What are the fundamental differences between ”没关系” and ”没问题“ in usage and meaning? I know they both could be translated as a colloquial “no problem”, but how do they differ in usage?
3 Answers
没关系 = doesn't matter (when something doesn't matter to you, you won't care about it, therefore, it is not a problem at all)
没问题 = no problem (no question needed = no problem = no trouble or obstacle)
Examples:
这一仗如果能打胜，死一两万士兵也没关系 = If we can win this battle, it doesn't matter if 10,000 or 20,000 soldiers die. (The person who says that just doesn't care)
没问题了，你明天来上班吧 = No problem, come to work tomorrow (all clear - no obstacle to prevent you from being hired)
输掉也没关系，又不是我的钱 It's okay to lose, it's not my money (you don't care)
输掉也没问题，又不是我的钱 It's okay to lose, it's not my money (you won't get into trouble)
Use ”没关系” as an answer, when somebody did something, usually unintentionally, to you, and you tended to brush the event off, as the consequence of the act does not have the weight to make a big issue out of it, it equals saying "never mind, it's not important."
- In here, "关系" means the relationship between the event and the outcome.
Use ”没问题“ (no problem) as an answer, when someone is asking you for a favor that is within your reach.
”没问题“ (no matter) can also be used on the occasions when someone committed a minor offense or caused some inconvenience that is not a big deal. In this case, ”没问题“ and "没关系" are exchangeable.
A few points from a Chinese native speaker:
"没关系"is equivalent to"It's OK"or"That's all right""没问题"is equivalent to"It's a piece of cake."or"No problem"
I hope this can help you.
