没关系 It Is OK in Chinese

下午xiàwǔ，我wǒ要yào去qù电影院diànyǐngyuàn和hé朋友péngyou看kàn电影diànyǐng。

In the afternoon, I'm going to the cinema to watch a movie with my friend.

路上lùshang车chē很hěn慢màn，我wǒ很hěn着急zháojí，跑pǎo到dào电影院diànyǐngyuàn的时候de shíhou已经yǐjīng晚wǎn了le。

Traffic on the way was slow, I got anxious, and by the time I ran to the cinema I was already late.

我wǒ对duì朋友péngyou说shuō：“对不起duìbuqǐ，我wǒ来lái晚wǎn了le。”

I say to my friend: "Sorry, I'm late."

朋友péngyou笑xiào着zhe说shuō：“没关系méi guānxi，电影diànyǐng还hái没méi开始kāishǐ。”

My friend smiles and says: "It's okay, the movie hasn't started yet."

后来hòulái，我wǒ在zài教室jiàoshì忘wàng了le带dài同学tóngxué的de书shū。

Afterward, at school I forgot to bring my classmate's book.

同学tóngxué说shuō：“没事méishì，你nǐ明天míngtiān带dài来lái就jiù可以kěyǐ了le。”我wǒ说shuō：“谢谢xièxie你nǐ。”

My classmate said, "It's nothing — just bring it tomorrow." I said, "Thank you."

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

没关系méi guānxiit doesn't matter

没事méishìit's fine; no worries

着急zháojíanxious; worried

忘wàngto forget

电影院diànyǐngyuàncinema

教室jiàoshìclassroom

没关系（it's okay）

没关系 is the standard reply when someone apologizes to you.

朋友说：“没关系，电影还没开始。”— Friend says: "It's okay, the movie hasn't started yet."

没事（it's fine）

没事 is a more casual reply to an apology, common between friends and classmates.

同学说：“没事，你明天带来就可以了。”— Classmate says: "It's fine, you can just bring it tomorrow."

跑到 + place + 的时候（by the time you arrive）

到...的时候 marks the moment of arriving somewhere, showing what had already happened by then.

跑到电影院的时候已经晚了。— By the time I ran to the cinema, I was already late.

1. What does 没关系 mean?

2. Why is the narrator late to the cinema?

3. What did the narrator forget to bring to school?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.