是: to be (with nouns)
是 and 不是 for names, nationality and jobs; 叫 and 姓 for names; 是 never before adjectives
Part of the free A0 Chinese course (about HSK 1–2). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
是 (shì) means "to be", in sentences like "I am a student" or "She is Chinese". It links two nouns (naming words): A 是 B.
One form for everyone
English has am, is, are. Chinese has only 是, for every person, and it never changes. There is no word for "a" or "the" either: "I'm a student" is just "I be student".
- 我是王明。(Wǒ shì Wáng Míng.)I'm Wang Ming.
- 他是美国人。(Tā shì Měiguórén.)He is American.
- 我们是英国人。(Wǒmen shì Yīngguórén.)We are British.
Not: 不是
Put 不 before 是 for "isn't, aren't, am not". Before the fourth tone 是, 不 is said bú (see Tone changes: 你好, 不 and 一).
- 她不是老师，她是医生。(Tā bú shì lǎoshī, tā shì yīshēng.)She isn't a teacher, she's a doctor.
Nationality: country + 人
Add 人 (rén, person) to a country to make the nationality.
| Country | Pinyin | Nationality | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 中国 China | Zhōngguó | 中国人 Chinese | Zhōngguórén |
| 美国 USA | Měiguó | 美国人 American | Měiguórén |
| 英国 UK | Yīngguó | 英国人 British | Yīngguórén |
| 法国 France | Fǎguó | 法国人 French | Fǎguórén |
| 日本 Japan | Rìběn | 日本人 Japanese | Rìběnrén |
Jobs
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
| 学生 | xuésheng | student |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor |
Names: 叫 and 姓
- 叫 (jiào) means "to be called": 我叫李华 is "I'm called Li Hua". Use it with a full name or a given name.
- 姓 (xìng) means "to have the family name": 我姓张 is "My family name is Zhang". Use it with the family name only.
- Chinese names put the family name first: in 王明, 王 (Wáng) is the family name and 明 (Míng) the given name.
- 我叫李华。(Wǒ jiào Lǐ Huá.)My name is Li Hua.
- 我姓张。(Wǒ xìng Zhāng.)My surname is Zhang.
- 你叫什么名字？(Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?)What's your name?
- 您贵姓？(Nín guìxìng?)What is your surname? (polite)
To answer 您贵姓, say 我姓… (Wǒ xìng…), never 我贵姓: 贵 (guì, "honourable") is only for the other person's name.
是 is not used before adjectives
An adjective describes: busy, tall, good. In Chinese, an adjective works on its own, with no 是. Usually you add 很 (hěn), a light "very":
- 我很忙。(Wǒ hěn máng.)I'm busy.
So "I'm busy" is 我很忙, never 我是很忙 or 我是忙. More in Adjectives: 很 + adjective, no 是.
Common mistakes
我是很忙。No 是 before an adjective: 我很忙。他是不老师。不 goes before 是: 他不是老师。我是中国。That says "I am China". Add 人: 我是中国人。我姓王明。姓 takes only the family name: 我姓王 or 我叫王明。明王for Wang Ming: the family name comes first, 王明.
Practice
- 我_____中国人。(Wǒ ___ Zhōngguórén.)Options: 是 (shì) · 很 (hěn) · 叫 (jiào) · 姓 (xìng)
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是 (shì) — 是 links two nouns: 我 and 中国人.
- 王明_____医生。(Wáng Míng ___ yīshēng.)
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不是 — 不 before 是, said bú.
- 我_____王。(Wǒ ___ Wáng.)Options: 姓 (xìng) · 叫 (jiào) · 是 (shì) · 很 (hěn)
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姓 (xìng) — 姓 is for the family name.
- 我_____李华。(Wǒ ___ Lǐ Huá.)
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叫 — 叫 means “to be called”.