The Chinese you need.
CHINESE PHRASES
Taxi’s are hard to navigate huh? Trust me, I’ve been there. Many times. Dumb-struck, and not knowing how to respond or what to say.
If you’re struggling with basic direction vocab in a taxi in China, watch this series of videos to get you started.
When you instruct a driver to “turn up ahead” they might confirm by responding with the following phrase..
CHINESE PHRASES
Today, I’m in one of my go-to lunch spots Mr.Hero. They do sandwiches and easy stuff to eat on the move.
Today we’re gonna learn how to ask “what is the best thing that people order here?” Or, in simpler terms, what the server recommends.
Sometimes the choice is overwhelming, maybe you aren’t sure what some of the menu items are, who knows whether they’ll have an English menu. This phrase makes sure you always have a happy tummy, and maybe you get to try something new? Who knows.
This phrase can be used in any restaurant or cafe.
CHINESE PHRASES
Today, I’m in a Chinese bakery.
Before you get ahead of yourself. Let’s learn to ask “What’s inside?”.
You don’t want to get stuck with a weird filling. I learned the hard way, that they definitely aren’t all the same. And, some of them really aren’t very tasty!
CHINESE PHRASES
Do you want to know my all-time secret tips for learning Chinese?
Talk to locals. Ask questions. Be brave enough to fail. No one is going to laugh at you, sometimes your tones might be off and your ego might deflate slightly, but generally, you’ll encounter upbeat locals who are delighted to help you with your Chinese.
Know a word but not a phrase? Deconstruct it to the simplest form and ask them how they’d say it, like a local. Write it down, or better yet, get them to write it down in pinyin and Chinese characters, and revise later. Repeat the same actions and phrases to memories them, and flashcards. Oh yeah, add them to your flashcard deck to sneak in new useful vocab.
QUICKFIRE PHRASES
Is daily China life frustrating, because ting bu dong?
I totally understand you. But listen to me, you’ve got this!
Elementary Chinese teaches you the everyday language you need, to communicate what you want. That might be how to order food in a restaurant, how to study for the HSK exams, how to talk to your Cab Driver, or how to get over that fear of talking to delivery drivers on the phone.
Whatever you need, there is a video for you to improve your vocab or enhance your tones.
CHINESE VOCAB
If you live in China you’ll undoubtedly have visited a Chinese hospital, drank some crazy Chinese medicine, had communication barriers with the Doctors and Nurses and found yourself with a prescription of a billion different medicines and instructions.
Being sick in a foreign country can be super overwhelming, especially when you’re far away from family members and loved ones. Who’s gonna make your soup, bring you blankets and love you unconditionally when you’re all bunged up?
Side note: this video was filmed in September 2019. I am healthy and my heart goes out to those quarantined in China, and globally at this time.
In this video, I visit the hospital and break down some of the basic phrases you need to know to communicate effectively with your Doctor or Nurse.
Also, when I first arrived in China I was super surprised to be visiting a hospital for something as simple as a cold. Clinics and Doctors Surgeries are not so common, for most illnesses you go straight to the hospital and they’ll
I’ve known expats who have taken Chinese colleagues or friends with them to the hospital to help with translation. It really helps when you’re in distress to be with someone you trust has your best interests at heart and can speak the language fluently. However, don’t get sucked into this trap of asking someone to speak for you. Actively seek out new words and situations that expand your Chinese vocab.
Finally, always check with your insurance before visiting a hospital. Most insurances work with a number of approved hospitals, so make sure you’re covered before getting treatment and ending up with a huge bill that the insurance won’t cover.
Now, for those phrases:
I have a cold.
我感冒了
wǒ gǎn mào le
Fever
发烧
fā shāo
Headache
头疼
tóu téng
Dizziness
头晕
tóu yūn
Nausea 🤢
恶心
é xīn
Vomit
呕吐
óu tù
Diarrhea
拉肚子
lā dù zi
If you want to be confident that your tones sound good when you speak Mandarin, and you want strategies to effectively learn Chinese on your own, then I’m here to help you! 🙌🏾
A quick and important disclosure:
Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. I recommend them because they are helpful and useful.
