我保证
wǒ bǎozhèng
In Chinese, "I promise" is said as 我保证 (wǒ bǎozhèng).
我保证 is used to express a strong, formal or serious commitment to a specific outcome or behavior, providing a firm guarantee that one will definitely do something.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 我 (wǒ), which means 'I' and 保证 (bǎozhèng), which means 'to guarantee' or 'to promise'.
Which one should you use?
While 我保证 is a firm guarantee of an action, the phrase 我答应 (wǒ dāying) is used instead when you are agreeing to a request or a person's proposal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 我保证 is typically followed directly by a clause describing the action being promised, without a mandatory word for 'that'.
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ bǎozhèng
Did you know?
- The character 保 (bǎo) in 保证 originally depicted a person protecting a child, reflecting a root meaning of 'protection' and 'safekeeping' rather than just a verbal agreement.
- While 保证 (bǎozhèng) means 'promise' as a verb, it is also the common word for a 'warranty' or 'guarantee' on a consumer electronic product.
- In a business context, using 我保证 can sometimes sound overly aggressive or defensive, as if you are trying too hard to convince someone of your honesty.
Examples in context
- 我保证我会来。I promise that I'll come.This sentence is useful for showing how to promise an upcoming arrival using 我保证.Tatoeba #4760088 by ryanwoo, translation #3825662 by CK
- 我保证我会做的。I promise that I will do it.This sentence is useful for showing how to promise that an action will be completed using 我保证.Tatoeba #8463667 by gumblex, translation #8427790 by Ergulis
- 我保证不再迟到了。Wǒ bǎozhèng bù zài chídào le.I promise I won't be late again.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
志强 wants to borrow 晓雯's car for the weekend.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你真的会按时还车吗？Nǐ zhēnde huì ànshí huán chē ma?Will you really return the car on time?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我保证，绝对没问题。Wǒ bǎozhèng, juéduì méi wèntí.I promise, there will definitely be no problem.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那我放心了。Nà wǒ fàngxīn le.Then I feel relieved.
- 志强 Zhiqiang谢谢你的信任。Xièxiè nǐ de xìnrèn.Thank you for your trust.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
