HSK 4 · Lesson 4打扰一下 Excuse me

Language and politeness: language exchange, translation, apologies. The interjections 啊 ā and 嗯 ǹg, 就是说 “that is”, 不是…而是… “not…, but…”, polite 打扰 / 麻烦 / 抱歉 / 道歉.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

Language exchange

A
打扰一下，你是中国人吗？
Dǎrǎo yíxià, nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?
Excuse me, are you Chinese?
B
是啊。有什么事吗？
Shì a. Yǒu shénme shì ma?
Yes. Can I help you?
A
我在学汉语，想找一个中国朋友交流，练习口语。
Wǒ zài xué Hànyǔ, xiǎng zhǎo yí ge Zhōngguó péngyou jiāoliú, liànxí kǒuyǔ.
I’m learning Chinese and I’d like to find a Chinese friend to talk with and practise speaking.
B
啊，你的普通话说得真流利！
Ā, nǐ de pǔtōnghuà shuō de zhēn liúlì!
Oh, your Mandarin is really fluent!
A
哪里哪里，我的语法还有很多问题。
Nǎli nǎli, wǒ de yǔfǎ hái yǒu hěn duō wèntí.
Not at all, my grammar still has lots of problems.
B
没关系，我们可以互相帮助：你教我俄语，我教你汉语。
Méi guānxi, wǒmen kěyǐ hùxiāng bāngzhù: nǐ jiāo wǒ Éyǔ, wǒ jiāo nǐ Hànyǔ.
No problem — we can help each other: you teach me Russian, I’ll teach you Chinese.
A
太好了！那就麻烦你了！
Tài hǎo le! Nà jiù máfan nǐ le!
Great! Thanks so much, then!

A misunderstanding

A
昨天我跟你开玩笑，说你“胖”，你好像不高兴。真抱歉！
Zuótiān wǒ gēn nǐ kāi wánxiào, shuō nǐ “pàng”, nǐ hǎoxiàng bù gāoxìng. Zhēn bàoqiàn!
Yesterday I joked and called you “fat”, and you seemed upset. I’m really sorry!
B
嗯，我当时是有点儿生气。
Ǹg, wǒ dāngshí shì yǒudiǎnr shēngqì.
Mm, I was a bit annoyed at the time.
A
我不是想说你不好看，而是用错了词。我向你道歉。
Wǒ bú shì xiǎng shuō nǐ bù hǎokàn, ér shì yòngcuòle cí. Wǒ xiàng nǐ dàoqiàn.
I didn’t mean you look bad — I just used the wrong word. I apologise.
B
原来是个误会！我理解，我原谅你了。
Yuánlái shì ge wùhuì! Wǒ lǐjiě, wǒ yuánliàng nǐ le.
So it was a misunderstanding! I understand — I forgive you.
A
以后我说话会更注意礼貌。
Yǐhòu wǒ shuōhuà huì gèng zhùyì lǐmào.
From now on I’ll be more careful to be polite.
B
没事儿。朋友之间有意见，就是要直接说出来。
Méi shìr. Péngyou zhījiān yǒu yìjiàn, jiùshì yào zhíjiē shuō chulai.
It’s fine. If friends have a problem with each other, they should say it straight out.

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. The interjections 啊 ā and 嗯 ǹg

啊 at the start of a sentence is the interjection ā: surprise or admiration, “oh!, ah!”: 啊，下雪了！ The tone changes with the meaning: á asks “huh?”, à is “ah, I see”. (At the end of a sentence 啊 is the particle a you already know: 好啊.) 嗯 ǹg is “mm-hm, uh-huh”: agreement or an answer to a call: 嗯，我知道了.

啊，下雪了！
Ā, xià xuě le!
Oh, it’s snowing!
嗯，我明天去。
Ǹg, wǒ míngtiān qù.
Mm-hm, I’ll go tomorrow.

2. 就是说 “that is to say”, 就是 “exactly”

就是说 (more formally 这就是说) restates what was said in other words: 他每天都说汉语，就是说，他的口语会越来越好 “he speaks Chinese every day, which means his speaking will keep improving”. 就是 on its own stresses “exactly, precisely”: 我说的就是这个人 “this is exactly the person I mean”.

他每天都说汉语，就是说，他的口语会越来越好。
Tā měi tiān dōu shuō Hànyǔ, jiùshì shuō, tā de kǒuyǔ huì yuè lái yuè hǎo.
He speaks Chinese every day, which means his speaking will keep getting better.
我说的就是这个人。
Wǒ shuō de jiùshì zhège rén.
This is exactly the person I mean.

