Dialogue

Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to CantoneseClass101.com. This is Business Cantonese for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 14 - Making a Business Call in Cantonese. John here.
Siuling: 大家好!(daai6 gaa1 hou2!) I'm Siuling.
John: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to make a phone call. The conversation takes place at an office.
Siuling: It's between a secretary and John.
John: The speakers are employee and customer, therefore, they will speak formal Cantonese. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
秘書: 喂,呢度係藍與綠公司,有乜嘢可以幫到你?
(bei3 syu1: wai2, ni1 dou6 hai6 laam4 jyu5 luk6 gung1 si1, jau5 mat1 je5 ho2 ji5 bong1 dou3 nei5?)
李家明: 早晨,我係日新公司嘅李家明,我想搵黃小芬小姐。
(lei5 gaa1 ming4: zou2 san4, ngo5 hai6 jat6 san1 gung1 si1 ge3 lei5 gaa1 ming4, ngo5 soeng2 wan2 wong4 siu2 fan1 siu2 ze2.)
秘書: 好呀,請等等。[ 數秒之後 ]
(bei3 syu1: hou2 aa3, cing2 dang2 dang2. [sou3 miu5 zi1 hau6])
秘書: 喂,李生,對唔住,而家黃小姐開緊會,係咪好緊急㗎?
(bei3 syu1: wai2, lei5 saang1, deoi3 m4 zyu6, ji4 gaa1 wong4 siu2 ze2 hoi1 gan2 wui2, hai6 mai6 hou2 gan2 gap1 gaa3?)
李家明: 唔係,唔緊急嘅,唔該你話畀佢聽我搵過佢。
(lei5 gaa1 ming4: m4 hai6, m4 gan2 gap1 ge3, m4 goi1 nei5 waa6 bei2 keoi5 teng1 ngo5 wan2 gwo3 keoi5.)
秘書: 一定。仲有冇其他嘢?
(bei3 syu1: jat1 ding6. zung6 jau5 mou5 kei4 taa1 je5?)
李家明: 唔該叫黃小姐有時間打返電話畀我,我要同佢傾下計劃嘅細節。
(lei5 gaa1 ming4: m4 goi1 giu3 wong4 siu2 ze2 jau5 si4 gaan3 daa2 faan1 din6 waa2 bei2 ngo5, ngo5 jiu3 tung4 keoi5 king1 haa5 gai3 waak6 ge3 sai3 zit3.)
秘書: 好,我會講畀佢聽。
(bei3 syu1: hou2, ngo5 wui2 gong2 bei2 keoi5 teng1.)
John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly.
秘書: 喂,呢度係藍與綠公司,有乜嘢可以幫到你?
(bei3 syu1: wai2, ni1 dou6 hai6 laam4 jyu5 luk6 gung1 si1, jau5 mat1 je5 ho2 ji5 bong1 dou3 nei5?)
李家明: 早晨,我係日新公司嘅李家明,我想搵黃小芬小姐。
(lei5 gaa1 ming4: zou2 san4, ngo5 hai6 jat6 san1 gung1 si1 ge3 lei5 gaa1 ming4, ngo5 soeng2 wan2 wong4 siu2 fan1 siu2 ze2.)
秘書: 好呀,請等等。[ 數秒之後 ]
(bei3 syu1: hou2 aa3, cing2 dang2 dang2. [sou3 miu5 zi1 hau6])
秘書: 喂,李生,對唔住,而家黃小姐開緊會,係咪好緊急㗎?
(bei3 syu1: wai2, lei5 saang1, deoi3 m4 zyu6, ji4 gaa1 wong4 siu2 ze2 hoi1 gan2 wui2, hai6 mai6 hou2 gan2 gap1 gaa3?)
李家明: 唔係,唔緊急嘅,唔該你話畀佢聽我搵過佢。
(lei5 gaa1 ming4: m4 hai6, m4 gan2 gap1 ge3, m4 goi1 nei5 waa6 bei2 keoi5 teng1 ngo5 wan2 gwo3 keoi5.)
秘書: 一定。仲有冇其他嘢?
(bei3 syu1: jat1 ding6. zung6 jau5 mou5 kei4 taa1 je5?)
李家明: 唔該叫黃小姐有時間打返電話畀我,我要同佢傾下計劃嘅細節。
(lei5 gaa1 ming4: m4 goi1 giu3 wong4 siu2 ze2 jau5 si4 gaan3 daa2 faan1 din6 waa2 bei2 ngo5, ngo5 jiu3 tung4 keoi5 king1 haa5 gai3 waak6 ge3 sai3 zit3.)
秘書: 好,我會講畀佢聽。
(bei3 syu1: hou2, ngo5 wui2 gong2 bei2 keoi5 teng1.)
John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation
秘書: 喂,呢度係藍與綠公司,有乜嘢可以幫到你?
(bei3 syu1: wai2, ni1 dou6 hai6 laam4 jyu5 luk6 gung1 si1, jau5 mat1 je5 ho2 ji5 bong1 dou3 nei5?)
Secretary: Hello this is Green and Blue. May I help you?
李家明: 早晨,我係日新公司嘅李家明,我想搵黃小芬小姐。
(lei5 gaa1 ming4: zou2 san4, ngo5 hai6 jat6 san1 gung1 si1 ge3 lei5 gaa1 ming4, ngo5 soeng2 wan2 wong4 siu2 fan1 siu2 ze2.)
John: Good morning, this is John Lee from Daily Innovative Company. Can I speak to Ms. Wong?
秘書: 好呀,請等等。[ 數秒之後 ]
(bei3 syu1: hou2 aa3, cing2 dang2 dang2. [sou3 miu5 zi1 hau6])
Secretary: Yes, please hold on.
[few seconds later]
秘書: 喂,李生,對唔住,而家黃小姐開緊會,係咪好緊急㗎?
(bei3 syu1: wai2, lei5 saang1, deoi3 m4 zyu6, ji4 gaa1 wong4 siu2 ze2 hoi1 gan2 wui2, hai6 mai6 hou2 gan2 gap1 gaa3?)
Secretary: Hello, Mr. Lee, unfortunately Ms. Wong is in a meeting now. Is it urgent?
李家明: 唔係,唔緊急嘅,唔該你話畀佢聽我搵過佢。
(lei5 gaa1 ming4: m4 hai6, m4 gan2 gap1 ge3, m4 goi1 nei5 waa6 bei2 keoi5 teng1 ngo5 wan2 gwo3 keoi5.)
John: No, nothing urgent. Could you just let her know that I called?
秘書: 一定。仲有冇其他嘢?
(bei3 syu1: jat1 ding6. zung6 jau5 mou5 kei4 taa1 je5?)
Secretary: Absolutely. Something else?
李家明: 唔該叫黃小姐有時間打返電話畀我,我要同佢傾下計劃嘅細節。
(lei5 gaa1 ming4: m4 goi1 giu3 wong4 siu2 ze2 jau5 si4 gaan3 daa2 faan1 din6 waa2 bei2 ngo5, ngo5 jiu3 tung4 keoi5 king1 haa5 gai3 waak6 ge3 sai3 zit3.)
John: Please, ask her to call me back when she has time. I need to talk to her about the details of the project.
秘書: 好,我會講畀佢聽。
(bei3 syu1: hou2, ngo5 wui2 gong2 bei2 keoi5 teng1.)
Secretary: Of course. I will tell her that.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
John: In the conversation, we heard a business phone call.
Siuling: Making business phone calls is very important.
John: How should we start one of these calls?
Siuling: You should say 喂(wai2). This is "hello" in English.
John: Next, you should say who you want to speak to.
Siuling: A polite way of doing this is 唔該請 ....先生聽電話。(m4 goi1 cing2 ... sin1 saang1 teng1 din6 waa2.)
John: "I would like to talk to… Mr… please." You might want to give your full name and company, if the business you’re calling doesn’t know you.
Siuling: If you’re answering the phone, then remember to be polite.
