Chinese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 11 of 12
Phone calls and messages
打电话，发消息Dǎ diànhuà, fā xiāoxi
Make a phone call in Chinese: ask for someone, leave a message, say how your surname is written and ask someone to call you back or send you something.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask for someone on the phone and leave a message
- Say “call him”, “send me” with 给 (gěi)
- Ask someone to do something with 让 (ràng)
- Explain how your surname is written
Listen
Pan Lili phones a travel agency in Suzhou to speak to Mr Du. Later, Mr Du sends her a WeChat message. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Receptionist
喂，您好，江南旅行社。
Wéi, nín hǎo, Jiāngnán Lǚxíngshè.
Hello, Jiangnan Travel Agency.
Pan Lili
您好。请问杜先生在吗？
Nín hǎo. Qǐngwèn Dù xiānsheng zài ma?
Hello. Is Mr Du there, please?
Receptionist
他正在开会呢。您是哪位？
Tā zhèngzài kāihuì ne. Nín shì nǎ wèi?
He's in a meeting right now. Who's calling, please?
Pan Lili
我是潘丽丽。我可以给他留言吗？
Wǒ shì Pān Lìlì. Wǒ kěyǐ gěi tā liúyán ma?
This is Pan Lili. Can I leave him a message?
Receptionist
可以。您姓潘？哪个潘？
Kěyǐ. Nín xìng Pān? Nǎge Pān?
Of course. Your surname is Pan? Which Pan?
Pan Lili
三点水的潘。
Sān diǎn shuǐ de Pān.
Pan with the three-dot water radical.
Receptionist
好的。您的号码是这个吗？
Hǎo de. Nín de hàomǎ shì zhège ma?
Thank you. Is this your number?
Pan Lili
对。请让他给我回电话。
Duì. Qǐng ràng tā gěi wǒ huí diànhuà.
Yes. Please ask him to call me back.
Receptionist
好的，我会转告他。
Hǎo de, wǒ huì zhuǎngào tā.
Certainly, I'll pass the message on to him.
Mr Du
您好，我是江南旅行社的杜明。不好意思，上午我在开会。
Nín hǎo, wǒ shì Jiāngnán Lǚxíngshè de Dù Míng. Bù hǎoyìsi, shàngwǔ wǒ zài kāihuì.
Hello, this is Du Ming from Jiangnan Travel Agency. Sorry, I was in a meeting this morning.
Pan Lili
谢谢您的消息！我明天想去一下旅行社。请把地址发给我，好吗？
Xièxie nín de xiāoxi! Wǒ míngtiān xiǎng qù yíxià lǚxíngshè. Qǐng bǎ dìzhǐ fā gěi wǒ, hǎo ma?
Thank you for your message. I'd like to come to the agency tomorrow. Could you send me the address, please?
Mr Du
好的，我现在发给您。明天见。
Hǎo de, wǒ xiànzài fā gěi nín. Míngtiān jiàn.
Of course, I'll send it to you now. See you tomorrow.
Understand
On the phone
Chinese phone calls start with (wéi), hello. As a way of calling out to someone, the same character is wèi, but on the phone people say it with a rising tone. To ask for someone, say (qǐngwèn… zài ma?), is… there? (xiānsheng), Mr, and (nǚshì), Ms, go after the surname: (Dù xiānsheng), Mr Du. Say who you are with (wǒ shì…), this is…; the other person may ask (Nín shì nǎ wèi?), who's calling?
(zhèngzài… ne), from chapter 6, explains why someone can't come to the phone: (tā zhèngzài kāihuì ne), he's in a meeting right now. If you've called the wrong number, you'll hear (nín dǎcuò le).
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (Wéi, nín hǎo.) | Hello. |
| (Qǐngwèn Wáng jīnglǐ zài ma?) | Is Manager Wang there, please? |
| (Wǒ kěyǐ liúyán ma?) | Can I leave a message? |
| (Nín dǎcuò le.) | You've got the wrong number. |
给 and 让: call him, ask him to
(gěi) + person comes before the verb to say who something is for or to: (gěi tā dǎ diànhuà), call him; (gěi wǒ fā xiāoxi), send me a message; (gěi wǒ huí diànhuà), call me back.
(ràng) + person + verb means “to have someone do something”: (qǐng ràng tā gěi wǒ huí diànhuà), please ask him to call me back. With 把 from chapter 7, (bǎ… fā gěi…) means “send… to…”: (bǎ dìzhǐ fā gěi wǒ), send me the address.
- 我明天给你打电话。Wǒ míngtiān gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.I'll call you tomorrow.
- 妈妈让我给她发消息。Māma ràng wǒ gěi tā fā xiāoxi.Mum asked me to send her a message.
- 请把你的电话号码发给我。Qǐng bǎ nǐ de diànhuà hàomǎ fā gěi wǒ.Please send me your phone number.
Which Pan? Saying how your name is written
Many Chinese surnames sound the same, so people explain which character they mean. Ask (Nín xìng shénme?), what's your surname?, and (nǎge…?), which one? (xìng) means “to be surnamed”.
The answer describes the parts of the character: (gōng cháng Zhāng) is 张 made of 弓 and 长; (mù zǐ Lǐ) is 李 made of 木 and 子. Or name the part on the side, like (sān diǎn shuǐ de Pān), Pan with the water radical: 氵, three dots.
| Surname | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (Zhāng) | (gōng cháng Zhāng) | 弓 (bow) + 长 (long) |
| (Lǐ) | (mù zǐ Lǐ) | 木 (tree) + 子 (child) |
| (Dù) | (mù tǔ Dù) | 木 (tree) + 土 (earth) |
| (Pān) | (sān diǎn shuǐ de Pān) | 氵, the water radical |
More in the grammar: The 把 construction · 在, 正在 and 着
New words
- 喂wéihello (on the phone) · (Nín shì nǎ wèi?), who's calling? (lǚxíngshè), travel agency
- 在吗zài mais… there? · (Dù xiānsheng zài ma?), is Mr Du there?
- 正在zhèngzài(be) in the middle of doing · often with (ne) at the end
- 开会kāihuìto have a meeting, to be in a meeting
- 留言liúyánto leave a message; a message
- 给gěito, for (a person, before the verb) · (gěi tā dǎ diànhuà), to call him
- 号码hàomǎnumber (phone, room) · (diànhuà hàomǎ), phone number
- 让ràngto let; to have (someone do something) · (ràng tā huí diànhuà), have him call back
- 回电话huí diànhuàto call back · (gěi wǒ huí diànhuà), call me back
- 转告zhuǎngàoto pass on (a message)
- 消息xiāoximessage (text); news · (fā xiāoxi), to send a message
- 发fāto send · (fā gěi wǒ), send (it) to me
- 地址dìzhǐaddress
- 打错了dǎcuò lewrong number · (nín dǎcuò le), you've got the wrong number
Practise
1.You want to know if Ms Wang is there. What do you say?
2.Put the words in order: please ask him to call me back.
Tap the words below in the right order.Please ask him to call me back.
3.Match the phone phrases.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.How do you say “I'll call you tomorrow”?
5.Put the words in order: please send me the address.
Tap the words below in the right order.Please send me the address.
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
喂，您好。请问杜先生在吗？
Wéi, nín hǎo. Qǐngwèn Dù xiānsheng zài ma?
Hello. Is Mr Du there, please?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.