Learn how to say, "I don't understand"
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| Taiwanese Mandarin Survival Phrases Lesson 7: I Don't Understand |
| In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say "I don’t understand." |
| In Chinese, “I don’t understand” is 我不懂 (Wǒ bù dǒng). |
| Let’s break it down by tone: |
| First we have 我(wǒ). This is in third tone. |
| Next we have 不(bù). This is in fourth tone. |
| Last we have 懂(dǒng). This is in third tone. |
| Next, let’s break it down by meaning: |
| 我(wǒ) means “I” or “me.” |
| 不(bù) means “no.” |
| 懂(dǒng) means “understand.” |
| Literally, the phrase means “I no understand,” but in English, it translates to “I don’t understand.” |
| Altogether, we have 我不懂(Wǒ bù dǒng). |
| Listen again, one more time, slowly: |
| [Slow] 我不懂(Wǒ bù dǒng). |
| [Normal] 我不懂(Wǒ bù dǒng). |
| To be more polite, you can add “I’m sorry” or “Excuse me” before “I don’t understand.” |
| In Chinese, “I’m sorry” is 不好意思(Bù hǎo yìsī). |
| Let’s break it down by tone: |
| First we have 不(bù). This is in fourth tone. |
| Next we have 好(hǎo). This is in third tone. |
| Then we have 意(yì). This is in fourth tone. |
| Last we have 思(si). This has no tone. |
| Next, let’s break it down by meaning: |
| 不(bù) means "no." |
| 好(hǎo) is "good." |
| 意思(yìsi) means "meaning." |
| Literally, it means “no good meaning.” But it translates to “I feel bad” or “I’m sorry.” |
| Let’s put both phrases together: 不好意思, 我不懂(Bù hǎo yìsī, Wǒ bù dǒng). |
| This whole phrase means “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” |
| Listen again, one more time, slowly: |
| [Slow] 不好意思，我不懂(Bù hǎo yìsī, Wǒ bù dǒng). |
| [Normal] 不好意思，我不懂(Bù hǎo yìsī, Wǒ bù dǒng). |
| The way to say “I don’t speak Chinese” is 我不會說中文(Wǒ bù huì shuō zhōngwén). |
| Let’s break it down by tone: |
| First we have 我(wǒ). This is in third tone. |
| Next we have 不(bù). |
| Next we have 會(huì). This is in fourth tone. |
| Next we have 說(shuō). This is in first tone. |
| Next we have 中(zhōng). This is in first tone. |
| Last we have 文(wén). This is in second tone. |
| Please note, usually, 不(bù) is in fourth tone. But because it is followed by another fourth tone, it becomes second tone. |
| Next, let’s break it down by meaning: |
| 我(wǒ) means “I” or “me.” |
| 不會(búhuì) means "cannot" or "I am not able to." |
| 說(shuō) means "to speak." |
| 中文(zhōngwén) means "Chinese." |
| Literally, this means “I cannot speak Chinese.” |
| Altogether we have 我不會說中文(Wǒ bù huì shuō zhōngwén). |
| Listen again, one more time, slowly: |
| [Slow] 我不會說中文(Wǒ bù huì shuō zhōngwén). |
| [Normal] 我不會說中文(Wǒ bù huì shuō zhōngwén). |
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