Learn how to ask for help
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| Business Cantonese for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 13 - Asking a Coworker for Help in Cantonese |
| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to CantoneseClass101.com. This is Business Cantonese for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 13 - Asking a Coworker for Help in Cantonese. John here. |
| Siuling: 大家好！(daai6 gaa1 hou2!) I'm Siuling. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask for help. The conversation takes place at an office. |
| Siuling: It's between Mark and Linda. |
| John: The speakers are co-workers, therefore, they will speak informal Cantonese. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| 馬家輝: 你可唔可以幫我搞掂呢份協議書？ |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 gaau2 dim6 ni1 fan6 hip3 ji5 syu1?) |
| 張麗珊: 冇問題，等我覆埋啲電郵先，最後限期係幾時？ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: mou5 man6 tai4, dang2 ngo5 fuk1 maai4 di1 din6 jau4 sin1, zeoi3 hau6 haan3 kei4 hai6 gei2 si4?) |
| 馬家輝: 琴日，但係你知啦，遲到好過冇到嘛！ |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: kam4 jat6, daan6 hai6 nei5 zi1 laa1, ci4 dou3 hou2 gwo3 mou5 dou3 maa3!) |
| 張麗珊: 好啦，唔該你e-mail畀我，食完晏我會睇睇。 |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: hou2 laa1, m4 goi1 nei5 e-mail bei2 ngo5, sik6 jyun4 ngaan3 ngo5 wui2 tai2 tai2.) |
| 馬家輝: 太好啦！你可唔可以幫我睇埋個財政報告？ |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: taai3 hou2 laa3! nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 tai2 maai4 go3 coi4 zing3 bou3 gou3?) |
| 張麗珊: 你搞唔掂咩？ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: nei5 gaau2 m4 dim6 me1?) |
| 馬家輝: 我下星期要同財政總監開會，我會好感激你嘅幫忙。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: ngo5 haa6 sing1 kei4 jiu3 tung4 coi4 zing3 zung2 gaam1 hoi1 wui2, ngo5 wui2 hou2 gam2 gik1 nei5 ge3 bong1 mong4.) |
| 張麗珊: 好啦！我同你睇睇。 |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: hou2 laa1! ngo5 tung4 nei5 tai2 tai2.) |
| John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| 馬家輝: 你可唔可以幫我搞掂呢份協議書？ |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 gaau2 dim6 ni1 fan6 hip3 ji5 syu1?) |
| 張麗珊: 冇問題，等我覆埋啲電郵先，最後限期係幾時？ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: mou5 man6 tai4, dang2 ngo5 fuk1 maai4 di1 din6 jau4 sin1, zeoi3 hau6 haan3 kei4 hai6 gei2 si4?) |
| 馬家輝: 琴日，但係你知啦，遲到好過冇到嘛！ |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: kam4 jat6, daan6 hai6 nei5 zi1 laa1, ci4 dou3 hou2 gwo3 mou5 dou3 maa3!) |
| 張麗珊: 好啦，唔該你e-mail畀我，食完晏我會睇睇。 |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: hou2 laa1, m4 goi1 nei5 e-mail bei2 ngo5, sik6 jyun4 ngaan3 ngo5 wui2 tai2 tai2.) |
| 馬家輝: 太好啦！你可唔可以幫我睇埋個財政報告？ |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: taai3 hou2 laa3! nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 tai2 maai4 go3 coi4 zing3 bou3 gou3?) |
| 張麗珊: 你搞唔掂咩？ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: nei5 gaau2 m4 dim6 me1?) |
| 馬家輝: 我下星期要同財政總監開會，我會好感激你嘅幫忙。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: ngo5 haa6 sing1 kei4 jiu3 tung4 coi4 zing3 zung2 gaam1 hoi1 wui2, ngo5 wui2 hou2 gam2 gik1 nei5 ge3 bong1 mong4.) |
| 張麗珊: 好啦！我同你睇睇。 |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: hou2 laa1! ngo5 tung4 nei5 tai2 tai2.) |
| John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation. |
| 馬家輝: 你可唔可以幫我搞掂呢份協議書？ |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 gaau2 dim6 ni1 fan6 hip3 ji5 syu1?) |
| Mark: Would you help me with this settlement? |
| 張麗珊: 冇問題，等我覆埋啲電郵先，最後限期係幾時？ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: mou5 man6 tai4, dang2 ngo5 fuk1 maai4 di1 din6 jau4 sin1, zeoi3 hau6 haan3 kei4 hai6 gei2 si4?) |
| Linda: No problem, I just need to answer some e-mails. When is the deadline? |
| 馬家輝: 琴日，但係你知啦，遲到好過冇到嘛！ |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: kam4 jat6, daan6 hai6 nei5 zi1 laa1, ci4 dou3 hou2 gwo3 mou5 dou3 maa3!) |
| Mark: Yesterday, but you know, better late than never. |
