Simplified Chinese - Conversation Repair

我不是这个意思。

Wǒ bú shì zhège yìsi。

That's not what I meant.

Meaning: That’s not what I meant.

When to use: Use this to gently correct a misunderstanding when someone attributes the wrong intention to you. (我不是这个意思, Wǒ bú shì zhège yìsi。)

Tip: Some learners say 我不是这个意思了 which sounds odd; stick with 我不是这个意思。

如果我说错了，请纠正我。

Rúguǒ wǒ shuō cuò le，qǐng jiūzhèng wǒ。

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Meaning: Please correct me if I’m wrong.

When to use: Say this when you want someone to point out your mistake politely. (如果我说错了，请纠正我。, Rúguǒ wǒ shuō cuò le, qǐng jiūzhèng wǒ。)

你能说大声一点吗？

Nǐ néng shuō dàshēng yìdiǎn ma？

Can you speak up a little?

Meaning: Can you speak up a little?

When to use: Use when you can't hear someone clearly and need them to raise their volume. (你能说大声一点吗？, Nǐ néng shuō dàshēng yìdiǎn ma？)

我听不太清

Wǒ tīng bú tài qīng。

I can't hear you well.

Meaning: I can’t hear you well.

When to use: Say this to tell someone their voice or the connection is unclear. (我听不太清。, Wǒ tīng bú tài qīng。)

信号不太好

Xìnhào bú tài hǎo。

The connection is bad.

Meaning: The connection is bad.

When to use: Explain that technical issues (phone or internet) are causing trouble. (信号不太好。, Xìnhào bú tài hǎo。)

我没听到最后那部分。

Wǒ méi tīngdào zuìhòu nà bùfen。

I missed the last part.

Meaning: I missed the last part.

When to use: Use when only the ending of what someone said wasn't heard. (我没听到最后那部分。, Wǒ méi tīngdào zuìhòu nà bùfen。)

最后一个词是什么？

Zuìhòu yí ge cí shì shénme？

What was the last word?

Meaning: What was the last word?

When to use: Ask this when you heard most of the sentence but missed the final word. (最后一个词是什么？, Zuìhòu yí ge cí shì shénme？)

Tip: Beginners sometimes ask 最后一个字是什么？ which is fine for a single character — both can work. Use 词 for a whole word.

你说的___是什么意思？

Nǐ shuō de ___ shì shénme yìsi？

What do you mean by ___?

Meaning: What do you mean by ___?

When to use: Use this to ask for the intended meaning of a word or phrase in context. (你说的___是什么意思？, Nǐ shuō de ___ shì shénme yìsi？)

我对___有点不明白。

Wǒ duì ___ yǒudiǎn bù míngbai。

I'm confused about ___.

Meaning: I’m confused about ___.

When to use: Point out the exact part you don't understand so the speaker can explain. (我对___有点不明白。, Wǒ duì ___ yǒudiǎn bù míngbai。)

这个词用得对吗？

Zhège cí yòng de duì ma？

Is this the right word?

Meaning: Is this the right word?

When to use: Check whether the word you chose fits the context. (这个词用得对吗？, Zhège cí yòng de duì ma？)

Tip: Learners sometimes say 这个词对吗？ which is okay but less natural than 这个词用得对吗？

你指的是哪一个？

Nǐ zhǐ de shì nǎ yí ge？

Which one do you mean?

Meaning: Which one do you mean?

When to use: Ask this when there are multiple items and you need the speaker to point to a specific one. (你指的是哪一个？, Nǐ zhǐ de shì nǎ yí ge？)

不好意思，刚才我没听清。

Bù hǎoyìsi，gāngcái wǒ méi tīng qīng。

Sorry, I lost you for a moment.

Meaning: Sorry, I lost you for a moment.

When to use: Use courteously when you missed part of the conversation due to noise or connection. (不好意思，刚才我没听清。, Bù hǎoyìsi, gāngcái wǒ méi tīng qīng。)