Learn how to make a phone call
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| Business Chinese for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 14 - Making a Business Call in Chinese |
| INTRODUCTION |
| Michael: Hi everyone, and welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. This is Business Chinese for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 14 - Making a Business Call in Chinese. Michael here. |
| Dehua: 大家好！(Dàjiā hǎo!) I'm Dehua. |
| Michael: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to make a phone call. The conversation takes place at an office. |
| Dehua: It's between John and a secretary. |
| Michael: The speakers are an employee at a company and one of its clients; therefore, they will speak formal Chinese. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| 秘书: 喂，你好，这里是蓝绿公司，请问有什么可以帮到你？ |
| (mìshū: Wéi, nǐ hǎo, zhèlǐ shì Lán Lǜ Gōngsī, qǐngwèn yǒu shénme kěyǐ bāng dào nǐ?) |
| 李伟: 早安，我是日新公司的李伟，我想找王芳小姐。 |
| (Lǐ Wěi: Zǎo ān, wǒ shì Rì Xīn Gōngsī de Lǐ Wěi, wǒ xiǎng zhǎo Wáng Fāng xiǎojiě.) |
| 秘书: 好，请等一下。 |
| (mìshū: Hǎo, qǐng děng yīxià.) |
| 秘书: 喂，李先生，不好意思，王小姐正在开会，你的事紧急吗？ |
| (mìshū: Wéi, Lǐ xiānshēng, bù hǎoyìsi, Wáng xiǎojiě zhèngzài kāihuì, nǐ de shì jǐnjí ma?) |
| 李伟: 不，不急，请你告诉她我打过电话。 |
| (Lǐ Wěi: Bù, bù jí, qǐng nǐ gàosù tā wǒ dǎguò diànhuà.) |
| 秘书: 一定。还有其他吗？ |
| (mìshū: Yīdìng. Hái yǒu qítā ma?) |
| 李伟: 请你叫王小姐回复我，我想跟她谈一谈计划的细节。 |
| (Lǐ Wěi: Qǐng nǐ jiào Wáng xiǎojiě huífù wǒ, wǒ xiǎng gēn tā tán yī tán jìhuà de xìjié.) |
| 秘书: 好，我会通知她。 |
| (mìshū: Hǎo, wǒ huì tōngzhī tā.) |
| Michael: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| 秘书: 喂，你好，这里是蓝绿公司，请问有什么可以帮到你？ |
| (mìshū: Wéi, nǐ hǎo, zhèlǐ shì Lán Lǜ Gōngsī, qǐngwèn yǒu shénme kěyǐ bāng dào nǐ?) |
| 李伟: 早安，我是日新公司的李伟，我想找王芳小姐。 |
| (Lǐ Wěi: Zǎo ān, wǒ shì Rì Xīn Gōngsī de Lǐ Wěi, wǒ xiǎng zhǎo Wáng Fāng xiǎojiě.) |
| 秘书: 好，请等一下。 |
| (mìshū: Hǎo, qǐng děng yīxià.) |
| 秘书: 喂，李先生，不好意思，王小姐正在开会，你的事紧急吗？ |
| (mìshū: Wéi, Lǐ xiānshēng, bù hǎoyìsi, Wáng xiǎojiě zhèngzài kāihuì, nǐ de shì jǐnjí ma?) |
| 李伟: 不，不急，请你告诉她我打过电话。 |
| (Lǐ Wěi: Bù, bù jí, qǐng nǐ gàosù tā wǒ dǎguò diànhuà.) |
| 秘书: 一定。还有其他吗？ |
| (mìshū: Yīdìng. Hái yǒu qítā ma?) |
| 李伟: 请你叫王小姐回复我，我想跟她谈一谈计划的细节。 |
| (Lǐ Wěi: Qǐng nǐ jiào Wáng xiǎojiě huífù wǒ, wǒ xiǎng gēn tā tán yī tán jìhuà de xìjié.) |
| 秘书: 好，我会通知她。 |
| (mìshū: Hǎo, wǒ huì tōngzhī tā.) |
| Michael: Listen to the conversation with the English translation |
| 秘书: 喂，你好，这里是蓝绿公司，请问有什么可以帮到你？ |
| (mìshū: Wéi, nǐ hǎo, zhèlǐ shì Lán Lǜ Gōngsī, qǐngwèn yǒu shénme kěyǐ bāng dào nǐ?) |
| Secretary: "Hello, this is Green and Blue. May I help you?" |
| 李伟: 早安，我是日新公司的李伟，我想找王芳小姐。 |
| (Lǐ Wěi: Zǎo ān, wǒ shì Rì Xīn Gōngsī de Lǐ Wěi, wǒ xiǎng zhǎo Wáng Fāng xiǎojiě.) |
| John: "Good morning, this is John Li from Daily Innovative Company. I would like to speak to Miss Wang." |
| 秘书: 好，请等一下。(mìshū: Hǎo, qǐng děng yīxià.) |
| Secretary: "Yes, please hold on." |
| 秘书: 喂，李先生，不好意思，王小姐正在开会，你的事紧急吗？ |
| (mìshū: Wéi, Lǐ xiānshēng, bù hǎoyìsi, Wáng xiǎojiě zhèngzài kāihuì, nǐ de shì jǐnjí ma?) |
| Secretary: "Hello, Mr. Li, unfortunately Miss Wang is in a meeting now. Is it urgent?" |
| 李伟: 不，不急，请你告诉她我打过电话。 |
| (Lǐ Wěi: Bù, bù jí, qǐng nǐ gàosù tā wǒ dǎguò diànhuà.) |
| John: "No, nothing urgent. Could you just let her know that I called?" |
| 秘书: 一定。还有其他吗？ |
| (mìshū: Yīdìng. Hái yǒu qítā ma?) |
| Secretary: "Absolutely. Anything else?" |
| 李伟: 请你叫王小姐回复我，我想跟她谈一谈计划的细节。 |
| (Lǐ Wěi: Qǐng nǐ jiào Wáng xiǎojiě huífù wǒ, wǒ xiǎng gēn tā tán yī tán jìhuà de xìjié.) |
| John: "Please ask her to call me back when she has time. I need to talk to her about the details of the project." |
| 秘书: 好，我会通知她。 |
| (mìshū: Hǎo, wǒ huì tōngzhī tā.) |
| Secretary: "Of course. I will tell her that." |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Michael: One thing that is unavoidable in business, even now, is phone calls. |
| Dehua: Yes, this is still very important in business. |
