Mandarin for Travel: A 14-Day Speaking Plan Before Your Trip to China

By the end you can

• Tell people about your trip and your route. Put time words like 下个月 before the verb, and give your whole route in one breath with 先…再….
  先去北京，再去西安。 · Xiān qù Běijīng, zài qù Xī'ān. · Beijing first, then Xi'an.
• Ask what to see and buy tickets at a sight. Ask a local what's fun with 好玩的, ask 远不远？, buy 两张票 (never 二张) and ask what time the sight closes.
  这儿有什么好玩的？ · Zhèr yǒu shénme hǎowán de? · What's fun to do around here?
• Ask for a photo and find the toilet. Ask a stranger politely with 能帮我们…吗？, then ask the way and follow 往前走 or 往左走.
  请问，洗手间在哪儿？ · Qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr? · Excuse me, where's the toilet?
• Order street food and bargain at a market. Order with 来 + number + measure word, say how spicy with 别太辣, and ask for a lower price with 一点儿 after the adjective.
  太贵了，便宜一点儿吧！ · Tài guì le, piányi yìdiǎnr ba! · That's too much, can you go a bit lower?
• Chat with your driver and make friends with locals. Call the driver 师傅, say where you're from, and swap WeChat with a friendly 吧.
  我是美国人，来旅游。 · Wǒ shì Měiguó rén, lái lǚyóu. · I'm American, here on a trip.
• Say what you've seen and get help when something goes wrong. Say what you did with 了 and what you didn't with 没, ask 去过…吗？, and tell 找 (look for) from 找到 (find) when your phone goes missing.
  我的手机不见了！ · Wǒ de shǒujī bú jiàn le! · My phone is gone!
• Buy gifts, name your favourite place and say goodbye. Say who a gift is for with 送给, pick a favourite with 最 and 因为, and thank new friends with 玩得很开心.
  谢谢你，我玩得很开心！ · Xièxie nǐ, wǒ wán de hěn kāixīn! · Thank you, I had a wonderful time!

What’s inside

• Day 1: Tell People About Your Trip
• Day 2: Ask for Recommendations
• Day 3: Buy Tickets at a Sight
• Day 4: Ask Someone to Take a Photo
• Day 5: Find the Toilet and Ask the Way
• Day 6: Order Street Food
• Day 7: Bargain at a Market
• Day 8: Chat with Your Driver
• Day 9: Make Friends with Locals
• Day 10: Talk About What You've Seen
• Day 11: When Something Goes Wrong
• Day 12: Buy Gifts to Take Home
• Day 13: Say What You Liked Best
• Day 14: Say Thank You and Goodbye

How to use this book

Start 14 days before you fly and do one page a day, about ten minutes. Play the audio, say each line out loud in the pause, then say the whole exchange in order, playing both people.

1. Days 1–3: Plans and sights. Say when and where you're going, ask a local what's worth seeing, and buy tickets at the gate.
2. Days 4–7: Out and about. Ask for a photo, find the toilet, order street food and bargain at a market.
3. Days 8–11: People and surprises. Chat with your driver, swap WeChat with a new friend, say where you've been, and get help when something goes missing.
4. Days 12–14: The end of the trip. Buy gifts to take home, say which place you liked best and why, and thank your new friends.
5. Every day: Swap one word. Say the exchange again with your own city, food or number. Each day's note gives you one pattern to reuse all trip.

Who it’s for

Adult beginners with a trip to China coming up who want the friendly, social side of travel in Mandarin: sights, photos, street food, markets, chats with drivers and new friends.

Before you start: Nothing. Every line has characters, pinyin and English, and the free audio reads each one with a pause to say it back. From Day 3, each page brings back a line from an earlier day.

Frequently asked questions

What do the fourteen days cover?

One exchange a day: your trip plans, asking a local what to see, tickets at a sight, asking for a photo, finding the toilet, street food, bargaining, a chat with your driver, swapping WeChat, a lost phone, gifts to take home, your favourite place and a warm goodbye.

Do I need any Chinese to start?

No. Every line has characters, pinyin and English, and each day's note gives you one pattern to reuse all trip, such as 先…再… for your route or 两张票 for two tickets.

When should I start?

Fourteen days before you fly, one page a day. Each page takes about ten minutes, and from Day 3 on each one brings back a line from an earlier day, so your first week stays fresh when you land.

Is there audio?

Yes, free on the book's page on saymei.app: one track for each day, with every Chinese line followed by a pause to say it back. The QR code on page 2 opens it.

Does it cover taxis, trains, hotels and paying by phone?

No. This plan is the fun, social side of a trip. Paying by phone, taxis, trains and hotels are in China Trip Survival Mandarin, so the two books work well together.

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.

Keep going

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