Lesson 2
Let’s use the basic greetings and common expressions we have learnt in the previous lesson to read a dialogue about meeting someone new and introducing ourselves.
Supplementary Vocab
| 也 | yě | also |
| 高兴 | gāoxìng | happy |
| 艾米丽 | Ài mǐ lì | Emily |
| 莉莉 | Lì li | Lily |
| 忙 | máng | busy |
| 书 | shū | book |
| 绿色 | lǜsè | green |
| 喜欢 | xǐhuan | to like |
Dialogue
Emily and her husband John have just travelled to Beijing, China and are staying at a hotel. Emily wakes up earlier so she goes down for breakfast alone the next morning. She meets a young lady named Lily.
艾米丽： 早上好。
莉莉：你好。
艾米丽：我是艾米丽。你叫什么名字？
莉莉：我叫莉莉。
艾米丽：很高兴见到你。
莉莉：我也很高兴。你好吗？
艾米丽：我很好。你呢？
莉莉：我也很好。
艾米丽：我先走了。
莉莉：好的，再见。
艾米丽：再见！
Emily: Zǎoshanghǎo.
Lily: Nǐhǎo.
Emily: Wǒ shì Àimǐlì. Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
Lily: Wǒ jiào Lìli.
Emily: Hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.
Lily: Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng. Nǐhǎoma?
Emily: Wǒ hěnhǎo. Nǐ ne?
Lily: Wǒ yě hěnhǎo.
Emily: Wǒ xiān zǒu le.
Lily: Hǎo de, zàijiàn.
Emily: Zàijiàn!
Try your best to understand the dialogue using the vocabulary lists and notes. However, if you are still unclear about something, click this box to see the English translation.
Emily: Good morning!
Lily: Hello.
Emily: I’m Emily. What’s your name?
Lily: My name is Lily.
Emily: Nice to meet you.
Lily: Nice to meet you too. How are you?
Emily: I’m good. And you?
Lily: I’m also good.
Emily: I have to go now.
Lily: Ok, bye.
Emily: Goodbye.
Notes
很 as a dummy-linking adverb
很 (hěn) is a Chinese adverb that is commonly used as a modifier for adjectives to indicate degree or extent. When 很 is attached to an adjective, it serves as a linking word to connect the subject of the sentence with the adjective, but it does not carry any additional meaning. Even though it is found in English-Chinese dictionaries to mean “very”, it actually doesn’t add any new information to the sentence. That is why it is often referred to as a “dummy-linking adverb”. 很 tells us that the adjective that follows is describing the subject of the sentence. In this way, it serves the role of the verb “is” in English.
Example: 我很忙。(wǒ hěn máng)
In this sentence, 很 (hěn) is used to link the subject 我 (wǒ), meaning “I,” with the adjective 忙 (máng), meaning “busy.” The resulting translation is “I am busy.”
However, this is not the only word that can equate to “is” in Chinese. When something is a fact (instead of indicating a degree) we use 是.
Uses of 是
1. Describing color
When describing facts like color. We use 是 (shì) instead of 很 in the form: Noun + “是” + Adjective + “的.”. For example:
我的书是绿色的。(Wǒde shū shì lǜsè de.)
My book is green.
2. To tell someone your name
If you want to introduce yourself, you could say “I am called” which would be “我叫” or you could use “I am” which is “我是”. For example:
我叫艾米丽。(Wǒ jiào Àimǐlì.) I’m called Emily.
我是艾米丽。(Wǒ shì Àimǐlì.) I am Emily.
How to use 也
The Chinese adverb 也 (yě) has the same meaning as the English words “too” or “also.” Unlike in English where “too” can be found at the end of the verb phrase, in Chinese, adverbs always precede the verb. Therefore, the adverb 也 (yě) should be inserted after the subject and before the verb phrase in the form: Subj. + 也 + Verb / Verb Phrase
我也很好。(Wǒ yě hěnhǎo.) I’m also good.
我也喜欢绿色。(Wǒ yě xǐhuan lǜsè.) I like green too.
Using 也 with negatives
To make a sentence with “也” negative, put the negative part “不” (bù) after the adverb “也” (yě) in the form: Subj. + 也 + 不 + Verb / Verb Phrase
Example:
我不喜欢绿色。（Wǒ bù xǐhuan lǜsè.) I don’t like green.
我也不喜欢绿色。(Wǒ yěbù xǐhuan lǜsè.) I don’t like green either.
What you’ve learnt
In this lesson you’ve applied basic greetings and common expressions you’ve learnt to read a dialogue, and learnt about how to use “很”, “是” and “也”.
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