Expressions to use during an oral Chinese exam

  1. 你姓什么?Nǐ xìng shénme ?
    What is your last name?
    • 我姓...。Wǒ xìng …
      My name is…

  2. 你叫什么名字?Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì ?
    What's your name?
    • 我叫...。Wǒ jiào...
      My name is...

  3. 你有没有中国名字?Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu zhōngguó míngzì ?
    Do you have a Chinese name?
    • 我还没有中国名字。 Wǒ hái méi yǒu zhōngguó míngzì.
      I don't have a Chinese name yet.
    • 有。我的中国名字是...。Yǒu. Wǒ de zhōngguó míngzì shì...
      Yes, my Chinese name is...

  4. 你多大了?Nǐ duōdà le ?
    How old are you?
    • 我十八岁。 Wǒ shíbā suì.
      I am 18 years old.

  5. 你住在哪儿? Nǐ zhù zài nǎr ?
    Where do you live?
    • 我住在(佩皮尼昂)。 Wǒ zhù zài (Pèi pí ní'áng).
      I live in (Perpignan).

  6. (佩皮尼昂)离(蒙彼利埃)远吗? ( Pèi pí ní'áng) lí (Méng bǐ lì āi) yuǎn ma ?
    Is (Perpignan) far from (Montpellier)?
    • (佩皮尼昂)离(蒙彼利埃)比较远。 ( Pèi pí ní'áng) lí (Méng bǐ lì āi) bǐjiào yuǎn.
      (Perpignan) is quite far from (Montpellier).

  7. (佩皮尼昂)离(蒙彼利埃)有多远? ( Pèi pí ní'áng) lí (Méng bǐ lì āi) yǒu duō yuǎn ?
    What is the distance between (Perpignan) and (Montpellier)?
    • (佩皮尼昂)离(蒙彼利埃)有一百五十公里左右。 ( Pèi pí ní'áng) lí (Méng bǐ lì āi) yǒu yì bǎi gōnglǐ zuǒyòu.
      There are about 150 km between (Perpignan) and (Montpellier).

  8. 从(佩皮尼昂)到(蒙彼利埃)开车/坐火车 要多长时间? Cóng ( Pèi pí ní'áng) dào (Méng bǐ lì āi) kāichē / zuò huǒchē yào duōcháng shíjiān ?
    How long does it take to go from (Perpignan) to (Montpellier) by car/train?
    • 从(佩皮尼昂)到(蒙彼利埃)开车/坐火车 要两个小时。 Cóng ( Pèi pí ní'áng) dào (Méng bǐ lì āi) kāichē / zuò huǒchē yào liǎng gè xiǎoshí.
      It takes 2 hours to go from (Perpignan) to (Montpellier) by car/train.

  9. 佩皮尼昂的天气怎么样? Pèi pí ní'áng de tiānqì zěn me yàng ?
    What is the climate like in Perpignan?
    • 佩皮尼昂的天气特别好, 但是有时刮大风。 Pèi pí ní'áng de tiānqì tèbié hǎo, dànshi yǒushí guā dà fēng.
      The climate in Perpignan is excellent, but sometimes the wind blows very hard.

  10. 你汉语学了多长时间了? Nǐ hànyǔ xué le duōcháng shíjiān le ?
    How long have you been studying Chinese?
    • 我汉语学了三年了。 Wǒ hànyǔ xué le sān nián le.
      I have been studying Chinese for three years.

  11. 你喜欢做什么? Nǐ xǐhuan zuò shénme ?
    What do you like to do?
    • 我喜欢做运动,玩电脑,听音乐,看书,跟朋友出去玩儿,...
      Wǒ xǐhuan zuò yùndòng, wán diànnǎo, tīng yīnyuè, kànshū, gēn péngyou chū qù wánr,...
      I like to do sports, play on the computer, listen to music, read, go out with friends, ...

