You already know 那 (nà) as "that" — 那本书 "that book," 那是谁 "who's that." But in conversation you will hear 那 doing something that has nothing to do with pointing at objects: 那我们走吧 "well then, let's go," 那你说怎么办？ "so what do you suggest?" This is discourse 那 — the conversational "so / well then / in that case," a marker that grabs whatever was just said and launches the next move from it. English speakers reliably trip here because they try to force it back into "that" and the sentence dissolves into nonsense. The fix is to recognise that discourse 那 points backward at the previous turn, not at any thing in the room. This page shows you how to spot it, use it, and keep it apart from its demonstrative twin. It sits beside the causal connectors on 所以/因此 "so" and the stance marker 其实 "actually".
What discourse 那 does
Discourse 那 sits at the front of a clause and signals: given what you just said, here's what follows. That "following" comes in three flavours, all sharing the same "in that case" core:
| Function | English gloss | Example |
|---|---|---|
| draw a conclusion / decide | "then, so" | 那我们走吧 (then let's go) |
| shift to a new question | "so, well then" | 那你觉得呢？ (so what do you think?) |
| launch a suggestion | "in that case" | 那就这么定了 (then it's settled) |
The unifying idea: 那 is a hinge. Someone says something; you swing off it into your response. Remove the 那 and the response still parses, but it lands abruptly, like starting a sentence with no transition.
——我今天有点累。——那我们早点回去吧。
— wǒ jīntiān yǒudiǎn lèi. — nà wǒmen zǎodiǎn huíqù ba.
— I'm a bit tired today. — Then let's head back early. (informal) — 那 hinges off 'I'm tired' into a decision.
——这家店关门了。——那我们去别的地方吧。
— zhè jiā diàn guānmén le. — nà wǒmen qù bié de dìfang ba.
— This shop's closed. — In that case, let's go somewhere else. (informal) — 'in that case,' following from the closed shop.
——我不太懂这个。——那你问问老师吧。
— wǒ bú tài dǒng zhège. — nà nǐ wènwen lǎoshī ba.
— I don't really get this. — Then go ask the teacher. (neutral) — a suggestion swung off the other person's problem.
Discourse 那 vs demonstrative 那 — the core split
This is the distinction to burn in. The same character, the same tone (both nà), two completely different jobs:
| Demonstrative 那 "that" | Discourse 那 "then/so" | |
|---|---|---|
| points at | a thing (out in the world) | the previous utterance |
| position | inside the clause, before a noun/MW | at the very front of the clause |
| takes a measure word? | yes: 那本书, 那个人 | never |
| can be subject/object? | yes: 那是我的 | no — it's not an argument |
| replaceable by "that thing"? | yes | no — try "in that case" |
The reliable test: can you swap in "that thing/one"? If yes, it's the demonstrative; if the sense is "in that case / so," it's the discourse marker. In 那是你的吗？ "is that yours?", 那 is a thing — demonstrative. In 那你要哪个？ "so which one do you want?", 那 points back at the conversation — discourse. Note that the two can even sit side by side: 那那个呢？ "so what about that one?" — first 那 = "so," second 那 = "that."
那本书是他的，那你的呢？
nà běn shū shì tā de, nà nǐ de ne?
That book is his — so where's yours? (neutral) — first 那 (+本) is 'that'; second 那 is discourse 'so.'
——我明天不去了。——那那张票怎么办？
— wǒ míngtiān bú qù le. — nà nà zhāng piào zěnme bàn?
— I'm not going tomorrow. — Then what about that ticket? (informal) — 那 'so' + 那张票 'that ticket,' back to back.
那 and 那么 — and the 那就… team
那 (nà) and 那么 (nàme) are interchangeable in this discourse job; the difference is register. 那 is lighter and more conversational; 那么 is a touch more formal and is the natural choice for opening a new segment in speech or writing ("So, / Now then,"), such as a teacher moving to the next topic. Very often 那 teams up with 就 (jiù) to form 那就… "then just / then simply," which makes a conclusion feel neat and settled.
