Chinese survival phrases, and what to say when you do not understand
Every beginner conversation breaks. What decides whether you keep speaking Chinese for another year is not how rarely it breaks but whether you can repair it without switching to English. These are the lines that do that, sorted by which failure you are actually having — because asking for a repeat when the problem was vocabulary just gets you the same sentence again.
Name the failure, then pick the line
| What went wrong | Line | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| The sounds went past you | 请再说一遍。 | Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn. |
| You heard it, you do not know it | 什么意思？ | Shénme yìsi? |
| They are too fast | 请说慢一点。 | Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn. |
| You are lost entirely | 我听不懂。 | Wǒ tīng bu dǒng. |
| You need it in writing | 你能写下来吗？ | Nǐ néng xiě xiàlai ma? |
| You want the Chinese for something | 这个用中文怎么说？ | Zhège yòng Zhōngwén zěnme shuō? |
| It landed — tell them so | 听懂了！ | Tīng dǒng le! |
The last line matters more than it looks. A conversation partner who never hears 听懂了 does not know whether anything is getting through, and people stop talking when they suspect they are talking to a wall.
The politeness that buys you patience
| Line | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我的中文不太好。 | Wǒ de Zhōngwén bú tài hǎo. | My Chinese is not very good. |
| 我在学中文。 | Wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén. | I am learning Chinese. |
| 对不起。 | Duìbuqǐ. | Sorry. |
| 没关系。 | Méi guānxi. | It is fine. (the reply to 对不起) |
| 谢谢你的耐心。 | Xièxie nǐ de nàixīn. | Thank you for your patience. |
| 麻烦你了。 | Máfan nǐ le. | Sorry to trouble you. |
Say 我的中文不太好 once, at the start, and then stop. It resets the other person's speed. Repeating it every two minutes turns the whole exchange into a conversation about your Chinese instead of a conversation.
Getting things done
| Line | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 多少钱？ | Duōshao qián? | How much is it? |
| 这个，谢谢。 | Zhège, xièxie. | This one, thanks. (with a point, this buys anything) |
| 洗手间在哪儿？ | Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr? | Where is the bathroom? |
| 我要这个。 | Wǒ yào zhège. | I want this one. |
| 可以吗？ | Kěyǐ ma? | Is that okay? / May I? |
| 不要辣。 | Bú yào là. | Not spicy. |
| 太好吃了！ | Tài hǎochī le! | That is delicious! |
这个，谢谢 with a pointed finger handles most transactions in China, which is worth knowing on your first day and worth outgrowing by your second month.
Two habits that matter more than the phrases
- Repair in Chinese before you switch. Three moves — repeat, meaning, slower — recover most breakdowns. Every switch to English trains you to switch again.
- Echo the new word. When someone gives you a word, say it back: 茶，谢谢！ The echo is what turns their answer into your vocabulary, and it takes one second.
In GraphChinese: these lines are the HSK 0 survival kit, taught before HSK 1 vocabulary and drilled as decisions — the exercise describes a breakdown and asks which repair fits, because picking the wrong repair is the actual failure mode, not forgetting the words. How to run the whole conversation.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "I do not understand" in Chinese?
我不懂 (wǒ bù dǒng) is "I do not understand" in general; 我听不懂 (wǒ tīng bu dǒng) is "I cannot understand what I am hearing", which is the more precise and more useful one in a conversation. Both are ordinary and neither is rude.
How do you ask someone to speak more slowly in Chinese?
请说慢一点 (qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn) — "please speak a little slower". Add 好吗 (hǎo ma) to soften it further. People almost always oblige, and many will also simplify their vocabulary, which is the bigger help.
What is the difference between 请再说一遍 and 什么意思?
They repair different failures. 请再说一遍 (please say it again) is for when the sounds went past you. 什么意思 (what does it mean) is for when you heard the word clearly and do not know it. Asking for a repeat of a word you already heard perfectly gets you the same word again.
Is it rude to say you do not speak Chinese well?
No. 我的中文不太好 (wǒ de Zhōngwén bú tài hǎo) is modest in a way Chinese conversation likes, and it sets expectations so the other person slows down. Saying it once is useful; saying it repeatedly turns the conversation into a discussion about your Chinese.
Should you switch to English when you get stuck?
Repair in Chinese first — ask for a repeat, a meaning, or a slower version. Those three moves recover most breakdowns, and each one is practice. Switch to English when you need the information more than the practice, which is rarer than it feels in the moment.
The repair kit is lesson one, free and without an account. GraphChinese teaches you to stay in the conversation before it teaches you to say more in it. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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