How to Say ‘About how long will you talk?’ in Simplified Chinese
你大概要讲多长时间？
nǐ dà gài yào jiǎng duō zhǎng shí jiān
[nee dàgài yào jiǎng duō cháng shir-jyen]
💬 Usage Tip: The length of time goes after the verb: 讲多长时间 is literally "talk how long". The answer follows the same order: 讲十分钟 "talk for ten minutes".
Phrase Breakdown
你大概要讲
nǐ dà gài yào jiǎng
you will probably speak
大概 (dàgài) means 'roughly / probably'. 要 means 'will / need to'. 讲 (jiǎng) means 'to speak / present'.
你大概要讲什么？
What will you roughly talk about?
Words in this phrase
你
nǐ
[nee]
you
The informal or neutral word for “you,” suitable for peers or casual conversation.
如果对方和你年纪差不多，可以说“认识你”。
If the other person is about your age, you can say “nice to meet you” with 你.
大概
dà gài
[dàgài]
probably; about
Adverb expressing estimation or likelihood.
他大概明天来。
He'll probably come tomorrow.
要
yào
[yào]
will; need to
Expresses necessity or likelihood.
进去要买票。
You need to buy a ticket to enter.
讲
jiǎng
[jiǎng]
to speak; to say
To talk or give a speech.
老板讲得很好。
The boss spoke very well.
多长时间？
duō zhǎng shí jiān
for how long?
This asks about duration. It comes after the verb in Chinese.
你学了多长时间？
How long have you studied?
Words in this phrase
多
duō
[duō]
how (to what extent)
Before an adjective in questions, asks about degree or amount.
这条河多宽?
How wide is this river?
长
zhǎng
[cháng]
long
Adjective for length of space or time.
这条路很长。
This road is long.
时间
shí jiān
[shir-jyen]
time
Refers to time in general or a specific time slot or schedule.
你什么时候有时间？
When do you have time?
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