question particle (turns sentence into yes/no question)
你是老师吗？
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?
Are you a teacher?
n. 名词
xuéshēng
学生
student
我是中文学生。
Wǒ shì Zhōngwén xuéshēng.
I am a Chinese student.
place. 国家/地点
Zhōngguó
中国
China
我来自中国。
Wǒ láizì Zhōngguó.
I am from China.
place. 国家/地点
Měiguó
美国
The United States of America
他是美国人。
Tā shì Měiguó rén.
He is American.
Quick Reference
生词速查表
快速查看本课生词、拼音、词性和英文释义；点击语音按钮可以复听标准读音。
#
汉字
拼音
词性
English
语音
1
你
nǐ
代词
you (singular, informal)
2
好
hǎo
形容词
good; well; fine
3
您
nín
代词
you (polite / respectful form)
4
你们
nǐmen
代词
you (plural) — "you all"
5
对不起
duìbuqǐ
礼貌用语
sorry; I apologize
6
没关系
méi guānxi
礼貌用语
it's OK; never mind; no problem
7
谢谢
xièxiè
礼貌用语
thank you; thanks
8
不
bù
副词
no; not (negation word)
9
不客气
bú kèqi
礼貌用语
you're welcome; don't mention it
10
再见
zàijiàn
礼貌用语
goodbye; see you again
11
叫
jiào
动词
to be called; my name is
12
什么
shénme
疑问词
what
13
名字
míngzì
名词
name (first name / full name)
14
我
wǒ
代词
I; me
15
是
shì
动词
to be (am / is / are)
16
老师
lǎoshī
名词
teacher
17
吗
ma
语气助词
question particle (turns sentence into yes/no question)
18
学生
xuéshēng
名词
student
19
中国
Zhōngguó
名词
China
20
美国
Měiguó
名词
The United States of America
💡 Tip: In Chinese, 您 (nín) is the polite form of 你 (nǐ). Use 您 when speaking to teachers, elders, or strangers you respect. Use 你 with friends and peers.
📝 Key Sentence Patterns — 常用句型
PATTERN 1 — Greeting
你/您/你们 + 好！
Use 好 (hǎo) after the pronoun to greet someone.
你好！
Nǐ hǎo!
Hello! (to a friend / peer)
您好！
Nín hǎo!
Hello! (to an elder / teacher / boss)
你们好！
Nǐmen hǎo!
Hello everyone!
PATTERN 2 — "To Be" Sentence
我/你/他/她 + 是 + [noun]
是 (shì) means "am/is/are". Add 不 before 是 to negate: 不是 = "is not".
我是学生。
Wǒ shì xuéshēng.
I am a student.
她是老师。
Tā shì lǎoshī.
She is a teacher.
我不是美国人。
Wǒ bù shì Měiguó rén.
I am not American.
PATTERN 3 — Asking Someone's Name
你叫什么名字？
The most natural way to ask "What is your name?" in Chinese.
你叫什么名字？
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?
What is your name?
我叫安娜。
Wǒ jiào Ānnà.
My name is Anna.
您叫什么名字？
Nín jiào shénme míngzì?
What is your name? (polite)
PATTERN 4 — Yes/No Question with 吗
[Statement] + 吗？
Add 吗 (ma) at the end of any statement to turn it into a yes/no question. No need to change word order!
你是学生吗？
Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?
Are you a student?
他是中国人吗？
Tā shì Zhōngguó rén ma?
Is he Chinese?
你好吗？
Nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you? / Are you well?
PATTERN 5 — Apology & Response
对不起 → 没关系
A natural apology-and-response pair used every day.
A: 对不起！ B: 没关系。
A: Duìbuqǐ! B: Méi guānxi.
A: I'm sorry! B: No problem.
PATTERN 6 — Thanks & Response
谢谢 → 不客气
The standard Chinese way to say thank you and respond.
A: 谢谢！ B: 不客气！
A: Xièxiè! B: Bú kèqi!
A: Thank you! B: You're welcome!
A: 谢谢老师！ B: 不客气。
A: Xièxiè lǎoshī! B: Bú kèqi.
A: Thank you, teacher! B: You're welcome.
💡 Grammar note: Chinese does NOT change word order for questions. Simply add 吗 at the end. Example: "你是学生。" (You are a student.) → "你是学生吗？" (Are you a student?)
💬 Situational Dialogues — 情景对话
📍 Scene 1: First day of Chinese class. A student meets the teacher at the door.
My name is Wang Li, I am your Chinese teacher. Welcome!
👦
Tom
谢谢您，王老师！
Xièxiè nín, Wáng lǎoshī!
