Relevant Content
We'll always make sure you know exactly what the lesson is about. You
will easily understand whether it is relevant for you.
How to Say 'Probably' in Chinese
Great Hosts
Here at ChinesePod, all our lessons are presented in an entertaining
manner by our great hosts. You'll find language learners, teachers,
and even professors sharing their insights, ideas, and teaching
methods in our video and audio lessons.
Brief Lesson Summaries
A brief introduction of the lesson will always tell you what this
lesson is about and what language level is the intended target. If
you're interested in the subject, but might not be able to understand
it in full, fear not; we have transcripts of lesson dialogues
vocabulary so you can follow along.
IN THIS LESSON
ID: 7417 Intermediate
In today's Qing Wen video lesson, we teach the Mandarin Chinese for the different ways to say "probably."
Much like in English, using slightly different terms can change the likelihood of something happening, and in this lesson, we show you the three most common ways of expressing this. 大概 (dàgài) has the highest likelihood of something happening, 可能 (kěnéng) is about a 50% or higher chance, and 恐怕 (kǒngpà) is also likely to happen, but the important thing is not the percentage, but rather that the outcome is an undesirable event.
A top tip is that the final word in 恐怕 (kǒngpà) has the character for "scared" in it, so you don't want this thing to happen. With 大概 (dàgài), dà means big, and gài means approximation, so a "big likelihood."
After today's lesson you should "probably" be a lot more confident when speaking Chinese, and you'll definitely know which one is most suitable for the situation.
If you have any questions, particularly about the rather tricky 恐怕 (kǒngpà), just leave a comment and we will try and get back to you.
Fri Jan 15 2016 | Constance Fang, Fiona Tian
Awesome Materials
Our lessons contain natural communication in Chinese
in video and audio format. We have have lessons focused on video or a
podcast format and our lessons have transcripts of Lesson Dialogues,
Important Vocabulary, Expanded Materials for a deep dive into the
lesson topic and Exercises focused on testing your retention.
很晚了,我还在外面玩,有人给我打电话)
hěn wǎn le ,wǒ hái zài wàimian wán ,yǒurén gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà )
(It's very late, I'm still out, someone calls me...)
是我妈,大概是叫我快一点儿回家。
shì wǒ mā ,dàgài shì jiào wǒ kuài yīdiǎnr huíjiā 。
It's my mom, most probably telling me to get home sooner.
是我妈)可能我妈要睡觉了,她不等我了。
shì wǒ mā )kěnéng wǒ mā yào shuìjiào le ,tā bù děng wǒ le 。
(it's my mom!) Maybe my mom is heading to bed and she is not waiting up.
糟糕!很晚了!恐怕我妈生气了。
zāogāo !hěn wǎn le !kǒngpà wǒ mā shēngqì le 。
Oops! It's so late! My mom is probably really angry with me.
Natural Dialogues
Each lesson is centered around a natural dialogue with key vocabulary
directly prepared and translated for your use. You can also
listen to each sentence as an individual recording to
improve your listening and comprehension skills.
Try It For Free
ChinesePod is 100% Free to Try. Create an account
today and get started!
Sign Up
Please enter a valid email.
- or -
Sign up with