Lesson 6: May I know who are you looking for?

请问您找谁? Qǐng Wèn Nín Zhaǒ Sheí

Today’s conversation is taken place over the phone. In this lesson, we will teach you what to say when someone call you or what you should say when you call someone in Chinese.

Wang Ling:             Hello, may I know who are you looking for?

Zhang Yun:             Hello, may I speak to Wang Li.

Wang Ling:             May I ask who is that looking for her?

Zhang Yun:             I am Zhang Yun.

Wang Ling:             Hold on please.

Wang Li:                 Hello, Zhang Yun. What’s up?

Zhang Yun:             Nothing important. Just want to invite you to a movie.

Wang Yun:             Great. Lets meet at the movie theatre.

Zhang Yun:             Ok. See you later.

 

王玲:                  喂。请问您找谁?

张云:                  喂。请问王丽在家吗?

王玲:                  请问您是哪位找她?

张云:                  我是张云。

王玲:                  请您等一等。

王丽:                  喂,张云。你找我有事吗?

张云:                  没什么重要的事。我想请你去看电影。

王丽:                  好啊。我们在电影院门口见。

张云:                  好的。我们不见不散。

 

Wáng Líng:        Weí. Qǐng Wèn Nín Zhaǒ Sheí

ZhāngYún:         Weí. Qǐng Wèn Wáng Lì Zaì Jiā Ma?

Wáng Líng:         Qǐng Wèn Nín Nǎ Weì Zhaǒ Ta?

ZhāngYún:           Wǒ Shì Zhāng Yún.

Wáng Líng:         Qǐng Nín Děng Yì Děng.

Wáng Lì:            Weí Zhāng Yún, Nǐ Zhaǒ Wǒ YoǔShì Ma?

ZhāngYún:         Meí ShénMe Zhòng Yaò De Shì. Wǒ Xiǎng Qǐng Nǐ Qù Kàn DiànYǐng.

Wáng Lì:             Haǒ āh. Wǒ Men Zaì Diàn Yǐng Yuàn Mén Koǔ Jiàn.

ZhāngYún:         Haǒ De. Wǒ Men Bù Jiàn Bù Sàn.

 

Alright, now it is time for us to go on to the keywords for this lesson. The words we would like to bring into your attention are listed below:-

 

Simplified Chinese Pinyin English
请问 qǐng wèn Polite form; please
weíweì HelloFeed, to attract attention
meí Not; have not
āh Consent/agreementExpress surprise,express understanding

 

请问 Qǐng Wèn

This is a polite form of asking a question. When you want to ask something from someone, especially from a stranger, we normally use  Qǐng Wèn. For example, if you want to ask where the toilet is, you can say 请问厕所在哪里? Qǐng Wèn Cè Suǒ Zaì Nǎ Lǐ? Of course you may omit Qǐng Wèn but it is always better to be polite.

 

喂 Wei

This character Wei can be pronounced in the 2nd tone and the 4th tone. The meaning is completely different when the tone changes. When it is in the 2nd tone, it means Hello as in our conversation today. You begin by saying Weí when you are making a call. But when you are pronouncing this character in the 4th tone, it means to feed as in feeding the baby. In Chinese you say 喂孩子吃饭 Weì HaíZǐChīFàn.

 

This word can also be used to attract attention when you are using it in the 4th tone. It has the English equivalent of Hey. For example, 喂,你的钱掉了 Weì, Nǐ De Qián Diaò LeHey, you dropped your money.

 

 

没 Meí

Meí means nothing or have not in English. For example, when you want to say you have no more money, you can say 我没钱了 Wǒ Meí Qián Le. If you can remember from our last lesson, le means already. As such, the no more here can be represented by le. However, if you were to say 我没钱, it means I have no money. But with the le behind, it stresses the fact that you have already used up all your money.

 

āh

The meaning of the word can be expressed differently when use it in front or at the end of a sentence.

1.  When used behind a sentence, it can express consent/agreement just like in our dialogue above. Wang Li agreed to go see a movie with Zhang Yun and she said Hao Ah 好啊.

2.  The word can mean explanation when used at the end of a sentence. For example, 我没空才没去啊 Wǒ Meí Kòng Caí Meí Qù āh I did not go because I was busy.

3. When you are reminding someone to do something, you can also use at the end of the sentence.  For example, Remember to eat! 记得吃饭啊 jì de chī fàn āh

When you use in front of a sentence, it expresses that you are surprised by something. For example, 啊!我忘了洗脸 Ah, I forgot to wash my face. You are surprised to find out that you have not washed your face. āh! WǒWàng Le Xǐ Liǎn

can also express a situation when an idea has just suddenly came to you. For example, 啊!我终于知道怎么做! Ah! I finally know how to do it. Wǒ Zhōng Yú Zhī Daò ZěnMe Zuò

That is all for today’s lesson. See you again soon.

One thought on “Lesson 6: May I know who are you looking for?”

  1. Carolyn that was a very informative and valuable lesson. It would be a really great help to anybody wanting to travel in China or any of the other Chinese countries. I wonder, do you provide a key to how the words sound?
    For my website, I discovered a site called ‘yabla’ that has a useful pronunciation table.
    It’s hard to believe that your site only started in July of this year, because it’s so very well done and high ranking. Congratulations.

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