John: Before you transfer a call to a colleague, make sure that they’re available and that they want to take the call.
Siuling: When you place a caller on hold, you can say 請等等。(cing2 dang2 dang2)
John: This is similar to "In a moment, please." One last thing to remember is not to call outside of office hours.
Siuling: Only do that if it is an emergency, and make sure that you apologize.
John: Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is...
Siuling: 想(soeng2) [natural native speed]
John: to want
Siuling: 想(soeng2) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 想(soeng2) [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Siuling: 搵(wan2) [natural native speed]
John: to look for
Siuling: 搵(wan2) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 搵(wan2) [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Siuling: 聽(teng1) [natural native speed]
John: to listen
Siuling: 聽(teng1) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 聽(teng1) [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Siuling: 電話(din6 waa2) [natural native speed]
John: telephone
Siuling: 電話(din6 waa2) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 電話(din6 waa2) [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Siuling: 對唔住(deoi3 m4 zyu6) [natural native speed]
John: sorry
Siuling: 對唔住(deoi3 m4 zyu6) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 對唔住(deoi3 m4 zyu6) [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Siuling: 而家(ji4 gaa1) [natural native speed]
John: now
Siuling: 而家(ji4 gaa1) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 而家(ji4 gaa1) [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Siuling: 緊急(gan2 gap1) [natural native speed]
John: urgent
Siuling: 緊急(gan2 gap1) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 緊急(gan2 gap1) [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Siuling: 仲(zung6) [natural native speed]
John: still, again
Siuling: 仲(zung6) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 仲(zung6) [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Siuling: 傾下(king1 haa6) [natural native speed]
John: to talk about
Siuling: 傾下(king1 haa6) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 傾下(king1 haa6) [natural native speed]
John: And last...
Siuling: 細節 [natural native speed]
John: detail
Siuling: 細節 [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Siuling: 細節 [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is...
Siuling: 聽電話(teng1 din6 waa2)
John: meaning "to pick up the phone."
John: Let’s break this down.
Siuling: First is 聽(teng1), meaning "to listen, to hear." Then, 電話(din6 waa2)
John: This is "telephone."
Siuling: You can use 聽電話(teng1 din6 waa2) to describe your job if your job is mainly answering the phone.
John: What can we say if you make lots of phone calls?
Siuling: You can say 打電話(daa2 din6 waa2).
John: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Siuling: Sure. For example, you can say... 一聽到電話響,立即接聽電話。(jat1 teng1 dou2 din6 waa2 hoeng5, laap6 zik1 zip3 teng1 din6 waa2.)
John: ...which means "Once you hear the telephone ring, please pick up the phone immediately."
John: Okay, what's the next word?
Siuling: 我想傾下啲細節。(ngo5 soeng2 king1 haa5 dik1 sai3 zit3)
John: meaning "I want to talk about the details."
John: Let’s break this down, too.
Siuling: First is 我想(ngo5 soeng2), meaning "I want." Next is 傾吓 (king1 haa5)
John: This is "to talk about." It’s followed by "those, a little bit."
Siuling: That’s 啲(dik1). The last part is 細節(sai3 zit3)
John: "details." You can use this phrase when you want to talk about details some more.
Siuling: The verb 傾吓 (king1 haa5) is quite colloquial. You can use 討論(tou2 leon6) or 商量(soeng1 loeng4) to make it more formal.
John: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Siuling: Sure. For example, you can say... 簽合約之前,我想傾吓啲細節。(cim1 hap6 joek3 zi1 cin4, ngo5 soeng2 king1 haa5 dik1 sai3 zit3.)
John: ... which means "Before signing the contract, I would like to talk a bit more about the details."
John: Okay, what's the next word?
Siuling: 仲有冇其他?(zung6 jau5 mou5 kei4 taa1?)
John: meaning "Anything else?"
John: This is our final phrase, and let’s break this down like we did with the others.
Siuling: First is 仲(zung6), meaning "still." Next is 有冇(jau5 mou5)
John: This means "have, have not." Finally is "other, else."
Siuling: This is 其他(kei4 taa1). The written form of this phrase is 還有沒有其他?(waan4 jau5 mut6 jau5 kei4 taa1?).
John: You use this to check if someone has everything they need.
Siuling: That’s right.
John: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Siuling: Sure. For example, you can say... 仲有冇其他嘢我可以幫到你?(zung6 jau5 mou5 kei4 taa1 je5 ngo5 ho2 ji5 bong1 dou2 nei5?)
John: ... which means "Is there anything else I can do to help?"
John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus.

