{Newbie - Is it spicy?} (A1707)
A:    这个辣不辣？
   zhè ge là bu là?
  Is this spicy or not?
B:    辣。
   là.
  It's spicy.
A:    那个呢？
   nà ge ne?
  How about that one?
B:    不辣，很好吃。
   bù là, hěn hǎochī.
  That's not spicy. It's very tasty.

Key Vocabulary
这个  zhè ge  this
辣  là  spicy
不  bù  not
那个  nà ge  that
很  hěn  very
好吃  hǎochī  tasty

Supplementary Vocabulary
辣椒  làjiāo  hot peppers
吃  chī  to eat
菜  cài  dish
中国菜  Zhōngguó cài  Chinese food
不好吃  bù hǎochī  not tasty
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Answering the Door} (A1712)
A:    有人吗？
   yǒu rén ma?
  Is anyone there?
B:    谁啊？
   shéi a?
  Who is it?
A:    我。
   wǒ.
  Me.
B:    你是谁？
   nǐ shì shéi?
  Who are you?

Key Vocabulary
有  yǒu  to have
人  rén  person
吗  ma  [creates a "yes or no" question]
谁  shéi  who
我  wǒ  I
你  nǐ  you
是  shì  to be

Supplementary Vocabulary
敲门  qiāomén  to knock
门铃  ménlíng  doorbell
开门  kāimén  to open the door
关门  guānmén  to close the door
找  zhǎo  to look for
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Don't push me!} (A1720)
A:    天哪，人真多！
   tiān na, rén zhēn duō!
  Oh gosh, that's a lot of people!
A:    哎，不要挤！不要挤！
   āi, bù yào jǐ! bù yào jǐ!
  Hey, don't push! Don't push!
A:    哎，不要推我！
   āi, bù yào tuī wǒ!
  Hey, don't shove me!
A:    啊！我的脚！
   à! wǒ de jiǎo!
  Ow! My foot!

Key Vocabulary
天哪  tiān na  'oh gosh'
人  rén  person
真  zhēn  really
多  duō  many
哎  āi  'agh'
不要  bù yào  do not
挤  jǐ  to squeeze
推  tuī  to push
我  wǒ  I
啊  à  [emphatic sound]
我的  wǒ de  my
脚  jiǎo  foot

Supplementary Vocabulary
坐地铁  zuò dìtiě  to take the subway
坐公交车  zuò gōngjiāochē  to take the bus
上车  shàngchē  to board a vehicle
下车  xiàchē  to get out of a vehicle
让一下  ràng yīxià  to let through
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Shanghai Sightseeing} (A1723)
A:    上海很大。
   Shànghǎi hěn dà.
  Shanghai is really big.
B:    今天去哪里？
   jīntiān qù nǎli?
  Where are we going today?
A:    今天去外滩。
   jīntiān qù Wàitān.
  We're going to the Bund today.
B:    明天去哪里？
   míngtiān qù nǎli?
  Where are we going tomorrow？
A:    明天去南京路。
   míngtiān qù Nánjīng Lù.
  We're going to Nanjing Road tomorrow.
B:    好！
   hǎo!
  Great!

Key Vocabulary
上海  Shànghǎi  Shanghai
很  hěn  very
大  dà  big
今天  jīntiān  today
去  qù  to go
哪里  nǎli  where
外滩  Wàitān  the Bund
明天  míngtiān  tomorrow
南京路  Nánjīng Lù  Nanjing Road
好  hǎo  good

Supplementary Vocabulary
东方明珠  Dōngfāngmíngzhū  Oriental Pearl Tower
城隍庙  Chénghuángmiào  Chenghuang Temple
豫园  Yùyuán  Yu Garden
泰康路  Tàikāng Lù  Taikang Road
新天地  Xīntiāndì  "New Heaven and Earth"; Xintiandi district
玉佛寺  Yùfósì  Jade Buddha Temple
导游  dǎoyóu  tour guide
茶馆  cháguǎn  tea house
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Where in China?} (A1727)
A:    你要去哪里？
   nǐ yào qù nǎli?
  Where are you going?
B:    我要去中国。
   wǒ yào qù Zhōngguó.
  I'm going to China.
A:    你要去中国的哪里？
   nǐ yào qù Zhōngguó de nǎli?
  Where are you going in China?
B:    我要去北京、上海、广州，还有香港。
   wǒ yào qù Běijīng、 Shànghǎi、 Guǎngzhōu, háiyǒu Xiānggǎng.
  I'm going to go to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and also Hong Kong.

Key Vocabulary
你  nǐ  you
要  yào  will
去  qù  to go
哪里  nǎli  where
我  wǒ  I
北京  Běijīng  Beijing
上海  Shànghǎi  Shanghai
广州  Guǎngzhōu  Guangzhou
还有  háiyǒu  and also
香港  Xiānggǎng  Hong Kong

Supplementary Vocabulary
西安  Xī'ān  Xi'an
桂林  Guìlín  Guilin
昆明  Kūnmíng  Kunming
拉萨  Lāsà  Lhasa
重庆  Chóngqìng  Chongqing
成都  Chéngdū  Chengdu
天津  Tiānjīn  Tianjin
南京  Nánjīng  Nanjing
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Lost Wallet and Passport} (A1733)
A:    糟了！
   zāo le!
  Oh no!
B:    你怎么了？
   nǐ zěnmele?
  What's the matter?
A:    我的钱包丢了，护照也丢了。
   wǒ de qiánbāo diū le, hùzhào yě diū le.
  My wallet is missing. So is my passport!
B:    别急，我们去找找。
   bié jí, wǒmen qù zhǎo zhao.
  Don't worry. Let's go look for them.

Key Vocabulary
糟了  zāo le  'oh no'
你  nǐ  you
怎么了  zěnmele  'what's the matter'
我的  wǒ de  my
钱包  qiánbāo  wallet
丢了  diū le  to have gone missing
护照  hùzhào  passport
也  yě  also
别  bié  don't
急  jí  to worry
我们  wǒmen  we
去  qù  to go
找  zhǎo  to look for

Supplementary Vocabulary
你的  nǐ de  your
他的  tā de  his
她的  tā de  her
包  bāo  bag
找到  zhǎodào  to have found
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Housekeeping!} (A1740)
A:    谁啊？
   shéi a?
  Who is it?
B:    你好！要打扫房间吗？
   nǐhǎo! yào dǎsǎo fángjiān ma?
  Hello! Do you want your room cleaned?
A:    不用，不用。我要睡觉。
   bùyòng, bùyòng. wǒ yào shuìjiào.
  No need, no need. I want to sleep.

Key Vocabulary
谁  shéi  who
你好  nǐhǎo  ‘hello‘
要  yào  to want
打扫  dǎsǎo  to clean
房间  fángjiān  room
吗  ma  [question particle]
不用  bùyòng  need not
我  wǒ  I
睡觉  shuìjiào  to sleep

Supplementary Vocabulary
宾馆  bīnguǎn  hotel
旅馆  lǚguǎn  motel
阿姨  āyí  cleaning lady
请勿打扰  qǐngwùdǎrǎo  ‘do not disturb‘
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - New School Term} (A1743)
A:    你们什么时候开学？
   nǐmen shénme shíhou kāixué?
  When does your new term begin?
B:    九月十号。
   jiǔ yuè shí hào.
  September 10th.
A:    这么晚！
   zhème wǎn!
  That late!
B:    你们呢？
   nǐmen ne?
  What about you?
A:    我们九月一号开学。
   wǒmen jiǔ yuè yī hào kāixué.
  We start our new term September 1st.

