我是学生
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Point out and identify people and things using 这 and 那.
- Make a statement negative using 不是, and answer a 吗 question in the negative.
- Ask "what" with 什么 and "which" with 哪.
- Identify classroom people and objects with a small set of new nouns.
- Continue producing the four tones and neutral tone accurately on new and familiar syllables.
- Recognize your first character components, including the person component 亻 and the woman component 女, and begin basic stroke-direction principles.
- Complete a short classroom identification exchange, in speech and in writing.
Communication Scenario
It is still the first night of Sarah's Mandarin class, but now the room has filled up. 王老师 walks around, pointing at people and things — a classmate here, a book there — and asking simple questions. Sarah needs to be able to point things out herself, say what something is or is not, and ask a classmate a quick "what is that?" or "which one?"
- This chapter gives you the language for pointing things out, saying what something is not, and asking basic identification questions.
- It also gives you your first character components and stroke-direction principles, so the characters you met in Chapter 1 start to make more visual sense.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 2 builds directly on the greetings, pronouns, and 是 sentences from Chapter 1. It adds no new tense or agreement system — Mandarin still does not require either — but it does add your first demonstrative pronouns, your first negation pattern, your first two question words, and your first look at how characters are built from smaller components.
Coming Into This Chapter
Greetings, 我是.../我叫..., the pronouns 你/我/他/她, 也, and 吗 questions from Chapter 1.
New in This Chapter
这/那 as demonstratives; 不是 for negation; 什么 for "what"; 哪 for "which"; a first set of classroom nouns; and a first look at semantic components and stroke direction.
Looking Forward
Chapter 3 introduces 的 for possession, 有/没有 for existence and possession, and your first measure-word awareness, using family vocabulary.
Core Vocabulary
The words below expand your classroom and identity vocabulary. As in Chapter 1, read the simplified character first, then the Pinyin with tone marks, then the English meaning.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Part/Function | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 这 | zhè | demonstrative | this | refers to something near the speaker |
| 那 | nà | demonstrative | that | refers to something away from the speaker |
| 不 | bù | adverb | not | changes to second tone before a fourth-tone syllable, as in 不是 |
| 不是 | bú shì | verb phrase | to not be | negates 是; 不 shifts to second tone here |
| 什么 | shénme | question word | what | stays in its normal statement position; second syllable is neutral tone |
| 哪 | nǎ | question word | which | usually paired with a noun, as in 哪个老师 |
| 个 | gè | measure word | (general classifier) | introduced here only in the fixed phrase 哪个; full measure-word study begins in Chapter 3 |
| 同学 | tóngxué | noun | classmate | also used to address a fellow student directly |
| 书 | shū | noun | book | classroom object |
| 本子 | běnzi | noun | notebook | classroom object; second syllable neutral tone |
| 笔 | bǐ | noun | pen | classroom object |
| 桌子 | zhuōzi | noun | desk, table | second syllable neutral tone |
| 椅子 | yǐzi | noun | chair | second syllable neutral tone |
| 教室 | jiàoshì | noun | classroom | compound: 教 (teach) + 室 (room) |
| 对 | duì | adjective/response | correct, right | common short response, similar to "that's right" |
| 不对 | bú duì | response | not correct, wrong | negation of 对; same 不 sandhi as 不是 |
Receptive vocabulary (recognize only, do not produce yet): 黑板 (hēibǎn, blackboard/whiteboard) and 窗户 (chuānghu, window) may appear in classroom illustrations or labels. These are not required for production in this chapter.
Tones, Characters, and Stroke Direction
2.1 Tone review and a new tone pair
This chapter's key new tone pattern is 不是 (bú shì). 不 is normally fourth tone (bù), but it changes to second tone (bú) whenever it comes directly before another fourth-tone syllable. Since 是 is fourth tone, 不 shifts here: bú shì, not bù shì.
