HSK 1 · Introductions, Identity and Polite Exchanges
HSK · HSK · HSK 1 Sujet 1 3:34 Narration en anglais · Sous-titres anglais + 中文 incrustés
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Transcript
Your first Chinese conversation. Say who you are, ask who someone is, and learn the four polite words that open every exchange. And meet one tiny word, ma, which turns any statement into a yes-or-no question. It is the smallest grammar you will learn today, and it will follow you for the rest of your Chinese life.
Two verbs, two jobs. Jiao introduces a name: wo jiao Lin An, my name is Lin An, literally I'm called Lin An. Shi links who you are: wo shi xuesheng, I am a student, and it works for teacher, doctor, anybody. Two different jobs, two different words, and swapping them is the beginner's first error. Say both sentences aloud with your own name and your own identity.
Meet ma. Start with a statement: wo shi laoshi, I am a teacher. Add ma at the end and change I to you: ni shi laoshi ma, are you a teacher. What changed? Only ma, at the end, because nothing else in a Chinese question moves. This is the easiest grammar in the whole language, and the try-it turns your own sentence: turn wo shi xuesheng into ni shi xuesheng ma, are you a student.
Now the other kind of question. Ni jiao shenme mingzi, what's your name, already asks for information, because shenme means what, so it takes no ma. Adding ma to a question-word question is the classic beginner error. The yes-or-no kind, are you a teacher, takes ma. And the negative: bu slides in front of shi, wo bu shi laoshi, I'm not a teacher, and nothing else moves either.
Four words open and close every Chinese exchange. Ni hao for greeting, xiexie for thanks, duibuqi for apology, zaijian for leaving. Run the whole loop with a partner: ni hao, ni jiao shenme mingzi, wo jiao, xiexie, zaijian. In role-play, invent a name and an identity, and never use real contact details, because a classroom dialogue is practice, not a directory. One more habit from the handout: pinyin helps you hear the sounds, but the test reads characters, so keep learning both together.
Two watch-outs keep your practice honest. First, pinyin helps you hear the sounds, but the test reads characters, so treat pinyin as scaffolding and the characters as the building, learning both together from day one. Second, in role-play invent a name and an identity, because a classroom dialogue is practice, not a directory, and real contact details do not belong in an exercise.
Pause and check both. First, jiao introduces a name, wo jiao, while shi links identity, wo shi. Second, no: ni jiao shenme mingzi already asks for information, so it takes no ma. The remaining review items: turning wo shi laoshi into a question takes only ma, and the leaving word is zaijian. You can now hold a thirty-second Chinese conversation from hello to goodbye.