| Knowledge
The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach. | Practices
The skills, strategies, and applications to teach. | | Knowledge
The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach. | Practices
The skills, strategies, and applications to teach. | |
Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| - Chinese-speaking communities and countries use a variety of regional dialects. Mandarin Chinese is also known as Putonghua in China, Guoyu in Taiwan, and Huayu in Singapore and among Chinese communities in Malaysia.
- While Cantonese is widely spoken in Hong Kong and Macau, Mandarin is also used in formal settings and education.
| - Recognising and producing letters and sounds of the target language in pinyin
- Mimicking tone and identifying accent pronunciation in simple high-frequency words and short, simple formulaic phrases
| Pinyin initials and consonant sounds - ‘zh’ for ‘zhōng’ 中 (middle)
- ‘ü’ for ‘nǚ’ 女 (female, woman)
- ‘r’ for ‘rén’ 人 (person)
- ‘q’ for ‘qǐng’ 请 (please).
| | - Reading, spelling, and producing Chinese words, simple expressions, and formulaic phrases in pinyin
- Mimicking the pronunciation, stress, intonation, and rhythm in common expressions and simple sentences
- Recognising and using tone symbols and intonation
- Identifying and distinguishing between similar-sounding phonemes and words in pinyin
| Unique spelling or pronunciations - initials: j, q, x, z, c
- finals: ‘ü’ as in ‘nǚ’ 女 (woman)
- retroflex sounds: zh, ch, sh, r.
Tone changes Typing |
| - Pinyin is a romanised alphabet system developed in China and is used to represent the pronunciation of Chinese characters.
- Each pinyin is represented by a single syllable consisting of an initial (beginning part), final (vowel part), and tone (pitch contour).
- Tone pitch can change meanings of words.
- There are four tones (plus a neutral tone). A tone mark is placed over the main vowel, for example:
- mā (1st tone)
- má (2nd tone)
- mǎ (3rd tone)
- mà (4th tone)
- ma (neutral tone).
- Pronunciation of pinyin initial and consonant sounds sometimes differs from English:
- ‘zh’ — like the ‘jur’ in ‘jury’
- ‘ch’ — like the ‘chur’ in ‘church’
- ‘sh’ — like the ‘shir’ in ‘shirt’
- ‘r’ — like the ‘r’ in ‘treasure’
- ‘z’ — like the ‘ds’ in ‘kids’
- ‘c’ — like the ‘ts’ in ‘cats’
- ‘s’ — like the ‘s’ in ‘sun’
- ‘j’ — like the ‘j’ in ‘jeep’
- ‘q’ — like the ‘ch’ in ‘cheese’
- ‘x’ — like ‘she’.
| - Challenging spelling and pronunciation of initials, finals, and retroflex sounds (which involve curling the tongue back).
- Tone changes in Chinese Mandarin follow specific rules to maintain the natural flow of speech.
- It is possible to type pinyin using a standard keyboard.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - Chinese calligraphy is a deeply traditional Chinese art form which is commonly used in festive decorations. Messages and blessings are often handwritten to express wishes for prosperity, happiness, and good fortune.
| - Recognise the features of the Chinese writing system, identifying how character structure, position, and component sequences relate to the form and meaning of a character.
| - 你好 (nǐ hǎo) (hello) = 你 (nǐ) (you) + 好 (hǎo) (well, good)
- 国 (guó) is the simplified Chinese character for ‘country’, while the traditional Chinese version is 國.
| | - Recognising and writing basic components and words in characters
| Basic characters - 上 (shàng) (up, above)
- 下 (xià) (down, below, under).
- 人 (rén) (person)
- 口 (kǒu) (mouth)
- 山 (shān) (mountain)
- 日 (ri) (day, sun)
- 月 (yuè) (month, moon)
- 水 (shuǐ) (water)
- 木 (mù) (tree)
- 女 (nǚ) (female)
- 火 (huǒ) (fire).
How characters are structured - up–down: 岁 (suì)
- left–right: 好 (hǎo)
- inside–outside: 国 (guó).
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| - Each Chinese character is written in a square and represents one syllable and a single unit of meaning.
- Words in Chinese may be formed from a single character or multiple characters, with each character contributing to the word’s overall meaning.
- Strokes, stroke order, and character structure are important features of learning to write characters.
- Radicals and components are building blocks of Chinese characters and often provide clues about the meaning or category of the character.
- Despite many different spoken dialects of Chinese, people generally use the same written form.
