Small talk with coworkers: Chatting about the weekend on Monday morning

💬 There's no 是 "is" here, because 漂亮 "pretty" works as the verb by itself. Swap in another describing word the same way: 天氣很好 "the weather is nice".

💬 可是 (kě shì) means "but" and sits at the start of the second half, just like in English.

💬 也 (yě) "also" always comes before the verb, never at the end of the sentence. Compare 我也去 "I'm going too".

💬 下 (xià) means "next" in time words. Compare 下週 (xià zhōu) "next week" and 下個月 (xià ge yuè) "next month".

💬 找 (zhǎo) usually means "to look for", but 找我 here means "call me up" or "ask me along".

🇹🇼 Asking a coworker to include you next time is a friendly way to build rapport in a Taiwanese office. It doesn't come across as pushy.

🇹🇼 Agreeing this warmly is polite and expected, but such casual invitations don't always turn into actual plans.

💬 Question words like 什麼 (shén me) "what" sit where the answer would go, not at the front of the sentence. You'd answer 我週末爬山 "I hiked this weekend" with the same order.

💬 回 (huí) means going back somewhere you belong, like your hometown or home. 去台中 would just mean visiting Taichung.

🇹🇼 Many people working in Taipei grew up elsewhere and go home to their family on weekends. This is a very common answer.

🇹🇼 爸媽 (bà mā) is the everyday casual way to say "parents". 父母 (fù mǔ) sounds more formal or written.

💬 看 (kàn) means "to look", but with people it means "to visit". For example, 看朋友 "visit friends".

💬 Two actions can sit side by side with no "to" between them, and the second one gives the purpose. Swap in other actions: 我去台北買東西 "I went to Taipei to shop".

💬 好 + a verb makes "nice to do". Swap the verb to make new words: 好喝 (hǎo hē) "tasty (drinks)", 好看 (hǎo kàn) "good-looking".

💬 有 + a verb is a very Taiwanese way to ask whether something happened, as in 有吃...嗎？. Mainland speakers would usually leave out the 有.

🇹🇼 Food is a favorite small-talk topic in Taiwan, and asking what someone ate is a natural follow-up to almost any story.

💬 Chinese has no single word for "yes". You answer by repeating the key word of the question, so 有...嗎？ is answered with 有.

💬 菜 (cài) here means "dishes" in general, not just vegetables. 了 after 煮 shows the cooking is done.

💬 好 before a describing word often means "so": 好羨慕 (hǎo xiàn mù) "so envious", 好累 "so tired".

🇹🇼 羨慕 is friendly envy, the kind you say happily to a coworker. It's a compliment, not resentment.

🇹🇼 This is the standard polite way to end small talk and head back to work. It signals you're wrapping up without sounding abrupt.

💬 一 here is said (yí), not (yī), because it comes before the falling tone of 下 (xià). 等一下 can also mean "wait a moment!" depending on context.

💬 Put a time or place before 見 (jiàn) to say "see you then". For example, 明天見 "see you tomorrow" and 週五見 "see you Friday".

🇹🇼 Coworkers in Taiwan often eat lunch together, either ordering in or heading out to nearby eateries, so meeting up at lunch is a natural plan.