First date dinner: Asking about hobbies and family

💬 Put an activity right after 喜歡 (xǐ huan) with no extra word for "-ing": 我喜歡看書 "I like reading."

💬 也 "also" goes before the verb, never at the end of the sentence like English "too": 也喜歡看電影.

💬 Add 呢 (ne) to any person or thing to bounce the same question back: 你哥哥呢？ "What about your brother?"

💬 Ball sports use 打 (dǎ) "hit": 打籃球, 打網球 "play tennis." Soccer is the exception: 踢足球 (tī zú qiú) "kick."

💬 常常 (cháng cháng) goes before the verb: 我常常爬山 "I often hike."

💬 不錯 (bú cuò) literally means "not wrong," but it's a real compliment, like "pretty good." 不 shifts to (bú) before the falling tone of 錯.

💬 With close relationships you can drop 的 "'s": 你家人, 我媽媽 "my mom."

💬 In casual speech 住 can take a place directly, without 在: 住台北 "live in Taipei."

🇹🇼 Asking about family early on is normal and friendly in Taiwan. It's seen as getting to know someone, not as prying.

💬 在 (zài) alone works as the verb "to be in" a place: 我在台北 "I'm in Taipei."

💬 Chinese has no single word for "sister": 妹妹 (mèi mei) is younger and 姊姊 (jiě jie) "older sister" is older. In Taiwan, 姊 is the usual way to write it.

💬 一 before a falling tone shifts to (yí): 一個 is said (yí ge). It's the same with 弟弟 (dì di) "younger brother": 一個弟弟.

💬 一起 (yì qǐ) goes before the verb: 一起吃飯 "eat together."

💬 下 means "next" with time words and 上 means "last": 下週 "next week," 上次 "last time."

💬 Time words like 下次 go at the start or right after the subject, before the verb, not at the end as in English.

🇹🇼 Asking to join someone's hobby is a gentle, indirect way in Taiwan to suggest a second date.

💬 啊 (a) after 好 makes the yes sound friendly and eager. A bare 好 can sound curt.

💬 There's no 是 here, and 很 isn't really "very": it just completes the sentence. Swap the adjective: 今天很累 "I'm tired today."

💬 到 (dào) means "arrive": 到家 is literally "arrive home." No word for "when" is needed at the start of the sentence.

💬 個 here makes it casual and light, like "send a quick message." 傳 (chuán) is Taiwan's usual verb for sending texts.

🇹🇼 Asking someone to text when they're home safe is a caring, common way to end a date in Taiwan. It signals interest without being pushy.

🇹🇼 掰掰 (bāi bāi), borrowed from English "bye-bye," is used by adults all over Taiwan. It sounds natural, not childish.