After learning how to say hello or thank you in Chinese, the next phrase on your list is probably please. Thankfully, saying please in Chinese consists of only one character, meaning that it is only one sound. That is the good news, but the bad news is to come. The challenge with saying please is not only speaking the right sound, but also saying it with the correct tone.
Chinese Tones
Tones, pretty simply, are the pitches of the voice that are used as you are saying a word in Chinese. If you think of those pitches as though you are singing, you'll have a better concept of what tones really are. In Mandarin, there are four tones, but we'll just take a look at the third tone (since that's the one needed in order to say please).
The third tone is also called the falling and rising tone, and for good reason! In order to say this tone, you have to let your voice drop and then raise the pitch again before you can stop "singing." The tone is pretty unique, but I liken it to saying, "No!" with furrowed brow and hands on your hips. Literally, it almost sounds like a grunt of frustration, but that's the essence of the third tone.
How Do I Pronounce Please?
If you use the PinYin system, then you can spell the sound as "qing." However, for anyone not familiar with PinYin, you could think of the sound as "ch" + "ing." Then, you'll need to put it together with the tone.
Putting it All Together
Because your voice lowers and then rises, deciding when to chance direction can be a little difficult. For many native speakers, this makes no sense since Chinese comes so easily. However, for those of us learning as an additional language, it's not as obvious as first thought.
For me, I've found that saying the "i" from "ing" is a nice turn around point. Essentially, I use the "q" or "ch" on the way down, and then use "i" for the turn around. On the way back up, you then begin to connect the "ng" to the "i" sound to complete the character.
How to Use the Grammar
Just one small note on saying please in Chinese is necessary. When considering sentence structure or word order, you'll find that in general, the please should come at the beginning of the sentence. In English, we often say it at the end of the sentence with occasional uses at the beginning. For Mandarin, you'll find that the majority of the time, please in Chinese begins the sentence.
Chinese Tones
Tones, pretty simply, are the pitches of the voice that are used as you are saying a word in Chinese. If you think of those pitches as though you are singing, you'll have a better concept of what tones really are. In Mandarin, there are four tones, but we'll just take a look at the third tone (since that's the one needed in order to say please).
The third tone is also called the falling and rising tone, and for good reason! In order to say this tone, you have to let your voice drop and then raise the pitch again before you can stop "singing." The tone is pretty unique, but I liken it to saying, "No!" with furrowed brow and hands on your hips. Literally, it almost sounds like a grunt of frustration, but that's the essence of the third tone.
How Do I Pronounce Please?
If you use the PinYin system, then you can spell the sound as "qing." However, for anyone not familiar with PinYin, you could think of the sound as "ch" + "ing." Then, you'll need to put it together with the tone.
Putting it All Together
Because your voice lowers and then rises, deciding when to chance direction can be a little difficult. For many native speakers, this makes no sense since Chinese comes so easily. However, for those of us learning as an additional language, it's not as obvious as first thought.
For me, I've found that saying the "i" from "ing" is a nice turn around point. Essentially, I use the "q" or "ch" on the way down, and then use "i" for the turn around. On the way back up, you then begin to connect the "ng" to the "i" sound to complete the character.
How to Use the Grammar
Just one small note on saying please in Chinese is necessary. When considering sentence structure or word order, you'll find that in general, the please should come at the beginning of the sentence. In English, we often say it at the end of the sentence with occasional uses at the beginning. For Mandarin, you'll find that the majority of the time, please in Chinese begins the sentence.
About the Author:
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