China without Chinese: the phrases you actually need

The absolute basics

Hello — 你好 (nǐ hǎo). Thank you — 谢谢 (xièxie). You’re welcome — 不客气 (bú kèqi). Excuse me / sorry — 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi).

Yes — 对 (duì). No — 不是 (bú shì). All right, agreed — 好的 (hǎo de).

I don’t understand — 我不明白 (wǒ bù míngbai). I don’t speak Chinese — 我不会说中文 (wǒ bú huì shuō zhōngwén).

Do you speak English? — 你会说英语吗？(nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma). One moment — 等一下 (děng yíxià).

Getting around and taxis

Take me here — 我要去这里 (wǒ yào qù zhèlǐ). Shown together with the address on your screen, this is almost always enough.

Stop here — 在这里停 (zài zhèlǐ tíng). Turn left — 左转 (zuǒ zhuǎn). Right — 右转 (yòu zhuǎn). Straight on — 直走 (zhí zǒu).

Where is the metro? — 地铁站在哪里？(dìtiě zhàn zài nǎlǐ). Where is the toilet? — 洗手间在哪里？(xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ).

Please write down the address — 请把地址写下来 (qǐng bǎ dìzhǐ xiě xiàlái). Invaluable at a hotel desk: you then simply show the address in characters to a driver.

Is it far from here? — 离这里远吗？(lí zhèlǐ yuǎn ma). How long will it take? — 要多长时间？(yào duō cháng shíjiān).

Shops and cafés

How much is it? — 多少钱？(duōshao qián). Too expensive — 太贵了 (tài guì le). Can you do it cheaper? — 便宜一点可以吗？(piányi yìdiǎn kěyǐ ma). At a market haggling is expected; in a shop it is not.

I’ll take this — 我要这个 (wǒ yào zhège). Point and say it — that works in any shop.

Not spicy — 不要辣 (bú yào là). A little spicy — 微辣 (wēi là). No meat — 不要肉 (bú yào ròu). No meat stock — 不要肉汤 (bú yào ròu tāng).

The bill, please — 买单 (mǎi dān). Can I pay by card? — 可以刷卡吗？(kěyǐ shuā kǎ ma). The answer is often no: people pay by QR.

Do you have a menu with pictures? — 有图片菜单吗？(yǒu túpiàn càidān ma).

Health and help

I need a doctor — 我需要看医生 (wǒ xūyào kàn yīshēng). I feel unwell — 我不舒服 (wǒ bù shūfu). It hurts here — 这里疼 (zhèlǐ téng), pointing to the spot.

I’m allergic to… — 我对…过敏 (wǒ duì… guòmǐn). It’s dangerous — 会很危险 (huì hěn wēixiǎn).

Call an ambulance — 请叫救护车 (qǐng jiào jiùhùchē). Call the police — 请叫警察 (qǐng jiào jǐngchá).

Where is the nearest pharmacy? — 最近的药店在哪里？(zuì jìn de yàodiàn zài nǎlǐ). Where is the hospital? — 医院在哪里？(yīyuàn zài nǎlǐ).

Help me — 帮帮我 (bāng bāng wǒ).

Documents and awkward moments

I’m a foreigner — 我是外国人 (wǒ shì wàiguó rén). Here is my passport — 这是我的护照 (zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào).

I’ve lost my passport — 我的护照丢了 (wǒ de hùzhào diū le). I’ve lost my phone — 我的手机丢了 (wǒ de shǒujī diū le).

I need to contact my consulate — 我需要联系领事馆 (wǒ xūyào liánxì lǐngshìguǎn).

My card won’t go through — 我的卡刷不了 (wǒ de kǎ shuā bù liǎo). Common with a foreign card; usually solved by paying through an app.

May I add you on WeChat? — 可以加微信吗？(kěyǐ jiā wēixìn ma). In China this is the equivalent of exchanging phone numbers.