Lesson focus

John: In this lesson, you'll learn about making a phone call. When you make a phone call in a business setting, there are some words and phrases that you’re likely to hear.
Siuling: As we said earlier, it’s common to answer the phone by saying 喂 (wai2).
John: "Hello." Then follow this with the name of your company, and a welcoming phrase. Can you give us an example, Siuling?
Siuling: 喂,呢度係藍與綠公司,有乜嘢可以幫到你? (wai2, ni1 dou6 hai6 laam4 jyu5 luk6 gung1 si1, jau5 mat1 je5 ho2 ji5 bong1 dou3 nei5?)
John: "Hello, this is the Green and Blue Company. How may I help you?" You can answer this by giving your name and your company name. For example...
Siuling: 我係日新公司嘅李家明。(ngo5 hai6 jat6 san1 gung1 si1 ge3 lei5 gaa1 ming4.)
John: "This is John Lee from Daily Innovative Company." Next, we’ll look at how to ask for someone over the phone.
Siuling: This is important. Usually, you don’t call the person you want to speak to directly.
John: No, it’s more likely that you’ll speak to a receptionist or an assistant. There are a few ways to ask for a specific person.
Siuling: The first is, 我想搵________。(ngo5 soeng2 wan2 _______.)
John: "I would like to talk to…" You can also say...
Siuling: ________喺度嗎? (_______ hai2 dou6 maa3?)
John: "Is… there?" Our final example is...
Siuling: ________而家方便聽電話嗎? (_______ ji4 gaa1 fong1 bin6 teng1 din6 waa2 maa3?)
John: "Is…. free to speak?"
Siuling: You can ask for someone by name, or by position. For example, 經理 (ging1 lei5)
John: "manager." Next, we’ll hear some examples of things you might be calling about.
Siuling: 你哋開到幾點?(nei5 dei6 hoi1 dou3 gei2 dim2?)
John: "Until what time are you open?"
Siuling: 請問可唔可以訂位? (cing2 man6 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 deng6 wai2?)
John: "Do you guys take reservations?" Here are some phrases you can use if you need to leave a message.
Siuling: 唔該你話畀佢聽我搵過佢。 (m4 goi1 nei5 waa6 bei2 keoi5 teng1 ngo5 wan2 gwo3 keoi5.)
John: "Please let him/her know that I called."
Siuling: 唔該你叫佢打返畀我。(m4 goi1 nei5 giu3 keoi5 daa2 faan1 bei2 ngo5.)
John: "Please tell him/her to call me back." And if you’re taking the message, you might say…
Siuling: 好,我會講畀佢聽。(hou2, ngo5 wui2 gon2 bei2 keoi5 teng1.)
John: "Of course, I will pass him/her the message."

Outro

John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye!
Siuling: 拜拜!(baai1 baai3!)

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