Self-introduction at work: Asking a colleague how things work in the office

💬 The time question 幾點 goes before the action, not at the end like English 'when'. You can swap the action: 我們幾點下班？ "What time do we finish work?"

💬 打卡 (dǎ kǎ) literally means 'hit the card'. Taiwanese people also use it for checking in at a place on social media.

💬 喔 (o) at the end adds a friendly, reminding tone, a bit like 'okay?'. Without it, 要先打卡 sounds more like a flat instruction.

🇹🇼 Clocking in is taken seriously in many Taiwanese offices, and late punches can affect pay. A colleague mentioning it on day one is a genuine heads-up.

💬 機 (jī) means 'machine' and attaches to an action to name the device: 打卡 + 機 = time clock. Likewise 影印機 is the copier.

💬 Put the thing you're looking for in front: 廁所在哪裡？ "Where's the restroom?" Taiwan uses 哪裡 (nǎ lǐ) where the mainland often says 哪儿.

💬 旁邊 (páng biān) comes after the landmark, the reverse of English: 電梯旁邊 "next to the elevator".

💬 The pattern is 在 + place + 旁邊. Swap in other position words like 後面 "behind" or 對面 "across from" to describe other locations.

💬 刷 (shuā) means 'to brush', but it's also the everyday verb for swiping any card: 刷卡 "pay by card".

💬 就好 at the end means 'that's all you need to do': 說一聲就好 "just let me know".

💬 直接 (zhí jiē) here means 'just go ahead without any extra step', not 'directly' in the sense of a route. You can reuse the question: 可以直接進去嗎？ "Can I just go in?"

💬 The 那 (nà) at the start means 'so, then' and shifts to a new topic, not 'that'.

🇹🇼 了解 (liǎo jiě) is a crisp, slightly professional 'understood' that is very common in Taiwanese offices. Among friends, 好 or OK is more casual.

💬 都 (dōu) comes after a group word like 大家 and before the verb, meaning 'all of them'. 大家都很忙 "everyone is busy".

💬 The topic comes first, then the comment about it. 午餐 goes up front, the same way 週末你都做什麼？ "what do you do on weekends?" opens with the weekend.

💬 便當 (biàn dāng) is the Taiwan word, borrowed from Japanese. On the mainland, 盒飯 is more common.

🇹🇼 Group-ordering bento is a staple of Taiwanese office life: someone collects orders and money, and the lunches get delivered. Joining in is an easy way to bond with new colleagues.

💬 Saying a verb, then 不, then the verb again makes a yes/no question: 要不要 "want or not", 好不好 "okay or not". The middle 不 is usually said lightly, with no tone.

🇹🇼 Being invited to the lunch order early on is a friendly welcome gesture. Saying yes at least once helps you fit in.

💬 幫忙 "to help" splits apart so that 'me' and 'a lot' go in the middle: 幫 + 我很多 + 忙. Likewise 幫他一個忙 "do him a favor".

💬 不 here keeps its normal tone (bù) because 客 has a falling-rising tone, not a falling one: (bù kè qi).

💬 Chinese often drops the "if": just putting 有問題 at the front of the sentence sets up the condition. The same thing works with 有空 "if you're free".

💬 再 (zài) here means 'later' or 'any other time' rather than literally 'again', so the line really means 'ask me anytime'.

🇹🇼 Colleagues in Taiwan say this to newcomers to signal they're genuinely open to questions. You can take them at their word.

💬 再 here means "then" rather than "again": 有問題再問我 is "if a question comes up, then ask me." The same shape works elsewhere, like 吃完再走 "eat first, then go."

🇹🇼 Taiwanese colleagues say this to a newcomer as a warm, genuine offer, and the 喔 (o) at the end makes it sound friendly rather than bossy. Take them up on it. Asking follow-up questions is expected, and a quick 謝謝，麻煩你了 "thanks, sorry for the trouble" is the natural reply.