Lesson 4 — Asking Nationality (问国籍 / Wèn Guójí)

Learn how to ask about someone's nationality and respond in Chinese.

1. Vocabulary | 生词 / New Words

Chinese	Pinyin	English
哪	nǎ	which
国	guó	country
人	rén	person / nationality
中国	Zhōngguó	China
柬埔寨	Jiǎnpǔzhài	Cambodia
美国	Měiguó	America
法国	Fǎguó	France
德国	Déguó	Germany
日本	Rìběn	Japan
英国	Yīngguó	United Kingdom
你是哪国人？	Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?	What nationality are you?
我是中国人。	Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.	I am Chinese.
他是美国人。	Tā shì Měiguó rén.	He is American.
我不是法国人。	Wǒ bú shì Fǎguó rén.	I am not French.
亚洲	Yàzhōu	Asia
欧洲	Ōuzhōu	Europe
北美洲	Běi Měizhōu	North America
南美洲	Nán Měizhōu	South America
非洲	Fēizhōu	Africa
大洋洲	Dàyángzhōu	Oceania

2. Grammar | 语法

Structure:
【Subject】+ 是 + 【哪国人】
Example: 你是哪国人？ (Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?) — What nationality are you?

Examples:

• 你是哪国人？
  Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
  What nationality are you?
• 我是中国人。
  Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.
  I am Chinese.
• 他是美国人。
  Tā shì Měiguó rén.
  He is American.
• 我不是法国人。
  Wǒ bú shì Fǎguó rén.
  I am not French.
• 你是亚洲人吗？
  Nǐ shì Yàzhōu rén ma?
  Are you Asian?

Tips:

• Use 不 (bù) to form negatives. Example: 我不是法国人 = I am not French.
• Use 都 (dōu) to say “both/all”. Example: 我们都是亚洲人 = We are both Asians.
• Use 呢 (ne) to return a question. Example: 你呢？ = And you?

3. Dialogue | 对话

Chinese	Pinyin	English
A：你好！你是哪国人？	Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?	Hello! What nationality are you?
B：我是柬埔寨人。你呢？	Wǒ shì Jiǎnpǔzhài rén. Nǐ ne?	I am Cambodian. And you?
A：我是中国人。	Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.	I am Chinese.
B：我们都是亚洲人！	Wǒmen dōu shì Yàzhōu rén!	We are both Asians!
A：你也来自哪个城市？	Nǐ yě láizì nǎge chéngshì?	Which city are you from?
B：我来自金边。你呢？	Wǒ láizì Jīnbian. Nǐ ne?	I am from Phnom Penh. And you?
A：我来自北京。	Wǒ láizì Běijīng.	I am from Beijing.
B：我们在亚洲见面，真有趣！	Wǒmen zài Yàzhōu jiànmiàn, zhēn yǒuqù!	We meet in Asia, how interesting!

4. Extended Practice | 练习

1. Translate into Chinese:
   • I am French.
   • He is Japanese.
   • We are both Europeans.
   • Are you from America?
   • I am not African.
2. Translate into English:
   • 你是哪国人？
   • 他是德国人。
   • 我不是南美洲人。
   • 我们都是大洋洲人。
   • 你来自哪个国家？
3. Write your own mini-dialogue about nationality and city with a partner.
4. Create sentences introducing 5 friends from different countries using:
   • 他是___人。
   • 她是___人。
5. Ask and answer nationality questions with classmates using:
   • 你是哪国人？
   • 你来自哪里？
   • 你喜欢哪个国家？

5. Summary | 总结

In this lesson, you learned to ask and answer questions about nationality, talk about where you and others are from, and express shared continents. You practiced dialogues, mini-conversations, and exercises to improve your speaking and writing skills. Regular practice helps you feel confident meeting people from around the world in Chinese.