Chinese phrases
How to say I don’t speak Chinese in Chinese
I don’t speak Chinese in Chinese is 我不会说中文 (wǒ bú huì shuō zhōng wén). If you speak a little, 我中文不太好, “my Chinese isn’t very good,” is closer to the truth.
我不会说中文
I don’t speak Chinese
中文 is the everyday word for the Chinese language. You also hear 汉语, the word in textbooks and on the HSK.
Ways to say I don’t speak Chinese
我不会说中文
EverydayI don’t speak Chinese
Clear and polite. 会 means you have learned how to do something.
我中文不太好
Everydaymy Chinese isn’t very good
When you speak some. People usually slow down and keep going in Chinese.
我只会一点点
EverydayI only speak a little
The usual answer to 你会说中文吗, “do you speak Chinese?”
我不懂中文
EverydayI don’t know Chinese
Also common. 懂 means to understand, so it covers reading as well as speaking.
我在学中文
EverydayI’m learning Chinese
Add it after one of the lines above.
What to say next
你会说英语吗
do you speak English?
Many younger people in big cities speak some English.
请说慢一点
please speak a bit more slowly
When you understand some of what you hear.
能再说一遍吗
could you say that again?
Polite and common.
可以写下来吗
could you write it down?
For addresses, names and numbers. Many people type it on their phone and show you.
Common mistakes
Using 能 instead of 会
我不能说中文 means you are not allowed to speak Chinese, or cannot right now. A skill you have learned takes 会.
Dropping 会
我不说中文 sounds like a choice: you could, but you don’t. Keep 会 in the sentence.
A falling tone on 不
不 rises before a fourth tone. 我不会说中文 is wǒ bú huì shuō zhōng wén, and 我中文不太好 has bú tài.
In a shop
你好，需要点什么？
Shop assistant: Hi, can I help you?
不好意思，我不会说中文。你会说英语吗？
Leon: Sorry, I don’t speak Chinese. Do you speak English?
会一点点。
Shop assistant: A little.
太好了，谢谢！
Leon: Great, thank you!
