Back to Third tone sandhi in Mandarin

Sentence Guide

Tier 1 Practice Page

How to pronounce 你很好。 (nǐ hěn hǎo.)

你很好。 means "You are very good.". Use this guide to lock in the tone pattern, articulation target, and the mistake most learners still make.

Short answer

你很好。 is pronounced nǐ hěn hǎo. and means "You are very good.". The key target is tone sandhi, with the tone pattern Tone 2 + Tone 2 + Tone 3.

Why learners miss it

Learners often miss 你很好。 because they often pronounce every syllable with a full low dip, which sounds stiff.

Self-test

Record 你很好。, then check whether your pitch contour and articulation match nǐ hěn hǎo..

Pinyin

nǐ hěn hǎo.

Tone Pattern

Tone 2 + Tone 2 + Tone 3

Pronunciation Focus

toneSandhi

How to say it

Guided fix

How to shape this pronunciation

What to do

Say nǐ slowly first, then keep the target sound steady as you move through the rest of 你很好。.

What to avoid

Do not let the whole word flatten into one rushed shape. Keep the target consonant or tone contrast clear.

What to listen for

The key sound should stay distinct instead of collapsing toward the nearest easy English habit.

Quick self-check

Say nǐ hěn hǎo. once slowly and once at normal speed. If the target sound disappears when you speed up, it is not stable yet.

Most common error

Error summary

Learners often pronounce every syllable with a full low dip, which sounds stiff.

Focus area

ToneSandhi

Difficulty

Advanced

HSK Level

HSK1

Related pronunciation rules

Practice similar examples

Drill the same pattern in words

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