Learn Chinese · 04 · about 12 minutes
Your first conversation with a host
The first ten minutes in someone's home: saying hello, finding the bathroom, asking about breakfast — and what to say when the thread runs away from you. Last checked: 2026-11.
The instructions are in English, but every Chinese line is given in characters + pinyin + a plain-English meaning. Pinyin is a pronunciation alphabet, not a translation — so the phrases work the same way whatever language you read. The home page is available in 53 languages; use the language button at the bottom right of any page.
Arriving, roughly as it happens
This is a set of example lines, not a script and not a promise about what anyone will say to you. The host replies in English and Mandarin; use as much or as little Chinese as you like. Showing the characters on your phone is completely normal.
Three rescue lines
Every beginner loses the thread. These three are not an admission of failure — they are how the conversation keeps going.
- 请再说一遍 qǐng zài shuō yíbiàn — Please say that again.
- 听不懂 tīng bù dǒng — I don't understand what I hear.
- 我用翻译软件 wǒ yòng fānyì ruǎnjiàn — I'll use a translation app.
Two small things that help more than vocabulary
- Say the greeting out loud, even badly. It changes the tone of the whole evening far more than getting the tones right.
- Offer to help with something concrete — setting the table, clearing bowls. You do not need a sentence for it; a gesture works. This is ordinary politeness in any home, not a special rule about China.
Before you arrive
The ten everyday phrases cover the rest of day one; the pinyin page explains the marks above the letters. For the practical side of a stay, see the 7-step checklist and the common questions. If you have not written yet, the short booking wizard is on the home page.
All four lessons· ← Ordering food· Ask about a stay· Search this site