Learn how to apologize at work
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to CantoneseClass101.com. This is Business Cantonese for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 15 - Missing a Deadline in Hong Kong. John here. |
| Siuling: 大家好！(daai6 gaa1 hou2!) I'm Siuling. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn learn how to apologize at work. The conversation takes place at an office. |
| Siuling: It's between Linda and Mark. |
| John: The speakers are co-workers, therefore, they will speak informal Cantonese. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| 張麗珊: 點解呢個計劃仲未準備好？ 我兩個星期前話咗要㗎！ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: dim2 gaai2 ni1 go3 gai3 waak6 zung6 mei6 zeon2 bei6 hou2? ngo5 loeng5 go3 sing1 kei4 cin4 waa6 zo2 jiu3 gaa3!) |
| 馬家輝: 好對唔住，但係我哋嘅印刷商仲未批價。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: hou2 deoi3 m4 zyu6, daan6 hai6 ngo5 dei6 ge3 jan3 caat3 soeng1 zung6 mei6 pai1 gaa3.) |
| 張麗珊: 新產品會喺三個星期後推出市場，我哋要之前就準備好小冊子同目錄。 |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: san1 caan2 ban2 wui2 hai2 saam1 go3 sing1 kei4 hau6 teoi1 ceot1 si5 coeng4, ngo5 dei6 jiu3 zi1 cin4 zau6 zeon2 bei6 hou2 siu2 caak3 zi2 tung4 muk6 luk6.) |
| 馬家輝: 我明白，搞到咁我真係好對唔住。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: ngo5 ming4 baak6, gaau2 dou3 gam3 ngo5 zan1 hai6 hou2 deoi3 m4 zyu6.) |
| 張麗珊: 咁我批貨幾時先到？ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: gam3 ngo5 pai1 fo3 gei2 si4 sin1 dou3?) |
| 馬家輝: 我哋會盡力喺一星期內將你批貨送到。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: ngo5 dei6 wui2 zeon6 lik6 hai2 jat1 sing1 kei4 noi6 zoeng1 nei5 pai1 fo3 sung3 dou3.) |
| John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| 張麗珊: 點解呢個計劃仲未準備好？ 我兩個星期前話咗要㗎！ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: dim2 gaai2 ni1 go3 gai3 waak6 zung6 mei6 zeon2 bei6 hou2? ngo5 loeng5 go3 sing1 kei4 cin4 waa6 zo2 jiu3 gaa3!) |
| 馬家輝: 好對唔住，但係我哋嘅印刷商仲未批價。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: hou2 deoi3 m4 zyu6, daan6 hai6 ngo5 dei6 ge3 jan3 caat3 soeng1 zung6 mei6 pai1 gaa3.) |
| 張麗珊: 新產品會喺三個星期後推出市場，我哋要之前就準備好小冊子同目錄。 |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: san1 caan2 ban2 wui2 hai2 saam1 go3 sing1 kei4 hau6 teoi1 ceot1 si5 coeng4, ngo5 dei6 jiu3 zi1 cin4 zau6 zeon2 bei6 hou2 siu2 caak3 zi2 tung4 muk6 luk6.) |
| 馬家輝: 我明白，搞到咁我真係好對唔住。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: ngo5 ming4 baak6, gaau2 dou3 gam3 ngo5 zan1 hai6 hou2 deoi3 m4 zyu6.) |
| 張麗珊: 咁我批貨幾時先到？ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: gam3 ngo5 pai1 fo3 gei2 si4 sin1 dou3?) |
| 馬家輝: 我哋會盡力喺一星期內將你批貨送到。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: ngo5 dei6 wui2 zeon6 lik6 hai2 jat1 sing1 kei4 noi6 zoeng1 nei5 pai1 fo3 sung3 dou3.) |
| John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation |
| 張麗珊: 點解呢個計劃仲未準備好？ 我兩個星期前話咗要㗎！ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: dim2 gaai2 ni1 go3 gai3 waak6 zung6 mei6 zeon2 bei6 hou2? ngo5 loeng5 go3 sing1 kei4 cin4 waa6 zo2 jiu3 gaa3!) |
| Linda: Why is this project not ready yet? I asked for it two weeks ago. |
| 馬家輝: 好對唔住，但係我哋嘅印刷商仲未批價。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: hou2 deoi3 m4 zyu6, daan6 hai6 ngo5 dei6 ge3 jan3 caat3 soeng1 zung6 mei6 pai1 gaa3.) |
| Mark: I'm terribly sorry, but our printery hasn’t priced the service yet. |
| 張麗珊: 新產品會喺三個星期後推出市場，我哋要之前就準備好小冊子同目錄。 |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: san1 caan2 ban2 wui2 hai2 saam1 go3 sing1 kei4 hau6 teoi1 ceot1 si5 coeng4, ngo5 dei6 jiu3 zi1 cin4 zau6 zeon2 bei6 hou2 siu2 caak3 zi2 tung4 muk6 luk6.) |
