Chinese Speaking Practice for Beginners: 60 Questions with Model Answers

By the end you can

• Answer questions about yourself. Give your Chinese name, say where you live with 离……很近, give your birthday as a month and a day, and say which languages you speak.
  我会说英语和一点儿中文。 · Wǒ huì shuō Yīngyǔ hé yìdiǎnr Zhōngwén. · I speak English and a little Chinese.
• Talk about your family. Say how many people are in your family with 口, what they do, who cooks, and how often you call home.
  我家有四口人：爸爸、妈妈、姐姐和我。 · Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén: bàba, māma, jiějie hé wǒ. · There are four of us: my dad, my mum, my older sister and me.
• Describe your work, your studies and your home. Say where you work and how you get there, what you studied, which floor you live on and what is near your home with 有……，还有…….
  我坐地铁去，二十分钟就到了。 · Wǒ zuò dìtiě qù, èrshí fēnzhōng jiù dào le. · I take the subway. I'm there in twenty minutes.
• Tell your day in clock times. Say when you get up, start and finish work and go to bed, and what you usually have for breakfast with 一般.
  我七点起床，八点半上班，六点下班，十一点睡觉。 · Wǒ qī diǎn qǐchuáng, bā diǎn bàn shàngbān, liù diǎn xiàbān, shíyī diǎn shuìjiào. · I get up at seven, start work at half past eight, finish at six and go to bed at eleven.
• Talk about food and what you do for fun. Name your favourite food, answer a this-or-that question with 还是, say what you don't eat, and invite a friend to go running.
  我不吃牛肉，别的都可以。 · Wǒ bù chī niúròu, biéde dōu kěyǐ. · I don't eat beef. Everything else is fine.
• Say what you did last weekend. Tell what you did with 了, then say how you got there and who you went with using 是……的.
  我们是坐火车去的，一个小时就到了。 · Wǒmen shì zuò huǒchē qù de, yí ge xiǎoshí jiù dào le. · We went by train. It only took an hour.
• Talk about places you have been. Say where you have and haven't been with 过 and 还没, pick your favourite city, and say where you want to go next.
  我去过北京和西安，还没去过成都。 · Wǒ qù guo Běijīng hé Xī'ān, hái méi qù guo Chéngdū. · I've been to Beijing and Xi'an. I haven't been to Chengdu yet.
• Give an opinion when shopping and say how you feel. Say what you bought, praise something with a catch using 就是有点儿, and say what's wrong when you're unwell, up to calling in sick.
  很好看，就是有点儿贵。 · Hěn hǎokàn, jiùshì yǒudiǎnr guì. · It looks great, it's just a bit pricey.
• Make plans and give a 60-second talk about yourself. Say what you plan to do with 打算, suggest a day to meet, then join one line from nine topics into a talk you time to one minute.
  下个星期六怎么样？ · Xià ge xīngqīliù zěnmeyàng? · How about next Saturday?

What’s inside

• Topic 1: Your name, where you live, your birthday, what you're like and the languages you speak. Questions: About You: Five Questions · Your answers: About You: Your Answers
• Topic 2: How many people are in your family, what they do, who cooks and how often you call. Questions: Family: Five Questions · Your answers: Family: Your Answers
• Topic 3: Where you work, how you get there with 坐 or 开车, and what you studied. Questions: Work and Study: Five Questions · Your answers: Work and Study: Your Answers
• Topic 4: How big your place is, which floor, and what's near your home. Questions: Your Home: Five Questions · Your answers: Your Home: Your Answers
• Topic 5: Clock times for your day, from getting up to going to bed, with a listening exercise. Questions: A Normal Day: Five Questions · Your answers: A Normal Day: Your Answers
• Topic 6: Your favourite food, tea or coffee with 还是, eating out, and what you don't eat. Questions: Food: Five Questions · Your answers: Food: Your Answers
• Topic 7: Films, sport, books and music, and inviting a friend to join you. Questions: Free Time: Five Questions · Your answers: Free Time: Your Answers
• Topic 8: Last weekend with 了 and 是……的: what you did, how you went and who with. Questions: Last Weekend: Five Questions · Your answers: Last Weekend: Your Answers
• Topic 9: Places you have been with 过 and 还没, your favourite city, trains or planes. Questions: Travel: Five Questions · Your answers: Travel: Your Answers
• Topic 10: Shopping online and in shops, what you bought, prices in 块 and giving an opinion. Questions: Shopping: Five Questions · Your answers: Shopping: Your Answers
• Topic 11: Sleep, exercise, what you do when you're ill, and calling in sick. Questions: Health: Five Questions · Your answers: Health: Your Answers
• Topic 12: Plans for tomorrow, next month and this year with 打算 and 想, and agreeing when to meet. Questions: Plans: Five Questions · Your answers: Plans: Your Answers
• Your 60-second talk: A nine-line outline built from the topics, to say and time in one minute. Plan Your 60-Second Talk

How to use this book

Each topic is two pages: Mei Lin's questions with a student's answers, then a page to build your own. Play the free audio, pause, say each line back, then read the English. One topic at a sitting works well.

1. Each topic: Questions page first. Play the topic's track and say every answer in the pause. Answer Mei Lin's fifth question aloud before you look at the model answer.
2. Then: Your answers page. Fill the gaps, put the words in order, answer about yourself, and write two answers. Finish with the speaking task, then check the key on pages 28 to 36.
3. Topics 1–4: You and where you live. Your name, family, work and home. Keep answers short, the way people speak: 会一点儿 is a full answer.
4. Topics 5–8: Your days and weekends. Times, food, free time and last weekend with 了 and 是……的. Later topics ask you to reuse lines from earlier ones.
5. Topics 9–12: Out and about. Travel with 过, shopping, health and plans.
6. At the end: Your 60-second talk. Fill in the nine lines on page 27. Say them with the book open once, then from the outline, and time yourself three days in a row.

Who it’s for

Beginners who know some basic Chinese and want to answer real questions about their own life: people who freeze when someone asks them something, and learners getting ready to speak with a partner, a tutor or coworkers.

Before you start: You should know simple sentences like 我是…… and 我喜欢…… and be able to read pinyin. Every line has pinyin and English, and the topics build on each other.

Frequently asked questions

What's in the book?

Twelve topics with five questions each, from About You and Family to Travel, Shopping, Health and Plans. Each topic has a Questions page, where Mei Lin asks and a student answers, and a Your answers page where you build your own. Page 27 helps you plan a 60-second talk about yourself.

What should I know before I start?

Simple sentences like 我是…… and 我喜欢……, and how to read pinyin. Every line has pinyin and English. Later topics ask you to reuse lines from earlier ones, so take them in order.

Is there audio?

Yes, free on the book's audio page: one track for each of the 12 topics, with the questions and answers read in Chinese and a pause after each line to say it back.

Do my answers have to match the model answers?

No. The models are there to copy, then change one detail so the answer is true for you. The answer key on pages 28 to 36 gives a model for each open question, and short answers are fine: 你会做饭吗？ 会一点儿。

How does the 60-second talk work?

Page 27 gives nine sentence starters built from the topics, such as 我家有……口人 and 我最喜欢吃……. Fill them in, then say all nine lines in a minute, three days in a row.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

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