Quiz Time! How to Get Extra Time in Chinese

Lì Li: Kuài diǎnr, diànyǐng jiù yào kāishǐ le.
丽丽：快点儿，电影就要开始了。
Li Li: Hurry up, the movie is about to begin.

Wáng Qīng: Děng yíxià, wǒ mǎshàng jiù dào.
王青：等一下, 我马上就到。
Wang Qing: Wait a minute. I’ll be right there.

(Take a Quiz to Learn Further About “等一下 (Děng yíxià)”)

一个 (Yígè) means “a/an” which is often used to describe countable nouns. Such as: “一个苹果 (yígè píngguǒ) an apple” or “一个小孩 (yígè xiǎohái) a child.”

一点 (Yìdiǎn) can be added after an adjective to mean “a little bit.” For example, “小了一点 (xiǎo le yìdiǎn) a little small.” 一点 (yìdiǎn)” is often used when expressing the one’s expectation and request. Such as: “麻烦快一点 (máfan kuài yìdiǎn) please, hurry up.”

Sometimes, “一 (yì)” can also be omitted and we just use “点 (diǎn)” in a dialogue. Such as: “麻烦快点 (máfan kuài diǎn) please, hurry up.”

一下 (Yíxià) means “one time, once, in a short while, all at once.” It often applies to the following structure which can soften the tone and makes your Chinese more native:
Subject. + Verb + 一下 (Yíxià) + Object.

For example:
Qǐng nǐ jiǎnchá yíxià zhè piān wénzhāng.
请你检查一下这篇文章。
Please have a check about this article.

We often use 一些 (Yìxiē) to express “some” or “a few,” it can be paired with nouns.
一些 (Yìxiē)+Nouns.

Such as:
“一些朋友 (yìxiē péngyǒu) some people,” or “一些苹果 (yìxiē píngguǒ) some apple.”

Learner FAQ:

How do we distinguish “等一下 (děng yíxià)” from “等一会儿 (děng yíhuìr)?”

They mean almost the same thing. “等一下 (děng yíxià)” means “wait a second/minute,” while “等一会儿 (děng yíhuìr)”refers to “wait a moment/while.”

Therefore, if you still need several minutes, you can apply “等一下 (děng yíxià)” to your dialogue, while you would take longer time, such as 7 or 8 minutes, “等一会儿 (děng yíhuìr)” can be used.

Adding 一下 (yíxià) after 等 (děng) just makes the Chinese feel more natural.