Traditional Chinese - Classroom Questions

老師，可以再說一次嗎？

Lǎoshī, kěyǐ zài shuō yí cì ma?

Can you repeat that, please?

Meaning: Can you repeat that, please?

When to use: Use this when the teacher said something and you need to hear it one more time.

Tip: Use 再說一次 (zài shuō yí cì) for “say it again.” Don’t mix it up with 說一個 (shuō yí ge), which sounds like “say one.”

老師，可以說慢一點嗎？

Lǎoshī, kěyǐ shuō màn yìdiǎn ma?

Can you say that more slowly, please?

Meaning: Can you say that more slowly, please?

When to use: Use this when the teacher is speaking too fast and you want a slower pace.

___怎麼念

___ zěnme niàn?

How do you pronounce ___?

Meaning: How do you pronounce ___?

When to use: Use this to ask how to read or pronounce a word, name, or character.

Tip: For pronunciation, use 怎麼念 (zěnme niàn). 怎麼說 (zěnme shuō) usually means “how do you say it?”

老師，我可以問一個問題嗎？

Lǎoshī, wǒ kěyǐ wèn yí ge wèntí ma?

Can I ask a question?

Meaning: Can I ask a question?

When to use: Use this before asking the teacher something, especially during class.

我忘記帶___了。

Wǒ wàngjì dài ___ le.

I forgot my ___.

Meaning: I forgot my ___.

When to use: Use this to tell the teacher you forgot to bring a classroom item.

Tip: In Mandarin, you usually don’t need to say 我的 (wǒ de) for “my” here. 我忘記帶課本了 (Wǒ wàngjì dài kèběn le) sounds natural.

今天有作業嗎

Jīntiān yǒu zuòyè ma?

Do we have homework?

Meaning: Do we have homework?

When to use: Use this to ask the teacher or a classmate whether homework was assigned today.

什麼時候要交

Shénme shíhòu yào jiāo?

When is it due?

Meaning: When is it due?

When to use: Use this after you hear about homework, a report, or another assignment.

老師，我可以去廁所嗎？

Lǎoshī, wǒ kěyǐ qù cèsuǒ ma?

Can I go to the bathroom?

Meaning: Can I go to the bathroom?

When to use: Use this during class to politely ask permission to leave the room.

我們要做哪一題？

Wǒmen yào zuò nǎ yì tí?

Which exercise should we do?

Meaning: Which exercise should we do?

When to use: Use this when the class is working from a textbook, worksheet, or handout and you need the exercise number.

我們要自己做，還是兩個人一組？

Wǒmen yào zìjǐ zuò, háishì liǎng ge rén yì zǔ?

Should we work alone or in pairs?

Meaning: Should we work alone or in pairs?

When to use: Use this when you are not sure whether the activity is individual work or pair work.

老師，可以幫我看一下答案嗎？

Lǎoshī, kěyǐ bāng wǒ kàn yí xià dá'àn ma?

Can you check my answer?

Meaning: Can you check my answer?

When to use: Use this when you want the teacher to look at your answer and confirm it.

老師，可以解釋一下這一段嗎？

Lǎoshī, kěyǐ jiěshì yí xià zhè yí duàn ma?

Can you explain this part?

Meaning: Can you explain this part?

When to use: Use this when you are pointing to a section in a textbook, handout, article, or paragraph.

我做完了

Wǒ zuò wán le.

I'm finished.

Meaning: I’m finished.

When to use: Use this to tell the teacher or a classmate that you completed the task.