Learn Hardcore Chinese: Wǒ bù tài tīng de qīngchu, nǐ kěyǐ zài mànmàn de shuō yíxià ma? - I can’t quite hear clearly; could you say it slowly again?

我不太听得清楚 ≈ “I don’t really hear clearly / I can’t quite hear clearly.”
→ It sounds milder and more polite, like “not very well” instead of a flat “can’t”.

Compare:

我听得清楚。 – “I hear clearly.”
我不听得清楚。 – This is unusual / unnatural; Chinese usually doesn’t negate this pattern that way.
我听不清楚。 – “I can’t hear clearly.” (stronger, more direct)
我不太听得清楚。 – “I don’t hear very clearly.” (softer, less absolute)

So 不太 weakens the negative and makes the complaint sound more polite.

Why do we say 听得清楚 instead of just 听清楚?

Both exist, but they are slightly different patterns:

听清楚 is a verb–result complement:
- 听 (to listen, to hear) + 清楚 (clear)
- Together: “to hear clearly / to listen until it’s clear.”
听得清楚 uses the 得-construction:
- 听 (verb) + 得
  - 清楚 (complement describing the result/degree)
- Pattern: V + 得 + how? / how well?
- Literally: “hear + 得 + clearly” → describes how well you hear.

Common patterns:

我听得清楚。 – I hear (it) clearly.
他说得很快。 – He speaks very fast.
你写得不错。 – You write pretty well.

In many cases, 听清楚 and 听得清楚 are close in meaning, but V + 得 + complement is a very common structure when talking about how well an action is done (degree/result).

Can I say 我听不清楚 instead of 我不太听得清楚? What’s the difference?

You can absolutely say 我听不清楚, and it’s very common.

我听不清楚。
→ “I can’t hear clearly.” This sounds more direct and definite: you’re clearly not hearing well.
我不太听得清楚。
→ “I don’t really hear clearly / I don’t hear very clearly.”
→ Softer, more tentative, more polite.

Both are grammatically correct. In a polite request to a stranger or in a formal context, 我不太听得清楚 sounds less blunt.

Why is it 我不太听得清楚, not 我听得不太清楚? Are both correct?

Both are correct and natural, but the focus is slightly different.

我不太听得清楚。
- The “not very” (不太) comes before 听得清楚 as a whole.
- Feels like: “I don’t really manage to hear clearly.”
- Slightly more common in spoken Chinese in this exact sentence.
我听得不太清楚。
- Here the 听得 is followed by 不太清楚.
- Pattern: V + 得 + 不太 + adj/complement.
- Feels like: “The way I’m hearing is not very clear.”

In practice, both are fine and mean essentially the same thing in this context. You’ll hear both patterns.

What is the function of 得 in 听得清楚? How is this 得 different from 的 and 地?

Mandarin has three common particles all pronounced de:

的
- Links adjectives/phrases to nouns:
- 漂亮的衣服 – pretty clothes
地
- Marks adverbs (how an action is done):
- 慢慢地说 – speak slowly
得
- Introduces a complement of degree/result after a verb:
- 听得清楚 – hear clearly
- 说得很好 – speak very well
- 跑得很快 – run very fast

In 听得清楚, 得 is type (3): it connects the verb 听 with the complement 清楚, describing how well you hear.

Why is 再 used here? Does 再 only mean “again”?

In this sentence, 再 means “again / once more”:

你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？
→ “Could you say it slowly again?”

But 再 also has a sense of “further / one more time in the future”, so it often appears in requests:

再说一遍。 – Say it one more time.
我们明天再聊。 – Let’s talk again tomorrow.

Important contrast:

又 is usually “again” for past or repeated actions you’re commenting on:
- 他又迟到了。 – He was late again.
再 is used for future or repeated actions you want to happen again:
- 你明天再来。 – Come again tomorrow.

Here, since you are asking someone to do it again (a future repeat), 再 is the correct choice.

