How to say “My phone is dead” in Chinese
“My phone is dead” in Chinese is 我的手机没电了。, written in pinyin as Wǒ de shǒujī méi diàn le.
我的手机没电了。
Wǒ de shǒujī méi diàn le.
My phone is dead.
Word by word
What each part of 我的手机没电了。 actually means.
- 我wǒI / me
- 的depossessive particle
- 手机shǒujīmobile phone
- 没电méi diànout of battery
- 了lechange-of-state particle
When you use it
- Use it when asking to borrow a charger at a desk, explaining why you cannot show an e-ticket, or opening a request to use someone's phone for one call.
- It also opens the request to borrow a stranger phone for one call, which people grant more than you would expect.
Use 我的手机没电了。 in travel situations. Airports, trains, directions and asking for help.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
手机没电了，能借充电器吗？
Shǒujī méi diàn le, néng jiè chōngdiànqì ma?
Phone's dead — can I borrow a charger?
我手机关机了。
Wǒ shǒujī guānjī le
My phone is off.
有充电宝吗？
Yǒu chōngdiànbǎo ma?
Do you have a power bank?
What usually trips people up
- Confusing 没电 with 坏了 — 坏 means broken hardware; 没电 promises the phone revives with a cable.
- Asking staff before trying a shared power bank — 扫码充电宝 stands sit at every convenience store and are the faster fix.
- Letting the battery die at all on travel days — carry the cable; hotel desks lend chargers, but they ask for a deposit.
What you might hear back
- 用我的充电器吧。Yòng wǒ de chōngdiànqì baUse my charger.
- 门口有共享充电宝。Ménkǒu yǒu gòngxiǎng chōngdiànbǎoThere's a shared power bank by the door.
- 前台有，押金五十。Qiántái yǒu, yājīn wǔshíFront desk has one — 50 yuan deposit.
Common questions
- How do you say "My phone is dead" in Chinese?
- "My phone is dead" in Chinese is 我的手机没电了。 — written in pinyin as Wǒ de shǒujī méi diàn le. It is a travel phrase you would use in China.
- What does 我的手机没电了。 mean in Chinese?
- 我的手机没电了。 (Wǒ de shǒujī méi diàn le) means "My phone is dead". Broken down word by word: 我 (wǒ) means "I / me"; 的 (de) means "possessive particle"; 手机 (shǒujī) means "mobile phone"; 没电 (méi diàn) means "out of battery"; 了 (le) means "change-of-state particle".
- When would you use "My phone is dead" in Chinese?
- Use it when asking to borrow a charger at a desk, explaining why you cannot show an e-ticket, or opening a request to use someone's phone for one call. It also opens the request to borrow a stranger phone for one call, which people grant more than you would expect.
Where you'll use it
我的手机没电了。 comes up in these situations, in this order.
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