你听好
Reach for this when you want the other person to lock in for what comes next — 'listen up,' 'pay attention.' It's a short, punchy attention-grabber that flags the next sentence as important. Speakers use it before delivering a key fact, a punchline, a warning, or a piece of news the listener might otherwise miss. Very natural in spoken Chinese, podcasts, parent-to-child speech, and teacher-to-student moments. Slightly directive — softer than a command, firmer than 'by the way.'
Structure
你听好[，/。] [IMPORTANT THING]
nǐ tīng hǎo
How to Think About It
好 here isn't 'good' — it's a result complement meaning 'listen TO COMPLETION, listen properly.' The whole phrase says 'listen all the way through, don't drift.' That's why it lands before the key sentence, not after: it's prepping the listener's attention, the way 'okay, here it is' works in English. Drop the 好 and you'd get 你听 ('you listen'), which sounds incomplete or rude. The 好 makes it a finished, slightly softer command.
Examples
你听好，我只说一遍。
Nǐ tīng hǎo, wǒ zhǐ shuō yí biàn.
Listen carefully, I'm only saying this once.
你听好，明天的会改到下午三点。
Nǐ tīng hǎo, míngtiān de huì gǎi dào xiàwǔ sān diǎn.
Listen up — tomorrow's meeting has been moved to three in the afternoon.
你听好，这个词很重要。
Nǐ tīng hǎo, zhè ge cí hěn zhòngyào.
Pay attention — this word is important.
Common Mistake
Learners say 听好你 because English word order ('listen to you') leaks in, or they add an object like 听好我说 thinking the verb needs one. Native speakers use 你听好 as a complete attention-getter with no object — what comes after the comma is the thing being listened to.
听好你，我有事告诉你。
你听好，我有事告诉你。
Don't Confuse With
你听着
Same role, stronger and more confrontational — closer to 'now you listen here.' Often used when the speaker is angry or about to deliver a warning. 你听好 is firm but not hostile.
注意
'Pay attention / careful' — broader, can warn about physical danger or any sort of distraction. 你听好 is specifically about listening to what's about to be said.
听清楚
'Hear it clearly' — emphasizes accurate hearing of the words, often used when the speaker is worried the listener will mishear. 你听好 emphasizes the listener's attention, not audio clarity.
Practice
你 ___ 好，我只说一遍。
Show answer
听
你听 ___，这件事很重要。
Show answer
好
Put in order: [说 / 一遍 / 你听好 / 我 / 只 / ，]
Show answer
你听好，我只说一遍。
Translate to Chinese: 'Listen up, I have something important to tell you.'
Show answer
你听好，我有重要的事告诉你。
Write a short two-clause sentence starting with 你听好 to warn a friend about something.
Show answer
Example answer: 你听好，这家店周一不开门。 (Listen up, this shop is closed on Mondays.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: