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Light syllables and common tone changes
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Listen to a familiar greeting
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hello你好 nǐ hǎo is written with two third tones. In normal speech, the first sounds like a second tone.
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Tone-mark spelling often keeps the original tones. Listen for the spoken form rather than forcing the marks mechanically.
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Before you start: Recall the four citation tones. Here you compare dictionary tone labels with sounds inside a phrase; a written prediction is not a hearing test.
Which description fits a third tone in connected speech?
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Third tone often remains low in connected speech. That does not make it neutral. Revisit the four-tone lesson if the citation sketch has become a rigid rule.
Keep the second syllable light
- to thank谢谢 xièxie and name (of a person or thing)名字 míngzi end with neutral-tone syllables. They are shorter and less stressed.
- Neutral tone has no tone mark. Its pitch depends on the surrounding syllables; “neutral” does not mean silent or always flat.
In míngzi, which syllable is light: ming or zi?
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The neutral-tone zi has no tone mark.
Neutral tone always has the same flat pitch.
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Its pitch depends on context; it is short and unstressed.
not不 before a fourth tone
- not不 bù sounds bú before a fourth tone: no不是 bú shì and 不去 bú qù.
- Before a third tone, keep bù: no good不好 bù hǎo — not good.
bù + shì → bú shì in speech. The characters remain no不是.
Work through a decision: To predict not不 in no不是, inspect the following syllable: to be / is是 shì is fourth tone, so not不 commonly sounds bú here. In no good不好, good好 hǎo is third tone, so not不 remains bù. Keep the characters fixed while comparing their spoken readings.
Compare a near miss: A light final syllable in name (of a person or thing)名字 is neutral tone; the changed first syllable of hello你好 is not. Do not call every surface change a neutral tone or give every neutral syllable a fixed flat pitch.
How is 不 normally pronounced in 不是?
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Before fourth-tone shì, 不 changes to bú.
Written-pattern practice: 不去 has qù after 不. Which reading fits the pattern taught here?
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去 qù is fourth tone, so 不 commonly changes to bú before it. The change is in pronunciation, not the written character. This predicts the pattern but does not check your spoken delivery.
one / a一 inside a phrase
- one / a一 yī — one is first tone when counted alone. Before a fourth tone it commonly sounds yí: 一个 yí ge.
- Before a first, second, or third tone it commonly sounds yì: 一天 yì tiān — one day.
These examples teach common changes, not every special case. Learn the actual phrase and use its recording as your model.
Match these phrases to the reading used here.
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Written pinyin may retain dictionary tones, but speech follows these common changes.
In 一个, 一 normally sounds:
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Before a fourth-tone syllable, 一 commonly becomes yí; 个 may then be light.
Fresh written-pattern check: 不看 (kàn, look) and 不好 (hǎo, good). Which pair of readings fits?
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看 kàn is fourth tone, so 不 commonly sounds bú before it. 好 hǎo is third tone, so 不 remains bù there. Inspect the following tone separately in each phrase; 不 does not change to bú in every context.
Practise the whole phrase
- Repeat hello你好, to thank谢谢, no不是, and 一天. Keep each phrase flowing; avoid separating every syllable with a long pause.
- Next: pinyin sounds and spelling.
Light syllables are unstressed. Two third tones change the first; not不 and one / a一 also have common changes in phrases.
Later recall: Tomorrow, predict not不 before a fourth-tone syllable and before a third-tone syllable, then say the phrases. A few days later, contrast a neutral syllable with the changed first tone in hello你好; revisit the relevant step rather than flattening every changed syllable.
Speak Mandarin: record 不好, then 不是, then 不好 again as separate phrases. Replay before opening the written guidance. Use the existing phrase sound buttons to compare 不 before different following tones. Then reverse the phrase order and retry one uncertain contrast; no automatic tone judgement is made.
Comparison records a self-review only. It does not establish pronunciation, handwriting or general proficiency.