🌍🧑❓

How to Say ‘You're a foreigner, right?’ in Simplified Chinese

你是外国人吧？

nǐ shì wài guó rén ba

[nee shir wàiguórén ba]

💬 Usage Tip: Putting 吧 at the end turns a statement into "..., right?" when you're fairly sure of the answer: 你是学生吧？ "you're a student, right?".

🇨🇳 In China: Locals ask this openly and out of curiosity, so it's not meant as rude, and it's a common way your conversation gets started.

Phrase Breakdown

你是

nǐ shì

you are

你 (nǐ) means 'you', and 是 (shì) means 'to be'. 是 has a falling tone.

Example

你是学生。

You are a student.

Words in this phrase

你

nǐ

[nee]

you

The informal or neutral word for “you,” suitable for peers or casual conversation.

Example

如果对方和你年纪差不多，可以说“认识你”。

If the other person is about your age, you can say “nice to meet you” with 你.

是

shì

[shir]

to be

The verb “to be,” used to identify or describe a situation.

Example

你是第一次来，所以我给你介绍一下。

Since it’s your first time here, I’ll introduce things to you.

外国人吧？

wài guó rén ba

a foreigner, right?

外国人 (wàiguórén) means 'foreigner'. 吧 (ba) at the end means 'I guess / right?', asking for confirmation.

Example

他是老师吧？

He's a teacher, right?

Words in this phrase

外国人

wài guó rén

[wàiguórén]

foreigner

A noun for a person from another country.

Example

这里有很多外国人。

There are many foreigners here.

吧

[ba]

right?; I suppose

Sentence-final particle seeking confirmation.

Example

你是学生吧？

You're a student, right?

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