Negotiating salary: Asking for a higher salary politely

🇹🇼 Saying "the salary matter" instead of stating a number right away is the usual indirect opening in Taiwan. It lets the boss prepare before the actual request comes.

🇹🇼 The boss uses the plain 你, while the employee uses 您. That mismatch is normal and simply reflects who is senior.

💬 A length of time followed by 了 at the end means it has lasted that long and is still going. For example, 三個月了 "it's been three months".

💬 Chinese needs something before an adjective like 認真, and 很 usually fills that slot without adding much "very". To really stress it, say 非常認真 "extremely hardworking".

💬 調 is read (tiáo) here, so the word is 調高 (tiáogāo). The same character is read (diào) in words like 調查 (diàochá) "investigate".

💬 Adding 一點 (yìdiǎn) after a word means "a bit more" and makes a request sound modest. For example, 便宜一點 "a bit cheaper".

🇹🇼 Framing the raise as a yes-or-no question about possibility, rather than as a demand, is how most Taiwanese employees would raise it. Being direct is fine once the boss asks for a figure.

💬 月 needs 個 after 每. Words like 天 and 年 go straight after 每, as in 每天 "every day" and 每年 "every year".

🇹🇼 Salaries in Taiwan are usually discussed as a monthly figure, not an annual one. That's why a raise is stated per month.

💬 Put 多 before an amount to mean "that much more". For example, 多一天 "one more day" or 多兩個人 "two more people".

💬 Written 老闆 (lǎobǎn), this is actually said (láobǎn). When two third tones come together, the first one rises.

💬 下 in front of a time word means "next", and 上 means "last". For example, 上週 "last week" and 下個月 "next month".

🇹🇼 Taiwanese people say this to thank someone who is doing something for them, like sending a contract. It's warmer and more humble than a plain 謝謝 "thanks", and it's a great way to end a call with HR.

💬 不 becomes (bú) before a falling tone, so 不會 is said (bú huì).

🇹🇼 In Taiwan, 不會 is the everyday reply to 謝謝 "thank you". It's warmer and more common than 不客氣 "you're welcome".

🇹🇼 This is how a boss politely wraps up a meeting and sends you back to work. The literal "go get busy first" really means "that's all for now".