- Chinese is written in two main forms (simplified and traditional characters), which are used in different communities and countries. Although the written characters differ, the pronunciation remains the same. In this New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), simplified Chinese is used.
| - Stroke order refers to the correct sequence of writing strokes in Chinese characters.
- Chinese characters have different structural layouts, such as top–bottom, left–right, and inside–outside.
- Components of a Chinese character often provide clues about its meaning (e.g. the radicals 女 (nǚ) (female) and 人 (rén) (person) suggest gender in the characters 她 (tā) (she) and 他 (tā) (he) even though both are pronounced the same).
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - When greeting someone formally or respectfully, it is common to place the person’s title, rank, or surname first, followed by the greeting.
| - Using greetings and farewells for a range of different contexts
| - 你好 (nǐ hǎo) (‘Hello’)
- 您好 (nín hǎo) (‘Hello’ — polite form)
- 老师好 (lǎo shī hǎo) (‘Hello, teacher’)
- 同学们好 (tóng xué men hǎo) (‘Hello, classmates’)
- 早 (zǎo) (‘Morning’)
- 早上好 (zǎo shàng hǎo) (‘Good morning’)
- 再见 (zài jiàn) (‘Goodbye’).
| - In Chinese culture, people tend to make less direct eye contact when communicating with seniors or those in authority, as a sign of respect.
- In Chinese culture, people often address family friends and elders using kinship terms (like ‘uncle’ and ‘aunty’) as a way to show respect and social hierarchy.
- In Chinese culture, people are usually addressed by their surname and a respectful title to show politeness and acknowledge relationships, age, and social roles, especially when speaking to family members, elders, or professionals.
| - Using greetings and farewells in formal contexts
- Using terms of address and honorific forms
| Formal introductions to a group - 大家好 (dàjiā hǎo) (‘Hello, everyone’)
- 老师们好 (lǎoshīmen hǎo) (‘Hello, teachers’)
- 同学们好 (tóngxuémen hǎo) (‘Hello, classmates’).
Addressing titles - 王老师好 (wáng lǎoshī hǎo) (‘Hello, Mr (teacher) Wang’)
- 校长好 (xiàozhǎng hǎo) (‘Hello, principal’)
- 爷爷好 (yéye hǎo) (‘Hello, Grandfather’)
- use 叔叔 (shūshu) (uncle) and 阿姨 (āyí) (aunty) to address parents’ friends
- use 哥哥 (gēge) and 姐姐 (jiějie) to communicate with older cousins and friends of your older siblings
Language to support introductions - 很高兴认识你 (hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ ) (‘Nice to meet you’)
- 你怎么样？(Nǐ zěnme yàng?) (‘How are you?’)
Extending introductions - 我是学生 (wǒ shì xué sheng) (‘I am a student’)
- 我不是老师 (wǒ bú shì lǎoshī) (‘I am not a teacher’)
- 老师们很好。（lǎoshīmen hěn hǎo) (‘Teachers are nice‘)
Introducing nationalities Where you live - 你住在哪里？(nǐ zhù zài nǎlǐ) (‘Where do you live?’)
- 我住在 (wǒ zhù zài) (‘I live in …’).
Open-ended greetings - 你怎么样? (nǐ zěnme yàng) (‘How are you?’).
Possible responses - 我还好 (wǒ hái hǎo) (‘I am okay/not bad’)
- 我很累 (wǒ hěn lèi) (‘I am tired’)
- 我很忙 (wǒ hěn máng) (‘I am busy’)
- 我很开心 (wǒ hěn kāixīn) (‘I am happy’).
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| - There are different greetings and farewells depending on context (e.g. formal, informal, time of day).
- 您好 (nín hǎo) is a polite form of greeting when greeting seniors, teachers, or people in higher positions.
- 你好 (nǐ hǎo) has two syllables, and each part carries its own meaning (e.g. 你 Nǐ (you), 好 Hǎo (good, well), when put together, it literally means ‘you good’.
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- [title] + 好 (hǎo)!’ is a polite and respectful way to greet people in Mandarin.
- 是 (shì) is equivalent to the English verb ‘to be’. It links a subject to the noun or noun phrase. The negative form is 不是 (bú shì).
- Personal pronoun plus 们 (men) equals plural pronoun, for example:
- 老师 (lǎoshī) (teacher)
- 老师们 (lǎoshī (men) (teachers).
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - Greetings, expressions of politeness, and self-introductions often follow cultural norms, including respectful language and gestures such as a slight nod or handshake (depending on the context).
