Level 1 · Lesson 2

我叫李明
My name is Li Ming

你叫什么名字？我叫李明。

Give your name with 叫, and ask for one with 什么 — which never moves.

听 · Listen

对话
 李明 —  同学，你好！我叫李明。你叫什么名字？ 
Hi there, classmate! My name is Li Ming. What is your name?  
 安娜 —  你好！我叫安娜。 
Hello! My name is Anna.  
 安娜 —  她叫什么名字？ 
What is she called?  
 李明 —  她叫王小雨。 
She is called Wang Xiaoyu.  
 安娜 —  他叫什么名字？ 
And what is he called?  
 李明 —  他叫张东。 
He is called Zhang Dong.  
 安娜 —  谢谢！ 
Thank you!  
 李明 —  好！ 
Sure!  

讲解 · Explanation

我叫李明。

Subject + 叫 + name. 叫 jiào means 'to be called', so 我叫李明 is 'I am called Li Ming'. There is no 'am' and no article anywhere. Notice the order of the name itself: 李 is the family name and 明 the given name, so a Chinese name puts the family first — Lǐ Míng, not Míng Lǐ.

你叫什么名字？

Here is the rule that makes Chinese questions easy: 什么 shénme 'what' stays exactly where the answer will stand. Compare 你叫安娜 with 你叫什么名字 — 什么名字 simply occupies the slot the name will fill. Nothing is fronted, nothing is inverted, and no 吗 is added. Answer by swapping the name back in: 我叫安娜.

他叫张东。她叫王小雨。

他 and 她 are both said tā — spoken Chinese does not distinguish 'he' from 'she' at all. Only the writing does: 她 carries the 女 'woman' part on its left. So when you listen, context tells you who is meant; when you write, choose the character.

生词 · Vocabulary

词	Meaning	注 · Note
叫	to be called	takes a given name or a full name
名字	name	second syllable neutral tone
什么	what	stays in the answer's position
他	he, him
她	she, her	same sound as 他; the 女 part marks it
同学	classmate	also how you call out to a student you do not know

练习 · Practice

名字？ Which sentence asks 'What is your name?'

我______安娜。 My name is Anna.

王小雨——______叫王小雨。 Wang Xiaoyu is a woman. Which character do you write?

排一排。 Arrange the words: 'What is he called?'

叫、名字、什么、同学 Match each word to its meaning.

用一用 · Use it

你好！我叫……你叫什么名字？

Say your own name aloud in the frame 我叫 …, then ask the question back: 你叫什么名字？ Do it three times, then point at two people you know and say 他叫 … and 她叫 …. Keep 什么 in its slot — that habit is worth more than any vocabulary list.