Textbook dialogues often fall short when you’re in real-life situations. When you’re in a restaurant in China, textbook Chinese won’t always cut it. Conversations in real life can be unpredictable.

Instead of memorizing scripts, think of these as guides. They help you understand the flow of conversation and prepare you for common questions and responses. Here are nine scripts to help you navigate real-world dialogues and avoid freezing up.

Contents

1. Chinese Conversation Openers
2. Chinese Dialogues to Use with Anyone
   • Talk about them
   • Talk about the weather
   • Talk about recent activities
   • Talk about work
3. Chinese Dialogues for Use in Your Country
   • Talk to a Chinese worker
   • Talk to a Chinese student
   • Talk to a Chinese traveler
4. Chinese Dialogues to Use in China
   • Talk to a taxi driver
   • Talk to a local
5. Helpful Phrases for Any Chinese Conversation

Chinese Conversation Openers

Before starting a conversation, ensure that approaching someone in Chinese is appropriate. If you’re unsure if someone is Chinese, say “Hello” in English along with “你好 (nǐ hǎo)”. If you confirm they’re Chinese, you can skip “你好” and start with natural statements like:

• 你回来了！(nǐ huí lái le!) — You’re back!
• 你来了！(nǐ lái le!) — You’re here!
• 好久不见！(hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn!) — Long time no see!
• 吃饭了吧。(chī fàn le ba.) — You’ve already eaten, right?
• 最近很忙吧。(zuì jìn hěn máng ba.) — You’ve been busy lately.
• 你的新工作已经开始了吧。(nǐ de xīn gōng zuò yǐ jīng kāi shǐ le ba.) — So your new job has started.
• 这里的咖啡很好喝。(zhè lǐ de kā fēi hěn hǎo hē.) — The coffee here is great.
• 今天天气还不错。(jīn tiān tiān qì hái bù cuò.) — The weather is pretty good today.

Chinese Dialogues to Use with Anyone

Talk about them

Starting with personal questions is a good way to engage someone. Here’s a basic script:

A: 你是中国人吗？(nǐ shì zhōng guó rén ma?) — Are you from China?
B: 是啊！(shì ā!) — I am!
A: 中国哪里？(zhōng guó nǎ li?) — Where in China are you from?
B: 我是__的。(wǒ shì __ de.) — I’m from __.
A: 在那里有方言吗？(zài nà li yǒu fāng yán ma?) — Is there a dialect in that area?
B: 有。(yǒu.) — There is.
A: 你的母语是普通话吗？(nǐ de mǔ yǔ shì pú tōng huà ma?) — Is Mandarin your mother tongue?
B: 是的 / 不是。(shì de / bú shì.) — It is / No, it’s not.

Talk about the weather

Small talk about the weather is universal.

A: 今天天气还不错。(jīn tiān tiān qì hái bù cuò.) — The weather is pretty good today.
B: 是啊！(shì a!) — True!
A: 请问，您是哪里人？(qǐng wèn, nín shì nǎ lǐ rén?) — May I ask, where are you from?
B: 我是哈尔滨人。(wǒ shì hā ‘ěr bīn rén.) — I’m from Harbin.
A: 哇， 哈尔滨！那里的天气怎么样？(wa, hā ‘ěr bīn! nà lǐ de tiān qì zěn me yàng?) — Wow, Harbin! What is the weather like there?
B: 哈尔滨的天气非常冷！(hā ‘ěr bīn de tiān qì fēi cháng lěng!) — Harbin’s weather is very cold!

Talk about recent activities

Catch up with someone by talking about recent activities.

A: 好久不见！(hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn!) — Long time no see!
B: 是的！(shì de!) — Yeah!
A: 你最近怎么样？(nǐ zuì jìn zěn me yàng?) — How have you been recently?
B: 我最近很忙。你呢？(wǒ zuì jìn hěn máng. nǐ ne?) — I’ve been very busy. What about you?
A: 我也很忙，我每天都在学中文！(wǒ yě hěn máng, wǒ měi tiān doū zài xué zhōng wén!) — I’ve been busy too. I’ve been studying Chinese every day!
B: 能听得出来！你的发音很有进步！(néng tīng de chū lái! nǐ de fǎ yīn hěn yǒu jìn bù!) — I can hear the difference! Your pronunciation has really improved!

Talk about work

Engage with colleagues by talking about work.