- Chinese people usually say their family name first before their given name, reflecting cultural values of family and collectivism and to show respect to ancestors.
- When meeting someone new, Chinese people often introduce themselves with their full name.
| - Introducing themselves and others and responding to introductions appropriately
| Ask somebody’s name - 你叫什么(名字)？(nǐ jiào shénme (míngzi) (‘What is your name?’)
- 我叫 (wǒ jiào) (‘My name is …’, ‘I am called …’)
Giving surnames - 你姓什么？(nǐ xìng shénme) (‘What is your surname/family name?’)
- 我姓 (wǒ xìng) (‘My surname is …’).
Introducing others Ask others how they are and respond appropriately when asked - 你好吗？(nǐ hǎo ma) (‘How are you?’)
- 我很好 (wǒ hěn hǎo) (‘I am very well’)
- 我不太好 (wǒ bú tài hǎo) (‘I am not well’)
- 你呢？(nǐ ne) (‘And you?’)
- 马马虎虎 (mǎ mǎ hūhu) (‘Okay’).
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| - The pronoun ‘tā’ sounds the same when referring to ‘he’, ‘she’, and ‘it’ and is only distinguished by context. However, in writing, each form is represented by a different character: 他 (he), 她 (she), and 它 (it).
- 马马虎虎 (mǎmǎhūhū), literally meaning ‘horse, horse, tiger, tiger’, is an idiom used to mean ’so-so’ or ‘okay’, depending on context.
- Use 呢 (ne) after a noun or pronoun to ask about someone or something that was just mentioned to continue conversation.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - When reflecting the hierarchical nature of Chinese family culture, individuals traditionally refer to family members by their generational and relational titles, rather than using personal names (e.g. ‘dà gē’ for eldest brother or ‘èr jiě’ for second sister).
| - Communicating about their family members
| Omission of 的 when referring to close family members - 我 (的) 爸爸 (wǒ (de) bàba) (my dad)
- 你 (的) 弟弟 (nǐ (de) dìdi) (your younger brother)
- 他 (的) 妹妹 (tā (de) mèimei) (his younger sister)
Communicating about family members - 她是谁？(tā shì shuí/shéi?) (‘Who is he/she?’)
- 他/她是 (tā shì …) (‘He/she is [role, title, name]’)
- 他是我爸爸 (tā shì wǒ bàba) (‘He is my dad’)
- 他不是我妹妹 (tā búshì wǒ mèimei) (‘She is not my younger sister’)
Communicating about names and ages of family members - 我姐姐叫 Angela (wǒ jiějie jiào Angela) (‘My older sister is called Angela’)
- 我弟弟十岁 (wǒ dìdi shí suì) (‘My younger brother is 10 years old’).
| - In modern Chinese societies, kinship concepts can be used beyond their literal and familial meanings, including a wider group of close family friends, acquaintances, or even respectful strangers, for example:
- 哥哥 (gēge) (older brother)
- 姐姐 (jiějie) (older sister)
- 叔叔 (shūshu) (uncle)
- 阿姨 (āyí) (aunty).
- In Chinese culture and communities, there are distinct titles for nearly every family member, reflecting a traditionally hierarchical system.
- Family plays a central role in Chinese culture. There is a strong sense of duty and responsibility towards one’s family.
- Family reunion is a central theme in many traditional Chinese festivals (e.g. Chinese New Year).
- Family is a deeply held value across many cultures, and Chinese culture is similar to the concept of whānau in Māori, which reflects strong kinship and community ties.
- Repeating syllables in Chinese is a natural and common way to express closeness or affection (e.g. family members and nicknames).
| | How many people are in your family? - 你家有几口人？(nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén) (‘How many people are in your family?’)
- 我家有 … 口人 (wǒ jiā yǒu … kǒu rén) (‘There are … people in my family’)
Who is in your family? - 你家有谁？ (nǐ jiā yǒu shuí/shéi) (‘Who is in your family?’)
- 我家有 … (wǒ jiā yǒu) (‘My family has …’)
- 你有 … 吗？ (nǐ yǒu … ma?) (‘Do you have …?’)
Number of siblings and pets - 我有两个哥哥 (wǒ yǒu liǎng gè gēge) (‘I have two older brothers’)
- 我家有四口人 (wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén) (‘I have four family members’)
- 我有一只狗 (wǒ yǒu yì zhī gǒu) (‘I have a dog’)
- 我没有 … (wǒ méi yǒu) (‘I don’t have …’)
Describing family members |
| - 谁 meaning ‘who’ can be pronounced ‘shuí’ (original pronunciation, older and more formal) or ‘shéi’ (has become more common in everyday speech).
