听不懂 vs 没听懂: what is the difference?
听不懂 says you are unable to understand, because of your level or the conditions. 没听懂 says you did not understand this time. 他说得太快，我听不懂 explains why.
| Word | Pinyin | What it does | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 听不懂 | tīng bù dǒng | Says you are unable to understand what you hear, because of your level or the conditions. | 听 + 不 + 懂 |
| 没听懂 | méi tīng dǒng | Says you did not understand this time, without saying you never can. | 没 + 听懂 |
听不懂 (tīng bù dǒng)
Says you are unable to understand what you hear, because of your level or the conditions.
Structure: 听 + 不 + 懂
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我的汉语还不好，听不懂新闻。 | Wǒ de hàn yǔ hái bù hǎo, tīng bù dǒng xīn wén. | My Chinese is not good yet, so I cannot follow the news. |
| 这位老师的口音太重，我听不懂。 | Zhè wèi lǎo shī de kǒu yīn tài zhòng, wǒ tīng bù dǒng. | This teacher's accent is too strong, I cannot understand. |
| 电影里没有字幕，我听不懂。 | Diàn yǐng lǐ méi yǒu zì mù, wǒ tīng bù dǒng. | The film has no subtitles, I cannot follow it. |
Not: 他说得太快，我不能听懂。 Being unable to understand is said with 不 between the verb and its result, not with 不能: 他说得太快，我听不懂。
没听懂 (méi tīng dǒng)
Says you did not understand this time, without saying you never can.
Structure: 没 + 听懂
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 对不起，我没听懂，请再说一遍。 | Duì bù qǐ, wǒ méi tīng dǒng, qǐng zài shuō yí biàn. | Sorry, I did not catch that, please say it again. |
| 我没听懂他的问题。 | Wǒ méi tīng dǒng tā de wèn tí. | I did not understand his question. |
| 老师讲了两遍，我还是没听懂。 | Lǎo shī jiǎng le liǎng biàn, wǒ hái shì méi tīng dǒng. | The teacher explained twice and I still did not understand. |
Not: 请说慢一点，我不听懂。 不 cannot go in front of 听懂. Say 我没听懂 for this time, or 我听不懂 for ability.
Where this comes from
The comparison is part of Potential Complements: V+得/不+V/Adj (HSK 3) in the grammar reference, which has the full explanation, more worked examples, and what to learn before and after it.
More pairs: 才 vs 就 · 朝 vs 向 · 从 vs 自从 · 大概 vs 恐怕 · 得很 vs 极了 · 光 vs 只 · 互相 vs 相互 · 叫 vs 让 · 每 vs 各 · 需要 vs 要 · 因为 vs 为了 · 只有…才 vs 只要…就 · all 81 pairs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 听不懂 and 没听懂?
听不懂 says you are unable to understand, because of your level or the conditions. 没听懂 says you did not understand this time. 他说得太快，我听不懂 explains why.
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