Making business phone calls: Giving your name and contact details

🇹🇼 不好意思 is lighter than 對不起 "I apologize". Taiwanese use it constantly to soften small bad news, like the person you want being unavailable.

💬 不 (bù) changes to (bú) before a falling tone, so 不在 is said (bú zài).

🇹🇼 不好意思 is the go-to soft apology in Taiwan. It sounds lighter and more natural here than 對不起 "I'm sorry", which is used for real wrongdoing.

💬 您 (nín) is the respectful form of 你 (nǐ) "you". It's standard for callers and customers you don't know.

🇹🇼 Taiwanese company names often end with their line of business, like 貿易, 科技 "technology", or 建設 "construction". The full legal name usually adds 公司 "company".

💬 In 我是 + company + 的 + name, the company comes before your name, with 的 linking them. Compare 我是台大的林明 "This is Lin Ming from NTU".

🇹🇼 Callers in Taiwan identify themselves by company first, since that tells the listener who's calling.

💬 Chinese has no single word for "yes". You answer by repeating the key verb from the question, so 我可以…嗎？ gets 可以 as its reply.

💬 Tack 可以嗎？ onto any proposal to turn it into a polite question: 明天可以嗎？ "Is tomorrow OK?" To answer yes, just repeat 可以.

💬 電話 (diàn huà) means both "phone" and "phone number". The context tells you which is meant, so you rarely need 號碼 "number".

💬 電話 (diàn huà) means both "phone" and "phone number". The full term 電話號碼 "phone number" is often shortened to just 電話.

💬 可以 + action + 嗎 is a polite way to make a request. Compare 可以等一下嗎 "Could you wait a moment?"

💬 手機 (shǒu jī) literally means "hand machine". Like 電話, it can also mean the number itself.

💬 Phone numbers are read digit by digit, and 零 (líng) is used for zero. Some people say 么 (yāo) for 1 to avoid confusion with 七 (qī) "seven".

🇹🇼 Taiwanese mobile numbers start with 09 and are usually read in a 4-3-3 grouping, matching how they're written.

💬 再 + action + 一次 means "do it once more". Compare 再寫一次 "write it again". 一 before a falling tone is said (yí), so 一次 is (yí cì).

🇹🇼 Asking someone to repeat themselves is perfectly normal on Taiwanese business calls, especially for numbers. Opening with 不好意思 keeps it courteous.

💬 給 + person marks who receives the call. Compare 打電話給我 "call me".

💬 In 請 + person + action, 請 means "ask (someone) to", not "please". Compare 我會請他寄給您 "I'll ask him to send it to you".

🇹🇼 Taiwanese people say this to thank someone for doing a favor. It acknowledges the effort they're putting in, and it's more gracious than a plain thanks.

💬 The second 謝 is usually said lightly with no tone: (xiè xie).

💬 不會 (bú huì) here means "not at all" or "no trouble", not "can't". It's the standard Taiwanese reply to thanks or apologies.

🇹🇼 In Taiwan, 不會 is the everyday answer to 謝謝 or 麻煩您了. It's more common here than 不客氣 "you're welcome".