Lessons 1-10

Lesson 14 请问, 周小姐在哪里? Excuse me, where is Ms. Zhou?

请问 Qǐngwèn Excuse Me / 地铁 dìtiě Subway / 站 zhàn station
/ 姓 xìng Last name /

请 Qǐng is "please" and can be added to the beginning of any request or command to make it more polite.

问, wèn is a verb that means "to ask". So together, 请问 Qǐngwèn means "Please let me ask", the usage equivalent of "excuse me" or "pardon me" in English. You can add it to the front of any question to make it more polite.

贵 guì means "expensive" but it also carries the loftier meaning of "worthwhile" or "honorable". For instance, when asking about someone's family name,姓 xìng, it's often respectful to add 贵 guì in front of it.

Example sentences:

请问, 您 贵 姓? Excuse me, what is your last name?
Qǐngwèn, nín guì xìng?
Please ask, you-respected expensive last name?

请问, 你 的 学生 叫 什么 名字？ Excuse me, what is your student's name?
Qǐngwèn, nǐ de xuésheng jiào shénme míngzi?
Please ask, you of study-born called what name?

请问, 银行 在 哪里? Excuse me, where is the bank?
Qǐngwèn, yínháng zài nǎli?
Please ask, silver-profession is which-inside?

请问, 周 小姐 在 哪里? Excuse me, where is Ms. Zhou?
Qǐngwèn, Zhōu xiǎojiě zài nǎli?
Please ask, Zhou little-big-sister is which-inside?

请问, 学校 在 哪里? Excuse me, where is the school?
Qǐngwèn, xuéxiào zài nǎli?
Please ask, study-school is which-inside?

请问, 你 有 词典 吗？ Excuse me, do you have a dictionary?
Qǐngwèn, nǐ yǒu cídiǎn ma?
Please ask, you have phrases-canon question?

请问, 地铁 站 在 哪里? Excuse me, where is the subway station?
Qǐngwèn, dìtiě zhàn zài nǎli?
Please ask, earth-iron stand is which-inside?

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Sound files for the example sentences:

>> Download RL teacher reading these sentences (right click to save)

>> Download JN teacher reading these sentences (right click to save)


Dialogue:

A 请问, 厕所在哪里?
   Qĭngwèn, cèsuŏ zài nălĭ?
   Excuse me, where is the restroom?

B 在那里。
   Zài nàlĭ.
   It’s there.

A 谢谢你。
   Xièxiè nĭ.
   Thank you.

B 不用谢 。
   Bù yòng xiè
   No need to thank me.

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Sound files for the dialogue:

>> Download MQ teacher and VG teacher performing this dialogue (right click to save)

>> Download DL teacher and DP teacher performing this dialogue (right click to save)

Lessons 11-20
Lessons 21-30
Lessons 31-40
Lessons 41-50
Lessons 51-60
Lessons 61-70
Lessons 71-80
Lessons 81-90
Lessons 91-100
Lessons 101-110
Lessons 111-120
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The Mandarin language is not as difficult as you might think. There’s a reason why it’s the world’s most spoken language! A lingua franca for much of Northern China since the Yuan dynasty, Mandarin has a simple, no-nonsense grammatical system and a vocabulary that builds upon itself. So don’t be daunted! You too can speak this beautiful language.