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Level 1 Lesson 19.1 – Where Are You Having Dinner?

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How to Ask Where in Chinese | Phrase 哪里哪里 in Chinese

In this video lesson we'll learn how to ask where in Chinese and also the usage of the phrase 哪里哪里 in Chinese.

  • How to ask where in Chinese: 哪儿/哪里
  • Female and male in Chinese: 男/女
  • Boyfriend and girlfriend in Chinese: 男朋友/女朋友
  • Pretty, beautiful and handsome in Chinese: 漂亮/帅
  • Phrase 哪里哪里 in Chinese: you're flattering me

VOCABULARY


GRAMMAR


Grammar 1: How to Ask Where in Chinese: 哪儿/哪里 · HSK 1

There are two ways of how to ask where in Chinese: 哪儿/哪里 nǎr/nǎlǐ. If we have to say their difference, 哪儿 is slightly more common in spoken Chinese.

Most commonly, we use 哪儿/哪里 to ask "where is something?" With questions like this, we use the word zài 在 (①v. to be in/on/at + somewhere ②prep. in/on/at + somewhere), following this structure:

Subject + 在 + 哪儿/哪里

For example:

  • nǐde nánpéngyou zài nǎr 
    你的男朋友在哪儿?
    where is your boyfriend
  • nà jiā cháyè diàn zài nǎlǐ 
    那家茶叶店在哪里?
    where is that "jia" (of) tea-leaf shop

 

Be careful that the position of nǎr/nǎlǐ 哪儿/哪里 differs depending on which member of sentence it functions as - whether it is the Subject, the Object or some other member.

 

哪儿/哪里 as the Subject

  • nǎr yǒu Píngguǒ shāngdiàn
    哪儿有苹果商店?
    where exist (an) Apple Store

哪儿/哪里 as the Object

  • nǐ nǚpéngyou jīntiān qù nǎr
    你女朋友今天去哪儿?
    your girlfriend today go (to) where

哪儿/哪里 as the Attribute

  • nǎlǐ de fēijīpiào piányi
    哪里的飞机票便宜?
    where's plane tickets (are) cheap

哪儿/哪里 as the Adverbial

  • nǐmen zài nǎlǐ chīfàn
    你们在哪里吃饭?
    where do you guys eat at

 

Grammar 2: Phrase 哪里哪里 in Chinese · HSK 1

In traditional Chinese culture, being modest is considered a virtue. So instead of "xièxie 谢谢 thank you" as a response to a compliment,  we can say "nǎli nǎli 哪里哪里".

The phrase 哪里哪里 literally means "where-where", basically saying "I don't see where the compliment is coming from." The reason behind it is that traditionally, "refusing" someone's compliment is considered an act of being modest.

For example:

A: nǐde nǚ péngyou tài piàoliang le
      你的女朋友太漂亮了!
      your girlfriend (is) so pretty
B: nǎlǐ nǎlǐ
      哪里哪里!
      where-where

A: nǐde nán péngyou fēicháng shuài
      你的男朋友非常帅!
      your boyfriend  (is) very handsome
B: nǎlǐ nǎlǐ
      哪里哪里!
      where-where

 

Grammar 3: Pretty, Beautiful and Handsome in Chinese · HSK 1

The most common words for pretty, beautiful and handsome in Chinese are: piàoliang 漂亮 and shuài 帅.

帅 is used for boys and men as to describe "good-looking" or "handsome".

Compared with 帅, 漂亮 has a broader meaning in Chinese. It is used for girls and women to describe "pretty" or "beautiful" in Chinese.

Apart from that, 漂亮 can also be used to describe a lot of other things, such as rooms, clothing, hair, paintings and scenery. Just like in English "beautiful" can be used to describe people and also a lot of other things.

For example, with words that we've learned before:

  • piàoliang de nǚ péngyou
    漂亮的女朋友
    beautiful  girlfriend
  • piàoliang de fángjiān
    漂亮的房间
    beautiful room
  • piàoliang de fángzi
    漂亮的房子
    beautiful house
  • piàoliang de xuéxiào
    漂亮的学校
    beautiful school
  • piàoliang de yīfu
    漂亮的衣服
    beautiful clothes

Or with words that we haven't learned before:

  • piàoliang de huà
    漂亮的画
    beautiful painting
  • piàoliang de chéngshì
    漂亮的城市
    beautiful city
  • piàoliang de yánsè
    漂亮的颜色
    beautiful color
  • piàoliang de fēngjǐng
    漂亮的风景
    beautiful scenery
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