Texting & dating apps: Sending a first message on a dating app

🇹🇼 象山 (Xiàngshān) is a short, steep trail right next to Taipei 101. It's famous for city views at sunset, which makes it a classic easy first-date hike.

💬 There's no 是 here, because 很 plus an adjective forms the whole description. 很 doesn't really mean "very" in this sentence. Swap in another adjective: 天氣很好 "The weather is nice."

💬 In casual speech, 住 (zhù) "live" can take the place directly, with no 在 needed: 我住高雄 "I live in Kaohsiung."

🇹🇼 信義區 is Taipei's upscale business and shopping district, home to Taipei 101. Mentioning your district rather than an exact address is the normal level of sharing early on.

💬 離 (lí) marks the place you're measuring distance from: A離B很近 means "A is close to B." Swap 近 for 遠 (yuǎn) to say "far."

💬 喔 (o) at the end softens the exclamation and makes it sound friendly and chatty. You'll see it constantly in Taiwanese texting.

💬 The 了 at the end shows the situation is still going on. 多久了 asks how long something has been happening up to now, while 多久 alone just asks "how long."

🇹🇼 This is one of the first questions foreigners get in Taiwan. It's friendly curiosity, and on a dating app it's a common way to gauge whether you're settled here.

💬 Use 快…了 to mean "almost" or "nearly": put the amount between the two words. Another example is 快十點了 "It's almost ten o'clock."

💬 Put 在 before a verb to show the action is ongoing, and add 還 "still" in front of it: 我還在工作 "I'm still working."

🇹🇼 Literally "please give me lots of guidance," this is a polite, humble line used when meeting someone new. Paired with "I'm still learning Chinese," it charmingly invites patience with your mistakes.

💬 Adding 啊 (a) after 好 makes the agreement sound warm and willing, not flat. On its own, 好 can come across as curt.

🇹🇼 Taiwanese people say this generously, even after just a few words. A modest reply like 沒有啦 (méi yǒu la) "not really" is the expected response, not a simple "thanks."

💬 下 (xià) "down" means "next" with time words, and 上 (shàng) "up" means "last": 下次 "next time", 上次 "last time", 下週 "next week."

💬 一 (yī) is read (yì) here, because it comes before the third-tone 起 (qǐ), so the whole word is said (yì qǐ).

🇹🇼 Suggesting an activity like hiking rather than dinner is a common, low-pressure first-date idea in Taiwan. It feels casual and daytime-safe.

💬 多 before a verb means "do more of it": 多聊 "chat more", 多吃 "eat more." The extra amount, 幾天 "a few days", comes after.

🇹🇼 Many people in Taiwan prefer to chat for a while before meeting someone from an app. This is a polite way to slow things down without saying no.

💬 Here 先 (xiān) "first" means "for now" or "before anything else." It's a handy way to excuse yourself, as in 我先走了 "I'm heading off now."

🇹🇼 This is a casual, friendly sign-off that signals you want to keep talking. It's very common in app chats to pause a conversation without it feeling like a brush-off.

🇹🇼 掰掰 (bāi bāi) is borrowed from English "bye-bye" and is the everyday goodbye in Taiwan among all ages. It's especially common in texts, where 再見 would feel stiff.