AQA GCSE Mandarin · 8673
Useful GCSE Mandarin phrases, theme by theme
32 sets of 298 phrases for the AQA GCSE Mandarin themes, Foundation to Higher, in the order the course teaches them, each built only from words on the vocabulary list. The 6 sets from the first two chapters are here in full, with a drill at the bottom of the page; the rest open in the course with Plus.
Foundation tier
Core words: the first 85Hello, who are you?The first thirty seconds of any conversation, sorted.10 phrases
Greet someone, say who you are and how old you are, and ask the same back. Every conversation starts here.
| Mandarin | English |
|---|---|
| ！？nǐ hǎo ！ nǐ jiào shén me ？ | Hello! What's your name? |
| ，。nǐ hǎo ， wǒ shì xué shēng 。 | Hello, I'm a student. |
| 。wǒ shí sì suì 。 | I'm fourteen. |
| ？nǐ jǐ suì ？ | How old are you? |
| 。wǒ zhù zài yīng guó 。 | I live in Britain. |
| 。wǒ yǒu yí gè gē ge hé yí gè mèi mei 。 | I have an older brother and a younger sister. |
| 。zhè shì wǒ de shū 。 | This is my book. |
| 。hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ 。 | Nice to meet you. |
| ？，。nǐ hǎo ma ？ wǒ hěn hǎo ， xiè xie 。 | How are you? I'm fine, thanks. |
| ，！xiè xie ， zài jiàn ！ | Thanks, goodbye! |
Core words: the first 85Surviving the classroomThe phrases that stop you sitting in silence.10 phrases
The phrases you need when you have not understood, cannot find something or want to ask something.
| Mandarin | English |
|---|---|
| ，。duì bu qǐ ， wǒ bù dǒng 。 | Sorry, I don't understand. |
| 。qǐng nǐ shuō màn yì diǎn 。 | Please speak a bit more slowly. |
| ？zhè ge yòng hàn yǔ zěn me shuō ？ | How do you say this in Chinese? |
| ？zhè shì shén me ？ | What is this? |
| 。wǒ méi yǒu bǐ 。 | I don't have a pen. |
| ？wǒ kě yǐ qù cè suǒ ma ？ | Can I go to the toilet? |
| ，。lǎo shī ， wǒ bù zhī dào 。 | I don't know, sir. |
| 。wǒ bù míng bai 。 | I don't get it. |
| ？jīn tiān de zuò yè shì shén me ？ | What's today's homework? |
| ！xiè xie lǎo shī ！ | Thank you, Miss! |
Core words: the first 85Who, where, how many?Questions that get a real answer out of a person.9 phrases
Question words do the heavy lifting. Learn these and you can interview anybody.
| Mandarin | English |
|---|---|
| ？tā shì shuí ？ | Who is he? |
| ？tā jiào shén me ？ | What's she called? |
| ？nǐ zhù zài nǎ ér ？ | Where do you live? |
| ？nǐ yǒu jǐ gè péng you ？ | How many friends do you have? |
| ？nǐ de diàn huà hào mǎ shì duō shao ？ | What's your phone number? |
| ？nǐ yǒu gē ge ma ？ | Do you have an older brother? |
| ？tā shì nǐ de mā ma ma ？ | Is she your mum? |
| ？nǐ wèi shén me xué hàn yǔ ？ | Why are you learning Chinese? |
| ？nǐ de shēng rì shì jǐ yuè jǐ rì ？ | When is your birthday? |
Core words: 86 to 154Days, dates and the timeWhen things happen, in words you can say quickly.10 phrases
The days, the clock and the date, plus the questions that go with them.
| Mandarin | English |
|---|---|
| ？jīn tiān xīng qī jǐ ？ | What day is it today? |
| 。jīn tiān xīng qī wǔ 。 | It's Friday today. |
| ？míng tiān shì jǐ yuè jǐ rì ？ | What's the date tomorrow? |
| ？xiàn zài jǐ diǎn le ？ | What time is it now? |
| 。xiàn zài shì xià wǔ sān diǎn 。 | It's three in the afternoon now. |
| ？nǐ jǐ diǎn chī zǎo fàn ？ | What time do you have breakfast? |
| 。wǒ qī diǎn chī zǎo fàn 。 | I have breakfast at seven. |
| ？zhōu mò nǐ xiǎng qù nǎ ér ？ | Where do you want to go at the weekend? |
| 。wǒ měi tiān zǎo shang pǎo bù 。 | I go running every morning. |
| 。wǒ de shēng rì zài chūn tiān 。 | My birthday is in spring. |
Core words: 86 to 154And, but, so, becauseThe small words that turn short sentences into real ones.9 phrases
Join ideas with and, but, so and because, and you stop sounding like a phrasebook.
