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Getting started with Chinese 1
Getting started with Chinese 1

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2 Asking ‘how about you?’

Listen to this short conversation, where two people exchange greetings. Listen to it several times to see if you can catch what they are saying. Reveal the transcript whilst listening, if that helps.

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Activity 2

Now read the transcript below and translate the last two sentences into English, paying attention to the words in bold. Click on ‘Reveal answer’ to check your answer.

Female: Nǐ hǎo mǎ?

Male: Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?

Female: hěn hǎo.

Answer

ne? means ‘How about you…?’ or ‘And you?’. Ne is a question particle often added after a personal pronoun or a proper noun, which is used to form a follow-up question in a known context, without the need to repeat the whole question.

hěn hǎo means ‘I am very well too’ (lit. ‘I also very well’). The adverb (also, too) can never be put at the beginning or end of a sentence. It is usually placed before the verb or verb-adjective.

Activity 3

Listen to the same recording again and drag the right sentences into the blanks to complete the conversation, according to what you hear. Listen as many times as you wish. Only reveal the transcript, when you have completed the activity.

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