I can read a word the way it sounds in speech (3 + 3, 不 and 一 before another tone, the neutral tone, and 儿), recognize 这儿 and 这里 as one word, and ask a 吗 question without letting my voice rise at the end.
Tones in a phrase: 3 + 3, 不 and 一
Tones in a phrase: 3 + 3, 不 and 一
In the dictionary and in the answer keys a word is written as in the word list; in speech some tones change by rule. Write it as in the dictionary, say it by the rule.
3 + 3: when two third tones come in a row, the first is said as a second tone: 你好 is written nǐ hǎo and said ní hǎo.
A third tone before a first, second, fourth or neutral tone stays low, with no rise: lǎoshī — “lǎo” low and short. The full dip and rise is only for a syllable on its own or at the end of a phrase.
不 bù before a fourth tone is said bú: 不客气 bú kèqi. The dictionary writes it that way too: bú.
一 yī before a fourth tone is said yí (一下 yíxià), before a first, second or third tone yì (一点儿 yìdiǎnr); in counting and at the end it's yī (一, 十一 shíyī). The dictionary writes the changed tone.
Common mistakes:
• NOT ní hǎo in writing — write nǐ hǎo; ní hǎo is only how it sounds.
• NOT bù kèqi in speech — before a fourth tone it's bú.
• NOT the full rise of the third tone in the middle of a word — keep it low.
Tones in a phrase: write it as in the dictionary, say it by the rule
| Rule | Written | Said | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 + 3 | nǐ hǎo | ní hǎo | 你好 (hello) |
| 3rd before another tone | lǎoshī | lǎo low, no rise | 老师 (teacher) |
| 不 before a fourth tone | bú kèqi | bú kèqi | 不客气 (you're welcome) |
| 一 before a fourth tone | yíxià | yíxià | 一下 (for a moment) |
| 一 before tones 1–3 | yìdiǎnr | yìdiǎnr | 一点儿 (a little) |
| 一 in counting | yī, shíyī | yī, shíyī | 一, 十一 (one, eleven) |
Lesson notes
Tones in a phrase: 3 + 3, 不 and 一
In the dictionary and in the answer keys a word is written as in the word list; in speech some tones change by rule. Write it as in the dictionary, say it by the rule.
3 + 3: when two third tones come in a row, the first is said as a second tone: 你好 is written nǐ hǎo and said ní hǎo.
A third tone before a first, second, fourth or neutral tone stays low, with no rise: lǎoshī — “lǎo” low and short. The full dip and rise is only for a syllable on its own or at the end of a phrase.
不 bù before a fourth tone is said bú: 不客气 bú kèqi. The dictionary writes it that way too: bú.
一 yī before a fourth tone is said yí (一下 yíxià), before a first, second or third tone yì (一点儿 yìdiǎnr); in counting and at the end it's yī (一, 十一 shíyī). The dictionary writes the changed tone.
Common mistakes:
• NOT ní hǎo in writing — write nǐ hǎo; ní hǎo is only how it sounds.
• NOT bù kèqi in speech — before a fourth tone it's bú.
• NOT the full rise of the third tone in the middle of a word — keep it low.
Neutral-tone syllables, 儿, and the 吗 question
The neutral tone: the second syllable of family words with a repeated syllable (爸爸 bàba, 妈妈 māma), the endings 们 and 子 (你们 nǐmen), and the function words 吗 (ma), 呢 (ne), 吧 (ba), 的 (de), 了 (le) — always short, with no mark; in some words the neutral syllable is learned with the word: 朋友 péngyou. Tone is not stress: in 你们 the 们 stays short and light, never “nee-MEN”.
Erhua: in the north, 儿 is added to a syllable: the tongue curls at the end of the syllable, as in American “car”, and the syllable doesn't get longer: 这儿 zhèr. All over China people understand and write 这里 zhèlǐ too: it's one word in two forms, and either is accepted as an answer. In 儿子 érzi and 女儿 nǚ'ér, 儿 is a full syllable ér, not erhua.
Questions with 吗: the word 吗 itself makes the question, not the voice. 吗 is short and light; the word before it keeps its own tone, and the voice doesn't rise at the end.
Common mistakes:
• NOT zhè + ér in two syllables — zhèr is one syllable.
• NOT letting your voice rise on 吗, as in an English question.
• NOT treating 这儿 and 这里 as different words — it's one word.