Someone meets you at the airport and drives you to your hotel
Tap any line to hear it
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Your 6 lines — one syllable, one beat
♩ ♩ ♩ ♩
是，我是 Deepak。
Shì, wǒ shì Deepak.
Yes, I'm Deepak.
♩ ♩ ♩ ♩
有一点累。
Yǒu yì diǎn lèi.
A little tired. — swap lèi for è (hungry) or rè (hot)
♩ ♩ ♩
第一次。
Dì yī cì.
First time.
♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩
不用不用，谢谢！
Bú yòng bú yòng, xiè xie!
No need, no need — thanks! (turning down help)
♩ ♩ ♩
谢谢你。
Xiè xie nǐ.
Thank you.
♩ ♩ ♩
明天见！
Míng tiān jiàn!
See you tomorrow!
Six lines. That's all you need to say. Everything else in this scene is listening.
★ The 8 questions they will ask you
They say
Meaning
You answer
Nǐ shì Deepak ma?
Are you Deepak?
Shì, wǒ shì Deepak
Lù shang lèi bu lèi?
Tired from the trip?
Yǒu yì diǎn lèi
È bu è?
Hungry?
Yǒu yì diǎn è
Chī fàn le ma?
Have you eaten?
Chī le / Hái méi yǒu
Dì yī cì lái Zhōng guó ma?
First time in China?
Shì, dì yī cì
Xíng li jiù zhè xiē ma?
Is this all your luggage?
Jiù zhè xiē
Wǒ bāng nǐ ná xíng li
Let me take your bag
Bú yòng bú yòng, xiè xie
Wǒ men zǒu ba
Let's go
Hǎo de
The magic key: "X bu X" — lèi bu lèi, è bu è, rè bu rè, qù bu qù. Chinese asks yes/no questions by saying the word twice with bu in the middle. Whenever you hear that shape, you know it's a yes/no question — even if you don't know the word.
🎬 Why "nǐ hǎo nǐ hǎo" twice? In Chinese, doubling a word = warmth. Same with méi shì méi shì, bú yòng bú yòng. Saying it once can sound cold.
Scene 2 · Small talk — mostly listening
Them
路上累不累？
Lù shang lèi bu lèi?
Was the trip tiring?
You
有一点累。
Yǒu yì diǎn lèi.
A little tired.
Them
飞机上睡了吗？
Fēi jī shang shuì le ma?
Did you sleep on the plane?
You
睡了一点。
Shuì le yì diǎn.
I slept a little.
Them
饿不饿？吃饭了吗？
È bu è? Chī fàn le ma?
Are you hungry? Have you eaten?
You
有一点饿。
Yǒu yì diǎn è.
A little hungry.
Them
第一次来中国吗？
Dì yī cì lái Zhōng guó ma?
Is this your first time in China?
You
是，第一次！
Shì, dì yī cì!
Yes, first time!
🎬 Here "chī fàn le ma?" is a real question — you just got off a plane. But if someone says it to you on the street, it's just a greeting, like "how are you". Don't actually tell them what you ate.
Scene 3 · They grab your luggage
Them
我帮你拿行李。
Wǒ bāng nǐ ná xíng li.
Let me take your luggage.
You
不用不用，谢谢！
Bú yòng bú yòng, xiè xie!
No need, no need — thank you!
Them
没事没事，走吧，车在那边。
Méi shì méi shì, zǒu ba, chē zài nà biān.
It's nothing. Let's go — the car's over there.
You
好的。
Hǎo de.
OK.
🎬 They will actually try to take your bag. It's warmth, not just politeness. Refuse once (bú yòng bú yòng) — then let them, and say thanks. Refusing three or more times makes you seem distant.
How long are you staying? Any plans to go out and see things?
You
请说慢一点。
Qǐng shuō màn yì diǎn.
Please speak more slowly.
🎬 That last exchange is on purpose. You will not understand everything — that's normal. Say qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn instead of freezing. Also watch out: sìshí (40) and shísì (14) sound almost the same — play them both on Normal speed and listen.
Scene 5 · Arriving at the hotel
Them
到了，就是这里。
Dào le, jiù shì zhè lǐ.
We're here — this is the place.
You
谢谢你！
Xiè xie nǐ!
Thank you!
Them
明天早上九点我来接你。
Míng tiān zǎo shang jiǔ diǎn wǒ lái jiē nǐ.
I'll pick you up at nine tomorrow morning.
You
好，明天见！
Hǎo, míng tiān jiàn!
OK, see you tomorrow!
Them
好好休息！
Hǎo hāo xiū xi!
Get some good rest!
You
谢谢，再见！
Xiè xie, zài jiàn!
Thanks, goodbye!
🎬 You'll also hear xīnkǔ le — there's no good English translation. People say it to anyone who's just travelled far or worked hard. You don't need to say it; just recognise it, and answer xièxie. That always works.
How to practise with the audio
1. Beat — listen to one line syllable by syllable. Tap your leg on every syllable. Copy it exactly.
2. Slow — same line joined together, still slow. Keep the beats even. Do not squeeze any syllable.
3. Normal — this is what you'll actually hear in China. Just listen. Don't try to match the speed yet.
4. Record yourself with your phone's voice memo app saying the same line, then play the two back to back. That's the fastest way to hear your own mistakes.
This page uses your phone's built-in Chinese voice. It's good for rhythm and for individual syllables, but it isn't a perfect model for tones — your teacher's voice is still the reference.