不 is fourth tone (bù) on its own or before a first-, second-, or third-tone syllable. Before a fourth-tone syllable, it changes to second tone (bú). Compare: 不来 (bù lái, not coming — 来 is second tone, so 不 stays bù) versus 不是 (bú shì, not to be — 是 is fourth tone, so 不 becomes bú). This is a real, predictable sound pattern, not a spelling inconsistency, and you will see it again with other fourth-tone words later in the volume.
2.2 New characters in this chapter
The characters below are the words or word-parts you met in this chapter's vocabulary. Continue to focus on recognizing shape, sound, and meaning together.
2.3 First character components
Many Mandarin characters are built from smaller, reusable pieces called components. Some components give a clue about meaning (semantic components); others give a clue about sound (phonetic components). Neither kind of clue works every time, so treat components as a memory aid, not a guarantee.
You already met this pair in Chapter 1: 他 (he) is built from the person component 亻 on the left, while 她 (she) is built from the woman component 女 on the left. Both characters share the same right-hand part and the same pronunciation (tā); the left-hand component is what distinguishes them in writing. This is a useful pattern to notice, but not every character with 亻 refers to a specific person, and not every character with 女 refers only to women — treat these as clues, not rules.
2.4 Stroke direction basics
Simplified characters are written with a consistent internal order, not drawn freely. Two basic principles apply to nearly every character you will meet:
- Top before bottom: strokes at the top of a character are written before strokes below them.
- Left before right: in characters built side by side, like 你, 他, and 她, the left-hand part is written before the right-hand part.
You are not expected to handwrite every character in this chapter. Focus your handwriting practice on the characters marked for handwriting in the Writing Workshop below, and use these two principles as your starting checklist.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
2.5 这 and 那 for pointing things out
Purpose: identify a person or thing as near ("this") or away ("that").
这 and 那 function like English "this" and "that" at the front of a sentence, followed by 是 and then the noun that names the person or thing.
The basic pattern is demonstrative + 是 + noun: 这是[名词]。 or 那是[名词]。 As with all Mandarin verbs, 是 does not change form depending on what comes before it.
- 这是我的同学。 Zhè shì wǒ de tóngxué. This is my classmate.
- 那是老师的书。 Nà shì lǎoshī de shū. That is the teacher's book.
The particle 的 appears above only inside these two fixed phrases so that the examples sound natural. Full instruction on 的 begins in Chapter 3 — treat 我的 and 老师的 here as formulaic units, not as a system to analyze yet.
2.6 不是 for negation
Purpose: say that something is not the case.
To negate 是, place 不 directly in front of it. Remember the tone shift from section 2.1: 不是 is pronounced bú shì.
- 这不是我的书。 Zhè bú shì wǒ de shū. This is not my book.
- 她不是老师，她是学生。 Tā bú shì lǎoshī, tā shì xuésheng. She is not a teacher; she is a student.
2.7 什么 for "what"
Purpose: ask what something is.
什么 takes the exact place in the sentence where its answer would go — it does not move to the front of the sentence the way an English question word does.
- 这是什么？ Zhè shì shénme? What is this?
- 这是书。 Zhè shì shū. This is a book.
In 这是什么？, 什么 sits exactly where 书 sits in the answer. This "question word in situ" pattern is a core feature of Mandarin question formation, and you will see it again with other question words in later chapters.
2.8 哪 for "which"
Purpose: ask which one, out of a set, someone means.
At this stage, use 哪 only in the fixed phrase 哪个 (which one), placed where the answer would go, just like 什么.
- 哪个是你的书？ Nǎge shì nǐ de shū? Which one is your book?
- 这个是我的书。 Zhège shì wǒ de shū. This one is my book.
个 is a measure word. You are only asked to use it here inside the fixed phrases 哪个 and 这个/那个; the full measure-word system develops starting in Chapter 3.
Model Dialogue
Setting: 王老师 walks around the classroom, and Sarah talks with a new classmate, 大卫.
理解问题 — Comprehension questions:
- 那是谁的本子？ (Whose notebook is that?)