| 張麗珊: 好啦，唔該你e-mail畀我，食完晏我會睇睇。 |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: hou2 laa1, m4 goi1 nei5 e-mail bei2 ngo5, sik6 jyun4 ngaan3 ngo5 wui2 tai2 tai2.) |
| Linda: Okay, send it to my e-mail, please. I will look at it after lunch. |
| 馬家輝: 太好啦！你可唔可以幫我睇埋個財政報告？ |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: taai3 hou2 laa3! nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 tai2 maai4 go3 coi4 zing3 bou3 gou3?) |
| Mark: Great! Could you also help me with this financial report? |
| 張麗珊: 你搞唔掂咩？ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: nei5 gaau2 m4 dim6 me1?) |
| Linda: Can't you handle it? |
| 馬家輝: 我下星期要同財政總監開會，我會好感激你嘅幫忙。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: ngo5 haa6 sing1 kei4 jiu3 tung4 coi4 zing3 zung2 gaam1 hoi1 wui2, ngo5 wui2 hou2 gam2 gik1 nei5 ge3 bong1 mong4.) |
| Mark: I have a meeting with the financial director next week, and I'd really appreciate your help. |
| 張麗珊: 好啦！我同你睇睇。 |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: hou2 laa1! ngo5 tung4 nei5 tai2 tai2.) |
| Linda: Okay, I'll check. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: Mark had a lot of requests for Linda. |
| Siuling: Yes, he needed a lot of help. |
| John: Do you have any tips for us when it comes to asking colleagues for help? |
| Siuling: If you ask for help, try to provide a solution, too. |
| John: That’s a good idea. It makes it sound like you’ve thought through the problem yourself instead of just dumping it on your colleague. |
| Siuling: Yes. It also shows that maybe you can do the job together. |
| John: If you always ask for help, that’s not going to reflect well on you. |
| Siuling: No, it’ll make it seem like you don’t know how to do your job. |
| John: But, if you help others, that will reflect well on you, even if you need to ask for help sometimes. |
| Siuling: Try to help others if you can. |
| John: How can we say "May I ask you a favor?" |
| Siuling: 我想請你幫我一個忙。(ngo5 soeng2 cing2 nei5 bong1 ngo5 jat1 go3 mong4.) |
| 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: 幫(bong1) [natural native speed] |
| John: to help |
| Siuling: 幫(bong1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 幫(bong1) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 搞掂(gaau2 dim6) [natural native speed] |
| John: to get something done |
| Siuling: 搞掂(gaau2 dim6) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 搞掂(gaau2 dim6) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 協議書(hip3 ji5 syu1) [natural native speed] |
| John: agreement; settlement |
| Siuling: 協議書(hip3 ji5 syu1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 協議書(hip3 ji5 syu1) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 覆(fuk1) [natural native speed] |
| John: to reply |
| Siuling: 覆(fuk1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 覆(fuk1) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 電郵(din6 jau4) [natural native speed] |
| John: e-mail |
| Siuling: 電郵(din6 jau4) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 電郵(din6 jau4) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 幫忙(bong1 mong4) [natural native speed] |
| John: help; assistance |
| Siuling: 幫忙(bong1 mong4) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 幫忙(bong1 mong4) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 財政報告(coi4 zing3 bou3 gou3) [natural native speed] |
| John: financial report |
| Siuling: 財政報告(coi4 zing3 bou3 gou3) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 財政報告(coi4 zing3 bou3 gou3) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 財政總監(coi4 zing3 zung2 gaam1) [natural native speed] |
| John: financial director |
| Siuling: 財政總監(coi4 zing3 zung2 gaam1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 財政總監(coi4 zing3 zung2 gaam1) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 開會(hoi1 wui2) [natural native speed] |
| John: meeting |
| Siuling: 開會(hoi1 wui2) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 開會(hoi1 wui2) [natural native speed] |
