The Complete Guide to Chinese Phone Conversations

The first phone I had while living in China was a terrifying, pre-pay “burner” phone that screeched the number of the caller every time it rang. And the person on the other hand was a courier, someone chasing a bill or my landlord—a Chinese person who expected to speak in Chinese.

When you’re learning a new language and living in a foreign country, you develop a love/hate relationship with your phone. Here, I’ll give you a complete guide to having a Chinese phone conversation confidently.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Basic Words and Phrases for Chinese Phone Conversations

Before you can talk on the phone, you’ll need some simple words and phrases to get you started. They’re pretty intuitive and simple. Let’s look at some right now:

How to Answer a Phone Call in Chinese

In Chinese, we don’t answer the phone with 你好 (nǐ hǎo). Instead, we use the word 喂 (wèi), which is a way of saying hello, but only over the phone. Note that even though it technically has a fourth tone, it’s pronounced with the second tone when answering a call.

To express agreement and acknowledge that you’ve heard what the other person is saying, a common expression to use both on the phone and in person is 好了 (hǎo le) — all right.

When something is agreed upon—like a time and a place to meet— 好的 (hǎo de) — okay, is an easy expression to use.

Here are some more survival phrases for answering phone calls in Chinese that will come in handy:

You can learn both formal vocabulary and natural conversational words and phrases by using an immersive program like FluentU.

How to Ask Someone to Speak Slower in Chinese

I woke up in my hotel room to the sound of a phone ringing. Answering, it took me a few moments to remember where I was: I’d just arrived in Xi’an late the night before. The person on the other end was speaking Chinese quickly. I seemed to know the words, but my brain wasn’t making sense of them fast enough.

Still half asleep, I managed to conjure the phrase:

不好意思，我是外国人，请说慢一点儿。
(bù hǎo yì si, wǒ shì wài guó rén, qǐng shuō màn yī diǎn er.)
Excuse me, I’m a foreigner, please talk a little slower.

That seemed to do the trick. The person on the other end cut her speed in half and repeated her sentence. It was a good thing she did (she was calling from the airport). My luggage—which had been lost in Chongqing—had arrived, and I had to make arrangements to pick it up.

As with most languages, Mandarin native speakers tend to talk quickly. With a phone conversation, they’re usually not going to immediately know that you’re new to the language. Especially if the call is complex or catches you unaware (landlords have a special talent for this).

Here are a few more phrases you can use when you don’t understand something:

How to Make Confirmations on the Phone in Chinese

Okay, so now you know how to make sure you understand them, but that’s only half the conversation! Since Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language and contains sounds that are unfamiliar in English, it’s all too easy to misspeak. For important conversations—or even if you’re just arranging to meet for a beer—asking the right questions ensures your message is received.

Here are a couple of “quick and dirty” ways to ensure you’re both on the same page and confirm your arrangements. Repeat what the other said then tag these phrases at the end to make sure you understand.

You may sound a bit pedantic rephrasing your arrangements, but trust me—it’s better than showing up on the wrong day or having your luggage delivered to the apartment down the street.

How to Text in Chinese

Handwriting Chinese characters is notoriously difficult, but sending a text is remarkably easy. Even if the idea of talking live on the phone still seems daunting, having a full-on text conversation is probably much easier than you think. Unlike the live phone call, you have time to think and look up strange words in the dictionary.

To successfully text in Chinese, you’ll need:

• A basic grasp of Chinese grammar rules.
• A smartphone with a Chinese keyboard installed (here’s how to activate yours if you have an iPhone).
• A WeChat (微信 — wēi xìn) account and app since this is what everyone in China uses. It’s like Facebook, WhatsApp and eBay all rolled into one. It’s also really great for practicing all your Chinese skills.
• Pleco, which is a marvelous Chinese dictionary app. You text in Chinese by writing in pinyin. So, text in English letters and your phone will suggest the most appropriate characters. This is normally pretty reliable, but if you don’t recognize one particular character, or you aren’t sure which one to click, just copy your message into Pleco before you send. When the reply comes, you can also copy and paste it right into Pleco to check your translation and save any unfamiliar words.

How to Say Goodbye When Hanging Up

There are several different ways to say goodbye when hanging up—in all languages. Depending on the situation, you might want to use one more than the other. Here’s a list of some common ways to end a phone call in Chinese in various contexts:

Why It’s Important to Learn Chinese Phone Vocabulary

• You can’t rely on visual cues. Speaking Mandarin Chinese on the phone is harder than in person. First of all, you lack the visual element—you can’t resort to universal gestures, or take out your smartphone and defer to a translation app. You can point all you want, but that won’t help the person on the other end of the line understand what you’re saying.
• Keep the conversation going. Talking on the phone also adds an element of pressure to fill the silence and keep the conversation flowing. If your vocabulary is limited, this can seem terrifying.
• Alleviate the anxiety. Over time, I learned that Chinese phone conversations don’t need to be that scary. The disembodied voice in fact belongs to a rational human being who is willing to slow down, hear you out and make themselves understood. These terms will help you control the conversation so that you always know what’s going on.

Before you know it, you’ll be having long, useful phone conversations in Chinese. Order food with confidence, deal with that pesky landlord and broaden your social life.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And One More Thing...

If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.

FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.

FluentU App Browse Screen

FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

Interactive Transcripts on FluentU

FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.

FluentU Has Quizzes for Every Video

The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)