你累吗？
nǐ lèi ma?
In Chinese, "are you tired?" is expressed as 你累吗？ (nǐ lèi ma?)
This phrase is used to ask if someone feels a need to rest or sleep. To emphasize how tired someone is, you can add 非常 (very) or 特别 (especially) before the word 累. Common responses include 我很累 (I am very tired), where 很 acts as a grammatical linker or 我不累 (I am not tired) to negate the adjective.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你累吗？ breaks down into 你 (you), 累 (tired) and 吗 (a particle used to turn a statement into a yes/no question).
Which one should you use?
While 你累吗？ is the standard way to ask, you can use 你觉得累吗？ to specifically ask "Do you feel tired?", which can refer to either physical or mental fatigue. For a more casual and colloquial tone, you can use 你累不累啊？, which adds the particle 啊 at the end.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the question more respectful when addressing elders or superiors, replace the subject 你 with the polite form 您, resulting in 您累吗？
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ lèi ma?
Did you know?
- If someone responds 累死了 (lèi sǐ le), they are literally saying 'tired to death', which is a common hyperbolic way to say they are exhausted.
- While 累 describes fatigue, Chinese has a distinct word 困 (kùn) specifically for feeling sleepy, meaning you can be 累 without being 困.
- If you want to say you are 'exhausted' rather than just 'tired', you can use the word 累坏了, which literally translates to 'tired to the point of being broken'.
Examples in context
- 你累吗？nǐ lèi ma?Are you tired?
- 工作了一整天，你累吗？gōngzuò le yì zhěng tiān, nǐ lèi ma?After working all day, are you tired?
- 走了这么久，你累吗？zǒu le zhème jiǔ, nǐ lèi ma?Having walked for so long, are you tired?
Example conversation
Zhiqiang is checking on Zihan after a long walk in the park.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我们走了一下午，你累吗？wǒmen zǒu le yí xiàwǔ, nǐ lèi ma?We have walked all afternoon, are you tired?
- 梓涵 Zihan我有一点累。wǒ yǒu yì diǎn lèi.I am a little tired.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那我们现在回家吧。nà wǒmen xiànzài huí jiā ba.Then let's go home now.
- 梓涵 Zihan好的，谢谢你。hǎo de, xièxiè nǐ.Okay, thank you.
