Self-introduction at work: Explaining your role and previous job

💬 Chinese verbs don't change for past time. A time word like 以前 at the front is what puts the question in the past. The same goes for 以后 for the future.

💬 在 + a place comes before the action, not after it as in English: 在酒店工作 is literally "at hotel work".

💬 以前 (yǐ qián) "before" is enough to put the whole sentence in the past. The verb 工作 itself never changes. Drop it in front of other verbs the same way: 我以前在北京住 "I used to live in Beijing".

🇨🇳 This is a light, friendly way to show interest in what someone just said, not real doubt. Use it to keep a small-talk chat going with a new colleague.

💬 Add 吗 to the end of any statement, even a short piece like this, to turn it into a yes/no question. The word order stays the same.

💬 不 is read (bú) here because the next syllable 是 (shì) has a falling tone. So you say (bú shì), not (bù shì).

💬 Chinese has no single word for "no". You answer by negating the verb in the question, so a question with 是 or 在 gets 不是 back.

💬 To say how long you did something, the length of time comes right after the verb and 了: 做了两年 "did it for two years", 住了三年 "lived there three years". Use 两 (liǎng), not 二, before a time word like 年.

💬 挺 (tǐng) "pretty, quite" + adjective + 的 is a relaxed, spoken way to say "pretty good". Swap the adjective: 挺忙的 "pretty busy", 挺近的 "pretty close".

💬 部 is the short form of 部门 and gets stuck onto the end of a field to name a department: 人事部 "HR department", 市场部 "marketing department".

💬 就 in front of a location adds "right" or "just" for closeness: 就在楼下 "right downstairs".

💬 太 + adjective + 了 is the pattern for "so…!" when you're reacting: 太累了 "So tired!", 太贵了 "Too expensive!"

🇨🇳 This is the standard closing line when you join a new team. It's humble and polite, and asks for patience and guidance. Saying it to coworkers or your boss lands as well-mannered, not needy.

🇨🇳 This is the usual reply when someone thanks you or praises you. It gently waves the compliment away instead of accepting it, which feels more natural to Chinese ears than a bare "thank you".

💬 The 儿 ending melts into the syllable before it, so 事儿 is said (shìr) as one sound. This is typical of northern, especially Beijing, speech.

💬 Chinese often needs no word for "if": a situation followed by 就 already means "if/when this happens, then...". Reuse it like this: 有问题就问我 "if you have a question, ask me".

🇨🇳 Colleagues, especially more senior ones, say this to a newcomer to be welcoming. It's a real offer, so taking them up on it later is fine.

🇨🇳 This is a polite, natural way to end a chat and go back to your desk. 先 "first" softens it, so it doesn't sound like you're brushing the person off.

💬 先 (xiān) here doesn't really mean 'first' — it softens leaving, like 'I'll just go ahead and...'. Reuse it for any polite exit: 我先走了 "I'll head off now".

🇨🇳 This is the standard polite way to end a chat with a new colleague and get back to your desk. Saying you're going to be busy signals you're leaving for work, not because of them, so nobody feels brushed off.

💬 回头 (huí tóu) literally means "turn the head", but here it means "later on". You'll also hear it in 回头再说 "let's talk about it later".

🇨🇳 A casual, friendly goodbye between colleagues you'll see again soon, often the same day. It doesn't commit to a specific time, unlike 明天见 "see you tomorrow".