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Mandarin Day One Phrases
Greet, thank, ask the price, get by. 12+ essential phrases with phonetic pronunciation and 7 full conversation flows for day one situations in China.
Start learning freeEssential Day One Phrases in Mandarin
Sorted by usefulness. Phonetic pronunciation included.
ATM
ATM
ATM
一边
yee-byen
one side
一点
yee-dyen
a bit
七点
chee dyen
seven o'clock
九点
jyo dyen
nine o'clock
了
luh
(completed)
不下
boo shyah
can't anymore
乘
chung
ride
书
shoo
book
习
shee
study
又
yo
again
呢
nuh
and you? / what about?
...and 65 more day one phrases in the app.
Sample: Asking for help finding something
A real day one conversation in Mandarin -- both sides of the interaction.
You
请问
ching wun
Excuse me!
Them
shun-muh shuh
The person responds
怎么了？
dzun-muh luh
Yes?
You
厕所在哪里
tsuh-swaw dzai nah-lee
Where is the bathroom?
Them
juh dzoh yo jwahn
The person points the way
直走，右转
juh dzoh yo jwahn
Go straight, then turn right
You
远吗
ywen mah
Is it far?
Them
boo ywen hun jin
The person says it's very close
不远，很近，走五分钟
boo ywen hun jin dzoh woo fun-jong
No, very close. About 5 minutes
7 day one conversations available in the app.
FAQ
What happens when they answer back at the day one in China?
That's the hard part -- and exactly what TalkThere prepares you for. Each of the 7 day one conversations shows you the full back-and-forth: what you say, what they'll likely respond, and how to keep going. You won't freeze when they answer in Mandarin.
Is this enough to get by at a day one in China?
Yes. These are the 12+ phrases that actually come up in real day one interactions -- not textbook phrases. Sorted by how often you'll need them, with pronunciation you can read at a glance.
Do I need to learn Mandarin script to use this?
No. Every Mandarin phrase has phonetic pronunciation written in plain English. You read it like English and say it out loud. The script is there for reference, but you don't need it.
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