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Scene illustrating a Simplified Chinese-language asking about someones family conversation

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?".

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✅🍚❓👉

吃了。你呢?

chī le nǐ ne

I have eaten. And you?

See breakdown →
✅🍚➕

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".

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💭

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.

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👫

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.

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👩‍🦰⬆️

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.

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👉👱‍♀️⬆️

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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🚀

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