In this short dialogue, Xiaomei and Daming make friends in the library.
Without a doubt, the most important part of this dialogue is right at the end, when Xiaomei asks Daming if they can “加个微信” (jià ge5 wēi xìn), or “add (加) each other on WeChat (微信).” If you ever make a new Chinese friend, it’s very common for one person or the other to offer to add you on WeChat so you can stay in touch. But in Chinese, the phrase “Add you on WeChat” isn’t a word-for-word translation to the English – you don’t, for example, hear people say, “加你在微信上”. Instead, native speakers use the more colloquial, “加个微信.”
Key vocab
座位 – zuò wèi – seat
准备 – zhǔn bèi – to prepare
考试 – kǎo shì – exam
听力 – tīng lì – listening
练习 – liàn xí – to practice
忘了 – wàng le – forgot
笔 – bǐ – pen
认识 – rèn shi5 – to know/meet
一起 – yì qǐ – together
加个微信 – jià ge5 wēi xìn – Add [someone] on WeChat
图书馆里的新朋友
小美：不好意思，请问这个座位有人吗？
大明：没有，你可以坐这里。
小美：谢谢！你也在准备考试吗？
大明：是的，下周有汉语考试。你呢？
小美：我也是！我觉得听力最难。
大明：对，我也这样想。我们可以一起练习吗？
小美：好主意！哦，糟糕，我忘了带笔。
大明：没关系，我有两支笔，给你一支。
小美：你真好！我叫小美，你叫什么名字？
大明：我叫大明。认识你很高兴！
小美：我们加个微信吧，以后可以一起学习。
大明：好的！
A New Friend at the Library
Xiaomei: Excuse me, is this seat taken?
Daming: No, you can sit here.
Xiaomei: Thanks! Are you also preparing for an exam?
Daming: Yes, there’s a Chinese exam next week. How about you?
Xiaomei: Me too! I think listening is the hardest.
Daming: Right, I think so too. Can we practice together?
Xiaomei: Good idea! Oh no, I forgot to bring a pen.
Daming: No problem, I have two pens. Here’s one for you.
Xiaomei: You’re so nice! My name is Xiaomei. What’s your name?
Daming: My name is Daming. Nice to meet you!
Xiaomei: Let’s add each other on WeChat. We can study together in the future.
Daming: Okay!