| Linda: The new product will be on the market in three weeks. We need to have the pamphlets and catalogs ready by then. |
| 馬家輝: 我明白，搞到咁我真係好對唔住。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: ngo5 ming4 baak6, gaau2 dou3 gam3 ngo5 zan1 hai6 hou2 deoi3 m4 zyu6.) |
| Mark: I understand, and I'm sorry for this situation. |
| 張麗珊: 咁我批貨幾時先到？ |
| (zoeng1 lai6 saan1: gam3 ngo5 pai1 fo3 gei2 si4 sin1 dou3?) |
| Linda: When can I expect a finished product? |
| 馬家輝: 我哋會盡力喺一星期內將你批貨送到。 |
| (maa5 gaa1 fai1: ngo5 dei6 wui2 zeon6 lik6 hai2 jat1 sing1 kei4 noi6 zoeng1 nei5 pai1 fo3 sung3 dou3.) |
| Mark: We will do our best to deliver the materials you ordered within a week. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: What is it like in Hong Kong for those who don’t want to be permanent workers? |
| Siuling: You mean freelancers and contractors? |
| John: That’s right. When I think of business people in Hong Kong, I think of permanent employees. |
| Siuling: Yes, I think there is that image. There’s a growing number of freelancers, though. |
| John: Freelancing is popular because you can choose your own working patterns and take breaks between projects. |
| Siuling: Yes, or take time off to travel. Being a freelancer or contractor gives you that flexibility. |
| John: But isn’t Hong Kong full of banks and other financial institutes? They don’t want contractors or freelancers, do they? |
| Siuling: Some of them are looking into it as a way of reducing headcounts. |
| John: That’s good to hear! I presume that any foreigner working in Hong Kong needs a visa. |
| Siuling: Or a work permit, yes. Once you have a job offer, getting the visa is usually straightforward. |
| John: How long does it take the Hong Kong immigration service to process a new visa? |
| Siuling: Usually around 7-8 weeks. |
| 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: 仲未(zung6 mei6) [natural native speed] |
| John: not yet |
| Siuling: 仲未(zung6 mei6) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 仲未(zung6 mei6) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 批價(pai1 gaa3) [natural native speed] |
| John: to price the service |
| Siuling: 批價(pai1 gaa3) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 批價(pai1 gaa3) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 後(hau6) [natural native speed] |
| John: after |
| Siuling: 後(hau6) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 後(hau6) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 推出(teoi1 ceot1) [natural native speed] |
| John: to release |
| Siuling: 推出(teoi1 ceot1) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 推出(teoi1 ceot1) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 市場(si5 coeng4) [natural native speed] |
| John: market |
| Siuling: 市場(si5 coeng4) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 市場(si5 coeng4) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 新產品(san1 caan2 ban2) [natural native speed] |
| John: new product |
| Siuling: 新產品(san1 caan2 ban2) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 新產品(san1 caan2 ban2) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 小冊子(siu2 caak3 zi2) [natural native speed] |
| John: pamphlet |
| Siuling: 小冊子(siu2 caak3 zi2) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 小冊子(siu2 caak3 zi2) [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Siuling: 目錄(muk6 luk6) [natural native speed] |
| John: catalog |
| Siuling: 目錄(muk6 luk6) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 目錄(muk6 luk6) [natural native speed] |
| John: And last... |
| Siuling: 内(noi6) [natural native speed] |
