Sing along: A traditional Chinese song

‘Find a friend’ (找朋友Zhǎo péng yǒu) is a traditional song in China.

Children of different generations are taught it and you can sing along to it too.

It is important to remember that singing in Mandarin changes the tones.

Conversations with friends in Mandarin

Below are some common daily conversations in Mandarin.

Try practising them with your friend (朋友péng yǒu).

Tom:你好！你好吗？Nǐ hǎo! Nĭ hăo ma? – Hello! How are you?

Mary:我很好。你呢？Wǒ hěn hǎo. Nǐ ne? – I’m very good. And you?

Tom:非常好！Fēi cháng hǎo! – Great!

Tom:你叫什么？Nǐ jiào shén me? – What’s your name?

Mary:你好！我叫玛丽。你呢？Wǒ jiào mǎ lì. Nǐ ne? – My name is Mary. And you?

Tom:我叫汤姆。很高兴认识你！你几岁了？Wǒ jiào tāng mǔ. Hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ! Nǐ jǐ suì le? – My name is Tom. Nice to meet you! How old are you?

Mary:我六岁了。你呢？Wǒ liù suì le. Nǐ ne? – I’m six years old. What about you?

Tom:我七岁了。Wǒ qī suì le. – I’m seven years old.

Mary:我住在威尔士。你住在哪里？Wǒ zhù zài Wēi ěr shì. Nǐ zhù zài nǎ lǐ? – I live in Wales. Where do you live?

Tom:我住在英格兰。Wǒ zhù zài Yīng gé lán. – I live in England.

Mary:今天天气不错！Jīn tiān tiān qì bú cuò! – It’s a nice day (literally: Today’s weather is not bad).

Tom:是的，我喜欢北京的春天。Shì de, wǒ xǐ huān běi jīng de chūn tiān. – Yes, I like Beijing in the spring.

Tom:你去哪儿？Nǐ qù nǎ er? – Where are you going?

Mary:我去公园。那里好玩。Wǒ qù gōng yuá. Nà li hǎo wán. – I am going to the park. It’s fun there.

Tom:你怎么去？Nǐ zěn me qù? – How are you getting there?

Mary:我骑自行车去。Wǒ qí zì xíng chē qù. – I ride a bike.

Tom:我经常在公园踢足球。Wǒ jīng cháng zài gōng yuán tī zú qiú . – I often play football at the park.

Mary:太好啦！我也喜欢足球。Tài hǎo lā! Wǒ yě xǐ huān zú qiú. – Great! I like football also.

Tom:我们一起去吧！Wǒ men yī qǐ qù ba! – Let’s go there together!