(yīng yǔ) - English, the English language in Mandarin
yīngyǔTraditional: 英語
Translation
English, the English language
Word origin
A compound of 英 (yīng), the short form of 英国 (Britain), and 语 (yǔ, language, speech).
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 英 (yīng, Britain) + 语 (yǔ, language)
Stroke order
英
语
Examples
语。
He speaks English very well.
语。
I listen to English for half an hour a day.
语版。
This book has an English edition and a Chinese one.
语。
She teaches English at a university.
语？
Do you speak English?
英语 (yīng yǔ) is English, and the pattern behind it repeats across the language: country abbreviation plus 语 (yǔ). 法语 (fǎ yǔ) French, 德语 (dé yǔ) German, 日语 (rì yǔ) Japanese, 汉语 (hàn yǔ) Chinese. Learn the frame and you have a dozen words.
The complement structure is where beginners trip. To say someone speaks English well you need 得 (de): 他英语说得很好 (tā yīng yǔ shuō de hěn hǎo), or 他说英语说得很好 (tā shuō yīng yǔ shuō de hěn hǎo) with the verb repeated. Dropping the 得 (de) and saying 他说英语很好 sounds wrong to a native ear.
There is also a 文 (wén) series alongside the 语 (yǔ) one: 英文 (yīng wén), 中文 (zhōng wén). In practice the two are used interchangeably for the language as a whole, with 语 (yǔ) leaning slightly towards the spoken side and 文 (wén) towards the written. Nobody will misunderstand you either way.
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英语: worksheet, infographic and listicle
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 45.