| John: within |
| Siuling: 内(noi6) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Siuling: 内(noi6) [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: 推出新產品(teoi1 ceot1 san1 caan2 ban2) |
| John: meaning "to release a new product." |
| John: Let’s break this phrase down. |
| Siuling: First is 推出(teoi1 ceot1), which means "to release." Next is 新(san1). |
| John: This is "new." The last part is "product." |
| Siuling: That is 產品(caan2 ban2). 推出(teoi1 ceot1) is a verb which means "launch or release" |
| John: You can put the product name right after this verb. |
| Siuling: Yes, such as 推出新iPhone (teoi1 ceot1 san1 iPhone) "launch a new iPhone." |
| John: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Siuling: Sure. For example, you can say... 推出新產品，有助增加公司嘅營業額。(teoi1 ceot1 san1 caan2 ban2, jau5 zo6 zang1 gaa1 gung1 si1 ge3 jing4 jip6 ngaak2.) |
| John: ...which means "Releasing new products will increase the sales of the company." |
| John: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Siuling: 仲未搞掂(zung6 mei6 gaau2 dim6) |
| John: meaning "haven't completed it yet" |
| John: Let’s break this phrase down too. |
| Siuling: First is 仲(zung6), which means "still; yet." Next is 未(mei6) |
| John: This means "not." The last part is "to finish, to complete the job." |
| Siuling: That is 搞掂(gaau2 dim6). |
| John: You use this phrase to tell someone that an expected job hasn’t been finished yet. |
| Siuling: You can also use 搞掂(gaau2 dim6) to tell people that the job has been done. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Siuling: Sure. For example, you can say... 我今日又要加班, 因為好多嘢仲未搞掂。(ngo5 gam1 jat6 jau6 jiu3 gaa1 baan1, jan1 wai6 hou2 do1 je5 zung6 mei6 gaau2 dim6.) |
| John: ... which means "I have to work overtime again today because there are lots of things that haven't been completed yet." |
| John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn about apologizing for missing the deadline. |
| John: You might know some ways to apologize in Cantonese already. |
| Siuling: The easiest one is 對唔住 (deoi3 m4 zyu6). |
| John: "I’m sorry." In this lesson, we’ll show you how to apologize in a business setting. |
| Siuling: The adverbs 好 (hou2) "really" and 真係 (zan1 hai6) "truly; really" are very useful |
| John: What would a good, sincere apology sound like? |
| Siuling: 真係好對唔住。(zan1 hai6 hou2 deoi3 m4 zyu6) |
| John: "I’m terribly sorry." |
| Siuling: You can also use 唔好意思 (m4 hou2 ji3 si1). |
| John: "Excuse me, sorry for the trouble." Let’s hear one more example. |
| Siuling: 遲咗送貨，真係對唔住。(ci4 zo2 sung3 fo3, zan1 hai6 deoi3 m4 zyu6.) |
| John: "I'm sorry for the late delivery." Next, we’ll move onto talking about deadlines. |
| Siuling: We’ll begin with looking at deadlines involving weeks. |
| John: How do we say "within one week?" |
| Siuling: 一個星期之內 (jat1 go3 sing1 kei4 zi1 noi6) |
| John: How about "within two weeks?" |
| Siuling: 兩個星期之內 (loeng5 go3 sing1 kei4 zi1 noi6) |
| John: Let’s look at months now. |
| Siuling: 一個月之內 (jat1 go3 jyut6 zi1 noi6) |
| John: That means "within a month." |
| Siuling: 兩個月之內 (loeng5 go3 jyut6 zi1 noi6) |
| John: "within two months." All of these time expressions have something in common. |
| Siuling: All the time expressions are followed by either 內 (noi6) or 之內(zi1 noi6). |
| John: They both mean "within." Now, let’s hear an example in a sentence. |
| Siuling: 我哋會一星期之內通知你。(ngo5 dei6 wui2 jat1 sing1 kei4 zi1 noi6 tung1 zi1 nei5.) |
| John: "We will let you know within one week." |
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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