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How to Say ‘My phone just died.’ in Simplified Chinese

我手机刚好没电了

wǒ shǒu jī gāng hǎo méi diàn le

[waw show-jee gānghǎo may diàn luh]

🇨🇳 In China: The "dead phone" is a well-known playful ploy at a bar. It invites the other person to offer their WeChat or lend a phone, and both sides usually see through it.

Phrase Breakdown

我手机

wǒ shǒu jī

my phone

Casual form of 我的手机. 手机 (shǒujī) means 'mobile phone'.

Example

我手机在包里。

My phone is in my bag.

Words in this phrase

我

wǒ

[waw]

me; I

The first-person pronoun meaning me or I, depending on sentence position.

Example

这次谈话对我帮助很大。

This conversation was very helpful to me.

手机

shǒu jī

[show-jee]

mobile phone

A very common word for cellphone or smartphone.

Example

我没有中国手机号码。

I don't have a Chinese mobile phone number.

刚好没电了

gāng hǎo méi diàn le

just happened to die

刚好 means 'just happened to' or 'as it happens'. 没电了 means 'out of battery'.

Example

我刚好没带钱。

I just happen to have no money on me.

Words in this phrase

刚好

gāng hǎo

[gānghǎo]

just happen to

By coincidence; at just that moment.

Example

我刚好在家。

I happen to be at home.

没

méi

[may]

not have; there isn't

Part of the expression meaning there is no issue.

Example

还有位子的话，改时间没问题。

If there are still seats, changing the time is no problem.

电

diàn

[diàn]

electricity; battery power

Electric power, e.g. a phone's charge.

Example

手机还有电吗？

Does your phone still have battery?

了

[luh]

completed action marker

Shows that an action has happened or a new situation has occurred.

Example

我想了很久，还是决定联系你。

I thought about it for a long time and still decided to contact you.

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