Third Tone, nǐ hǎo!
The Third Tone is by far the hardest of the four tones. Compared to the other three, it exhibits several unique transitions. It’s also the longest of all four tones. So, take your time.
Standard knowledge of the Third Tone is — when there are two Third Tones in a row, the first changes to a Second Tone.
This is something native speakers aren’t necessarily aware of, but they correctly make the change.
But, for non-native speakers — it is required knowledge 101!
Just think about the simple greeting 你好 (nǐ hǎo). Both characters are Third Tones. So, when spoken, the first Third Tone — nǐ — changes to a Second Tone — ní — .
Therefore, 你好 is spoken as “ní hǎo.”
Consider the Third Tones in the phrase, 我喜欢骑马 (wǒ xǐ huān qí mǎ) — I like to ride horses.
Listening to the audio above, the Third Tone of ‘wǒ’ changes to a Second Tone, the Third Tone of ‘xǐ huān’ is truncated — and ‘mǎ’ stays a full Third Tone.
A quick reference:
If you struggle with two Third Tones, just say “你好 (nǐ hǎo)” to find the flow.
你好 nǐ hǎo (spoken as: ní hǎo); 老李 lǎo lǐ (spoken as: láo lǐ) = old man Li
Note: When ‘lǎo’ is placed before someone’s name, it can express the idea of respect or familiarity.
A Third Tone to a Second Tone
In the tongue twister below, you will also encounter the common transition from Third Tone to Second Tone. Another quirk in the Third Tone family!
In this situation, to maintain a natural flow, the Third Tone truncates before the Second Tone. In fact, the Third Tone basically truncates before any tone, except the Third Tone. And, the only time it is produced in full is generally at the end of a phrase, sentence, or when speaking slowly.
What is a truncated Third Tone?
A truncated Third Tone is a Third Tone that stops at the dip — its lowest point, and does not rise.
For example, when producing a full Third Tone, the tone descends toward the point where the Fourth Tone completes — also called the floor; i.e. “the dip,” then continues to ascend toward the First Tone — or the ceiling. (See image below.)
However, a trucated Third Tone does not transition upward, it stops in the dip — but the sound continues. I call that a grind. You maintain the sound in the dip. Then, directly transition into the Second Tone word from in the dip. (See image below.)
打球 dǎ qiú = to play ball; 老罗 lǎo luó = old man Luo
If the Third Tone is not held at the lowest point, and begins to ascend up, it will force the Second Tone to begin too high, therefore crashing the First Tone ceiling. Or, it will become a First Tone. Both of these scenarios will sound unnatural.
Below is a short with examples of Third Tone transitions. Can you hear the varying changes of the Third Tone?
Tongue Twister - Old Man Luo And Old Man Li
This is a perfect tongue twister for practicing the Third Tone. Don’t try to run before you can walk! Say it slowly and purposfully. Enunciate and produce each sound-tone clearly, and don’t run your words together.
Vocabulary:
老 lǎo - old
罗 luó - (family name)
和 hé - and
李 lǐ - (family name)
拉 lā - to pull
了 le - (signifies a completed action, I.e. past tense)
车 chē - a cart
梨 lí - a pear, pears
栗 lì - a chestnut, chestnuts
人 rén - a person, people
称 chēng - to be called, referred to as
大 dà - big, large
力 lì - strength, force
做 zuò - to make
酒 jiǔ - wine, alcoholic drink
换 huàn - to exchange (for)
Translation:
Old Man Luo And Old Man Li
Old man Luo pulls a cart of pears,
Old man Li pulls a cart of chestnuts.
Old man Luo is called Big Strength Luo,
Old man Li is called Li Big Strength.
Old man Luo pulls pears to make pear wine,
Old man Li pulls chestnuts to exchange for pears.
Practicing, even memorizing this tongue twister, will help you master the Third Tone!