After-work drinks: Suggesting a drink after work

🇹🇼 Asking with 要不要 leaves the other person an easy way to say no, so it's a soft, polite way to invite a coworker out.

💬 Adding 啊 to the end of 好 makes the answer sound warm and eager instead of flat. A plain 好 can come across as curt.

💬 Question words stay where the answer would go, so 哪裡 sits right after 去: the answer is 我想去酒吧 "I want to go to a bar". 哪裡 is the common word in Taiwan; 哪兒 sounds mainland.

💬 附近 goes after the place, the reverse of English: 捷運站附近 "near the MRT station".

💬 不錯 literally means "not bad" but actually works as solid praise, like "pretty good". The 不 is read (bú) here because 錯 has a falling tone: (bú cuò).

💬 可以 usually means "can" or "may", but on its own as a reply it means "that works for me".

💬 The time question 幾點 goes before the action, not at the end like in English: 我們幾點吃飯？ "What time do we eat?"

💬 Add 可以嗎？ after any suggestion to ask if it's okay: 明天可以嗎？ "Is tomorrow okay?"

🇹🇼 Countering with 好不好 keeps it a friendly negotiation rather than turning down the first time, a smooth way to adjust plans without seeming difficult.

💬 先 comes before the action, not at the end like "first" in English: 我先走 "I'll head out first".

💬 把 brings the thing being handled up before the action, with the result at the end: 把咖啡喝完 "finish the coffee". 完 after a verb means it's done completely.

🇹🇼 Saying you need to wrap up work first is a completely normal reason to push back the time; in Taiwan, staying past official hours is common and coworkers understand.

💬 樓 means floor or building; 樓下 is downstairs and 樓上 (lóu shàng) is upstairs.

💬 Where something happens comes before the action, with 在 in front: 我在公司等你 "I'll wait for you at the office".

💬 約 (yuē) means to make plans with someone, whether friends or a date; 約我 is "ask me out" or "invite me".

💬 Put 見 after a time to say "see you then": 明天見 "see you tomorrow", 七點見 "see you at seven".