5 phrases to express certainty in Chinese

When you want to answer questions from others positively, what else can you use except the basic phrases like "是的" (shì de, yes) or "可以" (kě yǐ, OK)? Here are five useful and common phrases to express certainty in Chinese.

当你想肯定回答他人的问题时，除了"是的"和"可以"，你还可以使用哪些其他的中文表达呢？以下是5种实用的表达确定性的常见中文短语。

那还用说 (nà hái yòng shuō)

"那还用说 (nà hái yòng shuō)" is used in a conversation to express certainty, meaning "no need to explain as the reason is obvious". It gives the hearer a positive answer. For example:

"那还用说"在对话中作为应答语使用，表示肯定，意思是"道理很明显，没必要解释"，是说话人给对方的一种非常肯定的回答。例如：

A: 我能借用一下你的自行车吗？

wǒ néng jiè yòng yī xià nǐ de zì xíng chē ma?

May I borrow your bike?

B: 那还用说，给，这是车钥匙。

nà hái yòng shuō, gěi, zhè shì chē yào shí.

Definitely! Here is the key.

没说的 (méi shuō de)

"没说的 (méi shuō de)" is a common phrase to express certainty in a conversation, meaning "no problem". It is used as a positive reply to someone's request, which can also be said as "没的说".

"没说的"在对话中是一种表肯定的习惯用语，意思是"没任何问题"。它是说话人对对方的要求所做的—种十分肯定的答复，也可以说成"没的说"。例如：

A: 你可以打电话叫人帮忙吗？

nǐ kě yǐ dǎ diàn huà jiào rén bāng máng ma?

Can you call someone to help us?

B: 没说的，我马上打电话联系。

méi shuō de, wǒ mǎ shàng dǎ diàn huà lián xì.

Sure. I am making the call right now.

有的是 (yǒu de shì)

Used as a reply in a conversation, "有的是 (yǒu de shì)" means "have plenty of…". When the speaker believes there are plenty of something, he or she can give a definite reply using "有的是 (yǒu de shì)". For example:

"有的是"在对话中作为应答语使用，意思是"不仅有，而且有很多"。当说话人认为某种事物数量很充足，而给对方以十分肯定的回答时，就可以说"有的是"。例如：

A: 这种尺码的外套还有吗？

zhè zhǒng chǐ mǎ de wài tào hái yǒu ma?

Is there any coat of this size available?

B: 放心吧，有的是！

fàng xīn ba, yǒu de shì!

I assure you there are plenty of them.

多的是 (duō de shì)

Similar to "有的是 (yǒu de shì)", "多的是 (duō de shì)" means "a lot" or "plenty". However, "有的是 (yǒu de shì)" is usually used to answer questions like "有没有", while "多的是 (duō de shì)" is used for questions like "有多少" or "多不多". For example:

"多的是"与"有的是"意思基本相同，都表示数量很多。但"有的是"一般用于回答"有没有"的问题，而"多的是"则是多用于回答"有多少"或"多不多"之类的问题。例如：

A: 蛋糕还有多少？

dàn gāo hái yǒu duō shǎo?

How many cakes left?

B: 多的是！

duō de shì!

Plenty of them!

还别说 (hái bié shuō)

"还别说 (hái bié shuō)" is a positive reply when the speaker thinks someone's opinion or proposal sounds reasonable. "您 (nín)" or "你 (nǐ)" can be added before "还别说 (hái bié shuō)" and phrases like "是那么回事 (shì nà me huí shì)" can be put after it to show agreement. For example:

"还别说"表示说话人认为某种观点、主张有一定道理，因而给予肯定。"还别说"前面可加"您"或"你"，后面常有"是那么回事"等表示赞同的话语。例如：

(你)还别说，小李的想法还真有点儿道理。

(nǐ) hái bié shuō, xiǎo lǐ de xiǎng fǎ hái zhēn yǒu diǎn ér dào lǐ.

Indeed, Xiao Li's idea sounds kind of reasonable.

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