Hostage Negotiations: Hostage: A Cat
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Key Phrases
情感支持動物
qíng gǎn zhī chí dòng wù
Emotional support animal
把貓還給
bǎ māo hái gěi
Return the cat
原主人
yuán zhǔ rén
Original owner
Skills You'll Learn
Asking for things politely
有禮貌地請求
yǒu lǐ mào dì qǐng qiú
Understanding animal behavior
理解動物行為
lǐ jiě dòng wù xíng wèi
Expressing feelings and needs
表達感受和需求
biǎo dá gǎn shòu hé xū qiú
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine a scene where a person is caught trying to take someone else's emotional support animal, specifically a cat. The person attempting to take the cat is trying to justify their actions by claiming the cat chose them by having dinner and sleeping on their pillow. However, another individual insists that these actions do not mean the cat has chosen a new owner and urges the person to return the cat to its rightful owner. The person finally concedes, admitting they just wanted a friend.
先生，你不能就這樣拿走別人的情感支持動物。
xiān shēng nǐ bù néng jiù zhè yàng ná zǒu bié rén de qíng gǎn zhī chí dòng wù
Sir, you can't just take someone else's emotional support animal.
但是這隻貓選擇了我。
dàn shì zhè zhī māo xuǎn zé le wǒ
But this cat chose me.
貓是不會選擇的，請你放它回去。
māo shì bù huì xuǎn zé de qǐng nǐ fàng tā huí qù
Cats don't choose. Please put it back.
它跟我一起吃了晚飯！
tā gēn wǒ yì qǐ chī le wǎn fàn
It had dinner with me!
或許它只是餓了。
huò xǔ tā zhǐ shì è le
Maybe it was just hungry.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
先生
xiān shēng
Sir
💬 Used as a polite form or title for men.
🇹🇼 In Taiwan, it's common to address adult men as [先生] (shian sheng) as a sign of respect.
See breakdown →你不能
nǐ bù néng
You can't
💬 Direct and firm way to express prohibition.
🇹🇼 It’s considered polite to explain why something isn’t allowed after saying [你不能] (nee buh neng).
See breakdown →拿走
ná zǒu
Take
💬 A verb often used for physically taking objects.
🇹🇼 In Taiwan, asking for permission before taking something is customary.
See breakdown →別人的
bié rén de
Someone else's
💬 Combines [別人] (biah ren), meaning 'others,' and [的] (de), a possessive particle.
🇹🇼 Respect for others' belongings is a strong cultural value in Taiwan.
See breakdown →情感
qíng gǎn
Emotion
💬 Often used in contexts relating to feelings or emotions.
🇹🇼 Emotional expression can be more reserved in Taiwanese culture compared to Western cultures.
See breakdown →支持
zhī chí
Support
💬 Can mean both emotional and physical support.
🇹🇼 Support within the community is highly valued in Taiwan.
See breakdown →動物
dòng wù
Animal
💬 Commonly used to refer to all kinds of animals.
🇹🇼 Cats and dogs are particularly loved pets in Taiwan.
See breakdown →情感支持動物
qíng gǎn zhī chí dòng wù
Emotional support animal
💬 Combines [情感] (chihng gahn) for emotion, [支持] (jrr chr) for support, and [動物] (dong uw) for animal.
🇹🇼 Pets are increasingly recognized for their emotional support roles in Taiwan.
See breakdown →但是
dàn shì
But
💬 Common conjunction used to present contrasting information.
🇹🇼 Use [但是] (dahn shr) to introduce an opposing idea gently in conversation.
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