Why do we say 慢慢地说, and is 地 really necessary? Could I just say 慢慢说?

慢慢地说 follows the pattern:

adverb (how?) + 地 + verb
慢慢地说 – “speak slowly.”

In modern spoken Chinese:

慢慢地说 and 慢慢说 are both natural.
Many speakers often drop 地, especially in casual speech.

So you can say:

你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？ (slightly more formal/written)
你可以再慢慢说一下吗？ (very common in conversation)

The meaning is the same: “Could you say it more slowly again?”

What’s the role of 一下 in 说一下? Does it change the meaning?

一下 originally means “one time / once”, but very often it is used as a softener:

说一下 – literally “say (it) once”, but functionally:
- “say (it) a bit / say (it) for a moment” → more casual, more polite.

Compare:

你再说。 – “Say it again.” (can sound abrupt, depending on tone)
你再说一下。 – “Please say it again (a bit).” (much softer)

Other examples:

看一下 – take a look
帮我看一下。 – help me take a look (a bit)
想一想 – think about it (for a bit)

Here 说一下 de‑intensifies the request and makes it polite and friendly.

How is 说一下 different from 说一遍 or 再说一遍?

说一下
- Soft, vague, “say (it) a bit / say (it) once”
- Focuses more on being polite than on the exact count.
说一遍
- Literally “say it one time / one more time.”
- Very clear about repeating the whole thing.
- Neutral tone; not rude, but not softened the same way as 一下.
再说一遍
- “Say it one more time again.”
- Explicit that this is a repeat.

In your sentence, 再…说一下 combines both:

再 – again
一下 – a bit / as a small favor / in a softer way

你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？ feels especially polite and gentle.

Why use 可以 here instead of 能? Are they interchangeable?

In this sentence:

你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？

you could use 能, but 可以 is more typical for a polite request.

Rough differences:

可以 often implies permission / would you be willing / is it OK:
- 我可以进来吗？ – May I come in?
- 你可以帮我吗？ – Could you help me?
能 often implies ability / possibility / are you able to:
- 你能游泳吗？ – Can you swim? (are you able)

In everyday requests, 可以 feels a bit more polite and soft:

你可以再说一遍吗？ – Could you say it again? (polite)
你能再说一遍吗？ – Can you say it again? (still okay, just slightly more about ability)

Both are acceptable, but 可以 is a very safe choice for polite requests.

Why do we end with 吗 here? Could we use something else like 好不好?

吗 is the standard yes–no question particle:

Statement: 你可以再慢慢地说一下。
Yes–no question: 你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？
→ “Can you … ? / Could you … ?”

You can use other endings, with different tones:

你可以再慢慢地说一下，好不好？
– “… okay or not?” (more emotional, often familiar / friendly)
你可以再慢慢地说一下，好吗？
– adds a “please?” / “is that okay?” feeling.

吗 alone is neutral and polite. Adding 好吗 / 好不好 usually makes it sound even more pleading or softer.

Could we drop 我 or 你 in this sentence? Would it still make sense?

In real conversation, yes, some pronouns can be dropped when context is clear.

Full sentence:

我不太听得清楚，你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？

Possible reductions:

Drop 我, if it’s obvious you’re talking about yourself:
- 不太听得清楚，你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？
  Still natural in context.
Drop 你, especially if you’re facing the person directly:
- 我不太听得清楚，可以再慢慢地说一下吗？
  This is very natural and often heard.

Pronouns are kept in teaching materials for clarity, but in actual speech they’re often omitted when obvious.

Are there any tone changes in this sentence, like with 不 or 一下?

Yes, there are two common tone‑sandhi cases:

不 (bù) before a 4th‑tone syllable
- Before a 4th tone, 不 changes to bú (2nd tone).
- 不太 (bù + tài) → bú tài
  So you actually pronounce it as wǒ bú tài tīng de qīngchu.
一 (yī) in 一下
- 一 changes tone depending on context.
- Before a 4th‑tone syllable, it usually becomes 2nd tone: yí.
- 一下 (yī + xià) → yíxià.

