我听不懂
wǒ tīng bù dǒng
I don t understand · trad. 我聽不懂
我听不懂 (wǒ tīng bù dǒng) is the most common way to say "I don't understand" when you haven't understood what someone has said. It specifically implies a lack of comprehension of spoken language.
When to use it
Neutral and polite. If you don't understand a concept or a written text, you might use 我不懂 (wǒ bù dǒng) or 我不明白 (wǒ bù míngbái). To ask for clarification, you can add 请再说一遍 (qǐng zài shuō yī biàn), "Please say it again."
How to pronounce it
Sounds like "WOH ting boo DONG." The character 不 (bù) changes tone from a falling tone to a rising tone when followed by another falling tone, so it's pronounced "bú dǒng" here.
Other ways to say it
- 我不懂wǒ bù dǒngI don't understand (general, not necessarily spoken words)
- 我不明白wǒ bù míng báiI don't understand (a concept, more formal)
- 请再说一遍qǐng zài shuō yí biànPlease say it again
Examples
对不起，我听不懂你说什么。
duì bù qǐ ， wǒ tīng bù dǒng nǐ shuō shén me 。
Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying.
你能说慢一点吗？我听不懂。
nǐ néng shuō màn yì diǎn ma ？ wǒ tīng bù dǒng 。
Can you speak a bit slower? I don't understand.
这个问题我不太懂。
zhè ge wèn tí wǒ bú tài dǒng 。
I don't quite understand this question.
Pro tip: While both 我听不懂 and 我不懂 mean "I don't understand," 听不懂 specifically refers to not understanding *spoken* words (literally, 'listen not understand'), whereas 不懂 is more general and can apply to concepts, rules, or written text.
Related phrases
和平 · Peace钱 · Money闭嘴 · Shut up
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