回答我
huídá wǒ
The English phrase 'answer me' is translated into Chinese as 回答我 (huídá wǒ).
回答我 is used as a request or command for someone to provide a response to a question. Using this phrase without any modifiers, such as 'please', can make it sound like a blunt command or an expression of frustration.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 回答 (to answer) and 我 (me).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
回答我 is an informal and direct way to ask for a response. For a more polite approach, you can add 請 (please) to the beginning to create 請回答我 (please answer me). If you need to be formal, you might use 请告诉我 (please tell me) to politely request an answer or 请回复我 (please reply to me) to formally request a reply. In an informal context, 告诉我 (tell me) is another straightforward way to ask for an answer.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, specifically in Hong Kong and Guangdong, the informal equivalent for 'answer me' is 答我.
How does it change in a sentence?
The object 'me' (我) is placed directly after the verb 'answer' (回答).
How do you pronounce it?
huídá wǒ
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'answer' can mean picking up a phone, the specific term for 'answering' a call is 接 (jiē), meaning 'to receive' or 'to catch'. You would never use 回答我 to ask someone to pick up the phone.
- In many Chinese contexts, simply saying 回答我 can sound like you are demanding a confession or a formal statement in a high-stakes drama, rather than just asking a question.
- The character 回 in 回答 literally means 'to return' or 'to circle back', suggesting that an answer is something that must be 'returned' to the person who sent the question.
Examples in context
- 湯姆，回答我！Tom, answer me!Tatoeba #6579316 by xjjAstrus, translation #1877129 by Spamster
- 回答我。Answer me this.Tatoeba #784532 by fucongcong, translation #56273 by shekitten
- 請回答我。Please answer me.Tatoeba #346907 by nickyeow, translation #250796 by Zifre
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie is asking Zihan where she has been.
- 俊杰 Junjie你刚才去哪里了？Nǐ gāngcái qù nǎlǐ le?Where did you just go?
- 梓涵 Zihan我不想说。Wǒ bù xiǎng shuō.I don't want to say.
- 俊杰 Junjie现在就回答我！Xiànzài jiù huídá wǒ!Answer me right now!
- 梓涵 Zihan好吧，我出去买东西了。Hǎo ba, wǒ chūqù mǎi dōngxī le.Fine, I went out to buy some things.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
