How interesting
Neutral Depends on context
What it really means
Said while listening to someone talk. It can be real interest, but it is often just a polite noise to keep the conversation going, especially with a flat tone. A rising, energetic tone usually means genuine interest.
Chinese explanation
听别人讲话时的回应。可能是真感兴趣，但常常只是维持对话的礼貌性附和，尤其当语气平淡时。语调上扬、有精神时通常才是真的感兴趣。
Example conversation
A: And then I sorted my stamp collection by year, then by colour.
B: How interesting.
A: I can show you all twelve albums!
A：然后我把邮票收藏先按年份、再按颜色排了序。
B：真有意思啊。
A：我可以给你看全部十二本相册！
What you could say back
No spoken reply needed for this one.
Related phrases
All Politeness Decoder
Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team
· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake