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When navigating any place, it is useful to know how to talk about different locations and modes of transportation.

'Where are you going?' in Mandarin

To ask where someone is going in Mandarin, you can say:

ÄãÈ¥ÄĶù£¿ N¨« q¨´ n¨£r (n¨£ er)? - Where are you going?

For most places, you can answer in Mandarin with:

ÎÒÈ¥ W¨¯ q¨´ - I¡¯m going¡­

Did you know?

The exception to the above rule in Mandarin is ¡®home¡¯, for which you would say:

ÎÒ»Ø W¨¯ hu¨ª - I¡¯m going back¡­

So if you want to say you are returning home in Mandarin you would say:

ÎÒ»Ø¼Ò W¨¯ hu¨ª Âá¾±¨¡ - I¡¯m going back home

'How are you getting there?' in Mandarin

To ask how someone is going to get somewhere in Mandarin, you can say:

ÄãÔõôȥ£¿ N¨« z¨§n me q¨´? - How are you getting there?

There are three ways to respond to this question in Mandarin:

• ÎÒ×ø W¨¯ zu¨° - I take, for vehicles you sit in, eg the bus or a taxi

• ÎÒÆï W¨¯ q¨ª - I ride, for vehicles you sit on or across, eg a bike

• ÎÒ×ß×ÅÈ¥ W¨¯ z¨¯u zhe q¨´ - I walk there

For example, if you are going to get the bus, in Mandarin you would say:

ÎÒ×ø¹«½»³µ W¨¯ zu¨° g¨­ng Âá¾±¨¡o ³¦³ó¨¥ - I take the bus

Did you know?

Each mode of transport in Mandarin shares the final character ³µ ³¦³ó¨¥ (vehicle).

The Mandarin characters before this generally describe the vehicle in question, eg:

• ×Ô ³ú¨¬ (self) ÐÐ ³æ¨ª²Ô²µ (do or travel) ³µ ³¦³ó¨¥ (vehicle) - bike

• ¹«½» g¨­ng Âá¾±¨¡o (short for public transport) ³µ ³¦³ó¨¥ (vehicle) - bus