The filler word "neige"

Basic patterns

In English, words like "uhm" and "er" are used as filler words when you're thinking about what to say. In Chinese, 那个 (nèige) is used for this purpose. This can sound a bit unfortunate to English speakers, but it's very common in Mandarin and you'll hear it quite often around Chinese speakers.

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

Examples

Some examples:

• 那个，我 不 和 你们 一起 吃饭 了，好 吗？
• 我 想 吃 那个... 那个...湖南 菜。
• 这 个 啤酒 有点 那个... 那个...

Further reading

Needs academic references!