How to say "let's start" in Chinese
我们开始吧
wǒmen kāishǐ ba
classroom · learning · beginner · neutral
When To Use It
"let's start" maps to 我们开始吧 (wǒmen kāishǐ ba), a neutral classroom phrase for learning situations.
Treat it as a core study phrase you should be able to recognize, pronounce, and recycle in your own beginner conversations.
Practice it first exactly as written, then swap in your own people, places, or objects so it becomes part of your active speaking repertoire.
Tone And Delivery
The register is neutral, which makes it flexible: safe in most daily situations without sounding stiff or overly intimate.
Because this is marked beginner, you should aim to recognize it instantly and reuse it with your own names, nouns, locations, or numbers.
A good practice target is the example sentence 大家准备好了吗?我们开始吧。 (dàjiā zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma? wǒmen kāishǐ ba.). Once that feels natural, shorten your pause and try it at conversation speed.
Practice Ideas
This phrase becomes more useful when you learn it as part of a mini-sequence. After saying it, a natural next step could be 这是什么意思? (zhè shì shénme yìsi?).
A second nearby phrase to review is 请写下来 (qǐng xiě xiàlai), which helps you stay in the same topic instead of translating from scratch again.
- Read the example “Is everyone ready? Let's start.” aloud, then replace one detail with your own information.
- Pair it with “What does this mean?” next so your conversation does not stop after a single line.
- Match the phrase to your tone of voice: soft for polite requests, flatter and quicker for routine daily use.
- If you hear a slightly different version in the wild, compare the tone and context before treating it as interchangeable.
Examples
大家准备好了吗?我们开始吧。
dàjiā zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma? wǒmen kāishǐ ba.
Is everyone ready? Let's start.
Related
- what does this mean? — 这是什么意思? (zhè shì shénme yìsi?)
- please write it down — 请写下来 (qǐng xiě xiàlai)
- how do you say this in Chinese? — 这个用中文怎么说? (zhège yòng Zhōngwén zěnme shuō?)
- I don't understand — 我听不懂 (wǒ tīng bù dǒng)
Explore more phrases on the How to say index or try the Chinese Name Generator.
Phrase FAQ
How do you say "let's start" in Chinese?
我们开始吧 (wǒmen kāishǐ ba).
When should I use this phrase?
Use it in learning situations where a neutral tone fits. Because it is tagged beginner, it is meant to be practical and reusable rather than literary or highly specialized.
Is pronunciation included?
Yes. Every phrase page includes pinyin with tone marks, plus example sentences so you can hear how the wording expands in real use.
What should I learn next after this phrase?
A useful follow-up is 这是什么意思? (zhè shì shénme yìsi?) — "what does this mean?". Studying connected phrases in small clusters makes them easier to recall in conversation.