Basic expressions: Greeting someone and apologizing for being late

💬 太…了 wraps around an adjective to mean "too much": 太貴了 "too expensive", 太遠了 "too far". No 是 is needed, because the adjective does the job on its own.

💬 Time phrases like this go at the very start of the sentence, before what happens. Compare 這個時間車很多 "at this time there's lots of traffic".

💬 Literally "cars very many": 多 works as the whole description, with no 是 or "there is" needed. Here 很 mostly just completes the sentence rather than meaning "very".

🇹🇼 Blaming traffic is a standard, face-saving excuse in Taiwan's busy cities, especially at rush hour. People will usually just nod and accept it.

💬 了嗎 at the end asks whether something has happened yet or whether a situation has changed. You can reuse it in 到了嗎？ "Have you arrived yet?"

💬 Put a verb before 很久 to say how long someone has been doing it: 等很久 = "waited a long time." Ending with 了嗎 asks whether that situation is true now: 你等很久了嗎？ = "Have you been waiting long?"},{

🇹🇼 Saying this is a common kind white lie, even if you've waited a while. It spares the late person any embarrassment.

🇹🇼 抱歉 carries more weight than 不好意思. Adding 真的很 makes it a sincere apology, suited to keeping someone waiting a long time or a work setting.

💬 次 counts occasions, and 下 in front means "next": 下次 "next time". Swap in 這 for 這次 "this time", or 上 for 上次 "last time".

💬 出門 (chū mén) is literally "exit the door". It means heading out in general, not only leaving your own home.

💬 Put 一點 after an adjective to mean "a bit more": 快一點 "a bit faster", 慢一點 "a bit slower". In Taiwan it's often shortened to 早點.

💬 不用 (bú yòng) means "no need to". Its 不 is said with a rising tone because 用 has a falling tone. You can also use it on its own, like 不用謝 "no need to thank me".

💬 Ending with 吧 (ba) turns a statement into a friendly suggestion. Compare 我們吃吧 "let's eat".

💬 To thank someone for doing something, put the action right after 謝謝你. For example, 謝謝你幫我 means "thanks for helping me".

🇹🇼 In Taiwan, 不會 is the most common casual reply to both thanks and apologies. You'll hear it far more often than the textbook 不客氣.