What are the most essential Chinese questions for daily conversation

Got it — you want the most essential Chinese questions for everyday conversation.
I’ll give you a practical list in Simplified Chinese, with Pinyin and English meaning, so you can start using them right away.

🗣 Essential Chinese Questions for Daily Conversation

1. Basic Greetings & Introductions

• 你好吗？(Nǐ hǎo ma?) — How are you?
• 你叫什么名字？(Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?) — What’s your name?
• 你是哪国人？(Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?) — Which country are you from?
• 你会说中文吗？(Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?) — Can you speak Chinese?

2. Social & Polite

• 你在做什么？(Nǐ zài zuò shénme?) — What are you doing?
• 你今天怎么样？(Nǐ jīntiān zěnme yàng?) — How are you today?
• 你觉得怎么样？(Nǐ juéde zěnme yàng?) — What do you think?
• 你能帮我吗？(Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?) — Can you help me?

3. Time & Scheduling

• 现在几点？(Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?) — What time is it?
• 今天几号？(Jīntiān jǐ hào?) — What’s the date today?
• 你什么时候有空？(Nǐ shénme shíhou yǒu kòng?) — When are you free?
• 我们几点见？(Wǒmen jǐ diǎn jiàn?) — What time shall we meet?

4. Daily Life & Directions

• 厕所在哪儿？(Cèsuǒ zài nǎr?) — Where is the bathroom?
• 这个怎么走？(Zhège zěnme zǒu?) — How do I get there?
• 这是什么？(Zhè shì shénme?) — What is this?
• 多少钱？(Duōshǎo qián?) — How much?

5. Food & Ordering

• 你推荐什么？(Nǐ tuījiàn shénme?) — What do you recommend?
• 有没有素的？(Yǒu méiyǒu sù de?) — Do you have vegetarian options?
• 可以打包吗？(Kěyǐ dǎbāo ma?) — Can I take it to go?
• 能少放辣吗？(Néng shǎo fàng là ma?) — Can you make it less spicy?

💡 Tip:
In daily conversation, adding ma (吗) at the end turns a statement into a “Yes/No” question in Mandarin.
Example: 你忙吗？(Nǐ máng ma?) — Are you busy?

If you want, I can also prepare a one-page printable cheat sheet of these must-know Chinese questions with pronunciation tips so you can carry it with you.
Do you want me to make that for you?