In this tutorial for learning Mandarin online you’ll learn make command sentences. You’ll also learn how to make negative commands, meaning how to say do and do not in Mandarin. To make a positive command just say the verb with a strong tone. For example, 滚 = gǔn = Go Away!


To make a negative command you say 不要 = bú yào or 别= bié + Verb. Bú yào literally means “not want” and bié is kind of a combination of bú yào. Also, you can say 不用 = bú yòng + Verb. This is more formal and really means “need not” or “needn’t”.

Here’s an example of a negative command: 别讲话 bié jiǎng huà  or 不要讲话 = bú yào jiǎng huà. Both mean “do not speak. Jiǎng huà means to speak.

Learn Mandarin Online

I hope this video tutorial for learning to speak Mandarin was helpful. Please feel free to leave your feedback and comments below!

China has so many dialects that people from different regions cannot understand each other and use Mandarin to communicate. People often ask me whether I’m studying Cantonese or Mandarin. Cantonese is the language spoken in Hong Kong and in the province of Guantdong (Canton) in Southern China and is often used in China towns in North America.