- 莎拉是大卫的什么？ (What is Sarah to David?)
- How does Sarah say "no" and correct the teacher's guess?
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a fluent Mandarin speaker to read the model dialogue above aloud, at a natural pace, twice. On the first listen, notice which objects are mentioned. On the second listen, complete the table below.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read the passage aloud yourself, slowly and clearly at first, then at a more natural pace. Any spoken model should be verified by a fluent Mandarin speaker before being treated as a pronunciation standard.
教室里的东西 — Things in the classroom:
"这是什么？这是我的桌子。那是什么？那是我的椅子。这是老师的书吗？不，这不是老师的书，这是我的书。哪个是你的笔？这个是我的笔，那个是林娜的笔。"
听力任务 — Listening task:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 这是谁的桌子？ (Whose desk is this?) | ______ |
| 这是老师的书吗？ (Is this the teacher's book?) | ______ |
| 哪个是林娜的？ (Which one is Lina's?) | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the two classroom labels below aloud, sounding out each character slowly. These are the kind of labels 王老师 sticks onto objects in the classroom on the first night.
那是椅子。
这不是黑板，那是黑板。
那是谁的本子？
那是马克的本子。
理解问题 — Comprehension questions:
- Which label uses the negation pattern from Language Focus 2.6?
- What is the relationship between 这 and 那 in the first label — how do you know one refers to something near and one to something farther away?
Writing Workshop
Create a short set of classroom labels, following the models above. Your labels should use 这/那, at least one 不是 sentence, and one 什么 or 哪个 question with its answer.
写作任务 — Writing task: Write three or four short sentences in simplified characters, typing them with Pinyin input if possible, or copying the characters carefully by hand. Handwrite 这, 那, and 不 at least three times each, following the top-before-bottom and left-before-right principles from section 2.4.
- Point something out. Start with 这是...。 or 那是...。
- Add a negative sentence. Use 这不是...。 or 那不是...。
- Ask a question. Use 这是什么？ or 哪个是...？
- Check your characters. Compare each simplified character you wrote against the character chart above, and check stroke direction on 这, 那, and 不.
修改清单 — Editing checklist:
- The labels use 这 and 那 accurately for near and far.
- At least one sentence uses 不是 correctly.
- At least one question uses 什么 or 哪个 in its correct in-place position.
- Handwritten characters follow top-before-bottom and left-before-right order.
- A Chinese period (。) or question mark (？) ends each sentence.
Speaking Practice
控制性练习 — Controlled practice: reading the model dialogue aloud
Read the model dialogue above aloud twice: once slowly, sounding out each tone, and once at a more natural pace. Pay close attention to the 不 sandhi in 不是, and to keeping 什么 and 哪个 in their normal statement position rather than moving them to the front.
交际任务 — Communicative task: classroom object identification
With a partner or small group, point to real or pictured classroom objects and take turns asking 这是什么？ or 哪个是你的...？, answering with 这是..., 那是..., or a 不是 correction when the first guess is wrong.
独立练习 — Solo alternative
Record yourself naming five objects near you in Mandarin, first with 这是... and then correcting yourself with a 不是 sentence for one of them. Listen back and check the tone shift in 不是.
Culture and Communication
同学 is commonly used both to mean "classmate" and, directly, to address a fellow student whose name you may not yet know, similar to saying "excuse me, classmate" in English. Practices for addressing classmates vary by setting, age group, and region, so treat this as one common pattern rather than a fixed rule for every classroom.
Short correction responses such as 不对 or 不是 are common and direct in classroom and everyday settings, but tone of voice and context still matter for politeness. As you progress through the volume, you will learn additional softening strategies for disagreeing or correcting someone gently.
Common Mistakes
Error: Pronouncing 不是 as bù shì, using the citation-form fourth tone for 不.
Correction: Before a fourth-tone syllable like 是, 不 changes to second tone: bú shì. Review the Pronunciation Focus box in section 2.1.