3. 不是…，而是… “not…, but…”

不是 A，而是 B

This corrects a wrong idea: the first part is denied, the second asserted. 他不是老师，而是翻译 “he isn’t a teacher but a translator”; 我不是不想去，而是没有时间 “it’s not that I don’t want to go — I just don’t have time”. 而是 is firmer and more formal than plain 是.

他不是老师，而是翻译。
Tā bú shì lǎoshī, ér shì fānyì.
He isn’t a teacher but a translator.
我不是不想去，而是没有时间。
Wǒ bú shì bù xiǎng qù, ér shì méiyǒu shíjiān.
It’s not that I don’t want to go — I just don’t have time.

4. Being polite: 打扰, 麻烦, 抱歉, 道歉

打扰一下 “sorry to bother you” is how you address a stranger. 麻烦你… “would you mind…” comes before a request: 麻烦你帮我翻译一下; 麻烦你了 “thanks for your trouble”. 抱歉 is an adjective “sorry”: 真抱歉, 很抱歉. 道歉 is the verb “to apologise”, but it takes no object: “apologise to someone” is 向 + person + 道歉 (not 道歉他). 原谅 is “to forgive”: 请原谅我.

麻烦你帮我翻译一下这个词语。
Máfan nǐ bāng wǒ fānyì yíxià zhège cíyǔ.
Would you mind translating this word for me?
我应该向你道歉。
Wǒ yīnggāi xiàng nǐ dàoqiàn.
I should apologise to you.
他点头表示同意。
Tā diǎntóu biǎoshì tóngyì.
He nodded to show he agreed.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    我希望能够用汉语跟中国人交流。 Wǒ xīwàng nénggòu yòng Hànyǔ gēn Zhōngguó rén jiāoliú. — I hope to be able to talk with Chinese people in Chinese.

  2. Answer
    麻烦你帮我翻译一下。 Máfan nǐ bāng wǒ fānyì yíxià. — Would you mind translating for me?

  3. Answer
    这个词用来打招呼。 Zhège cí yònglái dǎ zhāohu. — This word is used as a greeting.

  4. Answer
    这不是误会。 Zhè bú shì wùhuì. — This isn’t a misunderstanding.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. “Apologise to the teacher”

    Answer
    向老师道歉
  2. 我不是不想去，___没有时间。

    Answer
    而是
  3. How do you address a stranger?

    Answer
    打扰一下。
  4. 他是我爸爸的爸爸，___，是我爷爷。

    Answer
    就是说

3. Build the sentence

  1. I apologise to you.

    Answer
    我向你道歉。 Wǒ xiàng nǐ dàoqiàn.
  2. Your Mandarin is really fluent!

    Answer
    你的普通话说得真流利！ Nǐ de pǔtōnghuà shuō de zhēn liúlì!
  3. He isn’t a teacher but a translator.

    Answer
    他不是老师，而是翻译。 Tā bú shì lǎoshī, ér shì fānyì.
  4. Would you mind helping me?

    Answer
    麻烦你帮我一下。 Máfan nǐ bāng wǒ yíxià.

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

You are speaker B. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.

A
打扰一下，请问这个词语怎么读？
Dǎrǎo yíxià, qǐngwèn zhège cíyǔ zěnme dú?
Excuse me, how do you read this word?
B
这个词读“礼貌”。
Zhège cí dú “lǐmào”.
It’s read “lǐmào”.
A
是什么意思？
Shì shénme yìsi?
What does it mean?
B
就是说，对别人很客气。
Jiùshì shuō, duì biérén hěn kèqi.
It means being polite to others.
A
啊，我明白了。谢谢你！
Ā, wǒ míngbai le. Xièxie nǐ!
Ah, I see. Thank you!
B
不客气，你的汉语说得很流利！
Bú kèqi, nǐ de Hànyǔ shuō de hěn liúlì!
You’re welcome — your Chinese is very fluent!

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. Sorry to bother you — may I ask a question?
    Answer
    打扰一下，我可以问一个问题吗？
  2. It’s not that he doesn’t want to come — he has no time.
    Answer
    他不是不想来，而是没有时间。
  3. Would you mind translating this for me?
    Answer
    麻烦你帮我翻译一下。

💡 Did you know?: “Have you eaten?” instead of “hello”

When meeting someone they know, Chinese people often greet them not with 你好 but with a question: 吃了吗？ “Have you eaten?” or 去哪儿？ “Where are you off to?”. It isn’t an interrogation or a lunch invitation, just a way to 打招呼, to say hello. The answer is short: 吃了 / 还没呢 “yes / not yet”, 去上班 “to work”. 你好 sounds more formal and is used more with strangers.

Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).