Unit 1: First Steps Lesson 1 of 5

Hello! Greetings & Introductions

你好!问候与自我介绍
Say hello & goodbye
Introduce yourself
Ask "How are you?"
Use "I am" / "My name is"
Let's Start! / 我们开始吧!

In this lesson, you'll learn the most important words in any language: how to say hello, how to say your name, and how to ask someone how they are.

在这节课中,你将学习任何语言中最重要的词汇:如何说你好,如何说你的名字,以及如何问别人你好吗

The good news? English greetings are short and simple! Many are just one or two words.

好消息是,英语的问候语又短又简单!很多只有一两个单词。

Essential Greetings / 基本问候语

Click each card to reveal the Chinese translation. Try to guess first!

点击每张卡片查看中文翻译。先试着猜一猜!

Hello
/həˈloʊ/
你好 (nǐ hǎo)
Tap to flip
Hi
/haɪ/
嗨 (hāi)
Tap to flip
Good morning
/ɡʊd ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/
早上好 (zǎo shàng hǎo)
Tap to flip
Good afternoon
/ɡʊd ˌæftərˈnuːn/
下午好 (xià wǔ hǎo)
Tap to flip
Good evening
/ɡʊd ˈiːvnɪŋ/
晚上好 (wǎn shàng hǎo)
Tap to flip
Goodbye
/ɡʊdˈbaɪ/
再见 (zài jiàn)
Tap to flip
See you later
/siː juː ˈleɪtər/
回头见 (huí tóu jiàn)
Tap to flip
How are you?
/haʊ ɑːr juː/
你好吗? (nǐ hǎo ma?)
Tap to flip
Introducing Yourself / 自我介绍

Here are the essential phrases for introducing yourself. Pay attention to the two ways to say your name:

以下是自我介绍的基本句型。注意说名字的两种方式:

My name is ___
/maɪ neɪm ɪz/
我叫___ (wǒ jiào___)
Tap to flip
I am ___
/aɪ æm/
我是___ (wǒ shì___)
Tap to flip
Nice to meet you
/naɪs tuː miːt juː/
很高兴认识你 (hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ)
Tap to flip
I'm fine, thank you
/aɪm faɪn θæŋk juː/
我很好,谢谢 (wǒ hěn hǎo, xiè xiè)
Tap to flip
Meeting Someone New / 认识新朋友

Read this conversation between two people meeting for the first time. Notice how they greet each other and exchange names.

阅读两个人第一次见面的对话。注意他们如何互相问候和交换名字。

🎤
At a Coffee Shop
在咖啡店
L
Hi! My name is Lisa.
嗨!我叫 Lisa。
W
Hello, Lisa! I'm Wei. Nice to meet you.
你好,Lisa!我是 Wei。很高兴认识你。
L
Nice to meet you too! How are you?
我也很高兴认识你!你好吗?
W
I'm fine, thank you. And you?
我很好,谢谢。你呢?
L
I'm great! Good to see you.
我很好!很高兴见到你。
W
See you later, Lisa!
回头见,Lisa!
The Verb "To Be" (I am) / 动词 "是" (shì)

In Chinese, the verb 是 (shì) never changes form — you use the same word for "I am," "you are," and "he is." But in English, the verb "to be" changes depending on the subject: am, are, is. This is one of the biggest differences!

在中文里,动词“是”永远不变——“我是”“你是”“他是”都用同一个字。但在英语里,“to be”会根据主语变化:am, are, is。这是最大的区别之一!

💡 "To Be" with I, You, He/She
EnglishShort Form中文
I am I'm 我是 (wǒ shì)
You are You're 你是 (nǐ shì)
He is He's 他是 (tā shì)
She is She's 她是 (tā shì)
Key Difference / 关键区别
Chinese: 我是 / 你是 / 他是 — all use 是 (shì)
English: I am / You are / He is — the verb changes!
🇨🇳
Tip for Chinese Speakers
The "th" sound: Chinese does not have the /θ/ or /ð/ sounds. In English, you must place your tongue between your teeth and blow air. Practice with: "thank" /θæŋk/, "the" /ðə/, "this" /ðɪs/. Common mistake: saying "sank you" instead of "thank you." Feel your tongue touch your top teeth! "th"发音:中文里没有 /θ/ 或 /ð/ 这两个音。在英语中,你必须把舌头放在上下牙齿之间吹气。练习:“thank”“the”“this”。常见错误:把“thank you”说成“sank you”。感受舌头碰到上牙齿!
Test What You've Learned / 测试你学到的内容

Complete these exercises to practice your new English greetings. Don't worry about mistakes — they help you learn!

完成这些练习来复习你新学的英语问候语。不要担心犯错——错误能帮助你学习!

Multiple Choice Exercise 1 of 4
How do you say "你好" in English?
英语里“你好”怎么说?
A
Goodbye
B
Hello
C
Thank you
D
Please
🎉
Correct! "Hello" means 你好. You can also say "Hi" which is more casual. / 正确!“Hello”就是“你好”。你也可以说“Hi”,更随意一些。
💡
Not quite. The correct answer is "Hello." "Goodbye" means 再见. / 正确答案是“Hello”。“Goodbye”的意思是“再见”。
Fill in the Blank Exercise 2 of 4
Complete the sentence: "___ Carlos. Nice to meet you."
完成句子:“___ Carlos. Nice to meet you.”(我是Carlos。很高兴认识你。)
Carlos. Nice to meet you.
🎉
Excellent! "I'm" is the short form of "I am." Both are correct! / 太棒了!“I'm”是“I am”的缩写。两种都对!
💡
Almost! The answer is "I'm" (or "I am"). Remember: "I'm" = 我是. / 答案是“I'm”(或“I am”)。记住:“I'm”= 我是。
Multiple Choice Exercise 3 of 4
Someone says "How are you?" What's a good response?
有人说“How are you?”你怎么回答?
A
My name is Carlos
B
See you later
C
I'm fine, thank you
D
Good morning
🎉
Perfect! "I'm fine, thank you" is the most common response to "How are you?" / 完美!“I'm fine, thank you”是回答“How are you?”最常见的方式。
💡
Not quite. When someone asks "How are you?" the best answer is "I'm fine, thank you." / 当有人问“How are you?”最好的回答是“I'm fine, thank you.”
Word Order Exercise 4 of 4
Put the words in the correct order to make a phrase:
把单词排列成正确的顺序:“很高兴认识你”
you
Nice
meet
to
🎉
You got it! "Nice to meet you" is how we say 很高兴认识你 in English. / 你做到了!“Nice to meet you”就是英语里的“很高兴认识你”。
💡
Close! The correct order is: "Nice to meet you." / 正确顺序是:“Nice to meet you.”
Key Takeaways / 关键要点
"Hello" / "Hi" = 你好 / 嗨. Use "Hi" with friends, "Hello" is more universal.
"My name is ___" or "I'm ___" = 我叫___ / 我是___
"How are you?" = 你好吗? → Answer: "I'm fine, thank you."
"Nice to meet you" = 很高兴认识你
"Goodbye" / "See you later" = 再见 / 回头见
English "to be" changes: I am, You are, He is — Chinese 是 never changes!