Small talk with coworkers: Talking about lunch plans in the break room

💬 The pattern 跟 + person + 一起 + action means "do something with someone". Swap in the action, as in 跟你一起吃 "eat with you".

🇹🇼 Inviting yourself along like this is normal and friendly among Taiwanese coworkers. It's rarely seen as pushy, and buying lunch as a pair or small group is how many workplace friendships form.

💬 啊 (a) at the end adds warmth and enthusiasm. Without it, 當然可以 can sound flat or even a little stiff.

🇹🇼 A 雞腿 (jī tuǐ) is usually a whole fried or braised drumstick. It's the premium choice at bento shops, costing a bit more than the pork chop or chicken cutlet options.

💬 To name a bento, put the main item in front of 便當: 排骨便當 (pái gǔ biàn dāng) "pork chop bento". Menus and orders use exactly this shape.

💬 家 (jiā) counts shops and restaurants, so 那家 means "that place" or "that shop". You could also say 這家 "this place".

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

💬 的 (de) between two words works like an English 's or "of": 他們的雞腿 is "their chicken leg". Compare 老闆的車 "the boss's car".

💬 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".

💬 很 (hěn) here mostly just completes the sentence, so it doesn't strongly mean "very" — no 是 is needed before an adjective. For real emphasis, say 超好吃 (chāo hǎo chī), which is very common in Taiwan.

💬 To answer "Do they have it?" you just repeat the verb: 有 "yes, they have it" or 沒有 "no, they don't". Chinese has no single word for "yes".

💬 太 + adjective + 了 is the go-to way to say "so…!" with feeling. For example, 太貴了！ means "Too expensive!".

💬 幾點 (jǐ diǎn) means "what time", and like other time words it comes before the verb. Compare 你幾點下班？ "What time do you get off work?"

💬 Clock times go hour, then 點 (diǎn), then minutes, then 分 (fēn). So 3:20 is 三點二十分.

💬 Saying a word and then its negative, as in 好不好, makes a yes-or-no question. The same works with 要不要 "want it or not?", and 不 is said lightly here, (hǎo bu hǎo).

🇹🇼 Suggesting a time and then adding 好不好 keeps the plan gentle and open, rather than sounding like you're setting the schedule. It's a typical friendly way to settle plans with a coworker.

💬 約 (yuē) means to make plans with someone or invite them out, and it's used for anything from lunch to a date. You might also hear 我們約幾點？ "What time should we meet?"

🇹🇼 不會啦 is Taiwan's typical breezy reply to thanks or an apology, much like "Oh, it's nothing!" Mainland speakers lean more on 不客氣, so this one marks you as sounding local.

💬 一 changes tone depending on the next word, and before 下 it's said (yí): (děng yí xià jiàn). 等一下 on its own is also useful to mean "wait a moment" or "later".