你说
nǐ shuō
U speak · trad. 你說
你说 (nǐ shuō) literally means "you speak." It can be used as a simple statement or, more commonly, as part of a question like "What did you say?" or "Do you speak [a language]?"
When to use it
Neutral. For politeness, use 您说 (nín shuō). When asking about language ability, it's very common to add 会 (huì, "can"), making it 你会说 (nǐ huì shuō). The reply to "Do you speak...?" would be 会 (huì) or 不会 (bù huì).
How to pronounce it
Sounds like "nee SHWOH." The first syllable 你 (nǐ) is a third tone, pronounced with a dip, and 说 (shuō) is a first tone, pronounced high and flat.
Other ways to say it
- 您说nín shuōyou speak (polite)
- 你会说nǐ huì shuōyou can speak (emphasizes ability, common for languages)
- 你说话nǐ shuō huàyou talk (general 'you are talking' or 'you talk too much')
Examples
你说什么？
nǐ shuō shén me ？
What did you say?
你会说中文吗？
nǐ huì shuō zhōng wén ma ？
Can you speak Chinese?
你说的很有道理。
nǐ shuō de hěn yǒu dào lǐ 。
What you said makes a lot of sense.
Pro tip: While 说 (shuō) means "to speak," when asking about someone's ability to speak a language, it's more natural to add 会 (huì, "can"), forming 你会说...吗？
Related phrases
和平 · Peace钱 · Money闭嘴 · Shut up
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