的 links 他 and 话 and shows a relationship like possession or association.
So:
In English, this is often like his in his words.
In this sentence, 话 means words, speech, or what someone says.
It does not mean just a single isolated word in the dictionary sense. It is more like:
So 他的话 is very naturally understood as what he says or his words.
Yes, it is grammatical and understandable.
It sounds natural in contexts like:
That said, in everyday speech, Mandarin speakers might also say:
These can sound a bit more specific or more common depending on context.
This is a very common question.
So:
If the issue is spoken comprehension, 听懂 is often more precise.
Yes.
Mandarin often allows this kind of flexibility. Depending on context, 他的话 can mean:
Chinese does not always mark tense the way English does, so context decides whether it is present or past.
In most everyday Mandarin, 的 is usually pronounced with a neutral tone: de.
So:
This light pronunciation is normal. Learners should avoid stressing 的 too much unless there is a special reason.
In spoken Mandarin, 他 tā and 她 tā are pronounced the same: tā.
So when you hear the sentence, it could mean:
In writing, this sentence uses 他, which usually means he. But in speech, you need context to know which one is meant.
Sometimes, yes, depending on context.
If someone speaks in a certain dialect, accent, or style, 他的话 could refer to the speech coming from him, so the sentence could be understood as I understand the way he speaks.
But if you specifically want to say I understand his language, Mandarin would often use a clearer expression, such as one referring directly to the language or dialect.
So the most natural default meaning is still I understand what he says.
A natural pronunciation is:
Wǒ dǒng tā de huà.
A few pronunciation notes:
When speaking naturally, the first two 3rd tones in wǒ dǒng are affected by normal connected speech, but learners do not need to worry too much at first. Just make sure:
Sometimes, yes, but the nuance is a little different.
So:
Both can work, but 懂 is very natural here.