nǐ tīngdǒng le ma?

Did you understand?

Breakdown of nǐ tīngdǒng le ma?

• 你nǐ: you
• 吗ma: question particle
• 了le: perfective particle
• 听懂tīngdǒng: to understand (by listening)

Questions & Answers about nǐ tīngdǒng le ma?

What does the 了 in 你听懂了吗 do? Is it just past tense?

• 了 (le) here marks completed action (perfective aspect), not past tense per se. It asks whether the result “understood (by listening)” has been achieved.
• It often corresponds to English “Did you…?” or “Have you…?” but Chinese isn’t marking time, just completion.
• It does not mean “already.” To emphasize “already,” use 已经: 你已经听懂了吗？/ 我已经听懂了。

Why are there two verbs, 听 and 懂? Isn’t one enough?

• 听懂 is a verb-complement structure (resultative complement): 听 “to listen” + 懂 “to understand (result).”
• It means “understand as a result of listening,” stronger than just “heard.”
• Similar patterns:
  • 看懂 “understand by reading/watching”
  • 听清楚 “hear clearly (clarity, not necessarily understanding)”
  • 看完 “finish reading/watching”

What’s the difference between 你听懂了吗 and 你听得懂吗?

• 你听懂了吗？ asks about a completed result this time: “Have you understood (now)?”
• 你听得懂吗？ asks about ability in general or in this situation: “Can you understand (what you’re hearing)?”
• Answers:
  • To the first: 听懂了 / 还没听懂 / 没听懂。
  • To the second: 听得懂 / 听不懂 / 有点儿难。

How do I answer this question naturally?

• Positive: 听懂了。/ 懂了。/ 听懂了，谢谢。
• Negative (this time): 没听懂。/ 还没听懂。
• Inability: 听不懂。
• Partial/clarifying: 大概听懂了，不过有几处不太明白。/ 有点儿没听清楚。

How do I negate it correctly? Do I use 不 or 没?

• For a completed event, negate with 没(有) and drop 了: 我没听懂。
• 听不懂 expresses inability (can’t understand), not just a one-time failure.
• Nuance:
  • 没听懂 = didn’t understand that time.
  • 听不懂 = can’t understand (generally/in that situation).
  • 还没听懂 = not yet (but expected to later).

Can I leave out 你 or 吗?

• Dropping the subject (when context is clear) is natural: 听懂了吗？
• Alternatives to 吗:
  • A-not-A patterns: 听懂了没有？/ 听没听懂？/ 懂不懂？
  • Confirmation tag: 听懂了吧？ (expects “yes”)
  • Elliptical with rising intonation: 听懂了？ (seeking confirmation)

Is “了吗” one word? Where does 了 go if there’s an object?

• 了吗 is not a single word; it’s 了 (perfective) + 吗 (question particle).
• With an object, both orders are common:
  • 你听懂了这句话吗？
  • 你听懂这句话了吗？ (very common in speech)
• Don’t treat 了吗 as a fixed chunk; 了 belongs to the verb phrase, and 吗 just makes it a yes-no question.

Any pronunciation tips for 你听懂了吗？

• 你 (nǐ): third tone realized as a low “half-third” (no big rise).
• 听 (tīng): high-level first tone; aspirated “t.”
• 懂 (dǒng): third tone; keep it low/dipping.
• 了 (le) and 吗 (ma): neutral tone—short and light.
• With 吗, you don’t need a big rising intonation; keep the lexical tones accurate.

What’s the difference between 听懂 and 听见/听到?

• 听见 / 听到 = you perceived the sound (heard it).
• 听懂 = you comprehended what you heard.
• Example: 我听到了他的话，但没听懂他的意思。

Is 你听懂了吗 polite? Are there gentler ways to ask?

• 你听懂了吗？ is neutral. Depending on tone/context it can feel a bit direct.
• Softer options:
  • 听得懂吗？
  • 需要我再说一遍吗？
  • 要不要我换一种说法？
  • 哪里不太明白？

Can I use 明白 or 清楚 instead of 懂?

• 听明白 ≈ “understand clearly by listening,” close to 听懂, a bit more on clarity.
• 听清楚 = “hear clearly” (perception clarity, not necessarily understanding).
• All acceptable depending on nuance:
  • 你听明白了吗？
  • 你听清楚了吗？ (did you hear it clearly?)

How do I ask a group?

• Use plural 你们 or a collective:
  • 你们听懂了吗？
  • 大家听懂了吗？

Can I say 你懂了吗 instead?

• 你懂了吗？ asks if you now understand the idea (channel not specified).
• 你听懂了吗？ highlights understanding via listening (e.g., after someone speaks).
• After reading, you’d say 你看懂了吗？

Is 你听懂吗 okay?

• For “Have you understood (yet)?”, you normally need completion: 你听懂了吗？
• 你听懂吗？ sounds odd for that meaning. Use:
  • Result: 听懂了吗？
  • Ability: 听得懂吗？

Are there colloquial variants like “听懂了没” or “听懂不”？

• Yes:
  • 听懂了没？/ 你听懂了没？ (very common, casual)
  • 听懂没有？ (same meaning)
  • 听懂不？ (colloquial, northern flavor)
• All ask the same thing in a more casual register.