This second lesson teaches many important aspect in Chinese like adjectives, vocabulary list about food and finally common phrases about greeting. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Chinese Classes.
Adjectives
Knowing adjectives in Chinese is a powerful skill. It can make it easy to have a conversation about different topics by simply knowing some key words such as "good", "bad", "right", "wrong" etc. Adjectives are words used to describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence for example: I am happy. Chinese is easy.
Below is a list of 20 adjectives that you might come across or use very often. The table contains 3 columns (English, Chinese, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.
Adjectives List in Chinese
Adjectives
Chinese
Audio
Tall
高 gāo
Short
短 duǎn
Big
大 dà
Wide
宽 kuān
Long
长 zhǎng
Small
小 xiǎo
Thick
厚 hòu
Thin
薄 báo
New
新 xīn
Old (opposite of new)
旧 jiù
Cheap
便宜的 piányí de
Expensive
昂贵的 ángguì de
Young
年轻 niánqīng
Old (opposite of young)
老 lǎo
Wrong
错误 cuòwù
Right (correct)
正确 zhèngquè
Good
好 hǎo
Bad
不好 bù hǎo
Difficult
困难 kùnnán
Easy
容易 róngyì
Now we will try to implement some of the words above into full Chinese sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.
Chinese Adjectives in a Sentence
English
Chinese
Audio
Am I right or wrong?
我对了吗? wǒ duìle ma?
Is he younger or older than you?
他比你大还是小? Tā bǐ nǐ dà háishì xiǎo?
Is the test easy or difficult?
这个测验简单还是难? Zhège cèyàn jiǎndān háishì nán?
Is this book new or old?
这是本新书还是旧书? Zhè shì běn xīnshū háishì jiùshū?
This is so expensive
太贵了。 Tài guìle.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Chinese contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about Food
Below is a list of 50 words related to food such as fruits, vegetables and edible items. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to buy many food necessities from the supermarket or off the menu in a restaurant without a problem.
Food List in Chinese
Food
Chinese
Audio
Breakfast
早餐 Zǎocān
Lunch
午餐 wǔcān
Dinner
晚餐 wǎncān
Meal
餐 cān
Apples
苹果 píngguǒ
Avocados
酪梨 lào lí
Bananas
香蕉 xiāngjiāo
Beans
豆豆 dòu dòu
Bread
面包 miànbāo
Butter
黄油 huángyóu
Carrots
胡萝卜 húluóbo
Cheese
奶酪 nǎilào
Chicken
鸡肉 jīròu
Coffee
咖啡 kāfēi
Corn
玉米 yùmǐ
Cucumbers
黄瓜 huángguā
Eggs
鸡蛋 jīdàn
Figs
无花果 wúhuāguǒ
Fish
鱼肉 yúròu
Food
食品 shípǐn
Fruit
水果 shuǐguǒ
Garlic
大蒜 dàsuàn
Grapes
葡萄 pútáo
Ice cream
冰淇淋 bīngqílín
Lemons
柠檬 níngméng
Lettuce
萵苣 wōjù
Meat
肉 ròu
Milk
牛奶 niúnǎi
Olives
橄榄 gǎnlǎn
Onions
洋葱 yángcōng
Orange juice
柳橙汁 liǔ chéngzhī
Oranges
桔子 júzi
Peaches
水蜜桃 shuǐmì táo
Pears
梨子 lízi
Peppers
辣椒 làjiāo
Pineapples
凤梨 fènglí
Pizza
比薩 bǐsà
Potatoes
土豆 tǔdòu
Pumpkin
南瓜 nánguā
Salad
沙拉 shālā
Salt
盐 yán
Sandwich
三明治 sānmíngzhì
Soda (like Coke)
汽水 qìshuǐ
Strawberries
草莓 cǎoméi
Sugar
糖 táng
Tea
茶 chá
Tomatoes
蕃茄 fānjiā
Vegetables
蔬菜 shūcài
Water
水 shuǐ
Watermelon
西瓜 xīguā
Daily Conversation in Chinese
Finally, a list of sentences using the vocabulary used in this lesson plus some bonus phrases. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Chinese Phrases page. Enjoy!
Common Expressions in Chinese
English
Chinese
Audio
Are you thirsty?
你口渴吗? nǐ kǒu kě ma?
I'm hungry
我肚子饿了。 Wǒ dùzi èle.
Do you have a bottle of water?
你有一瓶水吗? Nǐ yǒuyī píng shuǐ ma?
Breakfast is ready
早餐准备好了。 Zǎocān zhǔnbèi hǎole.
What kind of food do you like?
你喜欢什么食物? Nǐ xǐhuān shénme shíwù?
I like cheese
我喜欢乳酪。 Wǒ xǐhuān rǔlào.
Bananas taste sweet
香蕉很甜。 Xiāngjiāo hěn tián.
I don't like cucumber
我不喜欢黄瓜。 Wǒ bù xǐhuān huángguā.
I like bananas
我喜欢香蕉。 Wǒ xǐhuān xiāngjiāo.
Lemons taste sour
柠檬很酸。 Níngméng hěn suān.
This fruit is delicious
这水果很好吃。 Zhè shuǐguǒ hěn hào chī.
Vegetables are healthy
蔬菜很健康。 Shūcài hěn jiànkāng.
Hi!
嗨! Hāi!
Good morning!
早上好! Zǎoshang hǎo!
Good afternoon!
下午好! Xiàwǔ hǎo!
Good evening!
晚上好! Wǎnshàng hǎo!
Welcome!
欢迎你! Huānyíng nǐ!
How are you? (informal)
您的身体好吗? Nín de shēntǐ hǎo ma?
How are you? (formal)
你好吗? Nǐ hǎo ma?
What's up? (colloquial)
你好﹗ Nǐ hǎo﹗
I'm fine, thank you!
很好﹗谢谢 hěn hǎo﹗xièxiè
And you? (informal)
你呢? nǐ ne?
And you? (formal)
那你呢? Nà nǐ ne?
Good
好 Hǎo
Fun Facts
Language Quote that a palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of characters which reads the same backward or forward. Allowances may be made for adjustments to capital letters, punctuation, and word dividers.
Congratulations! You finished your second lesson in Chinese about adjectives, and food. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Chinese Lesson 3. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Chinese homepage.