| Mandarin | English |
|---|---|
| ，。wǒ xǐ huan yóu yǒng ， ér qiě yě xǐ huan pǎo bù 。 | I like swimming, and I like running too. |
| ，。wǒ xiǎng qù ， kě shì wǒ xiàn zài hěn máng 。 | I want to go, but I'm busy right now. |
| ，。suī rán hěn lèi ， dàn shì wǒ hěn gāo xìng 。 | Although I'm tired, I'm happy. |
| ，。yīn wèi wǒ hěn lèi ， suǒ yǐ wǒ xiǎng shuì jiào 。 | Because I'm tired, I want to go to sleep. |
| ，。rú guǒ míng tiān xià yǔ ， wǒ jiù bú qù gōng yuán 。 | If it rains tomorrow, I won't go to the park. |
| ，。wǒ xǐ huan hē chá ， bú guò bù xǐ huan hē kā fēi 。 | I like tea, but I don't like coffee. |
| ？nǐ xiǎng hē chá hái shì kā fēi ？ | Would you like tea or coffee? |
| ，。wǒ yǒu yí gè gē ge ， hái yǒu yí gè mèi mei 。 | I have an older brother, and a younger sister as well. |
| ，。wǒ chī le zǎo fàn ， jiē zhe qù le xué xiào 。 | I had breakfast, then went to school. |
Core words: 86 to 154Yesterday, today, tomorrowPast, present and plans, marked with the right little word.9 phrases
Time words and a few tiny markers do the job of tenses.
| Mandarin | English |
|---|---|
| 。zuó tiān wǒ qù le xué xiào 。 | I went to school yesterday. |
| 。jīn tiān wǒ zài xué xiào 。 | I'm at school today. |
| 。míng tiān wǒ yào qù kàn diàn yǐng 。 | Tomorrow I'm going to see a film. |
| 。zuó tiān wǒ qù diàn yǐng yuàn le 。 | I went to the cinema yesterday. |
| 。qián tiān wǒ chī le jiǎo zi 。 | I ate dumplings the day before yesterday. |
| 。hòu tiān shì zhōu mò 。 | The day after tomorrow is the weekend. |
| 。zuì jìn wǒ hěn máng 。 | I've been busy lately. |
| 。wǒ yǐ jīng chī zǎo fàn le 。 | I've already had breakfast. |
| 。wǒ xiàn zài zhèng zài zuò fàn 。 | I'm cooking right now. |
In the course with PlusThe padlock and Plus mark show a Kilo Lingo Plus feature. Start your free week to unlock it - no card needed.
- I like it because...Core words: 155 to 212 · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Family and friends: questionsIdentity and culture (1 of 2) · 10 phrasesPlus feature
- Getting on with peopleIdentity and culture (1 of 2) · 10 phrasesPlus feature
- Free time: invitationsIdentity and culture (1 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Free time: what I likeIdentity and culture (1 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Phones, apps and asking to use themIdentity and culture (2 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- What I use, and whyIdentity and culture (2 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Festivals: what and whenIdentity and culture (2 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Finding the way, and describing homeLocal, national, international and global areas of interest (1 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Food, drink and feeling illLocal, national, international and global areas of interest (1 of 2) · 10 phrasesPlus feature
- Healthy living: what I thinkLocal, national, international and global areas of interest (1 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Tickets, hotels and getting aroundLocal, national, international and global areas of interest (1 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Holidays: what I did and what I'll doLocal, national, international and global areas of interest (2 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Parties, gifts and payingLocal, national, international and global areas of interest (2 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Town, country and the planetLocal, national, international and global areas of interest (2 of 2) · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- School and jobs: questionsCurrent and future study and employment · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- School and work: my viewCurrent and future study and employment · 9 phrasesPlus feature
Higher tier
In the course with PlusThe padlock and Plus mark show a Kilo Lingo Plus feature. Start your free week to unlock it - no card needed.
- Building an argumentCore words · 10 phrasesPlus feature
- Parents, freedom and trustIdentity and culture · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Sport and hobbies for everyoneIdentity and culture · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Phones and social media: the debateIdentity and culture · 10 phrasesPlus feature
- Healthy habits: the debateLocal, national, international and global areas of interest · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- Tourism: good or bad?Local, national, international and global areas of interest · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- City or countryside?Local, national, international and global areas of interest · 10 phrasesPlus feature
- If I could, I wouldCurrent and future study and employment · 9 phrasesPlus feature
- University, work or a gap yearCurrent and future study and employment · 10 phrasesPlus feature
Drill a setThe padlock and Plus mark show a Kilo Lingo Plus feature. Start your free week to unlock it - no card needed.
Pick a set: what each phrase means, then the other way round. Ten questions a round.
Hello, who are you?
10-question session
One question at a time: what each phrase means, and the other way round. Miss one and it comes back round before the end. There are 20 in all: practise more afterwards if you want them.
Learn it in the order the specification sets it
The GCSE Mandarin course teaches the specification's words and grammar, Foundation before Higher, with drills that remember what you already know.
Questions
Which phrases do I need for GCSE Mandarin?
The ones that let you give an opinion, a reason and a time frame on every theme: saying what you like and why, what you did and what you will do. Each set here covers one situation on the specification, so work through the themes your exam board lists.
Why are some sets locked?
Each set is a lesson in the course, and chapters 1 and 2 of every course are completely free, forever. From chapter 3 the lessons are part of Kilo Lingo Plus, so the page names those sets and links to their lessons rather than printing them.
Should I learn phrases or single words?
Both, in that order. The words come first in the course, and each set arrives just after the words it is built from, so a phrase is something you can already take apart rather than a string to parrot. A memorised sentence you cannot adapt falls over the moment the question changes.
Themes and tiers from the AQA GCSE Mandarin (8673) specification. Kilo Lingo is not affiliated with or endorsed by AQA.