| Michael: Can you give us some tips on how to make business phone calls in Chinese? |
| Dehua: When you’re making a call, you should start with 喂(wéi). |
| Michael: This is the same as saying, "Hello." Then you let the person on the other end of the line know whom you want to speak to. |
| Dehua: 我想找… (Wǒ xiǎng zhǎo…) |
| Michael: "I would like to talk to.…" You might want to include your own name and company name if you think the other person doesn’t know you. What should you do if you’re the person answering the phone? |
| Dehua: You can start by saying "Hello, [Company name, your name]" and "How may I help you?" |
| Michael: If you need to transfer the call, you should probably check with your colleague first to make sure that they’re available and willing to take the call. |
| Dehua: That’s a good idea! |
| Michael: What should we say if we’re going to put someone on hold while we do that? |
| Dehua: 请等一下 (qǐng děng yīxià). |
| Michael: This is similar to "Please wait for a moment." Okay, now onto the vocabulary. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Michael: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is… |
| Dehua: 帮(bāng) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "to help" |
| Dehua: 帮(bāng)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 帮(bāng) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have… |
| Dehua: 找(zhǎo) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "to look for; to seek" |
| Dehua: 找(zhǎo)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 找(zhǎo) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have… |
| Dehua: 等一下(děng yīxià) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "wait a moment" |
| Dehua: 等一下(děng yīxià)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 等一下(děng yīxià) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have… |
| Dehua: 开会(kāihuì) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "to have a meeting; to hold a meeting" |
| Dehua: 开会(kāihuì)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 开会(kāihuì) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have… |
| Dehua: 不好意思(bù hǎoyìsi) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "sorry; excuse me" |
| Dehua: 不好意思(bù hǎoyìsi)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 不好意思(bù hǎoyìsi) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have… |
| Dehua: 紧急(jǐnjí) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "urgent" |
| Dehua: 紧急(jǐnjí)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 紧急(jǐnjí) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have… |
| Dehua: 还(hái)[natural native speed] |
| Michael: "still" |
| Dehua: 还(hái)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 还(hái)[natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have… |
| Dehua: 其他(qítā) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "other" |
| Dehua: 其他(qítā)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 其他(qítā) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have… |
| Dehua: 谈(tán) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "to talk about" |
| Dehua: 谈(tán)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 谈(tán) [natural native speed] |
| Michael: And last… |
| Dehua: 细节 [natural native speed] |
| Michael: "detail" |
| Dehua: 细节[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Dehua: 细节 [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Michael: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase is… |
| Dehua: 不好意思，請等一下。(Bù hǎoyìsi, qǐng děng yīxià.) |
| Michael: meaning, "Excuse me, please wait a moment." |
| Michael: Let’s break this down. |
| Dehua: First is 不好意思 (Bù hǎoyìsi.) |
| Michael: That means, "Excuse me, sorry for the trouble." Next is "please." |
| Dehua: 请 (qǐng). After this is 等 (děng) |
| Michael: "to wait," followed finally by "a bit, a while." |
| Dehua: 一下 (yīxià) A casual way to ask someone to wait is 等等 (děngděng). |
