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Scene illustrating a Traditional Chinese-language dispute with taxi driver conversation

Key Phrases

我們應該

wǒ men yīng gāi

We should

快速道路

kuài sù dào lù

Expressway

我比較趕時間

wǒ bǐ jiào gǎn shí jiān

I'm in a hurry

Skills You'll Learn

Navigating directions

導航方向

dǎo háng fāng xiàng

Expressing urgency

表達緊急

biǎo dá jǐn jí

Agreeing and suggesting

同意和建議

tóng yì hé jiàn yì

Lesson Roleplay

Imagine you are in a taxi having a conversation with the driver about which route to take. You suggest taking the expressway because you are in a hurry, but the driver advises against it due to potential traffic and ongoing maintenance work. You express your surprise and eventually agree to follow the driver's recommendation to take the side roads.

司機,我們應該走快速道路。

sī jī wǒ men yīng gāi zǒu kuài sù dào lù

Driver, we should take the expressway.

但是這條路會堵車,小路比較快。

dàn shì zhè tiáo lù huì dǔ chē xiǎo lù bǐ jiào kuài

But this road will have traffic. The side roads are faster.

快速道路不會堵,我比較趕時間。

kuài sù dào lù bù huì dǔ wǒ bǐ jiào gǎn shí jiān

The expressway won't be jammed. I'm in a hurry.

可是現在快速道路有維修,確定要走那條路嗎?

kě shì xiàn zài kuài sù dào lù yǒu wéi xiū què dìng yào zǒu nà tiáo lù ma

However, the expressway is under maintenance now. Are you sure you want to take that route?

真的嗎?我沒有聽說。

zhēn de ma wǒ méi yǒu tīng shuō

Really? I didn't hear about that.

Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases

🚗

司機

sī jī

Driver

🇹🇼 In Taiwan, [司機] is a normal, polite way to address a taxi driver directly, like saying "driver." It's useful when you want to disagree without sounding too blunt: [司機,這條路會堵車嗎?]

See breakdown →
👫

我

wǒ

We

💬 [我] means "I" by itself; add [們] to make it plural: [我們] = "we." The same pattern works with other pronouns too, like [你們] "you all" and [他們] "they."

See breakdown →
➕

們

men

(plural marker for pronouns)

💬 [們] makes pronouns plural: [我] → [我們], [你] → [你們]. You usually won't use [們] with just any noun in everyday speech.

See breakdown →
🤔➡️

應該

yīng gāi

Should

💬 [應該] is the usual way to say "should" before a verb or action: [應該走快速道路], [應該先問司機]. It sounds like advice or what seems right, not a strict command.

See breakdown →
👥🧑‍💼

我們應該

wǒ men yīng gāi

We should

💬 Chinese often puts the person first, then [應該], then the action: [我們應該走小路]. You can swap in other subjects the same way, like [你應該問清楚].

See breakdown →
👐

走

zǒu

Take

💬 [走] often means "go by" or "take" a route, not just "walk." So [走快速道路] means "take the expressway," and [走這條路] means "go this way."

See breakdown →
⚡

快速

kuài sù

Quick

See breakdown →
🛣️

道路

dào lù

Road

See breakdown →
🛣️💨

快速道路

kuài sù dào lù

Expressway

💬 [快速道路] is a set phrase for an express road/expressway in Taiwan. You'll often hear it after [走]: [走快速道路] = "take the expressway."

See breakdown →
🚀

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