
Asking about someones family: Asking if someone has brothers or sisters
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Key Phrases
询问是否吃饭了并回答
xún wèn shì fǒu chī fàn le bìng huí dá
Asking if someone has eaten and responding
谈论兄弟姐妹和表哥表姐
tán lùn xiōng dì jiě mèi hé biǎo gē biǎo jiě
Talking about siblings and cousins
描述家人住在哪里、做什么工作
miáo shù jiā rén zhù zài nǎ lǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò
Describing where family members live and work
Skills You'll Learn
Greet others with everyday meal-related small talk
用日常饮食话题进行寒暄
yòng rì cháng yǐn shí huà tí jìn xíng hán xuān
Describe family members (siblings, cousins, only child) and express quantity
描述家庭成员(兄弟姐妹、表哥表姐、独生子)并表达数量
miáo shù jiā tíng chéng yuán bìng biǎo dá shù liàng
Talk about location, work, and feelings like boredom, and say goodbye
谈论地点、工作和无聊等感受,并学会道别
tán lùn dì diǎn gōng zuò hé wú liáo děng gǎn shòu bìng xué huì dào bié
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you're chatting with a friendly Chinese classmate after lunch. They greet you the way Chinese people often do, by asking if you've eaten. The conversation soon turns to family: you'll talk about your older sister who works in New York, and you'll learn that your friend is an only child who has lots of cousins. Then you'll say goodbye until tomorrow.
嗨, Emily !吃饭了吗?
hāi Emily chī fàn le ma
Hi, Emily! Have you eaten yet?
吃了。你呢?
chī le nǐ ne
Yes, I have. And you?
我也吃了。对了,你有兄弟姐妹吗?
wǒ yě chī le duì le nǐ yǒu xiōng dì jiě mèi ma
Me too. By the way, do you have any brothers or sisters?
有,我有一个姐姐。
yǒu wǒ yǒu yī gè jiě jiě
Yes, I have an older sister.
她在美国吗?
tā zài měi guó ma
Is she in America?
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
吃饭了吗?
chī fàn le ma
Have you eaten yet?
🇨🇳 This is a friendly greeting, much like "How's it going?", and not an invitation to a meal. A simple 吃了 or 还没 "not yet" is all anyone expects back.
See breakdown →吃了。
chī le
I've eaten.
💬 了 after a verb shows the action is done, so 吃了 means "ate" or "have eaten". It works with other actions too: 买了 (mǎi le) "bought".
See breakdown →你呢?
nǐ ne
And you?
💬 Put 呢 after a person or thing to bounce the same question back: 你呢? "and you?", 你姐姐呢? "and your older sister?".
See breakdown →吃了。你呢?
chī le nǐ ne
I have eaten. And you?
我也吃了。
wǒ yě chī le
I have eaten too.
💬 也 "also" always comes before the verb, never at the end of the sentence like English "too": 我也是 "me too".
See breakdown →对了
duì le
By the way
🇨🇳 对了 is the natural way to switch topics in casual chat, such as moving from small talk to asking about family.
See breakdown →兄弟姐妹
xiōng dì jiě mèi
Brothers and sisters
💬 To ask about someone's siblings, use 你有兄弟姐妹吗? (nǐ yǒu xiōng dì jiě mèi ma) "Do you have any brothers or sisters?". 兄 and 弟 are older and younger brothers, and 姐 and 妹 are older and younger sisters.
🇨🇳 Asking about siblings is normal, friendly small talk in China, even with people you have just met.
See breakdown →姐姐
jiě jiě
Older sister
💬 Chinese has no general word for "sister". You choose by age: 姐姐 (jiě jie) is older, and 妹妹 (mèi mei) is younger. The second syllable is said lightly, with no tone.
See breakdown →我有一个姐姐。
wǒ yǒu yī gè jiě jiě
I have an older sister.
💬 一 changes to (yí) before 个, so this is said (yí ge). To say "none", use 没有 rather than 不有: 我没有姐姐 "I don't have an older sister".
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