| John: And last... |
| Siuling: 感激 (gam2 gik1) [natural native speed] |
| John: grateful; to appreciate, to be grateful |
| Siuling: 感激 (gam2 gik1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 感激 (gam2 gik1) [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: 覆電郵(fuk1 din6 jau4) |
| John: meaning "to reply to an e-mail." |
| John: Let’s break down this phrase. |
| Siuling: First is 覆(fuk1), which means "reply." Next is 電郵(din6 jau4) |
| John: This means "email." |
| Siuling: Literally 電(din6) means "electricity" and 郵(jau4) is "mail." |
| John: So you can see where "e-mail" comes from there! |
| Siuling: You can also say 回電郵(wui4 din6 jau4) |
| John: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Siuling: Sure. For example, you can say... 我嘅主要工作係覆電郵。(ngo5 ge3 zyu2 jiu3 gung1 zok3 hai6 fuk1 din6 jau4.) |
| John: ... which means "My main task is to reply to e-mails." |
| John: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Siuling: 協議書(hip3 ji5 syu1) |
| John: meaning "agreement; settlement." |
| John: This refers to a written document between two or more parties. |
| Siuling: First is 協(hip3), which means "agree, assist, coordinate." Next is 議 (ji5). |
| John: This means "discuss, suggestion." The last part means "book, document." |
| Siuling: That is 書(syu1). |
| John: A phrase that uses this word is "confidentiality agreement." |
| Siuling: 保密協議書(bou2 mat6 hip3 ji5 syu1) |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Siuling: Sure. For example, you can say... 雙方同意簽署協議書。(soeng1 fong1 tung4 ji3 cim1 cyu5 hip3 ji5 syu1.) |
| John: ... which means "Both of them agree to sign the settlement." |
| John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn about asking for help from your coworker. |
| John: If you need help from a coworker, make sure to ask them instead of just demanding they help. |
| Siuling: You can start by saying 你可唔可以幫我 (nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5). |
| John: "Would you help me?" You can use this sentence in more than just business. |
| Siuling: It’s a useful phrase. You can add your purpose after 你可唔可以幫我 (nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5). |
| John: Let’s hear some examples using this phrase. |
| Siuling: 你可唔可以幫我影印呢份文件？ (nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 jing2 jan3 ni1 fan6 man4 gin2?) |
| John: "Would you help me to photocopy this document?" |
| Siuling: 你可唔可以幫我訂去日本公幹嘅機票？ (nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 deng6 heoi3 jat6 bun2 gung1 gon3 ge3 gei1 piu3?) |
| John: "Would you help me to book the flight tickets for the business trip to Japan?" |
| Siuling: 你可唔可以幫我打電話畀日新公司嘅陳小姐？ (nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5 daa2 din6 waa2 bei2 jat6 san1 gung1 si1 ge3 can4 siu2 ze2?) |
| John: "Would you help me to make a phone call to Ms. Chan of the Daily Innovative Company?" |
| Siuling: Remember, you can use the phrase on it’s own, too. 你可唔可以幫我 (nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 bong1 ngo5) |
| John: Yes, that might be all you need! "Would you help me?" If someone does help you, you need to say "thank you." |
| Siuling: There are several ways to do that in Cantonese. |
| John: Can you give us some examples? |
| Siuling: Sure! 唔該晒。(m4 goi1 saai3.) |
| John: "Thank you." |
| Siuling: 唔該晒你。(m4 goi1 saai3 nei5.) |
| John: "Thank you." |
| Siuling: 我真係好感激你。(ngo5 zan1 hai6 hou2 gam2 gik1 nei5.) |
| John: "I am really grateful to you." |
| Siuling: 我好感激你嘅幫忙。(ngo5 hou2 gam2 gik1 nei5 ge3 bong1 mong4.) |
| John: "I am really grateful for your help." |
| Siuling: 好彩有你幫手，唔該晒。(hou2 coi2 jau5 nei5 bong1 sau2, m4 goi1 saai3.) |
| John: "I am so lucky to have had your help, thank you." |
| Siuling: 你真係幫咗我一個大忙。(nei5 zan1 hai6 bong1 zo2 ngo5 jat1 go3 daai6 mong4.) |
| John: "You have been a great help to me." |
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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