Simplified Chinese - Lesson 141 of 156: Politeness

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

麻烦你了

Máfan nǐ le.

Sorry to trouble you / Thanks for the trouble.

Meaning: Sorry to trouble you / Thanks for the trouble.

When to use: Say this after someone helps you, or right after asking a favor when they agree to help.

Tip: Don’t use it for big formal requests; learners sometimes overuse it instead of a plain thank-you.

谢谢你帮我修电脑，麻烦你了。

Xièxie nǐ bāng wǒ xiū diànnǎo, máfan nǐ le.

Thanks for fixing my computer — sorry to trouble you.

你可以帮我拿行李吗？麻烦你了。

Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ná xínglǐ ma? Máfan nǐ le.

Can you help me carry the luggage? Sorry to trouble you.

辛苦了

Xīnkǔ le.

Thanks for your hard work.

Meaning: Thanks for your hard work.

When to use: Use to acknowledge someone’s effort after they finish a task or at the end of a shift.

活动结束了，大家辛苦了！

Huódòng jiéshù le, dàjiā xīnkǔ le!

The event is over — thanks everyone for your hard work!

你今天跑了很多次，辛苦了。

Nǐ jīntiān pǎo le hěn duō cì, xīnkǔ le.

You ran a lot today — thanks for your effort.

没事儿

Méishìr.

It’s okay / No big deal.

Meaning: It’s okay / No big deal.

When to use: Casual reply to apologies or when someone worries they caused trouble.

Tip: Used casually; beginners sometimes use 没事儿 with strangers where 没关系 is more neutral.

A: 对不起，打扰你了。 B: 没事儿，别担心。

A: Duìbuqǐ, dǎrǎo nǐ le. B: Méishìr, bié dānxīn.

A: Sorry to bother you. B: It’s okay, don’t worry.

你迟到了？没事儿，我们刚开始不久。

Nǐ chídào le? Méishìr, wǒmen gāng kāishǐ bùjiǔ.

You’re late? It’s okay, we just started.

没关系

Méi guānxi.

It doesn’t matter.

Meaning: It doesn’t matter.

When to use: Neutral response to an apology or when minimizing a small problem.

A: 对不起，我迟到了。 B: 没关系，下次注意就好。

A: Duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le. B: Méi guānxi, xiàcì zhùyì jiù hǎo.

A: Sorry I’m late. B: It doesn’t matter, just pay attention next time.

别担心，错了也没关系，我们可以改。

Bié dānxīn, cuò le yě méi guānxi, wǒmen kěyǐ gǎi.

Don’t worry — if it’s wrong it doesn’t matter, we can fix it.

别客气

Bié kèqi.

Don’t be so polite.

Meaning: Don’t be so polite.

When to use: Natural reply when someone says thank you; a friendly way to downplay the help.

Tip: Learners sometimes overuse it in very formal situations; it’s more neutral/friendly than ultra-formal.

A: 谢谢你帮我。 B: 别客气，举手之劳。

A: Xièxie nǐ bāng wǒ. B: Bié kèqi, jǔshǒu zhī láo.

A: Thanks for helping me. B: Don’t mention it, it was nothing.

谢谢你啊！— 别客气，没事儿。

Xièxie nǐ a! — Bié kèqi, méishìr.

Thanks a lot! — Don’t be polite, it’s okay.

谢谢你啊

Xièxie nǐ a.

Thanks a lot.

Meaning: Thanks a lot.

When to use: Friendly spoken thanks; 啊 (a) makes the thanks warmer and more casual.

你把文件发给我了，真的谢谢你啊。

Nǐ bǎ wénjiàn fā gěi wǒ le, zhēn de xièxie nǐ a.

You sent the document — thanks a lot.

明天帮我带午饭，太谢谢你啊！

Míngtiān bāng wǒ dài wǔfàn, tài xièxie nǐ a!

Thanks so much for bringing lunch tomorrow!

真不好意思

Zhēn bù hǎoyìsi.

I’m really sorry / I feel bad about it.

Meaning: I’m really sorry / I feel bad about it.

When to use: Useful for small mistakes or when you feel you inconvenienced someone.

真不好意思，我忘记带你的书了。

Zhēn bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ wàngjì dài nǐ de shū le.

I’m really sorry — I forgot to bring your book.

真不好意思，让您久等了。

Zhēn bù hǎoyìsi, ràng nín jiǔ děng le.

I’m really sorry to have kept you waiting.

Simplified Chinese - Politeness

1. Reading + Listening Practice

2. Conversational Listening Practice

3. Guided Practice

Which phrase is best to say right after someone finishes a hard task to show appreciation?

Someone apologizes for being late. Which neutral reply fits best?

If someone thanks you for help, a friendly reply is:

Which phrase would you use to apologize for causing a small inconvenience?

Can I trouble you to copy these documents? — Sorry to trouble you.

A: Sorry, I spilled your coffee. B: It's okay, it doesn't matter.

After a colleague finishes editing your report, you want to show thanks: 'Thanks a lot.'

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice