B1 Expression Neutral

没听清楚

mei ting qingchu

Didn't hear clearly

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use {没听清楚|méi tīng qīngchǔ} to politely ask someone to repeat themselves when you didn't catch their words.

  • Means: I did not hear (it) clearly.
  • Used in: Noisy environments, phone calls, or when someone speaks too fast.
  • Don't confuse: Don't use it to mean you disagree; it only refers to audio clarity.
Confused face + ear gesture = polite request for repetition

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means you did not hear the words. Use it when you need someone to say it again because it was too quiet.
When you are talking to a Chinese person and they speak fast or it is noisy, say this. It tells them you missed the sound.
This is a standard expression to signal an auditory gap. It is polite because it frames the issue as the listener's inability to perceive the sound, rather than the speaker's lack of clarity, thus preserving social harmony.
As a B2 learner, you should use this to manage communication breakdowns effectively. It functions as a polite conversational repair strategy, allowing you to maintain the flow of dialogue without appearing rude or overly critical of the speaker's articulation.
The phrase utilizes a resultative verb complement structure to denote a failure in sensory input. Its usage is deeply rooted in the cultural preference for indirect communication, where the listener assumes responsibility for the communication failure to mitigate potential face-threat to the speaker.
From a cognitive linguistic perspective, this phrase functions as a phatic marker of communicative breakdown. It serves as an essential pragmatic tool for conversational repair, demonstrating the speaker's mastery of social etiquette by prioritizing the maintenance of interpersonal harmony over the literal accuracy of the discourse.

Meaning

Indicates that one did not fully comprehend what was said due to unclear audio.

🌍

Cultural Background

Very common in daily life to avoid conflict.

💡

Keep it polite

Always add '不好意思' to be extra polite.

Meaning

Indicates that one did not fully comprehend what was said due to unclear audio.

💡

Keep it polite

Always add '不好意思' to be extra polite.

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct phrase.

刚才太吵了，我______。

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 没听清楚

The context is noise, so we use the auditory phrase.

🎉 Score: /1

Visual Learning Aids

Frequently Asked Questions

1 questions

Yes, it is polite enough.

Related Phrases

🔗

没听懂

similar

Didn't understand

Where to Use It

📱

Phone Call

A: 喂？

B: 不好意思，信号不好，我没听清楚。

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Imagine a 'Clear' (清楚) bell ringing, but you 'Missed' (没) the sound of it.

Visual Association

You are standing in a busy market. You cup your hand to your ear, leaning forward, with a polite smile.

Story

I was at a cafe. The barista asked for my order. I was distracted by the music. I said, '没听清楚'. The barista smiled and repeated it slowly.

Word Web

听清楚没再说抱歉明白

Challenge

Next time you are in a loud place, try saying this to a friend instead of 'What?'.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

No te escuché bien

Spanish uses a direct object pronoun 'te'.

French high

Je n'ai pas bien entendu

French uses the 'ne...pas' negation.

German moderate

Ich habe das nicht genau verstanden

German is more cognitive-focused.

Japanese high

よく聞こえませんでした

Japanese uses a negative potential verb form.

Arabic high

لم أسمع جيداً

Arabic uses the 'lam' negation for past tense.

Chinese self

没听清楚

None.

Korean high

잘 못 들었어요

Korean uses the 'mot' negation for inability.

Portuguese high

Não ouvi bem

Portuguese drops the subject pronoun.

Easily Confused

没听清楚 vs 没听懂

Learners mix up audio vs. meaning.

If you heard the sound but don't know the meaning, use 没听懂.

FAQ (1)

Yes, it is polite enough.

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