Lunar New Year: Complimenting host on 'lucky' home decorations

💬 才 (cái) placed before the action means it happened later than you might expect, so here "not until yesterday". The time word goes before it: 他今天才來 "he only came today".

💬 The first 好 means "so" and the second is part of 好看 "good-looking". Saying 好好看 is completely normal. Swap in another adjective the same way: 好好吃 "so tasty".

💬 The adjective works as the whole verb here, with no 是 needed. That makes 春聯好好看 a complete sentence, just like 房子好大 "the house is so big".

💬 為什麼 (wèi shén me) goes before the action, not at the start of the sentence the way "why" does in English. You can also say 你為什麼不來？ "why aren't you coming?".

💬 Putting 字 after a character means "the character ___". You can do the same with any character: 「春」字 "the character 春".

💬 Adding 著 (zhe) to 倒 (dào) describes the way something is done: here, put up in an upside-down position. The same pattern gives 站著吃 "eat standing up".

🇹🇼 Asking this is a great way to show interest, and hosts usually love explaining the tradition. Expect the answer to be a play on words.

💬 Adding 起來 (qǐ lái) after a sense word means "seems ___ when you…". You can use it with any sense: 看起來 "looks", 吃起來 "tastes".

🇹🇼 This is the joke behind the upside-down 福. "Upside down" 倒 (dào) sounds just like "arrive" 到 (dào), so an upside-down 福 reads as "fortune has arrived".

💬 有意思 (yǒu yì si) literally means "has meaning", but it's used to say something is interesting or fun. The last syllable is usually said in a light, neutral tone.

🇹🇼 Mandarin oranges are everywhere at New Year. In Taiwanese the word for orange sounds like "lucky", and their golden color suggests wealth.

💬 些 (xiē) after 這 makes it plural, "these", and it doesn't need a counting word. The same works with "that": 那些人 "those people".

💬 Put 嗎 (ma) at the end of a statement to turn it into a yes/no question. The word order stays the same.

💬 對啊 (duì a) is the everyday Taiwanese way to agree. The 啊 softens it and makes it sound friendly rather than curt.

🇹🇼 This is a classic four-character New Year blessing. You'll see it on decorations, and people also say it aloud as a greeting.

💬 代表 (dài biǎo) means "stands for" or "represents", and it's handy for explaining any symbol. For example: 紅色代表好運 "red stands for good luck".

💬 Time words like 今年 usually go before the verb, right after who's doing it, not at the end like in English. So you'd say 我今年去台灣 "I'm going to Taiwan this year".

💬 好運 "good luck" works like an adjective here, so it takes 很 directly. Here 很 mostly just completes the phrase rather than meaning a strong "very".

🇹🇼 Wishing the household luck is the perfect way to compliment the decorations at New Year. It ties your praise to a blessing, which hosts appreciate.

🇹🇼 This is a modest, slightly formal reply to a blessing. A host saying it accepts your good wishes without seeming boastful.

💬 請 (qǐng) here means "invite" or "treat", not "please". It's used the same way in 我請你吃飯 "I'll treat you to a meal".

🇹🇼 Thanking the host for the invitation is the expected thing to say as you start to leave a New Year visit.

💬 該 (gāi) means "should", and 了 at the end signals that the time has come. You can use it for anything that's now due: 我該睡了 "I should go to bed".

🇹🇼 Hosts in Taiwan almost always say this when a guest gets up to go, even after a long visit. It's politeness, not a real objection, so thank them and leave anyway.

💬 In a statement, 幾 (jǐ) means "a few". In a question it means "how many": 幾個？ "how many?".

💬 No word for "to" is needed. 回 goes straight before the place: 回台灣 "go back to Taiwan."

🇹🇼 Hosts often send guests home with oranges at New Year to share the luck. Accept them graciously; turning them down can feel like refusing the blessing.