Grammar

PCR Lesson 9 Grammar
第九課：您貴姓
  • Names in Chinese:

    • Chinese Names:

      From our textbook we learned that Chinese names are composed first of a one character surname, 姓 [xìng], (there are a few two character surnames) followed by a given name, 名 [míng], consisting of one or two characters.

    • Asking Names Respectfully:

      The polite way to ask a person their name is to use the character 貴 [guì]. 貴 literally means expensive, but in this case a more accurate translation would be honorable. The appropriate way to ask the name of an older person, or a superior is to use the following format:

      Question: 請問，您貴姓？
      Answer: 我姓 SURNAME，我叫 FULL NAME。
    • Asking Names Casually:

      The following format can be used when asking the name of a person at your same level (Notice the response is the same.):

      Question: 請問，你姓什麼？
      Answer: 我姓 SURNAME，我叫 FULL NAME。
  • Polite Inquiry :

    A polite way to get someone's attention, or ask a question is to begin the question with 請問 [Qǐng wèn]. The following are a few examples:

    請問，您是哪國人？
    請問，這是你的車嗎？
    請問，您是老師嗎？
    請問，你們都是外語學院的學生嗎？