Error: Saying *什么这是？, moving the question word to the front by analogy with English "What is this?"
Correction: Keep 什么 exactly where the answer word would go: 这是什么？, matching the position of 书 in 这是书。
Error: Writing 他 for "she" or 她 for "he," since the two characters sound identical.
Correction: Check the left-hand component: 亻 (person) signals 他 (he); 女 (woman) signals 她 (she). The components are your visual guide, since pronunciation cannot distinguish them.
Chapter Review
部分 A — 理解 (Comprehension)
1. Return to the model dialogue and answer in English:
- What does Sarah correct 王老师 about?
- Which object belongs to David?
部分 B — 语法 (Grammar)
1. Rewrite each sentence in the negative using 不是:
- 这是我的笔。
- 她是老师。
2. Fill in the correct question word, 什么 or 哪个: 这是______？ / ______是你的书？
部分 C — 阅读 (Reading)
1. Return to the two classroom labels above and answer:
- 第一张标签提到几样东西？ (How many things does the first label mention?)
- 第二张标签上的本子是谁的？ (Whose notebook is on the second label?)
部分 D — 写作 (Writing)
1. Write three classroom labels of your own, including one 这是... sentence, one 不是 sentence, and one question with 什么 or 哪个.
部分 E — 口语 (Speaking)
1. Point to three objects near you, name each one, and correct yourself on one of them using 不是, without reading from a script.
Tone and Component Recognition Check
Say each word aloud and identify its tone(s), then identify the left-hand component: 这, 那, 不是, 他, 她.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 2 Performance Task
Classroom Identification Exchange
Complete the following four connected tasks in order, exactly as Sarah and 大卫 do in the classroom.
- Listen to the model dialogue, or a similar exchange read by your instructor or partner, and complete the listening table above.
- Read the two classroom labels above and answer the comprehension questions.
- Write your own set of classroom labels, following the writing workshop steps and editing checklist.
- Speak a complete classroom identification exchange with a partner, recording, or instructor, without reading from a script.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| 这/那 identification | Near and far objects are correctly identified with 这 and 那. |
| Negation with 不是 | 不是 is used accurately, with the correct tone shift on 不. |
| 什么/哪个 questions | Question words remain in their correct in-place position and are answered appropriately. |
| Tone accuracy | The four tones, neutral tone, and the 不 sandhi pattern are produced with reasonable, intelligible accuracy. |
| Character recognition and components | Scheduled characters are read accurately, and the 亻/女 component distinction is applied correctly in writing. |
This task assesses only what this chapter has taught. It does not require full measure-word mastery, the 的 system, or additional question types, all of which develop gradually across the volume.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- 那不是本子。 (That is David's notebook, not Sarah's book.)
- David's notebook.
- She says 不，那不是我的书，那是大卫的本子。 ("No, that is not my book, that is David's notebook.")
Listening
- It is the speaker's own desk (我的桌子).
- No, it is not the teacher's book; it is the speaker's own book.
- The pen (那个笔) belongs to Lina.
Reading — Comprehension
- The first label uses 不是 in 这不是黑板，那是黑板。
- 这 refers to something near the speaker; 那 refers to something farther away.
Chapter Review — 部分 B
- (a) 这不是我的笔。 (b) 她不是老师。
- 这是什么？ / 哪个是你的书？
Chapter Review — 部分 C
- (a) Three things: 桌子, 椅子, 黑板. (b) Mark's (马克的).
Tone and Component Recognition Check — Correct answers
这 (zhè) fourth tone; 那 (nà) fourth tone; 不是 (bú shì) second tone + fourth tone; 他 (tā) uses the person component 亻; 她 (tā) uses the woman component 女.
Looking Ahead
现在你会做什么 — What you can do now
You can point out people and things with 这 and 那, say what something is not with 不是, ask "what" and "which" with 什么 and 哪个, and name a small set of classroom objects. You can also recognize the 亻 and 女 components and apply basic stroke-direction principles when you write.