The filler word "neige"

In conversation, you may find yourself at a loss for words, unable to find the correct phrase you are looking for, or simply needing time to gather your thoughts. When you experience this feeling, in English, you may say "umm" or another filler word, In Chinese, the word for this is 那个 (nèige). (The word 那个 can be pronounced both "nàge" and "nèige," but for this usage, "nèige" is normally used.)

Structure

In English, words like "ummm" and "uh" are used as filler words when you're thinking about what to say. In Chinese, 那个 (nèige) is also used for this purpose. To English speakers, this may raise an eyebrow, because it can sound a bit "racist" but it's very common in Mandarin and you'll hear it quite often around Chinese speakers.

(那个……) (那个……) + [anything] + (那个……)

那个 (nèige) can be inserted into sentences wherever you need to pause for thought. This is similar to the slang use of "umm" or "you know" or "like" in English, or filler words in general.

Examples

• 那个 …… 我 不 和 你们一起 吃饭 了， 好 吗？Nèige... wǒ bù hé nǐmen yīqǐ chīfàn le, hǎo ma? So, ummm... I won't eat with you guys, OK?
• 我 想 吃 那个 …… 那个 …… 湖南 菜。Wǒ xiǎng chī nèige... nèige... Húnán cài. I want to eat that... ummm, you know... Hunan cuisine.
• 那个 …… 我 明天 可能 晚 点儿 到 公司。Nèige... wǒ míngtiān kěnéng wǎn diǎnr dào gōngsī. Ummm... I might be a little bit late for work tomorrow.
• 那个 …… 这样 做 不 好 吧？Nèige... zhèyàng zuò bù hǎo ba? Ummm, it's not good to do it this way?
• 那个 …… 你 可以 做 我 的 女 朋友 吗？Nèige... nǐ kěyǐ zuò wǒ de nǚpéngyou ma? Like... could you be my girlfriend?
• 那个 …… 不好意思 ， 我 要 走 了。Nèige... bùhǎoyìsi, wǒ yào zǒu le. Ummmm... sorry, but I've gotta go.
• 她 很 漂亮 ， 就 像 那个 …… 明星 一样。Tā hěn piàoliang, jiù xiàng nèige... míngxīng yīyàng. She's very pretty, just like, you know, a celebrity.
• 我 想 看 看 你 刚 买 的 那个 …… 那个 …… iPhone。Wǒ xiǎng kàn-kan nǐ gāng mǎi de nèige... nèige... iPhone. I‘d like to take a look at your, ummm, you know... iPhone you just bought.
• 那个 …… 我 要 去 开会 了。 Nèige... wǒ yào qù kāihuì le. Ummm... I have to attend a meeting.
• 昨天 那个 …… 那个 …… 小笼包 真 好吃。Zuótiān nèige... nèige... xiǎolóngbāo zhēn hǎochī. Yesterday the, you know, steamed soup dumplings were so delicious.