Languages · 中文
Video Chat with Chinese Speakers
To practice Chinese with native speakers, you need to hear tones in real speech and get used to people's natural pace. A random video chat gives you that in seconds. On Omlet you can talk face to face for free, in your browser, with no account.
Omlet doesn't match people by language. To meet Chinese speakers, use the country filter to choose China, Taiwan, Hong Kong or Singapore, or ask whoever you meet: "你会说中文吗？" (nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma? Do you speak Chinese?)
This page focuses on Mandarin, the most widely spoken form of Chinese. The phrases are in simplified characters with pinyin (the standard romanization, with tone marks), followed by notes on tones, traditional characters, Cantonese and polite speech.
Where people speak Chinese
Chinese (中文) is an official language in 5 countries and territories. To meet people from one of them, pick it with the country filter.
Useful Chinese phrases for video chat
Short, natural phrases you can use in your first minute on camera. The pronunciation is a simple English-style guide; stressed syllables are in capitals.
| English | Chinese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 | nǐ hǎo |
| Hello (polite, to someone older) | 您好 | nín hǎo |
| Nice to meet you. | 很高兴认识你 | hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ |
| My name is… | 我叫… | wǒ jiào… |
| Where are you from? | 你是哪里人？ | nǐ shì nǎli rén? |
| I'm learning Chinese. | 我在学中文 | wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén |
| Can you speak a little slower? | 你能说慢一点吗？ | nǐ néng shuō màn yìdiǎn ma? |
| Please say that again. | 请再说一遍 | qǐng zài shuō yí biàn |
| I don't understand (what I heard). | 我听不懂 | wǒ tīng bu dǒng |
| How do you say … in Chinese? | …用中文怎么说？ | … yòng Zhōngwén zěnme shuō? |
| What do you do for work? | 你做什么工作？ | nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? |
| What time is it there? | 你那边几点了？ | nǐ nàbiān jǐ diǎn le? |
| I enjoyed chatting with you. | 跟你聊天很开心 | gēn nǐ liáotiān hěn kāixīn |
| Thanks, bye! | 谢谢，再见！ | xièxie, zàijiàn! |
Tips for practicing Chinese on video chat
- Learn the tone with every new word, not afterward. Ask your partner to say the word slowly, then copy the pitch as well as the sounds.
- Use the text chat for characters. Ask your partner to type a word you heard, and use a pinyin keyboard on your phone to type back by sound.
- Keep sentences short. Mandarin verbs don't change for person or tense, so short, correct sentences are within reach early: 我喜欢音乐 (wǒ xǐhuan yīnyuè, I like music).
- Learn a few listening responses: 对 (duì, right), 是吗？ (shì ma? is that so?) and 真的吗？ (zhēn de ma? really?). On video, they show you're following.
- If you compliment someone, you may hear 哪里哪里 (nǎli nǎli) or 没有没有 (méiyǒu méiyǒu). Both are modest ways of saying "not at all," not a rejection of your kind words.
Mandarin, Cantonese, simplified and traditional
- Mainland China uses Mandarin as the common language and writes in simplified characters. In Singapore, Mandarin is one of the official languages, also written in simplified characters, and English is widely used.
- Taiwan uses Mandarin and writes in traditional characters, with some differences in accent and everyday vocabulary.
- Hong Kong and Macau mostly speak Cantonese day to day and write in traditional characters; many people also speak Mandarin, and English is common in Hong Kong.
| English | Simplified | Traditional | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thank you | 谢谢 | 謝謝 | xièxie |
| To speak | 说 | 說 | shuō |
| Language | 语言 | 語言 | yǔyán |
| To learn | 学 | 學 | xué |
| Chinese (language) | 中文 | 中文 | Zhōngwén |
The spoken Mandarin is the same either way, so the phrases above work in Taiwan too. Curious about Cantonese? Ask a partner in Hong Kong to teach you 你好 (nei5 hou2, hello) and 唔該 (m4 goi1, thanks or excuse me); its tones are a different system again. If you're also studying Japanese, which uses Chinese characters as kanji, the Japanese page is a natural next step.
Tones: the part that matters most on camera
Mandarin has four tones plus a light neutral tone. The same syllable with a different tone is a different word, so clear tones matter more than a perfect accent.
| Tone | Pitch | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (ā) | High and level | 妈 mā, mother |
| 2nd (á) | Rising, like a surprised "what?" | 麻 má, hemp |
| 3rd (ǎ) | Low and dipping (often just low in fast speech) | 马 mǎ, horse |
| 4th (à) | Sharp fall, like a firm "no!" | 骂 mà, to scold |
| Neutral | Short and light | 吗 ma, question word |
- Two 3rd tones in a row: the first one becomes a 2nd tone. 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said ní hǎo.
- 不 (bù, not) becomes bú before a 4th tone: 不是 (búshì, is not).
- 一 (yī, one) becomes yì before 1st, 2nd and 3rd tones and yí before a 4th tone, as in 一下 (yíxià) and 一点 (yìdiǎn).
Exaggerate your tones a little while you're learning. Over a video call, clear, slightly overdone tones are easier to understand than quiet, careful ones.
Polite speech and a 10-minute routine
Mandarin doesn't change verbs to show politeness. Instead, use 您 (nín), a respectful "you," with older people or in formal settings, and 请 (qǐng, please) for requests. With people your own age on a casual chat, 你 (nǐ) is normal.
- Minute 1: "你好！我叫… 我在学中文。" Then say where you're from.
- Minutes 2–4: ask "你是哪里人？" and "那里有什么好吃的？" (nàli yǒu shénme hǎochī de? What's good to eat there?)
- Minutes 4–7: describe your day in short sentences and ask your partner to repeat any word where your tone was off.
- Minutes 7–9: ask them to type two new words in the text chat, then read them aloud with tones.
- Minute 10: "跟你聊天很开心，再见！" (I enjoyed chatting, bye!)
China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore all use UTC+8, so one evening window covers them all; the guide to the best time to chat across time zones helps you find yours. For a fair two-way swap, read these language exchange tips for video chat.
Practice Chinese with the country filter
Omlet's interface is in English only, and it doesn't match people by language or translate anything. There are two easy ways to find Chinese speakers:
- Use the country filter. Press Country, pick a country where Chinese is spoken (for example China, Taiwan or Hong Kong), then press Start.
- Ask whoever you meet. On Worldwide matching, a quick "Do you speak Chinese?" costs nothing to try.
The country filter's first day is free (you add a card to start, and can cancel in Settings before the charge). After that it's $3 one time for that device and browser, with no subscription. It can make matching slower when fewer people from that country are online; if a match takes a while, try another country or switch back to Worldwide.
Say you're practicing Chinese in your first sentence and ask your partner to slow down or correct you. It's a normal request.