Greetings
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello |
| 您好 | nín hǎo | hello (polite) |
| 早安 | zǎo'ān | good morning |
| 午安 | wǔ'ān | good afternoon |
| 晚安 | wǎn'ān | good evening / good night |
| 大家好 | dàjiā hǎo | hello everyone |
| 你好嗎 | nǐ hǎo ma | how are you? |
| 好久不見 | hǎojiǔ bújiàn | long time no see |
| 再見 | zàijiàn | goodbye |
| 拜拜 | báibai | bye-bye (casual) |
| 明天見 | míngtiān jiàn | see you tomorrow |
| 路上小心 | lùshàng xiǎoxīn | take care / get home safe |
Introducing yourself
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我姓王 | wǒ xìng Wáng | my surname is Wang |
| 我叫大衛 | wǒ jiào Dàwèi | I'm called David — swap in your own name |
| 我是美國人 | wǒ shì Měiguórén | I'm American |
| 我來自加州 | wǒ láizì Jiāzhōu | I'm from California |
| 很高興認識你 | hěn gāoxìng rènshì nǐ | nice to meet you |
| 我第一次來台灣 | wǒ dìyīcì lái Táiwān | it's my first time in Taiwan |
| 我來旅行 | wǒ lái lǚxíng | I'm here traveling |
| 請多指教 | qǐng duō zhǐjiào | please look after me / nice to meet you |
Thanks & apologies
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 謝謝 | xièxie | thank you |
| 謝謝你 | xièxie nǐ | thank you (to you) |
| 非常感謝 | fēicháng gǎnxiè | thank you very much |
| 太感謝了 | tài gǎnxiè le | thanks so much |
| 麻煩你了 | máfán nǐ le | sorry to trouble you / thanks for the help |
| 辛苦你了 | xīnkǔ nǐ le | thanks for your effort |
| 對不起 | duìbùqǐ | I'm sorry |
| 不客氣 | bú kèqì | you're welcome |
| 不會 | búhuì | you're welcome — very common in Taiwan |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | excuse me / sorry (everywhere in Taiwan) |
| 沒關係 | méiguānxì | it's okay / no problem — the reply to 對不起 |
| 沒事 | méishì | it's fine / no worries |
| 抱歉 | bàoqiàn | sorry (a bit formal) |
| 借過一下 | jièguò yíxià | excuse me, coming through |
Yes / no / okay
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 是 | shì | yes / that's right |
| 不是 | búshì | no / that's not right |
| 對 | duì | correct |
| 不對 | búduì | wrong / not correct |
| 好 | hǎo | okay / good |
| 不好 | bùhǎo | not good / no |
| 可以 | kěyǐ | okay / can do |
| 不行 | bùxíng | can't / not okay |
| 沒問題 | méi wèntí | no problem |
When you don't understand
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 請再說一次 | qǐng zài shuō yícì | please say that again |
| 請說慢一點 | qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn | please speak more slowly |
| 你說什麼 | nǐ shuō shénme | what did you say? |
| 什麼意思 | shénme yìsi | what does it mean? |
| 我聽不懂 | wǒ tīngbùdǒng | I don't understand (by ear) |
| 請寫下來 | qǐng xiě xiàlái | please write it down |
| 我懂了 | wǒ dǒng le | I got it |
| 我知道了 | wǒ zhīdào le | I understand / got it |
| 原來是這樣 | yuánlái shì zhèyàng | oh, I see / so that's how it is |
| 原來如此 | yuánlái rúcǐ | I see / that explains it |
| 真的嗎 | zhēnde ma | really? |
Asking the way
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 請問～在哪裡 | qǐngwèn ～ zài nǎlǐ | excuse me, where is ~? |
| 車站在哪裡 | chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ | where is the station? |
| 怎麼去 | zěnme qù | how do I get there? |
| 很遠嗎 | hěn yuǎn ma | is it far? |
| 走路可以到嗎 | zǒulù kěyǐ dào ma | can I walk there? |
| 往左邊 | wǎng zuǒbiān | to the left |
| 往右邊 | wǎng yòubiān | to the right |
| 一直走 | yìzhí zǒu | go straight |
Mini practice
How do you say 'excuse me / sorry' the way Taiwanese people do constantly?
不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) — for attention, light apologies, and opening requests.
'Please say it again'?
請再說一次 (qǐng zài shuō yícì). Add 請說慢一點 for 'slower please'.
How do you answer 謝謝?
不客氣 (bú kèqì) — 'you're welcome', or the very Taiwanese 不會 (búhuì). 沒關係 (méiguānxì) is how you answer 對不起.
How do you ask 'where is the station'?
車站在哪裡 (chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ).