  12. 你考完试以后想学什么? Nǐ kǎo wán shì yǐhòu nǐ xiǎng xué shénme ?
    What do you want to study after the exams?
    • 我考完试以后想学经济/法律/医学,...
      Wǒ kǎo wán shì yǐhòu xiǎng xué jīngjì/fǎlǜ/yīxué,...
      After the exams, I would like to study business/law/medicine,...

  13. 你以后想做什么工作? Nǐ yǐhòu xiǎng zuò shénme gōngzuò ?
    What do you want to do for a job later?
    • 我以后想做老师,医生,... Wǒ yǐhòu xiǎng zuò lǎoshī, yīshēng,...
      Later, I want to be a teacher, doctor,...

  14. 你家有几口人? Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén ?
    How many people are in your family? (You must include yourself in the answer.)
    • 我家有五口人。 Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ kǒu rén.
      There are five of us in my family.

  15. 谁? Shéi ?
    Who?
    • 有爸爸,妈妈,两个妹妹和我。 Yǒu bàba, māma, liǎng gè mèimei hé wǒ.
      There is dad, mom, two little sisters, and me.

You can also ask this question:


  • 你有兄弟姐妹吗? Nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma ?
    Do you have brothers and sisters?

  • Then, for each person in your family, you can ask the same questions (age, studies, activity, job, ...)

    Less likely but possible:


  • 他长什么样子? Tā zhǎng shénme yàngzi ?
    How is he physically?
    • 他很高, 有金头发,黑眼睛, 高鼻子,...
      Tā hěn gāo, yǒu jīn tóufa, hēi yǎnjīng, gāo bízi,...
      He is tall, has blond hair, black eyes, a big nose,...

  • 你去过中国吗? Nǐ qù guo zhōngguó ma ?
    Have you been to China before?
    • 我去过中国。Wǒ qù guo zhōngguó.
      I have been to China before.

  • 你去了哪些地方? Nǐ qù le nǎ xiē dìfang ?
    Where have you been?
    Or:你去看了什么地方? Nǐ qù kàn le shénme dìfang ?
    Which places have you been to see?
    • 我去了北京。我去看了天安门广场,故宫,颐和园,雍和宫和长城。
      Wǒ qù le Běijīng. Wǒ qù kàn le Tiān'ānmén guǎngchǎng, gùgōng, yíhéyuán, yōnghégōng hé chángchéng.
      I have been to Beijing. I have seen Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Lama Temple, and the Great Wall.

  • Tricky question:


    1. 你喜欢中国吗? Nǐ xǐhuan zhōngguó ma ?
      Do you like China?
      • 我很喜欢中国。 Wǒ hěn xǐhuan zhōngguó.
        I like China a lot.

    2. 为什么? Wèi shén me ?
      Why?Or: 你喜欢中国什么? Nǐ xǐhuan zhōngguó shénme ?
      What do you like about China?
      • (因为)我喜欢中国的文化和中国菜。我对汉语和中国历史很感兴趣。
        (Yīnwéi) wǒ xǐhuan zhōngguó de wénhuà hé zhōngguócài. Wǒ duì hànyǔ hé zhōngguó lìshǐ hěn gǎn xìngqu.
        (Because) I really like Chinese culture and food. I am very interested in the Chinese language and Chinese history.

    3. 我没去过中国。但是我很想去。 Wǒ méi qù guo zhōngguó. Dànshi wǒ hěn xiǎng qù.
      I have never been to China but I would really like to go there.

    4. 你想去中国的什么地方? Nǐ xiǎng qù zhōngguó de shénme dìfang ?
      Which places in China would you like to go to?
      • 我想去北京看天安门广场,故宫,颐和园,雍和宫和长城。
        Wǒ xiǎng qù Běijīng kàn Tiān'ānmén guǎngchǎng, gùgōng, yíhéyuán, yōnghégōng hé chángchéng.
        I would like to go to Beijing to see Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Lama Temple, and the Great Wall.