Mandarin Chinese Basics: Greetings, Pronunciation & Classroom Phrases

A set of Q&A flashcards covering greetings, apologies, classroom commands, pinyin initials/finals, and tonal basics from the lecture notes.

How do you say "hello" in Mandarin using the informal everyday greeting?

你好 (nǐ hǎo)

Which Mandarin greeting is the polite or formal way to say "hello" to elders or superiors?

您好 (nín hǎo)

What is the plural form of "hello" used to greet a group of people?

你们好 (nǐmen hǎo)

Which phrase would you use to apologize in Mandarin?

对不起 (duìbuqǐ) – “sorry”

What phrase is commonly used to respond to an apology, meaning "it's okay" or "never mind"?

没关系 (méiguānxi)

In pinyin, what do the letters b, p, m and f represent within a syllable structure?

Initials (声母) – the consonants that begin a syllable

Which three pinyin initials represent the alveo-palatal consonants in Mandarin?

j, q, x

What term is given to the vowels or vowel combinations that follow an initial consonant in Mandarin syllables?

Finals (韵母)

Name three simple finals listed in the notes.

i (yī), u (wū), ü (yū) – any three simple finals

How many main tones does Mandarin Chinese have?

Four main tones

Write the tone marks for the syllable “a” as an example of the four Mandarin tones.

ā, á, ǎ, à

Which classroom command means "class begins" or "let's start class"?

上课 (shàngkè)

Which Mandarin phrase tells students that "class is over"?

下课 (xiàkè)

How do you say "take a break now" in Mandarin?

现在休息 (xiànzài xiūxi)

What classroom instruction means "look at the blackboard"?

看黑板 (kàn hēibǎn)

Which phrase instructs students to "read after me"?

跟我读 (gēn wǒ dú)

How do you say "thank you, everyone" in Mandarin?

谢谢大家 (xièxie dàjiā)

In Mandarin syllable structure, what are the two main components that combine to form a full syllable?

An initial (声母) and a final (韵母)