A: 你回来了！(nǐ huí lái le!) — You’re back!
B: 回来了！(huí lái le!) — I’m back!
A: 吃饭了吧？(chī fàn le ba?) — You ate already?
B: 吃完了。(chī wán le.) — [Yes,] I ate.
A: 那请问，你现在有空吗？(nà qǐng wèn, nǐ xiàn zài yǒu kòng ma?) — Then may I ask, are you free right now?
B: 有，怎么了？(yǒu, zěn me le?) — Yeah, what’s up?
A: 你可以帮我回一封邮件吗？(nǐ kě yǐ bāng wǒ huí yī fēng yóu jiàn ma?) — Can you help me reply to an email?
B: 可以，没问题！(kě yǐ, méi wèn tí!) — Sure, no problem!

Chinese Dialogues for Use in Your Country

Talk to a Chinese worker

A: 你读书还是上班？(nǐ dú shū hái shi shàng bàn?) — Are you studying or working here?
B: 上班。(shàng bàn.) — Working.
A: 你住在这里多久了？(nǐ zhù zài zhè li duō jiǔ le?) — How long have you lived here?
B: 我__年搬到这里了。(wǒ __ nián bān dào zhè li le.) — I moved here in __ [year].
A: 习惯了吗？(xí guàn le ma?) — Have you gotten used to living here?
B: 习惯了。(xí guàn le.) — [Yeah,] I’ve gotten used to it.

Talk to a Chinese student

A: 你读书还是上班？(nǐ dú shū hái shi shàng bàn?) — Are you studying or working here?
B: 读书。(dú shū.) — Studying.
A: 你住在这里多久了？(nǐ zhù zài zhè li duō jiǔ le?) — How long have you lived here?
B: 已经__个月了。(yǐ jīng __ gè yuè le.) — It’s already been __ months.
A: 喜欢这边吗？(xǐ huān zhè biàn ma?) — How do you like it here?
B: 不错！(bú cuò!) — It’s not bad!
A: 你的父母还在中国吗？(nǐ de fū mǔ hái zài zhōng guó ma?) — Are your parents still in China?
B: 还在。(hái zài.) — They are.

Talk to a Chinese traveler

A: 你多长时间在这边？(nǐ duō cháng shí jiān zài zhè li?) — How long will you be here?
B: 一共__天。(yǐ gōng __ tiān.) — In total __ days.
A: 你和家人一起旅游吗？(nǐ hé jiā rén yī qǐ lǚ yóu ma?) — Are you traveling with your family?
B: 我一个人旅游。(wǒ yī gè rén lǚ yóu.) — I’m traveling by myself.
A: 喜欢这边的天气吗？(xǐ huān zhè biàn de tiān qì ma?) — How do you like the weather here?
B: 这边比我家热。(zhè biàn bǐ wǒ jiā rè.) — It’s hotter here than back home.

Chinese Dialogues to Use in China

Talk to a taxi driver

A: 你是哪的人？(nǐ shì nǎ rén?) — Where are you from?
B: 我是北京人。(wǒ shì běi jīng rén.) — I’m from Beijing.
A: 你做这工作多久了？(nǐ zuò zhè gōng zuò duō jiǔ le?) — How long have you been doing this job?
B: 已经__年了。(yǐ jīng __ nián le.) — It’s already been __ years.
A: 你喜欢这工作吗？(nǐ xǐ huān zhè gōng zuò ma?) — Do you like this job?
B: 还行。(hái xíng.) — It’s okay.

Talk to a local

A: 你是北京人吗？(nǐ shì běi jīng rén ma?) — Are you from Beijing?
B: 是啊。(shì a.) — Yes, I am.
A: 你家在这附近吗？(nǐ jiā zài zhè fù jìn ma?) — Do you live nearby?
B: 是的，我家在这附近。(shì de, wǒ jiā zài zhè fù jìn.) — Yes, I live nearby.
A: 北京的生活怎么样？(běi jīng de shēng huó zěn me yàng?) — How’s life in Beijing?
B: 很方便。(hěn fāng biàn.) — It’s very convenient.

Helpful Phrases for Any Chinese Conversation

When conversing in Chinese, the following phrases can be handy:

• 对不起 (duì bù qǐ) — Sorry
• 请问 (qǐng wèn) — May I ask
• 谢谢 (xiè xiè) — Thank you
• 可以吗？(kě yǐ ma?) — Is it okay?
• 我不太明白。(wǒ bú tài míng bái.) — I don’t really understand.
• 请再说一遍。(qǐng zài shuō yī biàn.) — Please say it again.