I can greet one person, an older person and a group, say thank you and reply to thanks, apologize and reply to an apology, and ask someone to repeat or to speak more slowly.
Politeness: when to say 你好 and when 您好
Politeness: when to say 你好 and when 您好
These are the first phrases of any conversation, at a meeting, on the phone or in a store.
你好 (Nǐ hǎo) fits anyone: someone your age, a salesperson, a coworker. To one older person, teacher, stranger or customer, say the polite 您好 (Nín hǎo). To several people: 你们好 (Nǐmen hǎo) or 大家好 (Dàjiā hǎo) “hello, everyone”; there's no ×您们.
To 谢谢 (Xièxie) “thank you”, reply 不客气 (Bú kèqi) “you're welcome”; to 对不起 (Duìbuqǐ) “I'm sorry”, reply 没关系 (Méi guānxi) or 没事 (Méishì) “that's OK”. 不客气 is only for thanks. A softer apology, for being late or bothering someone, is 不好意思 (Bù hǎoyìsi).
请问 (Qǐngwèn) “excuse me, may I ask” goes before a question to a stranger; 对不起 is only an apology. 请 (Qǐng) alone is “after you”, when you let someone go first. 再见 (Zàijiàn) — “goodbye”: 再 “again” + 见 “see”.
Set phrases follow the situation, not the dictionary. 你好吗？(Nǐ hǎo ma?) means “How have you been?” after a long time apart, not the everyday “How are you?”: friends just say 你好 or the name.
Pronunciation: 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said ní hǎo: two third tones in a row become a second and a third. 不客气 is said bú kèqi: before a fourth tone 不 takes the second tone. 您 ends in -n, not -ng; in 谢谢 and 对不起 the second syllable is neutral, with no tone mark.
Common mistakes:
• ×您们好 → 你们好 or 大家好.
• to “谢谢！” — ×没关系 → 不客气.
• to “对不起！” — ×不客气 → 没关系 / 没事.
What to say to whom
You pick a set phrase by the situation; you don't translate it word for word.
| Situation | What to say | What they reply |
|---|---|---|
| meeting someone your age | 你好 (Nǐ hǎo) | 你好 (Nǐ hǎo) |
| someone older, a teacher, a stranger | 您好 (Nín hǎo) | 您好 (Nín hǎo) / 你好 (Nǐ hǎo) |
| a group | 你们好 (Nǐmen hǎo) / 大家好 (Dàjiā hǎo) | — |
| thank you | 谢谢 (Xièxie) | 不客气 (Bú kèqi) |
| it's your fault | 对不起 (Duìbuqǐ) | 没关系 (Méi guānxi) / 没事 (Méishì) |
| awkward, you're late | 不好意思 (Bù hǎoyìsi) | 没事 (Méishì) |
| a question to a stranger | 请问……(Qǐngwèn…) | — |
| saying goodbye | 再见 (Zàijiàn) | 再见 (Zàijiàn) |
Lesson notes
Politeness: when to say 你好 and when 您好
These are the first phrases of any conversation, at a meeting, on the phone or in a store.
你好 (Nǐ hǎo) fits anyone: someone your age, a salesperson, a coworker. To one older person, teacher, stranger or customer, say the polite 您好 (Nín hǎo). To several people: 你们好 (Nǐmen hǎo) or 大家好 (Dàjiā hǎo) “hello, everyone”; there's no ×您们.
To 谢谢 (Xièxie) “thank you”, reply 不客气 (Bú kèqi) “you're welcome”; to 对不起 (Duìbuqǐ) “I'm sorry”, reply 没关系 (Méi guānxi) or 没事 (Méishì) “that's OK”. 不客气 is only for thanks. A softer apology, for being late or bothering someone, is 不好意思 (Bù hǎoyìsi).
请问 (Qǐngwèn) “excuse me, may I ask” goes before a question to a stranger; 对不起 is only an apology. 请 (Qǐng) alone is “after you”, when you let someone go first. 再见 (Zàijiàn) — “goodbye”: 再 “again” + 见 “see”.
Set phrases follow the situation, not the dictionary. 你好吗？(Nǐ hǎo ma?) means “How have you been?” after a long time apart, not the everyday “How are you?”: friends just say 你好 or the name.
Pronunciation: 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said ní hǎo: two third tones in a row become a second and a third. 不客气 is said bú kèqi: before a fourth tone 不 takes the second tone. 您 ends in -n, not -ng; in 谢谢 and 对不起 the second syllable is neutral, with no tone mark.
Common mistakes:
• ×您们好 → 你们好 or 大家好.
• to “谢谢！” — ×没关系 → 不客气.
• to “对不起！” — ×不客气 → 没关系 / 没事.
Didn't catch that? Ask again
Not understanding someone is normal; staying silent is worse than asking again.
The three set phrases are in the table below; say each one whole, don't take it apart: 请再说一下 (Qǐng zài shuō yíxià) — you didn't catch it; 请说慢一点儿 (Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎnr) — someone is speaking too fast; 我不懂 (Wǒ bù dǒng) — you hear the words but don't get the meaning.
You can put 不好意思 (Bù hǎoyìsi) or 对不起 before any of them — “sorry to ask again”: 不好意思，请再说一下。(Bù hǎoyìsi, qǐng zài shuō yíxià.)
In southern China 一点儿 is often said without 儿 — just 一点 (yìdiǎn); both count in your answer.