Negotiating salary: Responding to a job offer

💬 Put 一點 (yì diǎn) after an adjective to mean "a bit more", and 再 (zài) adds "further" on top of that. The same pattern gives 再便宜一點 "a bit cheaper". Note that 一 is read (yì) before the third-tone 點.

🇹🇼 Asking whether the pay could be "a bit higher" is a soft, acceptable way to negotiate in Taiwan. Naming a demand bluntly can come across as pushy.

💬 呢 at the end of a question makes it sound gentler and more conversational. The question works without it, but it would be blunter.

💬 In Chinese, the verb 希望 (xī wàng) can take the amount directly, with nothing in between. You can swap in any figure the same way: 我希望四萬八 "I hope for 48,000".

💬 Put 有點 (yǒu diǎn) before an adjective to mean "a little", usually for something negative: 有點貴 "a bit expensive", 有點累 "a bit tired".

🇹🇼 "A bit difficult" is a polite no in Taiwan, not an invitation to keep pushing on the same number. Expect a counteroffer to follow.

💬 Add 可以嗎？ (kě yǐ ma) after any suggestion to ask whether it works for the other person, as in 明天可以嗎？ "Is tomorrow okay?"

🇹🇼 Meeting partway, like 48,000 between 45,000 and 50,000, is a typical compromise. Accepting it graciously is the normal way to close the deal.

💬 上班 (shàng bān) means going to work or being on shift, and its opposite is 下班 (xià bān) "to get off work". The same pair shows up in 上課/下課 "start/end class".

💬 The question word 什麼時候 "when" sits right where the answer would go, before the verb. You could swap in 明天上班 "start work tomorrow" to answer.

💬 For dates, Taiwan says 號 (hào) in speech, and 日 is used more in writing. 下個月 means "next month", and 上個月 means "last month".

💬 寄 (jì) means to send by mail or email. Adding 給 plus a person shows who receives it, as in 寄給我 "send it to me".

💬 把 (bǎ) moves the thing being handled, here 合約, in front of the verb. You can reuse the pattern as 我把文件寄給您 "I'll send you the documents".

🇹🇼 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.