Thank you, Teacher Wang!
👩🏫
Teacher Wang
不客气！
Bú kèqi!
You're welcome!
📍 Scene 2: Two classmates meet in the hallway and accidentally bump into each other.
🧑
Li Ming (李明)
哎，对不起！
Āi, duìbuqǐ!
Oh, I'm sorry!
👧
Anna (安娜)
没关系！你好，我是安娜。
Méi guānxi! Nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì Ānnà.
No problem! Hi, I am Anna.
🧑
Li Ming
你好！我叫李明。你是学生吗？
Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng. Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?
Hello! My name is Li Ming. Are you a student?
👧
Anna
是的，我是学生。你是中国人吗？
Shì de, wǒ shì xuéshēng. Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?
Yes, I am a student. Are you Chinese?
🧑
Li Ming
是的，我是中国人。再见，安娜！
Shì de, wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén. Zàijiàn, Ānnà!
Yes, I am Chinese. Goodbye, Anna!
👧
Anna
再见！
Zàijiàn!
Goodbye!
💡 Cultural note: When addressing a teacher in Chinese, you say their surname + 老师. For example: 王老师 (Teacher Wang). This is much more common than saying "Mr./Ms. Wang."
📖 Grammar Notes — 语法讲解
GRAMMAR 1 — Greetings 问候语
In Chinese, the most common greeting is 你好 (nǐ hǎo). It literally means "You good" but functions as "Hello." You adjust formality by changing the pronoun before 好.
Situation
Chinese
Pinyin
English
Greeting one friend / peer
你好！
Nǐ hǎo!
Hello!
Greeting a teacher / elder (polite)
您好！
Nín hǎo!
Hello! (respectful)
Greeting a group of people
你们好！
Nǐmen hǎo!
Hello everyone!
Asking how someone is
你好吗？
Nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you?
Saying goodbye
再见！
Zàijiàn!
Goodbye!
📌 More greeting examples:
王老师，您好！
Wáng lǎoshī, nín hǎo!
Hello, Teacher Wang! (polite)
同学们，你们好！
Tóngxuémen, nǐmen hǎo!
Hello, classmates!
A: 你好吗？ B: 我很好，谢谢！
A: Nǐ hǎo ma? B: Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè!
A: How are you? B: I'm fine, thank you!
GRAMMAR 2 — Polite Expressions 礼貌用语
These four polite phrases are used in everyday Chinese life. Mastering them will make you sound natural and respectful right away.
Chinese
Pinyin
English
When to use
谢谢
xièxiè
Thank you
After receiving help or a gift
不客气
bú kèqi
You're welcome
In response to 谢谢
对不起
duìbuqǐ
I'm sorry
When apologizing
没关系
méi guānxi
No problem / It's OK
In response to 对不起
📌 Dialogue examples:
A: 谢谢你帮我！ B: 不客气！
A: Xièxiè nǐ bāng wǒ! B: Bú kèqi!
A: Thank you for helping me! B: You're welcome!
A: 对不起，我来晚了！ B: 没关系。
A: Duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le! B: Méi guānxi.
A: Sorry, I'm late! B: No problem.
A: 谢谢老师！ B: 不客气，你们很努力。
A: Xièxiè lǎoshī! B: Bú kèqi, nǐmen hěn nǔlì.
A: Thank you, teacher! B: You're welcome, you all work very hard.
💡 Note:您 is a respectful form of 你. Use 您 for teachers, elders, bosses, and people you've just met in formal situations. Among friends and classmates, 你 is always fine.
GRAMMAR 3 — Using 是 (shì) "To Be"
是 (shì) is the Chinese verb "to be." Unlike English, it does NOT change form — it is always 是 regardless of the subject.
✅ Positive: Subject + 是 + Noun/Identity
我是学生。
Wǒ shì xuéshēng.
I am a student.
她是老师。
Tā shì lǎoshī.
She is a teacher.
我是中国人。
Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.
I am Chinese.
他是美国人。
Tā shì Měiguó rén.
He is American.
❌ Negative: Subject + 不是 + Noun/Identity
To negate 是, simply add 不 before it → 不是 (bù shì) = "is not / am not / are not"
我不是老师。
Wǒ bù shì lǎoshī.
I am not a teacher.
她不是美国人。
Tā bù shì Měiguó rén.
She is not American.
我不是中国人，我是日本人。
Wǒ bù shì Zhōngguó rén, wǒ shì Rìběn rén.
I am not Chinese, I am Japanese.
