英语 (Yīngyǔ)

The English language. 英 is the phonetic approximation of "Eng-" (from "England") and also conveniently means "outstanding" or "hero" in Chinese. 语 means "language."

Meanings

[noun] English language. The language originating from England, widely used internationally.

Example Sentences

你会说英语吗？ Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma? Can you speak English?

我在学英语。 Wǒ zài xué Yīngyǔ. I am studying English.

他的英语说得很好。 Tā de Yīngyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo. He speaks English very well.

英语和汉语都很有用。 Yīngyǔ hé Hànyǔ dōu hěn yǒuyòng. Both English and Chinese are very useful.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
说英语	speak English
学英语	study English
英语课	English class
英语老师	English teacher
英语水平	English proficiency

Memory Hook

英 sounds like "Eng" from "England," and 语 means "language." So 英语 is the language of England. The pattern holds for other languages too: 法语 (French), 德语 (German), 日语 (Japanese) — all use 语 as the suffix.