You already know a few Chinese phrases, but when a real conversation starts, you freeze. This page gives you structured speaking practice for three everyday situations: greeting someone appropriately, introducing yourself and asking about others, and making plans with a friend. Each exercise asks you to speak aloud, respond to a follow-up, and check your own output. The focus is on rehearsal, not new grammar rules. You will use phrases from the source lessons as anchors and build fluency by repeating them in slightly different contexts. No native-language instruction is introduced here; all guidance is in English, and you should rely on the sourced audio cards for pronunciation. The goal is to make your first thirty seconds of a Chinese conversation feel automatic and socially appropriate.
Preparation: Choose the Right Greeting Before You Speak
Before any practice, decide who you are talking to and what time of day it is. The source lessons show examples of 你好, 您好, 早上好, 早, and 嗨 in different situations. Use the context notes from those lessons to choose a greeting, then rehearse the selected line aloud once. For farewells, use the source example that fits the situation. When you are unsure, return to the lesson card and check the example rather than treating one phrase as universal. The point is to make a deliberate choice before you need it.
Handling the Harder Turn: When the Conversation Moves Beyond the Greeting
The real challenge is not the first hello but the second or third turn. After you greet someone, they may ask how you are, what your name is, or where you are from. The source dialogue shows a natural sequence: greet, exchange names, ask about nationality, then ask a yes/no question such as whether someone is a student. When you practice, do not just repeat the greeting; prepare to answer a follow-up and then ask one back. For example, if someone asks 你是哪国人？, you answer with 我是...人 and then ask 你呢？ to keep the conversation going. If you do not understand a follow-up, you can say 对不起，我不懂 (sorry, I don't understand) and ask them to repeat. The source lessons do not include that phrase, so treat it as a survival strategy, not a target-language lesson. The key is to stay in the conversation for one extra turn instead of stopping after hello. Practice this by having a friend or a recording ask you a follow-up immediately after your greeting. Your job is to respond without switching to English. If you need a moment, use a filler like 嗯 (a neutral sound) and then answer. The goal is to build the habit of continuing, not to be perfect.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
你好
Hello
nǐ hǎo (Mandarin); nei5 hou2 (Cantonese)
您好
Hello (polite)
nín hǎo
早上好
Good morning
zǎo shang hǎo
嗨
Hi
hāi
我叫...
My name is... / I am called...
wǒ jiào...
你叫什么名字？
What is your name?
nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
我是...人。
I am ... (nationality/from ...).
wǒ shì...rén.
你是哪国人？
What country are you from?
nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
你好，早上好！
Hello, good morning!早上好！您好吗？
Good morning! How are you?我很好，谢谢。再见！
I'm well, thank you. Goodbye!再见，明天见！
Goodbye, see you tomorrow!Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Morning Greeting with a Neighbour You Know Well
It is 8 a.m. in a residential building in Beijing. You step into the elevator and see your neighbour, Mrs. Chen, a woman in her sixties whom you have greeted many times before. You are on friendly terms but not close. She is holding a bag of groceries.
Your task: Greet her aloud in Mandarin. Choose between 早, 早上好, and 您好 based on the source guidance about formality. Then add one short sentence about the time of day or the weather, using only phrases you already know. Speak clearly and at a natural pace.
First Meeting at a Language Exchange
You are at a language exchange event in Shanghai. A young woman named Li Ming approaches you. You have never met her before. She smiles and says, '你好！我叫李明。你叫什么名字？' You are there to practice speaking, and you want to make a good first impression.
Your task: Respond aloud: give your name using 我叫..., then say 很高兴认识你. After that, ask her where she is from using 你是哪国人？. Speak each phrase clearly. Do not rush; pause between sentences if needed.
Inviting a Classmate to Lunch
You are in a Mandarin class in Toronto. After class on Thursday, you want to invite your classmate Wang Li to have lunch together on Saturday. You know she is usually free on weekends, but you are not sure about her schedule. You are speaking Mandarin to practice.
Your task: Invite her aloud. First ask if she is free this weekend using 这个周末你有空吗？. Then suggest having lunch together using 我们一起吃饭，怎么样？. Finally, propose a specific time: Saturday at 12 p.m. using 星期六中午十二点，好吗？. Say all three parts in sequence without stopping.
Common questions
I keep mixing up 你好 and 您好. How do I decide quickly in conversation?
Use 您好 when you are speaking to someone older, a teacher, a customer, or anyone you would address formally in your own culture. Use 你好 with peers, strangers your age, and service staff. If you are unsure, 你好 is safe. The source lessons mark 您好 as the respectful form, so treat it as the marked choice and 你好 as the default.
When someone asks me a yes/no question with 吗, can I just say 是 or 不是?
The source dialogue shows 是 and 不是 as answers to 你是学生吗？. In that pattern, repeating the verb is natural. For other 吗 questions, the source does not demonstrate bare 是 or 不是, so it is safer to repeat the relevant verb or adjective. For example, if asked 你有空吗？, answer 有空 or 没有空 rather than just 是. This keeps your answer clear and matches the pattern shown in the lessons.
Sources and further reading
- chinese: hello and goodbyeChecked September 2026
- chinese: introduce yourselfChecked September 2026
- chinese: make plansChecked September 2026
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