的话 meaning in English
if (coming after a conditional clause)
Meaning of 的话
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- if (coming after a conditional clause)
How to use 的话
的话 goes at the end of a conditional clause, often paired with 如果 (rúguǒ) or 要是 (yàoshi) at the start, though it can also stand alone. It is very common in spoken Chinese. Example: 明天下雨的话，我们就不去了。(Míngtiān xià yǔ dehuà, wǒmen jiù bú qù le.) If it rains tomorrow, we won't go.
的话 combines 的 (de, a possessive particle) and 话 (huà, words or speech). Think of it as "the words of that case": you state a situation, then add 的话 to mark it as "if that is so."
Common mistake: Learners often put 的话 at the start of the sentence like English "if," but it must come after the condition: say 你忙的话 (nǐ máng dehuà), not 的话你忙. Also, 的 here is neutral tone (de), so do not read it as dí or dì.
的话 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
的 de · of · 8 strokes
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话 huà · dialect · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 的话.
| 真的 | zhēn de | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 别的 | biéde | else; other |
| 有的 | yǒude | (there are) some (who are...); some (exist) |
| 目的 | mùdì | purpose; aim; goal; target; objective |
| 讲话 | jiǎnghuà | a speech; to speak |
| 笑话 | xiàohua | joke; jest; to laugh at; to mock |
| 对话 | duìhuà | to talk (with sb); dialogue; conversation |
| 普通话 | pǔtōnghuà | Putonghua; standard Mandarin |
| 笑话儿 | xiàohuar | erhua form of 笑話|笑话[xiao4 hua5] |
Questions about 的话
What does 的话 mean?
的话 (dehuà) means "if (coming after a conditional clause)" and is used as a auxiliary verb.
How do you write 的话?
的话 is made of 2 characters: 的 (8 strokes), 话 (8 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 的话 an HSK word?
Yes. 的话 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 的话 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 的话 is written 的話.
Can I use 如果 and 的话 together in one sentence?
Yes. 如果……的话 is a very natural pattern, for example 如果你有时间的话 (rúguǒ nǐ yǒu shíjiān dehuà), if you have time. You can also drop either one, and the sentence still means "if."
Does 的话 always mean "if"?
No. When 的 and 话 appear separately as normal words, like 他说的话 (tā shuō de huà), it means "the words he said." Context tells you which: as "if," it ends a clause and is followed by a result.