I do not understand.
This specifically concerns understanding spoken language.
FREE BEGINNER LESSON 6 · MANDARIN CHINESE
Mandarin Chinese: When you do not understand
Ask for English, a slower pace or a repetition.
Polite · language help. Learn the meaning, listen to the pronunciation, then practise in the interactive lesson.
Practise this lessonOpening vocabulary referenceUseful Mandarin Chinese phrases and their meanings
Please say it again.
再说一遍 asks for one more repetition.
Please speak a little more slowly.
慢一点 means a little slower.
Can you speak English?
会 asks about ability; 吗 makes it a question.
How the sentence works
听不懂 means unable to understand what you hear. 再 means again. 一遍 counts one complete repetition. 慢一点 asks for a slightly slower pace. 会 asks about a learned ability such as speaking a language.
A short conversation in Mandarin Chinese
Sorry, I do not understand.
It is all right. I will say it again.
Please speak a little more slowly.
Words to recognise
to listen
to understand
slow
English
Listen to the whole phrase before focusing on each word. You can replay as often as you like, and the interactive lesson uses pictures and a short exchange to put the meaning in context.
Open the interactive lessonThe opening six teaching lessons are free, including the mini-tests after lessons three and six. A test accepts any answer and shows the score and corrections at the end. No typing or speaking aloud is required.
Keep learning Mandarin Chinese
Free five-minute audio lesson and MP3 · Language learning games
The pronunciation uses prepared synthetic voices. Credits and licences explain the free voice models. Independent native-speaker certification is not claimed.