| Michael: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Dehua: Sure. For example, you can say 不好意思，他正在开车，請等一下。(Bù hǎoyìsi, tā zhèngzài kāichē, qǐng děng yīxià.) |
| Michael: "Excuse me, he is driving right now. Please wait a moment." |
| Michael: Okay, what's the next phrase? |
| Dehua: 谈一下细节(tán yīxià xìjié) |
| Michael: meaning "talk a bit about the details." |
| Michael: Let’s find out a little more about this phrase. |
| Dehua: First is 谈 (tán). |
| Michael: It means "to talk about." Next is "for a bit." |
| Dehua: 一下(yīxià). Finally, 细节(xìjié) |
| Michael: "Details." You can use this when you want to talk about a specific piece of information with someone. |
| Dehua: You can also use other verbs like 讨论(tǎolùn) or 商量(shāngliang). |
| Michael: Can you give us an example using these phrases? |
| Dehua: Sure. For example, you can say… 签合同之前，我想谈一下细节。(Qiān hétong zhīqián, wǒ xiǎng tán yīxià xìjié.) |
| Michael: "Before signing the contract, I would like to talk a bit more about the details." |
| Michael: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Dehua: 还有其他吗？(Hái yǒu qítā ma?) |
| Michael: "Anything else?" |
| Michael: This is our last phrase for this lesson. |
| Dehua: First is 还(hái), meaning "still." Next is 有(yǒu). |
| Michael: This is "to have." This is followed by "other, else." |
| Dehua: 其他的(qítā de). Last is 吗(ma). |
| Michael: This is a question particle. |
| Dehua: You might also hear 还有什么吗？(Hái yǒu shénme ma?) |
| Michael: This means "Is there anything else?". Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Dehua: Sure. For example, you can say… 还有其他东西需要帮忙吗？(Hái yǒu qítā dōngxī xūyào bāngmáng ma?) |
| Michael: "Is there anything else I can do to help?" |
| Michael: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Michael: In this lesson, you'll learn about making a phone call. We looked at this a little earlier in this lesson, but now we’re going to focus on it in more detail. |
| Dehua: As we said earlier, you’ll hear 喂 (wéi). |
| Michael: You should always say this in a business setting. It’s often commonly followed by the name of the company and a greeting phrase. Let’s hear an example. |
| Dehua: 喂，你好，这里是蓝绿公司，请问有什么可以帮到你？(Wéi, nǐ hǎo, zhèlǐ shì Lán Lǜ Gōngsī, qǐngwèn yǒu shénme kěyǐ bāng dào nǐ?) |
| Michael: "Hello, this is Green and Blue. How may I help you?" |
| Dehua: The other person needs to identify him or herself. |
| Michael: Can you give us an example of this, too? |
| Dehua: 我是日新公司的李伟。(Wǒ shì Rì Xīn Gōngsī de Lǐ Wěi.) |
| Michael: "This is John Li from Daily Innovative Company." Let’s break down this phrase. |
| Dehua: First is 我是 (Wǒ shì). |
| Michael: "This is" |
| Dehua: Then say your company’s name. |
| Michael: After the company name you say "from" and then your name. |
| Dehua: "From" is 的 (de). |
| Michael: Next let’s hear some more details about how we can ask for someone over the phone. There are a few different ways that we can do this. For example, |
| Dehua: 我想找(name)...(Wǒ xiǎng zhǎo...) |
| Michael: "I would like to talk to (name).…" |
| Dehua: (name)...在吗？((name)... zài ma?) |
| Michael: "Is (name)…there?" |
| Dehua: (name)...现在方便吗？((name)...xiànzài fāngbiàn ma?) |
| Michael: "Is (name)…free to speak?" You can use names or titles in these sentences. |
| Dehua: For example, 经理 (jīnglǐ). |
| Michael: "Manager." We’ll finish this lesson with some examples of queries that you may have. |
| Dehua: 你们的营业时间是几点？(Nǐmen de yíngyè shíjiān shì jǐ diǎn?) |
| Michael: "What time are you open for business?" |
| Dehua: 请问你们接受预定吗？(Qǐngwèn nǐmen jiēshòu yùdìng ma?) |
| Michael: "Do you take reservations?" |
| Dehua: 请转告他，我正在等他。(Qǐng zhuǎngào tā, wǒ zhèngzài děng tā.) |
| Michael: "Please let him know that I’m waiting for him." |
| Dehua: 好，我会告诉他。(Hǎo, wǒ huì gàosù tā.) |
| Michael: "Of course, I will pass him the message." |
Outro |
| Michael: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Dehua: 再见！(Zàijiàn!) |
Comments
Hide