
Type where do you live in pinyin.
Show the answer
nǐ zhù zài nǎr 住在 is live at, and 哪儿 is where.
Which one means I'm British?
- 我是英国人 wǒ shì Yīngguó rén
- 我英国是人 wǒ Yīngguó shì rén
- 我是人英国 wǒ shì rén Yīngguó
- 英国我是人 Yīngguó wǒ shì rén
Show the answer
我是英国人 wǒ shì Yīngguó rén Country plus 人, with 是 joining the two nouns.
What is the difference between 从 and 离?
- 从 is a starting point of movement, 离 is a distance from a place
- they are interchangeable
- 从 is spoken and 离 is written
- 离 is only used for time
Show the answer
从 is a starting point of movement, 离 is a distance from a place 从这儿走 versus 离这儿很近.
What does 我听不懂 say exactly?
- I heard it and the meaning did not arrive
- I cannot hear you
- I do not want to listen
- I did not hear anything
Show the answer
I heard it and the meaning did not arrive It invites the other person to slow down rather than stop.
Someone says 你的中文很好. What is the expected response?
- wave it away, for example 哪里哪里
- say thank you and stop there
- correct them
- ask them to rate it
Show the answer
wave it away, for example 哪里哪里 It is politeness, not an assessment.
Which is correct for please speak a bit slower?
- 请说慢一点儿 qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎnr
- 请慢说一点儿 qǐng màn shuō yìdiǎnr
- 一点儿请说慢 yìdiǎnr qǐng shuō màn
- 请说一点儿慢 qǐng shuō yìdiǎnr màn
Show the answer
请说慢一点儿 qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎnr The degree, 一点儿, comes after the adjective it softens.
Type I speak a little in pinyin.
Show the answer
wǒ shuō yìdiǎnr 一点儿 is a little, and the r is the northern ending.
Question 1 of 8
Writing practice optional
Every character from today, in the order it came up. Watch it, trace it, then write it from memory.
Press Watch to see the stroke order.
Stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi via Hanzi Writer, Arphic Public License.
Character 1 of 34
This lesson is written by an English speaker who learned Mandarin as a second language, and it is waiting on a check by a native speaker. If you spot something off, please tell us and we will fix it.