我
I / me
The person speaking.
Mandarin guided learning
Introduce yourself and catch a question
Move from a memorized introduction to recognizing the question that comes next.
Picture the idea
A question word replaces the missing information. 你是美国人 is “you are American.” 你是哪里人 asks “you are a person from where?” Keep the word 哪里 in that slot.
Useful words
你
you
The person being addressed.
是
am / is / are
Connects a person to an identity.
美国
United States
The country name.
人
person
美国人 = American person / American.
哪里人
person from where
A question about where someone is from.
中国
China
中国人 = Chinese person.
名字
name
你叫什么名字？ asks your name.
Read the display
| 中文 · Mandarin | 身份 · identity |
|---|---|
美国人 American | 美国 United States |
中国人 Chinese | 中国 China |
Find the information
Which word means an American person?
- 美国
- 美国人
- 中国人
Answer and explanation
美国人
美国 is the country. Adding 人 gives the person’s nationality.
Build your request
Person + 是 + identity. Use a true answer about yourself.
我是美国人。
I am American.
The sentence pieces
我
I
是
am
美国人
American
Understand the reply
你叫什么名字？
What is your name?
What does this reply mean?
- What is your name?
- Where is your hotel?
- How much do you want to buy?
Answer and explanation
What is your name?
What is your name?
我叫杰克。
My name is Jake.
Use it in another situation
Ask 你呢？ (Nǐ ne? — And you?) to return the question. Have a person change the follow-up; use your repair phrase if you cannot understand it.