What to say when someone asks you in Chinese to take their picture
In a square at a sightseeing spot, a traveler suddenly speaks to you in Chinese. They seem to want a photo taken. What will you do?
The labels "Natural", "Gets across" and "Off track" and the one-line reasons are also written by AI as a rough guide. They are not guaranteed to be correct.
The people, their names and personalities, the scenes, directions, shop layouts and dishes are made up for practice. They are not real people, and they do not match real places.
Exchange 1 of 3
They
你好，能帮我们拍张照吗？
Nǐ hǎo, néng bāng wǒmen pāi zhāng zhào ma?
Hello. Could you take a picture of us?
The first line changes a little with each person
- 小丽 嗨，能帮我们拍张照吗？
Hāi, néng bāng wǒmen pāi zhāng zhào ma?
Hi, could you take a picture of us? - 小静 不好意思，打扰您一下。能帮我们拍张照吗？
Bù hǎoyìsi, dǎrǎo nín yíxià. Néng bāng wǒmen pāi zhāng zhào ma?
Excuse me, sorry to bother you. Could you take a picture of us? - 小乐 你好你好！这儿的风景太美了！能帮我们拍张照吗？
Nǐ hǎo nǐ hǎo! Zhèr de fēngjǐng tài měi le! Néng bāng wǒmen pāi zhāng zhào ma?
Hello, hello! The view here is so beautiful! Could you take a picture of us? - 小梅 你好！能帮我们拍张照吗？我自己拍，怎么也拍不好。
Nǐ hǎo! Néng bāng wǒmen pāi zhāng zhào ma? Wǒ zìjǐ pāi, zěnme yě pāi bu hǎo.
Hello! Could you take a picture of us? When I take it myself, it never comes out well.
Example replies and how they sound
当然可以，没问题。
Dāngrán kěyǐ, méi wèntí.
Of course, no problem.
Natural This sounds natural. "没问题" is a friendly reply when someone asks a favor.
好。
Hǎo.
OK.
Gets across This works. "好的" or "当然可以" sounds friendlier.
不用了，谢谢。
Búyòng le, xièxie.
No, thank you.
Off track This does not fit a request. "不用了，谢谢" is for turning down an offer. To say no, you can say "不好意思，我现在不太方便。"
Exchange 2 of 3
They
谢谢！按这儿的这个键就行。
Xièxie! Àn zhèr de zhège jiàn jiù xíng.
Thank you! Just press this button here.
Example replies and how they sound
没有，我没带相机。
Méiyǒu, wǒ méi dài xiàngjī.
No, I didn't bring a camera.
Off track This does not fit. They are showing you where the button is on their phone.
知道了。准备好了吗？
Zhīdào le. Zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?
Got it. Are you ready?
Natural This sounds natural. "知道了" means "got it". Asking before you shoot gives them time to get ready.
好。一、二、三！
Hǎo. Yī, èr, sān!
OK. One, two, three!
Natural This sounds natural. Counting before you shoot gives them time to get ready.
Exchange 3 of 3
They
谢谢！拍得怎么样？
Xièxie! Pāi de zěnmeyàng?
Thank you! How did it come out?
Example replies and how they sound
很好。
Hěn hǎo.
Good.
Gets across This works. It is just one word. "拍得很好。" makes it clear you mean the photo.
我很好，谢谢。
Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie.
I'm fine, thank you.
Off track This does not answer the question. They asked how the photo came out.
拍得很好。要不要再拍一张？
Pāi de hěn hǎo. Yào bu yào zài pāi yì zhāng?
It came out well. Shall I take one more?
Natural This sounds natural. "要不要…？" means "shall I ...?" It offers one more without pushing.
The closing line
They
拍得真好。太谢谢你了！
Pāi de zhēn hǎo. Tài xièxie nǐ le!
It's a great shot. Thank you so much!
Useful phrases for this scene
- 当然可以，没问题。
Dāngrán kěyǐ, méi wèntí.
Of course, no problem. - 准备好了吗？
Zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?
Are you ready? - 要不要再拍一张？
Yào bu yào zài pāi yì zhāng?
Shall I take one more? - 不好意思，请再说一遍，好吗？
Bù hǎoyìsi, qǐng zài shuō yí biàn, hǎo ma?
Sorry, one more time, please?
The lines, the pinyin, the notes and the English translations were written by AI. They have not been checked by a native Chinese speaker. The notes and the explanations of the names were compared with a dictionary by AI, but they have not been checked by a native Chinese speaker or a specialist.
The people, their names and personalities, the scenes, directions, shop layouts and dishes are made up for practice. They are not real people, and they do not match real places.
The pinyin has tone marks. "一" and "不" are written with the tones they take in speech (after tone change). Neutral-tone syllables have no mark. No person has checked that the pinyin matches the audio.
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