Skip to content
Mythic Mandarin

A new friend

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

HSK 1 About 3 minutes

新朋友

Xīn péngyou

A new friend

Story

  1. 。

    Ānnà shì Měiguórén.

    Anna is American.

    Words in this sentence
    安娜 Ānnà
    Anna (name) Dictionary
    是 shì
    to be Dictionary
    美国人 Měiguórén
    American person Dictionary

  2. ：“！。”

    tóngxué shuō:“ nǐ hǎo! wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng.”

    A classmate says, "Hi! My name is Li Ming."

    Words in this sentence
    同学 tóngxué
    classmate Dictionary
    说 shuō
    to say, to speak Dictionary
    你好 nǐ hǎo
    hello Dictionary
    我 wǒ
    I, me Dictionary
    叫 jiào
    to be called; to call Dictionary
    李明 Lǐ Míng
    Li Ming (name)

  3. “。？”

    “ wǒ jiào Ānnà. nǐ shì Zhōngguórén ma?”

    "My name is Anna. Are you Chinese?"

    Words in this sentence
    我 wǒ
    I, me Dictionary
    叫 jiào
    to be called; to call Dictionary
    安娜 Ānnà
    Anna (name) Dictionary
    你 nǐ
    you Dictionary
    是 shì
    to be Dictionary
    中国人 Zhōngguórén
    Chinese person Dictionary
    吗 ma
    (question particle) Dictionary

  4. “，！”

    “ wǒ māma shì Zhōngguórén, wǒ shì Měiguórén!”

    "My mum is Chinese, and I'm American!"

    Words in this sentence
    我 wǒ
    I, me Dictionary
    妈妈 māma
    mum Dictionary
    是 shì
    to be Dictionary
    中国人 Zhōngguórén
    Chinese person Dictionary
    我 wǒ
    I, me Dictionary
    是 shì
    to be Dictionary
    美国人 Měiguórén
    American person Dictionary

  5. “！”

    “ wǒ yě shì!”

    "So am I!" says Anna.

    Words in this sentence
    我 wǒ
    I, me Dictionary
    也 yě
    also, too Dictionary
    是 shì
    to be Dictionary

  6. “！”

    “ rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng!”

    "Nice to meet you!"

    Words in this sentence
    认识 rènshi
    to know (a person), to meet Dictionary
    你 nǐ
    you Dictionary
    很 hěn
    very Dictionary
    高兴 gāoxìng
    happy, glad Dictionary

Grammar focus

  • 是 A 是 B: "A is B"
  • 吗 turns a statement into a yes/no question

Vocabulary

  • 美国人MěiguórénAmerican person Dictionary
  • 叫jiàoto be called; to call Dictionary
  • 中国人ZhōngguórénChinese person Dictionary
  • 认识rènshito know (a person), to meet Dictionary

Questions

1安娜是哪国人？Ānnà shì nǎ guó rén?Where is Anna from?
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: B. Sentence 1: 安娜是美国人, "Anna is American."

  • A: Li Ming's mum is Chinese (sentence 4); Anna is American.
  • C: Britain is not in the story; sentence 1 says 美国人.
2李明的妈妈是中国人。Lǐ Míng de māma shì Zhōngguórén.Li Ming's mum is Chinese.
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: A. True. In sentence 4 Li Ming says 我妈妈是中国人, "My mum is Chinese."

  • B: Sentence 4 says 我妈妈是中国人. Li Ming himself is American, but his mum is Chinese.
3李明是中国人。Lǐ Míng shì Zhōngguórén.Li Ming is Chinese.
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: B. False. In sentence 4 Li Ming says 我是美国人, "I'm American!" That is the surprise of the story.

  • A: Anna thinks he may be Chinese (sentence 3), but sentence 4 says 我是美国人: Li Ming is American.
4“认识你很高兴”是什么意思？"Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng" shì shénme yìsi?What does 认识你很高兴 mean?
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: B. The same words in a different order: it is what you say when you meet someone, "Nice to meet you."

  • A: 不 makes a sentence negative; Anna is happy to meet Li Ming (sentence 6).
  • C: That is Anna's question in sentence 3, not what 认识你很高兴 means.
5哪个句子对？Nǎ gè jùzi duì?Which sentence is correct?
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: A. The subject 我 comes first, then 叫, then the name: 我叫李明 (sentence 2).

  • B: A Chinese statement starts with the subject: 我 before 叫.
  • C: This says "Li Ming calls me"; to give your name, 我 comes first: 我叫李明.

Speaking task

你是哪国人？用中文说。

Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén? Yòng Zhōngwén shuō.

Where are you from? Say it in Chinese.

Tips

  • Use 我叫…… for your name and 我是……人 for your country.
  • To ask someone, add 吗: 你是中国人吗？
Try it yourself first, then show the model answer

你好！我叫安娜。我是美国人。认识你很高兴！

Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Ānnà. Wǒ shì Měiguórén. Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng!

Hello! My name is Anna. I'm American. Nice to meet you!

About the HSK 1 level