Texting & dating apps: Sending a first message on a dating app
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Key Phrases
爬山
pá shān
Hiking; to climb mountains
周末
zhōu mò
Weekend
机会
jī huì
Chance; opportunity
Skills You'll Learn
Discussing hobbies and interests
谈论兴趣爱好
tán lùn xìng qù ài hào
Inviting someone to do an activity together
邀请他人一起做活动
yāo qǐng tā rén yì qǐ zuò huó dòng
Politely ending a conversation
礼貌地结束对话
lǐ mào dì jié shù duì huà
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you've just moved to Beijing and are chatting with someone new. You want to make a friend who also likes hiking.
你好！我叫 Emily ，很高兴认识你。
nǐ hǎo wǒ jiào Emily hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ
Hi! I'm Emily, nice to meet you.
你好呀！你的中文很不错啊。
nǐ hǎo ya nǐ de zhōng wén hěn bù cuò a
Hi there! Your Chinese is pretty good.
谢谢，我还在学。你也喜欢爬山吗？
xiè xiè wǒ hái zài xué nǐ yě xǐ huān pá shān ma
Thanks, I'm still learning. Do you like hiking too?
对呀，我周末常去香山。你呢？
duì ya wǒ zhōu mò cháng qù xiāng shān nǐ ne
Yeah, I often go to Fragrant Hills on weekends. What about you?
我也喜欢！不过我刚来北京，还没去过。
wǒ yě xǐ huān bù guò wǒ gāng lái běi jīng hái méi qù guò
I like it too! But I just got to Beijing, so I haven't been yet.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
很高兴认识你。
hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ
Nice to meet you.
💬 Literally "very happy to know you". 高兴 (gāoxìng) works on its own as the whole description, with no 是 needed.
🇨🇳 In a dating-app chat this reads polite and a little formal. It's a fine opener, but people often follow it quickly with something more casual.
See breakdown →我叫 Emily Smith 。
wǒ jiào Emily Smith
My name is Emily Smith.
💬 叫 (jiào) literally means "to be called", so this is the normal way to give your name. For just your surname, say 我姓 (wǒ xìng) + surname.
See breakdown →你的中文
nǐ de zhōng wén
Your Chinese
💬 Put 的 (de) after a person and it works like "'s" or "my/your": 我的手机 "my phone", 他的名字 "his name".
See breakdown →很不错
hěn bù cuò
It's really good
💬 不错 (búcuò) literally means "not wrong", but it's a warm "pretty good". 不 is said (bú) here because 错 has a falling tone.
See breakdown →你的中文很不错啊。
nǐ de zhōng wén hěn bù cuò a
Your Chinese is pretty good.
💬 The 啊 (a) at the end softens the line and makes it sound friendly and impressed rather than flat.
🇨🇳 Locals say this to almost any foreigner who manages a few words, so take it as encouragement rather than a real assessment.
See breakdown →我还在学。
wǒ hái zài xué
I'm still learning.
💬 在 (zài) before an action shows it's ongoing: 我在吃饭 "I'm eating". 还 (hái) adds "still".
🇨🇳 This is the modest, expected reply to a compliment on your Chinese. Saying "thanks" alone can sound a bit boastful.
See breakdown →你也喜欢爬山吗？
nǐ yě xǐ huān pá shān ma
Do you like hiking too?
💬 Add 吗 (ma) to the end of any statement to make it a yes/no question; the word order doesn't change. 也 (yě) "too" always goes before the verb, never at the end.
See breakdown →爬山
pá shān
Hiking; to climb mountains
💬 Literally "crawl mountain". 爬 (pá) is the verb for climbing anything, as in 爬楼梯 "climb stairs".
See breakdown →香山
xiāng shān
Fragrant Hills
🇨🇳 Fragrant Hills is a popular park in western Beijing. Hiking there is a classic weekend activity and a common low-pressure first-date idea.
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