既然大家都同意，那就这么办吧。
jìrán dàjiā dōu tóngyì, nà jiù zhème bàn ba.
Since everyone agrees, then let's just do it this way. (neutral) — 既然… 那就… , the classic 'since… then…' frame.
那么，我们今天就讲到这里。
nàme, wǒmen jīntiān jiù jiǎng dào zhèlǐ.
So, let's stop here for today. (formal) — 那么 opens a closing transition, more formal than bare 那.
——我实在想不出办法。——那你说怎么办？
— wǒ shízài xiǎng bù chū bànfǎ. — nà nǐ shuō zěnme bàn?
— I honestly can't think of anything. — So what do YOU say we do? (informal) — 那 pivots to throw the question back.
Common Mistakes
1. Parsing discourse 那 as "that." At the front of a reply, 那 means "then / so," not "that thing."
❌ 把 “那我们走吧” 理解成 “那个我们走吧”。
Mis-parse — 那 here is 'then,' not the demonstrative; it's 'well then, let's go.'
✅ 那我们走吧，别迟到了。
nà wǒmen zǒu ba, bié chídào le.
Well then, let's go — we don't want to be late. — 那 = 'in that case.'
2. Dropping 那 so replies sound abrupt. Without the hinge, a response can feel like a non-sequitur.
❌ ——太贵了。——我们看看别的。
Abrupt — no connective; the reply feels disconnected from 'too expensive.'
✅ ——太贵了。——那我们看看别的吧。
— tài guì le. — nà wǒmen kànkan bié de ba.
— Too expensive. — Then let's look at something else. — 那 links the reply to what was said.
3. Giving discourse 那 a measure word. Only the demonstrative takes 本/个/张; the marker never does.
❌ 那个我们走吧。
Wrong — discourse 'then' takes no measure word; drop 个: 那我们走吧.
✅ 那我们走吧。
nà wǒmen zǒu ba.
Well then, let's go. — bare 那, no measure word.
4. Forcing 那 where a cause connector belongs. 那 draws an inference in dialogue; for stating a cause→result within your own sentence, use 所以.
❌ 因为下雨，那我没去。
Clash — 因为… pairs with 所以, not 那: 因为下雨，所以我没去.
✅ 因为下雨，所以我没去。
yīnwèi xiàyǔ, suǒyǐ wǒ méi qù.
Because it was raining, I didn't go. — 因为…所以 for a cause within one sentence; save 那 for hinging off the other speaker.
Key Takeaways
- Discourse 那 / 那么 means "so / well then / in that case" — it hinges off the previous turn to draw a conclusion, shift the topic, or launch a suggestion.
- It is not the demonstrative 那 "that": discourse 那 sits at the clause front, points at the conversation, takes no measure word, and passes the "in that case" test.
- 那 and 那么 are interchangeable here — 那 is more casual, 那么 more formal and good for opening a new segment.
- It loves to pair with 就: 那就… ("then just…") is a staple for settling a decision (那就这样, 那就明天见).
- Dropping it makes replies sound abrupt; supplying it is the small word that makes conversation flow.
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- 所以 / 因此 / 于是 / 结果 / 可见HSK 4 — A family of connectives opens the RESULT clause — 所以 'so', 因此 'therefore', 因而 'thus', 于是 'so then', 结果 'as it turned out', 可见 'clearly'. They are not interchangeable: 于是 is temporal, 因此 is logical and formal, 结果 reports an outcome, and 可见 draws a conclusion.
- 其实 — Actually, In FactHSK 3 — 其实 (qíshí) reframes what was just said, flagging a truer picture behind an assumption — 'actually / in fact': 看起来很难，其实很简单 'it looks hard, but it's actually easy'. It sits at the FRONT of its clause, never dangling at the end like English 'actually', and softens a correction so it lands politely rather than bluntly.