Simplified Chinese - Lesson 118 of 156: Meeting New People

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

我来自___

Wǒ láizì ___.

I'm from ___.

Meaning: I'm from ___.

When to use: Use this to say your origin — a country, city, or region (e.g., 我来自中国。Wǒ láizì Zhōngguó.).

Tip: Beginners sometimes say 我是从...来; that's okay but more natural is 我来自___ or 我是___人.

我来自巴西

Wǒ láizì Bāxī.

I'm from Brazil.

我来自上海

Wǒ láizì Shànghǎi.

I'm from Shanghai.

很高兴认识你

Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

Nice to meet you.

Meaning: Nice to meet you.

When to use: A standard, polite phrase when meeting someone for the first time (很高兴认识你 Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ).

你好，我叫张明。很高兴认识你。

Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Zhāng Míng. Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

Hi, I'm Zhang Ming. Nice to meet you.

第一次来公司，大家好——很高兴认识你。

Dì yī cì lái gōngsī, dàjiā hǎo——hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

First time at the company, hi everyone — nice to meet you.

我也很高兴认识你。

Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

Nice to meet you too.

Meaning: Nice to meet you too.

When to use: Use this polite response after someone says 很高兴认识你 (Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ).

A: 很高兴认识你。 B: 我也很高兴认识你。

A: Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. B: Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

A: Nice to meet you. B: Nice to meet you too.

遇到老同学时：很高兴认识你——我也很高兴认识你！

Yù dào lǎo tóngxué shí: Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ——wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ!

When meeting an old classmate: Nice to meet you — nice to meet you too!

你是怎么认识___的？

Nǐ shì zěnme rènshi ___ de?

How do you know ___?

Meaning: How do you know ___?

When to use: Ask this when you want to know how someone met or is connected with another person (Nǐ shì zěnme rènshi ___ de?).

你是怎么认识李老师的？

Nǐ shì zěnme rènshi Lǐ lǎoshī de?

How do you know Teacher Li?

你是怎么认识他们的？是在学校吗？

Nǐ shì zěnme rènshi tāmen de? Shì zài xuéxiào ma?

How do you know them? Was it at school?

我们是在___认识的。

Wǒmen shì zài ___ rènshi de.

We know each other from ___.

Meaning: We know each other from ___.

When to use: Say where you met or where the relationship started, usually a place, company, or event (e.g., 我们是在公司认识的 Wǒmen shì zài gōngsī rènshi de).

Tip: Don’t forget the 在 before a place; beginners sometimes drop it and say 我们是___认识的 which sounds odd.

我们是在大学认识的。

Wǒmen shì zài dàxué rènshi de.

We met at university.

我们是在一个音乐会上认识的。

Wǒmen shì zài yí gè yīnyuèhuì shàng rènshi de.

We met at a concert.

你是新来的吗

Nǐ shì xīn lái de ma?

Are you new here?

Meaning: Are you new here?

When to use: Use this to ask whether someone is new to a place, class, or workplace (Nǐ shì xīn lái de ma?).

你是新来的吗？我可以带你参观一下办公室。

Nǐ shì xīn lái de ma? Wǒ kěyǐ dài nǐ cānguān yíxià bàngōngshì.

Are you new here? I can show you around the office.

听说你是新来的，欢迎！你是新来的吗？

Tīng shuō nǐ shì xīn lái de, huānyíng! Nǐ shì xīn lái de ma?

I heard you’re new, welcome! Are you new here?

我是新来的

Wǒ shì xīn lái de.

I'm new here.

Meaning: I'm new here.

When to use: Reply when someone asks if you are new, or volunteer the info when introducing yourself (Wǒ shì xīn lái de.).

我是新来的，今天第一天上班。

Wǒ shì xīn lái de, jīntiān dì yī tiān shàngbān.

I'm new here; today is my first day at work.

大家好，我是新来的，请多关照。

Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì xīn lái de, qǐng duō guānzhào.

Hi everyone, I'm new here—please take care of me.

不好意思，你叫什么名字来着？

Bù hǎoyìsi, nǐ jiào shénme míngzi láizhe?

Sorry, what was your name again?

Meaning: Sorry, what was your name again?

When to use: Use this when you forgot someone’s name and want a casual, polite repetition (Bù hǎoyìsi, nǐ jiào shénme míngzi láizhe?).

Tip: Beginners sometimes over-formalize; use 您叫什么名字来着？ only if you need extra politeness.

不好意思，你叫什么名字来着？我刚才没听清。

Bù hǎoyìsi, nǐ jiào shénme míngzi láizhe? Wǒ gāngcái méi tīng qīng.

