🇨🇳 Chinese Small Talk & Introductions
Names, where you're from, and the magic words — 'more slowly, please'. The phrases that turn strangers into conversations. Read them below — then actually say them: recognising a phrase and producing it out loud are different skills, and only one helps you in the moment.
| English | Chinese | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| What's your name? | 你叫什么名字？ | nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? |
| My name is… | 我叫… | wǒ jiào… |
| Nice to meet you | 很高兴认识你 | hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ |
| Where are you from? | 你是哪里人？ | nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén? |
| I'm from… | 我来自… | wǒ láizì… |
| Do you speak English? | 你会说英语吗？ | nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma? |
| I speak a little | 我会说一点 | wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎn |
| I don't understand | 我不明白 | wǒ bù míngbai |
| Can you repeat that? | 请再说一遍 | qǐng zài shuō yí biàn |
| More slowly, please | 请说慢一点 | qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn |
| What do you do? | 你做什么工作？ | nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? |
| See you later! | 回头见！ | huítóu jiàn! |
How to make these stick
- Say each phrase out loud three times — your mouth learns separately from your eyes.
- Rehearse the scene: imagine the café or the street corner and act out both sides.
- Then use them in a real conversation — Yap gives you a 30-second spoken role-play with an AI tutor that responds, corrects gently, and never judges.
More Chinese phrases
Greetings & BasicsOrdering Food & DrinksAsking for DirectionsNumbers 1–10Shopping & MoneyEmergencies & HealthDays & Telling TimeHotel & Check-in