So:

不太 → pronounced bú tài
一下 → pronounced yíxià

What’s the difference between 听得清楚 and 听懂?

They describe different things:

听得清楚 – “hear clearly”
- Focus on sound clarity.
- You can hear each word distinctly, volume is okay.
听懂 – “understand (by listening)”
- Focus on comprehension.
- You understand the meaning.

Examples:

我听得清楚，但是听不懂。
– I can hear clearly, but I don’t understand.
我听不太清楚，你可以再说一遍吗？
– I can’t hear very clearly; could you say it again?

In your sentence, you’re complaining about clarity, not understanding, so 听得清楚 is appropriate.

Why don’t we use 了 anywhere, like 再慢慢地说一下了?

了 usually indicates:

A completed action (aspect marker)
A change of situation / new state (sentence‑final 了)

In this sentence, you are:

Describing a current, general difficulty:
- 我不太听得清楚。 – ongoing state
Making a polite request for the future:
- 你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？

There is no completed action being emphasized, and you’re not announcing a change of state, so 了 is not needed and would be odd here.

You might see 再说一遍吧 or 再说一遍好吗 as variations, but not with 了 in this particular structure.

Could I say 你可以说得慢一点吗？ instead of 你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？?

Yes, and you will hear 你可以说得慢一点吗？ very often.
Differences:

你可以再慢慢地说一下吗？
- Emphasizes: “again” (再) and “slowly” (慢慢地)
- 一下 softens the request.
- Implies: “Please repeat what you just said, but say it slowly this time.”
你可以说得慢一点吗？
- Uses V + 得 + complement: “speak a bit more slowly.”
- Focus is more on your speaking speed in general, not necessarily repeating.

If you specifically want them to repeat what was just said, the original sentence with 再…说一下 may be clearer. If you mean “From now on, could you speak a bit more slowly?”, 说得慢一点 is perfect.

Why is it 慢慢 and not 慢? Is there a difference between 慢慢(地) and just 慢(地)?

Both are correct; the nuance is subtle:

慢慢(地) literally “slowly, little by little”
- Often feels a bit more continuous or gentle.
- 慢慢说 – speak slowly (often sounds softer, more colloquial).
慢(地) – “slow(ly)”
- More direct: 慢地说 – speak slowly.
- Grammatically fine, but 慢慢说 is much more common in daily speech.

In this fixed phrase, 慢慢(地)说 is idiomatic and very natural. Using just 慢地说 would sound more textbook‑ish and is heard less.

Is 清楚 an adjective or an adverb here? How should I think about it?

清楚 is primarily an adjective meaning “clear”:

很清楚 – very clear
这个问题很清楚。 – This question is very clear.

In 听得清楚, 清楚 functions as part of a degree/result complement:

听 (verb) + 得
- 清楚 (adjective describing the result of “listening”)
Literally: “listen and the result is: clear.”

So grammatically, it’s still an adjective, but in this structure it describes how well the action is completed. This is very common:

看得清楚 – see clearly
写得清楚 – write clearly
说得清楚 – explain clearly

Could this sentence be shortened in real conversation? What are some natural shorter versions with the same idea?

Yes, native speakers often shorten it while keeping the same meaning. Some common variants:

我听不太清楚，你可以再说一遍吗？
– I can’t hear very clearly, could you say it again?
听不太清楚，可以再说一下吗？
– (I) can’t quite hear clearly, could (you) say it again?
我听不清楚，你再慢点说。
– I can’t hear clearly, speak more slowly again. (more direct)
你可以说慢一点吗？
– Can you speak a bit more slowly?

Your original sentence is polite and complete; these are the kinds of reductions you’ll hear in everyday speech.