- Personal pronouns are foundational elements of communication, such as:
- 我 (wǒ) (I, me)
- 你 (nǐ) (you)
- 他 (tā) (he, him)
- 她 (tā) (she, her).
- In Chinese, there is no direct equivalent of the English pronoun ‘it’, as used in sentences like ‘It is fun’ (e.g. 它 (tā) (‘it’) is used to refer to animals or objects (not people). It shares the same pronunciation as 他 (he) and 她 (she), but the character is different).
- To express possession (indicating that something belongs to someone), the structural particle 的 (de) is added after a pronoun, forming possessive expressions, such as:
- 我的 (wǒ de) (my, mine)
- 你的 (nǐ de) (your, yours)
- 他的 (tā de) (his)
- 她的 (tā de) (her).
- When referring to close personal relationships, especially immediate family members, romantic partners, or close friends, it is common and more natural to omit 的 (de). This omission reflects emotional closeness and familiarity.
| - Chinese (Mandarin) has a set of basic pronouns used to refer to people or things, helping to avoid repetition in speech and writing.
- Unlike in English, question words in Mandarin Chinese are not placed at the beginning of a sentence. Instead, they usually appear in the same position as the information they replace (often in the middle or at the end of the sentence).
- 有 (yǒu) (to have) indicates possession and existence of something (e.g. ‘there is’ or ‘there are’).
- 谁 (shéi/shuí) (who) is a question word used to ask about a person.
- 几 (jǐ) (how many/how much) is a question word used to ask about numbers or quantity.
- In Mandarin Chinese, measure words (also known as counters) are used when counting or referring to nouns.
- Different counters are used depending on the category (e.g. Objects, people, family members, animals):
- 个 (ge) is the basic counter for almost everything
- 口 (kǒu) is the counter for family members
- 只 (zhī) is the most commonly used counting word for most animals, except fish and horses.
- 两 (liǎng) (two of something) is used before measure words and nouns and in time and quantity expressions.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | | - Communicating about the days of the week and months of the year
| Days of the week - Monday to Saturday are 星期 plus the corresponding number, from one to six, for example:
- 星期一 (xīngqī yī) (Monday)
- 星期二 (xīngqī èr) (Tuesday)
- Sunday is either 星期天 (xīngqī tiān) or 星期日 (xīngqī rì)
Time phrases - 今天 (jīntiān) (today)
- 明天 (míngtiān) (tomorrow)
- 昨天 (zuótiān) (yesterday)
Months of the year - January to December are the corresponding number, from one to 12, plus 月 (yuè), for example:
- 一月 (yī yuè) (January)
- 十二月 (shí èr yuè) (December).
| - Chinese people follow a traditional age-counting system known as 虚岁 (xū suì), or nominal age. A person is considered one year old at birth, because time in the womb is culturally acknowledged.
- In Chinese culture, asking about someone’s zodiac sign can be an indirect and culturally appropriate way to learn their age.
- The Chinese zodiac is closely associated with Chinese New Year, and there are many traditional stories linked to it.
- Use 是 to express time using [subject] + 是 (shì) + [time detail].
| | Date structure Years Months Days Sentences - 你的生日是几月几日？ (nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè jǐ rì) (‘What is your birthday? Which month and day?’)
- 今天是几月几日？ (jīntiān shì jǐ yuè jǐ rì) (‘What is the date today?’)
- 今天是星期几 (jīntiān shì xīngqī jǐ) (‘What day of the week is it today?’)
- 今天是七月二十九日 (jīntiān shì qī yuè èrshíjiǔ rì) (‘Today is July 29th’)
- 今天是星期天 (jīntiān shì xīngqītiān) (‘Today is Sunday’)
- 我的的生日是 … 月 … 日 (wǒ de shēngrì shì … yuè … rì) (‘My birthday is … month … day’)
- 你属什么？ (nǐ shǔ shénme) (‘What is your zodiac sign?’)
- 我属 … (wǒ shǔ …) (‘My zodiac is …’, ‘I was born in the year of …’).
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| | - When stating dates in Chinese, the order follows a logical pattern from the largest unit (month) to the smallest (day of the week).
- In oral language, 号 (hào) is commonly used in dates or numbers (e.g. 四月五号 (sì yuè wǔ hào) (5 April).
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - Understanding a person’s age is often essential in Chinese culture, as it helps determine the appropriate form of address and reflects respect for social hierarchy and seniority.
