New here? This is lesson 57 of a free 240-lesson Traditional Chinese course.
Are you from around here? in Traditional Chinese
Yi-Jun introduces Maya to someone at the co-working space. The neighbour recognizes Maya from Banyan Breakfast and starts a friendly conversation.
Learn how to ask whether someone lives nearby, whether they have been somewhere before, and what brought them there.
You will also introduce yourself through a friend and suggest keeping in touch.
Notice how 嗎 marks a yes-or-no question in two of today's lines.
By the end of this lesson
Ask whether someone lives nearby, ask how they came to a place, introduce yourself through a friend, and keep in touch.
- 你住這附近嗎？Do you live around here?
- 我住這附近I live around here.
- 你是第一次來這裡嗎？Is this your first time here?
- 你怎麼會來這裡？How come you came here?
- 我們保持聯絡Let's keep in touch.
- 我是怡君的朋友I'm Yi-Jun's friend.
Scene — a chat at the co-working space
At a co-working space near Banyan Lane, Yi-Jun introduces Maya to someone she knows.
The neighbour recognizes Maya from the breakfast shop and asks where she lives and what brought her here.
It is an ordinary neighbourly chat, not a clue about the fortune slip. A-Li is elsewhere, and his soy milk is still unfinished.
Learn — talking with a neighbour
These six lines help you move beyond names and greetings. Ask whether someone lives nearby, find out if a place is new to them, and make a friendly connection.
Notice that 嗎 marks a yes-or-no question in two of today's lines.
你住這附近嗎？
Do you live around here?
When to use it: Ask someone whether their home is in this area.
嗎 turns this into a yes-or-no question.
我住這附近
I live around here.
When to use it: Answer when someone asks whether you live nearby.
你是第一次來這裡嗎？
Is this your first time here?
When to use it: Ask whether someone has visited this place before.
嗎 marks this as a yes-or-no question.
你怎麼會來這裡？
How come you came here?
When to use it: Ask what brought someone to a place.
我們保持聯絡
Let's keep in touch.
When to use it: Say this when you want to stay in contact.
我是怡君的朋友
I'm Yi-Jun's friend.
When to use it: Introduce yourself by saying whose friend you are.
Story — a familiar face
Yi-Jun introduces Maya at the co-working space. A neighbour recognizes her from Banyan Breakfast and asks a few questions.
Maya answers, chats about the area, and leaves the door open to staying in touch.
Yi-Jun這是我的朋友，瑪雅。This is my friend, Maya.
Maya你好。Hello.- Maya我是怡君的朋友。I'm Yi-Jun's friend.
- A neighbour你是早餐店那位嗎？Are you the person from the breakfast shop?
- Maya嗯，是我。Yes, that's me.
- A neighbour你住這附近嗎？Do you live around here?
- Maya我住這附近。I live around here.
- Maya你呢？And you?
- A neighbour我住這附近。I live around here.
- A neighbour你是第一次來這裡嗎？Is this your first time here?
- Maya不是，我常來。No, I come here often.
- A neighbour你怎麼會來這裡？How come you came here?
- Maya怡君帶我來的。Yi-Jun brought me here.
- A neighbour我們保持聯絡。Let's keep in touch.
Practice — get to know someone
Try eleven short exercises to recognize questions, choose natural introductions, and put useful lines together.
The situations follow Maya's conversation at the co-working space, with a quick review of an earlier greeting and follow-up question.
0 of 11 done
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
你住這附近嗎？
What do you say?
What do you say?
A neighbour asks whether you live nearby. Say that you do.
Build the line
Build the line
I'm Yi-Jun's friend.
Tap the words in order.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
Do you live around here?
你住這____嗎？
Match the pairs
Traditional Chinese
你是第一次來這裡嗎？Drop the English here你怎麼會來這裡？Drop the English here我們保持聯絡Drop the English here我是怡君的朋友Drop the English hereEnglish
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Pick the reply
A neighbour says:
Pick the reply
你住這附近嗎？
Do you live around here?
And you reply with:
What do you say?
What do you say?
You want to ask a neighbour what brought them to this place.
Pick the reply
A neighbour says:
Pick the reply
下次再聊喔。
Let's talk again next time.
And you reply with:
What do you say?
What do you say?
You have answered a question about yourself. Use a brief question to ask about the other person.
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Say it — your neighbour chat
You are Maya at the co-working space. Listen to Yi-Jun and the neighbour, then answer as you would in a friendly first conversation.
Say each response aloud and keep the exchange moving naturally.
- Yi-Jun introduces Maya to a neighbour at the co-working space.
- Yi-Jun這是我的朋友，瑪雅。This is my friend, Maya.
- Maya (you)Say that you are Yi-Jun's friend.
Say that you are Yi-Jun's friend.
我是怡君的朋友
I'm Yi-Jun's friend.
0 of 5 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Traditional Chinese | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| 你住這附近嗎？ | Do you live around here? | |
| 我住這附近 | I live around here. | |
| 你是第一次來這裡嗎？ | Is this your first time here? | |
| 你怎麼會來這裡？ | How come you came here? | |
| 我們保持聯絡 | Let's keep in touch. | |
| 我是怡君的朋友 | I'm Yi-Jun's friend. |
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Review today's neighbour-chat phrases in Yak Cards.
Practise a few lines again before your next friendly introduction.
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