Asking about someones family: Asking if someone has brothers or sisters

💬 To say "yes" to a 有…嗎 question, just repeat the verb 有; there's no all-purpose word for "yes". To answer no, say 沒有 (méi yǒu).

💬 Put 老 (lǎo) before a number to give birth order: 老大 "eldest child", 老三 "third child". Here 老 doesn't mean "old".

🇹🇼 Birth order matters in Taiwanese families, and people often ask about it. Siblings and parents may even call a child 老大 or 老二 at home instead of using a name.

💬 對 (duì) literally means "correct". Adding 啊 makes the agreement sound relaxed and friendly rather than flat.

💬 Put 呢 after any person or thing to bounce the same question onto it: 妹妹呢？ "And the younger sister?"

🇹🇼 In Taiwan 姊姊 is also a friendly way to address a young woman a bit older than you, such as a shop assistant. It's warm and casual.

💬 The second syllable is said lightly with no tone: (dì di).

💬 The opposite of 有 is always 沒有, never 不有. Chinese can drop "I" when it's already clear who is talking.

💬 With family members you can drop 的: 你姊姊 rather than 你的姊姊. Also 我媽媽 "my mom".

💬 在 plus a place comes right after 住: 住在台北 "to live in Taipei".

💬 也 "also, too" goes before the verb, never at the end of the sentence like English "too": 我也喜歡 "I like it too".

💬 她 "she" and 他 "he" are both said (tā). You can only tell them apart in writing.

💬 酷 (kù) is borrowed from English "cool". In 好酷, 好 means "so", not "good": 好累 "so tired".

🇹🇼 Ending a sentence with 喔 (o) gives it a light, friendly feel that's very typical of Taiwanese speech.

💬 要…了 means something is about to happen: 我要走了 "I'm about to leave".

💬 上 here means "attend", not "up". Swap it for 下 to say class ends: 下課 (xià kè) "class is over".

🇹🇼 掰掰 (bāi bāi) comes from English 'bye-bye' and is what most people in Taiwan actually say, adults included; 再見 sounds more formal.

💬 Put a time word before 見 (jiàn) "to see" to set when you'll meet: 明天見 "see you tomorrow".