- There are unique hand gestures to represent numbers from one to 10 in Chinese culture.
- In Chinese culture, numbers carry deep symbolic meanings that influence daily life, communication, and social customs.
| | Asking younger person's age - 你几岁？(nǐ jǐ suì) (‘How old are you?’ — for asking young children)
- 他几岁？(tā jǐ suì) (‘How old is he/she?’)
Used among teenagers, young adults, or peers - 你多大？(nǐ duō dà) (‘How old are you?’ — for asking teenagers or adults)
- 我 … 岁。 (wǒ … suì) (‘I am … years old’)
Numbers 1 to 10 - 一 (1)
- 二 (2)
- 三 (3)
- 四 (4)
- 五 (5)
- 六 (6)
- 七 (7)
- 八 (8)
- 九 (9)
- 十 (10)
Numbers 11 to 20 - 十一 (11 — ten one)
- 十二 (12 — ten two)
- 二十 (20 — two ten)
Counting in tens - 三十 (30 — three ten)
- 四十 (40 — four ten)
Counting in fives | | | - 现在几点了？ (xiànzài jǐ diǎn le) (‘What is the time now?’)
- … 点 (diǎn) … 分 (fēn) (‘… o’clock, … minutes’)
- 刻 (kè) (quarter of an hour)
- 半 (bàn) (half an hour)
- 早上 (zǎoshàng) (early morning)
- 上午 (shàngwǔ) (late morning)
- 中午 (zhōngwǔ) (midday)
- 下午 (xiàwǔ) (afternoon)
- 晚上 (wǎnshàng) (evening, night).
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| - There are simple ways to ask someone’s age that help maintain politeness and cultural sensitivity, depending on how old they are 你几岁了 (nǐ jǐ suì le?) Or 你多大了.(nǐ duō dà le?). This helps maintain politeness and cultural sensitivity as one is used for children, and one is used for older people.
- In Chinese, you must use 岁 (suì) (years old) when talking about how old someone is. It cannot be omitted like in English.
- The verb 是 (to be) is not needed when saying your age, for example 我八岁 (wǒ bā suì) (‘i am eight years old’).
- Chinese two-digit numbers are formed in a way that is quite similar to te reo Māori, particularly in their logical structure and use of base plus ten.
- 一 is usually pronounced as ‘yi’ but in some contexts, especially strings of numbers read aloud (e.g. phone numbers, room numbers, zip codes), it is pronounced as ‘yāo’ to avoid confusion with similar-sounding numbers.
- Numbers are written by combining characters that show place value:
- 十一 (11) literally means 'ten-one'
- 三十 (30) literally means 'three-ten'
| - Telling time in Chinese follows similar logic to dates. You always move from the larger unit (hour) to the smaller unit (minute).
- 半 (half) and 刻 (quarter) indicate different portions of an hour, the same as in English. When using them, you do not need to add 分 (minutes) after.
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| | | | - The basic word order of a sentence is subject + verb + object (SVO).
| - Communicating about activities and desires in the here and now
| Activities - 她看书 (tā kànshū) (‘She reads’)
- 他上课 (tā shàngkè) (‘He attends class’)
- 她游泳 (tā yóuyǒng) (‘She swims’).
- 他跑步 (tā páobù) (‘He runs’).
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | | | Likes and dislikes - 我喜欢 … (wǒ xǐhuan …) (‘I like …’)
- 我不喜欢 … (wǒ bù xǐhuan …) (‘I don’t like …’)
Simple close-ended questions - 你喜欢 … 吗？ (nǐ xǐhuan … ma) (‘Do you like …?’)
- 你喜欢什么？(nǐ xǐhuan shénme) (‘What do you like?’)
- 你喜欢什么颜色? (nǐ xǐhuan shénme yǎnsè) (‘What colour do you like?’)
- 我喜欢红色, 蓝色和黑色 (wǒ xǐhuan hóngsè, lánsè hé hēisè) (‘I like red, blue and black’).
| - In Chinese culture, expressing strong dislikes directly can be considered impolite.
- It is important to express preferences and reject others politely.
| | Preference - 我非常喜欢 … (wǒ fēicháng xǐhuan …) (‘I really like …’)
- 我最喜欢 … (wǒ zuì xǐhuan …) (‘I like … the most’)
- 不太喜欢 … (wo bú tài xǐhuan …) (‘I don’t really like …’)
Food and drink - 吃 (chī) (to eat food items)
- 喝 (hē) (to drink drink items)
Wants - ‘I want to eat fruit’:
- 我想吃水果 (wǒ xiǎng chī shuǐguǒ)
- 要吃水果 (yào chī shuǐguǒ)
- ‘I want to drink water’:
- 我想喝水 (wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ)
- 要喝水 (yào hē shuǐ).