Sorry, what was your name again? I didn’t catch it earlier.

对不起，我忘了。不好意思，你叫什么名字来着？

Duìbuqǐ, wǒ wàng le. Bù hǎoyìsi, nǐ jiào shénme míngzi láizhe?

Sorry, I forgot. What was your name again?

我先自我介绍一下。

Wǒ xiān zìwǒ jièshào yíxià.

Let me introduce myself.

Meaning: Let me introduce myself.

When to use: Use this to start a brief self-introduction in meetings or first-time encounters (Wǒ xiān zìwǒ jièshào yíxià.).

我先自我介绍一下：我叫王莉，在市场部工作。

Wǒ xiān zìwǒ jièshào yíxià: Wǒ jiào Wáng Lì, zài shìchǎng bù gōngzuò.

Let me introduce myself: I'm Wang Li and I work in marketing.

开会前老师说：我先自我介绍一下，然后开始讨论。

Kāihuì qián lǎoshī shuō: Wǒ xiān zìwǒ jièshào yíxià, ránhòu kāishǐ tǎolùn.

Before the meeting the teacher said: Let me introduce myself, then we'll start the discussion.

我们好像没见过。

Wǒmen hǎoxiàng méi jiàn guò.

I don't think we've met.

Meaning: I don't think we've met.

When to use: Say this when something feels unfamiliar and you want to confirm you haven't met before (Wǒmen hǎoxiàng méi jiàn guò.).

我们好像没见过，你是哪位？

Wǒmen hǎoxiàng méi jiàn guò, nǐ shì nǎ wèi?

I don't think we've met — who are you?

对不起，我们好像没见过，我叫李强。

Duìbuqǐ, wǒmen hǎoxiàng méi jiàn guò, wǒ jiào Lǐ Qiáng.

Sorry, I don't think we've met — I'm Li Qiang.

我们以前见过吗？

Wǒmen yǐqián jiàn guò ma?

Have we met before?

Meaning: Have we met before?

When to use: A neutral question to check whether you and someone had a prior meeting (Wǒmen yǐqián jiàn guò ma?).

你看起来很面熟——我们以前见过吗？

Nǐ kàn qǐlái hěn miàn shú——wǒmen yǐqián jiàn guò ma?

You look familiar — have we met before?

我们以前见过吗？我记不起名字了。

Wǒmen yǐqián jiàn guò ma? Wǒ jìbu qǐ míngzi le.

Have we met before? I can't remember the name.

我给你介绍一下___。

Wǒ gěi nǐ jièshào yíxià ___.

I'd like you to meet ___.

Meaning: I'd like you to meet ___.

When to use: Use this to introduce one person to another (Wǒ gěi nǐ jièshào yíxià ___).

我给你介绍一下，这是我的同事李娜。

Wǒ gěi nǐ jièshào yíxià, zhè shì wǒ de tóngshì Lǐ Nà.

Let me introduce you — this is my colleague Li Na.

我给你介绍一下，他是新来的工程师。

Wǒ gěi nǐ jièshào yíxià, tā shì xīn lái de gōngchéngshī.

Let me introduce you — he's the new engineer.

你的名字怎么拼？

Nǐ de míngzi zěnme pīn?

How do you spell your name?

Meaning: How do you spell your name?

When to use: Ask this when you need the spelling (often for English names or pinyin); use 你的名字怎么写？ to ask how to write Chinese characters (Nǐ de míngzi zěnme pīn?).

你的名字怎么拼？可以给我拼一下吗？

Nǐ de míngzi zěnme pīn? Kěyǐ gěi wǒ pīn yíxià ma?

How do you spell your name? Can you spell it for me?

我不会读这个名字的拼写，你的名字怎么拼？

Wǒ bù huì dú zhège míngzi de pīnxiě, nǐ de míngzi zěnme pīn?

I can't read the spelling of this name — how do you spell your name?

Simplified Chinese - Meeting New People

1. Reading + Listening Practice

2. Conversational Listening Practice

3. Guided Practice

Which phrase means 'Nice to meet you'?

How do you ask 'Are you new here?' in Chinese?

What's the best reply to '很高兴认识你'?

Which phrase asks 'How do you know ___?'

Let me introduce myself: I'm Li Na. I'm from Brazil.

Excuse me, what was your name again? I just met you but forgot.

At the party someone asked how you know Xiao Zhang. He said: 'We met at that coffee shop.'

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice