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How to Say ‘Let me tell my friend first’ in Traditional Chinese

我先跟朋友說一下

wǒ xiān gēn péng yǒu shuō yī xià

[wo shyen gen puhng-yoh shwo ee shyah]

🇹🇼 In Taiwan: Checking in with your friends before leaving with someone is expected and polite in Taiwan. Vanishing from your group would seem rude.

Phrase Breakdown

我先跟朋友

wǒ xiān gēn péng yǒu

let me first ... my friend

我先 means 'I'll first'. 跟朋友 means 'to my friend'.

Example

我先跟朋友見面。

I'll meet my friend first.

Words in this phrase

我

wǒ

[wo]

I; me

The first-person pronoun used to talk about yourself.

Example

我想多了解你們公司的制度，所以先自我介紹。

I want to learn more about your company’s system, so I’ll introduce myself first.

先

xiān

[shyen]

first

Used to say you will do something before anything else.

Example

我先看看，不急著買。

I'll look first; I'm not in a hurry to buy.

跟

gēn

[gen]

with; to

A preposition meaning 'with' someone or 'to' someone in conversation.

Example

你可以跟招募人員聊聊。

You can chat with the recruiter.

朋友

péng yǒu

[puhng-yoh]

friend

A person you know and like; it can also refer to friendly connections in social or work settings.

Example

在這場職涯講座裡，我認識了一位新朋友。

At this career seminar, I met a new friend.

說一下

shuō yī xià

tell (them) quickly

說一下 means 'to quickly tell'. Say 一下 as yíxià.

Example

你先說一下。

You say it first, briefly.

Words in this phrase

說

shuō

[shwo]

to say; to tell; to speak

A common verb meaning to say or tell something to someone. It is often used when explaining rules or giving information.

Example

請直接說您要取消今晚的訂位。

Please directly say that you want to cancel tonight's reservation.

一下

yī xià

[ee shyah]

a little; briefly

Softens the action, making it sound polite and casual, as in 'check for a moment.'

Example

請等我查一下系統。

Please wait while I check the system for a moment.

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