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| - 吗 (ma) is a question particle added at the end of a sentence to form a yes or no question.
- 什么 (shénme) usually comes after a verb but can also appear before a noun when asking for a specific category, for example 什么颜色? (shénme yǎnsè) (‘What colour?’).
- 不 (bù) (not, no) is placed after a verb to express negation.
- 和 (hé) is a conjunction used to link nouns and noun phrases. It cannot link actions or sentences.
| - Use adverbs and superlatives (the highest degree of something) to indicate different levels of preferences.
- Chinese (Mandarin) follows basic sentence structures to build clear and correct sentences.
- Degree words (e.g. very, little) are placed before the word 喜欢 (xǐhuan) (like) to express different levels of preference.
- 要 (yào) (want) is a verb commonly used to express wants or basic needs.
- For polite requests, people often use 想 (xiǎng) instead of 要 (yào), as 要 (yào) can sound too direct or demanding.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | | | Instructions with objects - 请打开书 (qǐng dǎ kāi shū) (‘Please open books’)
- 手机收起来 (shǒujī shōu qǐ lái) (‘Put away mobile phones’)
- 放下笔 (fàng xià bǐ) (‘Put down your pens’)
Classroom routines - 上课 (shàng kè) (class begins, class starts)
- 下课 (xià kè) (class ends, finish class)
Classroom expressions - 请听 (qǐng tīng) (‘Please listen’)
- 请说 (qǐng shuō) (‘Please say’)
- 请看 (qǐng kàn) (‘Please look’)
- 请安静 (qǐng ān jìng) (‘Please be quiet’)
- 请给我 … (qǐng gěi wǒ) (‘Please give me …’)
- 非常好 (fēi cháng hǎo) (‘Excellent!’, ‘Well done!’)
- 对吗？(duì ma) (‘Correct or ‘incorrect?’, ‘Yes or no?’)
- 好了吗？(hǎo le ma) (‘Are you ready?’, ‘Are you done?’)
Student expressions - 很好 (hěn hǎo) (‘Very good’)
- 对 (duì) (‘Correct’)
- 不对 (búduì) (‘Incorrect’)
- 是 (shì) (‘Yes’)
- 不是 (bú shì) (‘No’)
- 好了 (hǎo le) (‘Yes’, ‘Ready’, ‘Done’)
- 还没 (hái méi) (‘Not yet’)
Apologies and giving thanks - 对不起 (duìbùqǐ) (‘Sorry’)
- 没关系 (méiguānxì) (‘It is all right’)
- 谢谢 (xièxie) (‘Thank you’)
- 不客气 (búkèqì) (‘You are welcome’).
| | - Understanding and using a range of formulaic expressions to support interactions
| - 要吗？ (yào ma?) (yes or no), (want or not?)
- 要 (yào) (yes, want to)
- 不要 (bú yào) (no, don’t want to)
Check understanding - 这是什么？ (zhè shì shénme) (‘What is this?’)
- 这是 … (zhèshì …) (‘This is …’)
- 懂了吗？ (dǒng le ma) (‘Do you understand now?’)
- 我懂了 (wǒ dǒng le) (‘I understand’)
- 我听不懂 (wǒ tīng bù dǒng) (‘I don’t understand (what I heard)’)
Asking how to say something - 中文怎么说？ (zhōngwén zěnme shuō) (‘How do you say it in Chinese?’)
- 英文怎么说？ (yīngwén zěnme shuō?) (‘How do you say it in English?’)
Asking for permission - 我可以 … 吗？ (wǒ kěyǐ … ma) (‘Can I …?’)
- 我可以喝水吗? (wǒ kéyǐ hē shuǐ ma) (‘Can I go and drink some water?’)
Interaction - 是吗？ (shì ma) (‘Is that right?’)
- 该你了 (gāi nǐ le) (‘It is your turn’)
- 太好了 (tài hǎo le) (‘Great’, ‘Awesome’).
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| - Learning simple classroom language helps students to understand and use Chinese (Mandarin) in everyday routines, building confidence, fluency and familiarity through regular use.
- There are several ways to say ‘yes’ in Chinese, depending on context, tone, and formality.
| - There are different ways to ask and answer a yes or no question depending on the context.
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