Team meetings at work: Giving an update on your project

💬 一 is read (yí) here because 步 (bù) has a falling tone, so you say (nǎ yí bù).

💬 做到 means "get as far as" in a task, so 做到哪一步 asks how far you've gotten. You can answer with the same pattern: 做到测试了 "we've gotten to testing".

💬 完 after an action word means it is finished: 做完 "finish doing", 写完 "finish writing". Adding 已经 "already" and 了 stresses that it is done.

💬 The second 在 before an action word means it is happening right now. Use it with other actions too: 在开会 "in a meeting right now".

💬 Add 吗 to the end of a statement and it becomes a yes/no question, with no change in word order. 有问题 "there's a problem" becomes 有问题吗？.

💬 一 is read (yí) before 个, so you say (yí ge xiǎo wèn tí).

💬 正在 before an action word means it is in progress right now. Here 改 is "change", and in context it means "fix".

💬 In Chinese, the question word stays where the answer would go, so 什么时候 sits at the front just like a time would. You answer by putting a time in its place: 下周五能做完 "I can finish next Friday".

🇨🇳 应该可以 is a careful, slightly cautious yes. It gives the boss a date without fully promising it, which is a common and polite way to set expectations at work.

💬 Weekdays are just 周 plus a number, with Monday as one: 周一 "Monday", 周三 "Wednesday". Put 下 in front for "next" or 上 for "last".

🇨🇳 Managers often say 辛苦了 at the end of an update to recognize the team's effort. It's warm and very common at work, and the usual reply is a modest 不辛苦 "not at all".

💬 Chinese often uses 跟我说, literally "say with me", where English says "tell me". The same 跟 works for other people too: 跟他说 "tell him".

💬 Chinese often has no word for "if". Putting the condition first and the instruction right after is enough, as in 有问题跟我说 "if there's a problem, tell me".

🇨🇳 Saying the manager's title again when you thank them is a normal way to close the conversation. It comes across as respectful without being stiff.