Key Vocabulary
你们  nǐmen  you
什么时候  shénme shíhou  when
开学  kāixué  to start school
九月  jiǔ yuè  September
月  yuè  month
十号  shí hào  10th
号  hào  number
这么  zhème  so
晚  wǎn  late
呢  ne  [particle]
我们  wǒmen  we
一号  yī hào  first

Supplementary Vocabulary
学校  xuéxiào  school
放假  fàngjià  to go on vacation
学生  xuésheng  student
作业  zuòyè  homework
暑假  shǔjià  summer vacation
寒假  hánjià  winter vacation
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Just call me...} (A1749)
A:    你叫什么名字？
   nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
  What's your name?
B:    我叫Zachary Galifianakis。
   wǒ jiào Zachary Galifianakis.
  My name is Zachary Galifianakis.
A:    啊？你叫什么？
   ǎ? nǐ jiào shénme?
  Huh? What's your name?
B:    你可以叫我小高。
   nǐ kěyǐ jiào wǒ Xiǎo Gāo.
  You can call me Xiao Gao.

Key Vocabulary
你  nǐ  you
叫  jiào  to be called
什么  shénme  what
名字  míngzi  name
我  wǒ  I
可以  kěyǐ  can
小高  Xiǎo Gāo  Xiao Gao (name)

Supplementary Vocabulary
咖喱饭  gālifàn  curry and rice
胡子  húzi  beard
胖  pàng  fat
演员  yǎnyuán  actor
希腊  Xīlà  Greece
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - How old are you?} (A1752)
A:    你多大了？
   nǐ duō dà le?
  How old are you?
B:    你觉得我多大了？
   nǐ juéde wǒ duō dà le?
  How old do you think I am?
A:    25岁？
   èrshí wǔ suì?
  25 years old?
B:    差不多。
   chàbuduō.
  More or less.

Key Vocabulary
你  nǐ  you
多大  duō dà  ‘how old‘
我  wǒ  I
觉得  juéde  to think
25  èrshí wǔ  25
岁  suì  years old
差不多  chàbuduō  ‘more or less‘

Supplementary Vocabulary
猜  cāi  to guess
女孩儿  nǚháir  girl
男孩儿  nánháir  boy
老  lǎo  old
年轻  niánqīng  young
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Tickets Today, Tickets Tomorrow} (A1760)
A:    我要去厦门。机票多少钱？
   wǒ yào qù Xiàmén. jīpiào duōshǎo qián?
  I want to go to Xiamen. How much is a plane ticket?
B:    今天去九百。
   jīntiān qù jiǔ bǎi.
  900 to go today.
A:    明天呢？
   míngtiān ne?
  How about tomorrow?
B:    明天六百。
   míngtiān liù bǎi.
  600 tomorrow.

Key Vocabulary
我  wǒ  I
要  yào  to want
去  qù  to go
厦门  Xiàmén  Xiamen
机票  jīpiào  airplane ticket
多少钱  duōshǎo qián  how much money
今天  jīntiān  today
百  bǎi  100
明天  míngtiān  tomorrow
九百  jiǔ bǎi  900
六百  liù bǎi  600

Supplementary Vocabulary
飞机  fēijī  airplane
坐飞机  zuò fēijī  to ride an airplane
火车票  huǒchēpiào  train ticket
贵  guì  expensive
便宜  piányi  cheap
打折  dǎzhé  discount
上海  Shànghǎi  Shanghai
福建  Fújiàn  Fujian
北京  Běijīng  Beijing
西安  Xī'ān  Xi'an
后天  hòutiān  the day after tomorrow
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - What Time is It Now?} (A1766)
A:    我们几点走？
   wǒmen jǐ diǎn zǒu?
  What time are we leaving?
B:    八点半。
   bā diǎn bàn.
  8:30.
A:    现在几点？
   xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
  What time is it now?
B:    现在八点零五分。
   xiànzài bādiǎn líng wǔ fēn.
  Right now it's 8:05.

Key Vocabulary
我们  wǒmen  we
几点  jǐ diǎn  what time
走  zǒu  to leave
八点  bā diǎn  8 o'clock
半  bàn  half
现在  xiànzài  now
零  líng  zero
五  wǔ  five
分  fēn  minute
点  diǎn  o'clock

Supplementary Vocabulary
派对  pàiduì  party
老外  lǎowài  foreigner
无聊  wúliáo  boring
好玩  hǎowánr  fun
十  shí  10
十五  shíwǔ  15
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Tables and Chairs} (A1768)
A:    小林，这是你的桌子。
   Xiǎo Lín, zhè shì nǐ de zhuōzi.
  Xiao Lin, this is your desk.
B:    哦。谢谢。椅子呢？
   ò. xièxie. yǐzi ne?
  Oh. Thanks. What about a chair?
A:    不好意思，现在没有椅子。
   bùhǎoyìsi, xiànzài méiyǒu yǐzi.
  Sorry, there's no chair right now.

Key Vocabulary
小林  Xiǎo Lín  Xiao Lin (name)
这  zhè  this
是  shì  to be
你的  nǐ de  your
桌子  zhuōzi  desk
哦  ò  ‘oh‘
谢谢  xièxie  ‘thank you‘
椅子  yǐzi  chair
呢  ne  ‘what about...’
不好意思  bùhǎoyìsi  ‘sorry‘
现在  xiànzài  now
没有  méiyǒu  to not have

Supplementary Vocabulary
办公室  bàngōngshì  office
实习生  shíxíshēng  intern
坐  zuò  to sit
站  zhàn  to stand
工作  gōngzuò  job, work
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Napping in the Meeting} (A1772)
A:    小王，小王！
   Xiǎo Wáng, Xiǎo Wáng!
  Xiao Wang! Xiao Wang!
B:    嗯？
   ng?
  Huh?
A:    你怎么了？
   nǐ zěnmele?
  What's wrong?
B:    我，我没事儿。
   wǒ, wǒ méishìr.
  I, I'm fine.
A:    我们在开会，大家别睡觉！
   wǒmen zài kāihuì, dàjiā bié shuìjiào!
  We're having a meeting. Don't sleep, everyone!

Key Vocabulary
小王  Xiǎo Wáng  Xiao Wang (name)
你  nǐ  you
怎么了  zěnmele  'what‘s wrong'
我  wǒ  I
没事儿  méishìr  no problem
我们  wǒmen  we
在  zài  currently
开会  kāihuì  to hold or attend a meeting
大家  dàjiā  everybody
别  bié  don‘t
睡觉  shuìjiào  to sleep

Supplementary Vocabulary
工作  gōngzuò  to work
困  kùn  sleepy
老板  lǎobǎn  boss
办公室  bàngōngshì  office
你们  nǐmen  you (plural)
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.

{Newbie - Invitation to Dinner} (A1780)
A:    你今天晚上有事吗？
   nǐ jīntiān wǎnshang yǒushì ma?
  Do you have something to do tonight?
B:    没事。怎么了？
   méishì. zěnmele?
  Nope. What's up?
A:    我想请你吃饭。
   wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ chīfàn.
  I want to take you out to dinner.
B:    嗯……
   ng……
  Oh...

Key Vocabulary
你  nǐ  you
今天  jīntiān  today
晚上  wǎnshang  evening
有事  yǒushì  to have something to do
吗  ma  [creates a question]
没事  méishì  nothing
怎么了  zěnmele  ‘what‘s up‘
我  wǒ  I
想  xiǎng  would like
请  qǐng  to treat
吃饭  chīfàn  to eat food

Supplementary Vocabulary
请客  qǐngkè  to treat somebody (to a meal, show etc.)
明天  míngtiān  tomorrow
中午  zhōngwǔ  noon
下午  xiàwǔ  afternoon
周末  zhōumò  weekend
{Online Review and Discussion}.   ©2011 Praxis Language Ltd.