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How to Say ‘I need to let her know first.’ in Simplified Chinese

我得先跟她说一声。

wǒ dé xiān gēn tā shuō yī shēng

[wo děi shyen gen tā shwaw yi shēng]

💬 Usage Tip: When 得 means "have to", it's read (děi), not (de) or (dé). It's very common in casual speech.

Phrase Breakdown

我得先

wǒ dé xiān

I have to first

得 is read děi here, meaning 'must'. 先 means 'first'. Pronounced wǒ děi xiān.

Example

我得先走了。

I have to go first.

Words in this phrase

我

wǒ

[wo]

The speaker referring to themselves.

Example

我明天有空。

I am free tomorrow.

得

dé

[děi]

must; have to

When read as děi, it means you need to do something. It is common in spoken Chinese.

Example

我得去上班了。

I have to go to work now.

先

xiān

[shyen]

first; for now

Used to say you want to do something before anything else.

Example

我先看看特别菜单。

I'll first take a look at the special menu.

跟她说一声。

gēn tā shuō yī shēng

let her know

Means to give her a heads-up. Pronounced gēn tā shuō yì shēng.

Example

你跟她说一声吧。

Please let her know.

Words in this phrase

跟

gēn

[gen]

with; to

Often means with, following, or speaking to someone depending on context.

Example

你可以跟我来。

You can come with me.

她

tā

[tā]

her; she

Third-person pronoun for a female.

Example

她是我的朋友。

She is my friend.

说

shuō

[shwaw]

to speak; to say

A common verb for speaking or saying something.

Example

请你说中文。

Please speak Chinese.

一

yī

[yi]

one; a

The numeral for one or a single item.

Example

要喝一杯啤酒吗？

Would you like a beer?

声

shēng

[shēng]

measure word for sounds/utterances

Counts sounds or brief spoken remarks; 说一声 means give a quick word.

Example

他叫了一声。

He gave a shout.

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