Subject
是 / 不是
Noun
Meaning
我
是
学生
I am a student
你
是
老师
You are a teacher
他
不是
中国人
He is not Chinese
她
不是
美国人
She is not American
GRAMMAR 4 — Question Particle 吗 (ma)
吗 (ma) is a question particle placed at the end of a statement to turn it into a yes/no question. This is unique to Chinese — you do not need to change the word order!
📐 Formula: [Statement] + 吗？
我是学生。
→
我是学生吗？
(I am a student.) → (Am I a student? / Are you a student?)
📌 Examples — Statement → Question with 吗:
你是学生。 → 你是学生吗？
Nǐ shì xuéshēng. → Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?
You are a student. → Are you a student?
他是老师。 → 他是老师吗？
Tā shì lǎoshī. → Tā shì lǎoshī ma?
He is a teacher. → Is he a teacher?
你是中国人。 → 你是中国人吗？
Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén. → Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?
You are Chinese. → Are you Chinese?
她叫安娜。 → 她叫安娜吗？
Tā jiào Ānnà. → Tā jiào Ānnà ma?
Her name is Anna. → Is her name Anna?
Question 吗？
Affirmative Answer
Negative Answer
你是学生吗？ Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?
是的，我是学生。 Shì de, wǒ shì xuéshēng.
不，我不是学生。 Bù, wǒ bù shì xuéshēng.
他是美国人吗？ Tā shì Měiguó rén ma?
是的，他是美国人。 Shì de, tā shì Měiguó rén.
不，他不是美国人。 Bù, tā bù shì Měiguó rén.
💡 Key difference from English: In English you reorder words to make a question ("He is a teacher" → "Is he a teacher?"). In Chinese, the word order stays the same — you just add 吗 at the end. This makes forming questions in Chinese much easier!
✏️ Practice Exercises — 随堂练习
Part A — Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer.
1 What does 您好 mean?
2 Someone says 对不起 to you. What do you reply?
3 How do you say "I am a student" in Chinese?
4 Which word means "what"?
5 To turn "你是老师" into a question, you add _____ at the end.
Part B — Fill in the Blank. Type the correct Chinese word (characters or pinyin accepted).
6 A: 谢谢！ B: ______！
7 你叫 ______ 名字？ (What is your name?)
8 我 ______ 学生。 (I am a student.)
⭐ Lesson Summary — 学习小结
Stroke Order
生词笔顺展示
需要练写时再展开。展开后才会加载笔顺组件和汉字数据，平时不会拖慢页面。
📋 Vocabulary Review Table
#
Character 汉字
Pinyin 拼音
English 英文
1
你
nǐ
you (informal)
2
好
hǎo
good; fine
3
您
nín
you (polite)
4
你们
nǐmen
you (plural)
5
对不起
duìbuqǐ
sorry
6
没关系
méi guānxi
no problem
7
谢谢
xièxiè
thank you
8
不
bù
no; not
9
不客气
bú kèqi
you're welcome
10
再见
zàijiàn
goodbye
11
叫
jiào
to be called
12
什么
shénme
what
13
名字
míngzì
name
14
我
wǒ
I; me
15
是
shì
to be (am/is/are)
16
老师
lǎoshī
teacher
17
吗
ma
question particle
18
学生
xuéshēng
student
19
中国
Zhōngguó
China
20
美国
Měiguó
USA
🗝️ Key Grammar Points
In this lesson you learned three important grammar rules:
① 是 (shì) sentences: Subject + 是 + Noun. To negate, use 不是. Example: 我是学生 / 我不是学生.
② 叫 (jiào) for names: 我叫 + [Name]. Literally "I am called ___". This is the most natural way to give your name.
③ Question particle 吗: Add 吗 to the end of any statement to make a yes/no question. No word order change needed!
💬 Must-Know Phrases
Situation
Chinese
Pinyin
Greet a friend
你好！
Nǐ hǎo!
Greet a teacher/elder
您好！
Nín hǎo!
Introduce yourself
我叫 ___。
Wǒ jiào ___.
Ask someone's name
你叫什么名字？
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?
Say thank you
谢谢！
Xièxiè!
Say you're welcome
不客气！
Bú kèqi!
Apologize
对不起！
Duìbuqǐ!
Accept an apology
没关系。
Méi guānxi.
Say goodbye
再见！
Zàijiàn!
🎉 Well done! You have completed HSK 1 Lesson 1. You now know 20 key words and 6 essential sentence patterns. Practice saying these phrases out loud every day — repetition is the key to fluency!
📖 Homework suggestion: Practice a 5-line self-introduction using: 你好 / 我叫 / 我是 / [country] 人 / 再见.
