Lessons 1-10

Lesson 3 我认识王小姐。I know Ms. Wang.

经理 jīnglǐ Manager / 是 rènshi to Know (recognize) / 小姐 xiǎojiě Ms. /
先生 xiānshēng Mr.

认识 rènshi means to be acquainted with or familiar with something or someone. It can also mean to recognize or able to read (Chinese written characters, for instance).

A common title for men is 先生 xiānsheng, the character 先 xiān means "first" and the second character 生 shēng is a recurring component of many Mandarin Chinese words and can mean anything from "life" to "fresh". In this case, it means "born", so that 先生 xiānsheng literally means "first born (son)", a position of respect in traditional Chinese culture.

先生 xiānsheng is the equivalent of the English title "Mr."; although unlike in English, the title comes after the family name.

Example sentences:

你 认识 他 的 老师 吗？ Do you know his teacher?
Nǐ rènshi tā de lǎoshī ma?
You recognize-know he-of old-master question?

我 认识 他。 I know him.
Wǒ rènshi tā.
I recognize-know him.

我 认识 王 小姐。I know Ms. Wang.
Wǒ rènshi Wáng xiǎojiě.
I recognize-know Wang small-older-sister.

她 认识 这个 经理。She knows the manager.
Tā rènshi zhègè jīnglǐ.
She recognize-knows classic-logic.

他 不 认识 陈 先生。He doesn't know Mr. Chen.
Tā bú rènshi Chén xiānsheng.
He not recognize-know Chen first-born.

你 认识 我 姐姐 吗？ Do you know my older sister?
Nǐ rènshi wǒ jiějie ma?
You recognize-know I-of older sister question?

你 认识 杨 先生 吗？ Do you know Mr. Yang?
Nǐ rènshi Yáng xiānsheng ma?
You recognize-know Yang first-born question?

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Sound files for the example sentences:

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DIALOGUE

A 你认识王小姐吗?
   Nĭ rènshi Wáng xiăojiĕ ma?
   Do you know Ms. Wang?

B 认识, 她是我的经理。
   Rènshi, tā shì wŏ de jīnglĭ
   I know her, she is my manager.

A 你喜欢她吗?
   Nĭ xǐhuan tā ma?
   Do you like her?

B 喜欢, 我很喜欢王经理。
   Xǐhuan, wŏ hĕn xǐhuan Wáng jīnglĭ.
   Yes, I really like Manager Wang.

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Sound files for the dialogue:

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.