Learn how to say "thank you"
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| Introduction |
| Eric: Welcome to 3-Minute Chinese Season 1, Lesson 3 - Manners. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to thank other people in various ways in Chinese. |
| Body |
| Eric: Here's the formal way to say "Thank you." in Chinese. |
| Cho: [Normal] 谢谢。(xièxiè) |
| Eric: This expression has only one word meaning "thanks" |
| Cho: [Normal] 谢谢 [Slow] 谢谢 (xièxie) |
| Eric: Listen again to the formal word meaning "Thank you." |
| Cho: [Slow] 谢谢。 [Normal] 谢谢。 |
| Eric: Ok, now let's take a look at the formal way to say "Thank you very much." |
| Cho: [Normal] 非常感谢。(fēicháng gǎnxiè.) |
| Eric: First is an adverb meaning "very much" |
| Cho: [Normal] 非常 [Slow] 非常 (fēicháng) |
| Eric: Last is the word meaning "thanks" |
| Cho: [Normal] 感谢 [Slow] 感谢(gǎnxiè) |
| Eric: Listen again to the formal phrase meaning "Thank you very much." |
| Cho: [Slow] 非常感谢。 [Normal] 非常感谢。 |
| Eric: Next up is the formal way to say "Thank you, gladly." |
| Cho: [Normal] 谢谢你，好的。(Xièxiè nǐ, hǎo de.) |
| Eric: First is a word meaning "thanks" |
| Cho: [Normal] 谢谢 [Slow] 谢谢(xièxie) |
| Eric: Next is the pronoun meaning "you" |
| Cho: [Normal] 你 [Slow] 你(nǐ) |
| Eric: Last is the word meaning "good, okay" |
| Cho: [Normal] 好的 [Slow] 好的(hǎo de) |
| Eric: Listen again to the formal phrase meaning "Thank you, gladly." |
| Cho: [Slow] 谢谢你，好的。 [Normal] 谢谢你，好的。 |
| Eric: Finally, here is a formal way to say "Thanks for everything." |
| Cho: [Normal] 谢谢你做的所有的一切。(xièxiè nǐ zuò de suǒyǒu de yīqiè.) |
| Eric: First is a word meaning "thanks" |
| Cho: [Normal] 谢谢你 [Slow] 谢谢你(xièxie nǐ) |
| Eric: Next is the past-tense verb meaning "did" |
| Cho: [Normal] 做的 [Slow] 做的(zuò de) |
| Eric: Then comes the word meaning "all" |
| Cho: [Normal] 所有的 [Slow] 所有的(suǒyǒu de) |
| Eric: Last is the word meaning "everything" |
| Cho: [Normal] 一切 [Slow] 一切(yīqiè) |
| Eric: Listen again to the formal phrase meaning "Thanks for everything." |
| Cho: [Slow] 谢谢你做的所有的一切。 [Normal] 谢谢你做的所有的一切。 |
| Cultural Insight |
| Eric: Now it's time for a quick cultural insight. |
| Cho: Xièxie is the simplest and most basic way to say "thank you," and can be used in both formal and informal situations. However, it’s useful to note that you don’t usually say xièxiè to family members or close friends. The expression is polite, but also creates a sense of distance, so don't say xièxie to your family or friends. |
Outro |
|---|
| Eric: And that’s all for this lesson. Don’t forget to check out the lesson notes, and we’ll see you in the next lesson! |
| Cho: 再见 |
Comments
HideLet us know if you have any questions.
Hi Rowan!
Great question! 非常 (fēicháng) and 很 (hěn) are both used to express the degree of something, often translated to "very" in English, but they are not always interchangeable. 😊
- 很 (hěn) is generally used to mean "very" or "quite" and is often used in everyday conversation. For example, "我很高兴" (wǒ hěn gāoxìng) means "I am very happy."
- 非常 (fēicháng) is stronger than 很 (hěn) and is used to emphasize a higher degree, closer to "extremely" in English. For example, "我非常高兴" (wǒ fēicháng gāoxìng) means "I am extremely happy."
So, while both words express a degree of intensity, 非常 (fēicháng) is used when you want to express a stronger feeling or emphasis.
Your phrase "xièxiè nǐ zuò de yīqiè" (谢谢你做的一切) is understandable, but it sounds slightly unnatural in Chinese. A more natural way to say "Thank you for everything" would be:
谢谢你的一切 (Xièxiè nǐ de yīqiè) – More natural and common
谢谢你所做的一切 (Xièxiè nǐ suǒ zuò de yīqiè) – A bit more formal and complete
Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.
谢谢! (Xièxiè! "Thank you!")
Team ChineseClass101.com
Would it be incorrect to say xièxiè nǐ zuò de yīqiè as a shorter way of saying thank you for everything?
When would you use 非常 and when would you use 很 ? Are they interchangeable?
Hello Selvan,
You are very welcome! 😊
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Wish you all the best on your Chinese journey.
Sincerely,
Ali
Team ChineseClass101.com
So far I am managing okay and thank you very much for your support.
Hello Maryam,
Thank you for your comment. They both mean "thank you", 感谢 gǎnxiè is more formal.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Ngai
Team ChineseClass101.com
The first two why are the words the same but the characters are different
Hello Kindredd Martyr,
Thank you for your comment. Usually there's no need to say anything at all, it may seem impolite but that's how it works. 😉
Let us know if you have any questions.
Ngai
Team ChineseClass101.com
Hi,
If you don't say xie xie to your friends and family because it puts a distance between you and them, what would you say intsead?
非常感谢!
Kindredd
Hello Dinaj Ahamed,
Bù kèqì! We hope you enjoyed this lesson.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Ngai Lam
Team ChineseClass101.com
Fēicháng gǎnxiè
你好 robert groulx,
谢谢 for posting and studying with us. If you have any questions, please let us know.😄
Kind regards,
Levente
Team ChineseClass101.com
thank you for the lesson transcript
robert
thank you for the lesson
xiexie
robert
Hello Carol Whetzel,
Thank you for your comment. You may use the "All" tab, it shows you the Chinese characters, pinyin and English translations at the same time.
Hope it helps. As always, let us know if you have any questions.
Ngai Lam
Team ChineseClass101.com
Hello Rio Ascension,
Thank you for your comment. We're glad to have you here! We're constantly adding new materials, stay tuned!
Thank you for learning with us, let us know if you have any questions.
Ngai Lam
Team ChineseClass101.com
Is there any way to see simplified Chinese and pinyin at the same time?
I am a slow learner so I hope if I purchase this. This can help me break the barrier language of foreigners coming into the US
Hello Melissa,
Thank you for your comment, if we want to say thank you to a friend, we can simply say 谢谢. It's just that Chinese people don't normally thank our families and close friends.
Thank you for learning with us, let us know if you have any questions.
Ngai Lam
Team ChineseClass101.com
How to say thank you to a friend?