Is your trip to China approaching? Here are the words and expressions useful to know before leaving!
Unlike Romanesque languages, such as Spanish, Italian or Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese does not in any case resemble French. It will be difficult for you to improvise bilingual at the last minute by taking your best accent!
Unlike what one might believe, Chinese do not master English. It would therefore be wise to have some basics in the local language. Indeed, it will make life easier, and there is nothing better to immerse yourself in a new culture. Moreover, you will only be better welcomed! It is always a pleasure for the locals to see that a tourist is making adaptation efforts!
So, if you want to have some notions of Mandarin Chinese before you go there and avoid being completely lost when you arrive, here are the words, phrases and expressions to know before going to China!
Pronunciation in Chinese: pinyin and tones
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The pinyin
The pinyin is the official transcript of Mandarin Chinese. It uses the Latin alphabet but does not read as French, so it is necessary to master it well.
The tones of the pinyin
In Mandarin Chinese, each syllable can have 5 different intonations (tons):
- 1st tone: mā 妈 (maman) is the tone high
- 2nd tone: má 麻 (hemp) is the tone
- 3rd tone: mimiento ✱ (cheval) is the low tone
- 4th tone: me 骂 (insulting) is the tone descending
- 5th tone: my cellulose is the neutral tone
Let's now go to survival vocabulary to learn in Chinese for your next trip to China!
Common words and basic expressions
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Here are some essential words to learn in Mandarin Chinese. In view of the number of times you will be asked to say hello or goodbye during your stay, you better know them! You are a tourist, of course, but with some notions of Chinese anyway!
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Words and expressions to ask for their way or take a taxi
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Whether you want to go to your hotel, find a restaurant or go to the airport, you will be asked to go or take the taxi. Here are the words and expressions that will help you move and spot yourself in China.
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Useful expressions at the hotel
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The first place you will visit when you arrive in China will probably be your accommodation. So you were drawn up a list of useful words and phrases to learn in Chinese to make you understand in a hotel.
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The expressions to know to manage at the restaurant
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Another place where you will visit frequently on your trip to China: the restaurant. With these few phrases, you will undoubtedly be able to restore you without great difficulty.
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Words and expressions for shopping in China
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Whether you’re buying a simple bottle of water at the supermarket, you’ll be happy by spitting on traditional Chinese clothes or objects, or to bring back memories to your loved ones, you’ll necessarily have to make shopping in China. Here are a few phrases to learn in Chinese to make your life easier during your shopping trips.
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Figures
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Whether it's for street numbers, prices, or a quantity (of people, tickets to buy), knowing Chinese numbers will be useful daily!
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You now have all the cards in hand for your trip to China! Ready for takeoff?
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