How have you been lately?
最近 means recently; 怎么样 asks how things are.
FREE BEGINNER LESSON 2 · MANDARIN CHINESE
Mandarin Chinese: How are you?
Ask how someone is and return the question.
Neutral · catching up. Learn the meaning, listen to the pronunciation, then practise in the interactive lesson.
Practise this lessonOpening vocabulary referenceUseful Mandarin Chinese phrases and their meanings
I am well, thank you.
我 means I; 好 means well or good.
And you?
呢 returns the same question.
I am well too.
也 means also and comes before 很好.
How the sentence works
吗 turns a statement into a yes-or-no question. 我很好 means I am well; 很 often links a subject to an adjective and need not mean very strongly. 呢 returns a question. 你好吗 is understood, while 最近怎么样 is useful when catching up.
A short conversation in Mandarin Chinese
How have you been lately?
I am well, thank you. And you?
I am well too.
Words to recognise
I / me
you
good / well
also / too
Listen to the whole phrase before focusing on each word. You can replay as often as you like, and the interactive lesson uses pictures and a short exchange to put the meaning in context.
Open the interactive lessonThe opening six teaching lessons are free, including the mini-tests after lessons three and six. A test accepts any answer and shows the score and corrections at the end. No typing or speaking aloud is required.
Keep learning Mandarin Chinese
Free five-minute audio lesson and MP3 · Language learning games
The pronunciation uses prepared synthetic voices. Credits and licences explain the free voice models. Independent native-speaker certification is not claimed.