Small talk in the office, pantry or dinner table is commonplace, and even a great foundation for building a connection at work. If you are a foreign businessman or want to enter a foreign business in the future, or often need to communicate with some foreign windows, you must learn some practical terms, so that you will not run out of words. The following is a list of some practical spoken words that are often spoken by native Chinese speakers, but may not know how to say them when converted into English, so learn them quickly!
01.
Forget it
Sometimes, when we chat, when we feel helpless, or when we feel that something is not solved at all, we will say, "Forget it." Depending on the context, there are several counterwords in English that are similar to "forget it". Include:
Forget it
“I was hoping to catch the last train, but I missed it by a minute. Forget it, I’ll call a taxi instead.”
"I wanted to take the last train back, but I was a minute late. Forget it, I'll call a taxi. 」
Give up
“I’ve been chasing after her for months, but she never reciprocates my feelings.” “Give up, it’s clear she’s not interested.”
"I've been chasing her for months, but she's never reciprocated my feelings. 」
"Forget it/Give up, it's clear she's just not interested. 」
02.
I'm not in the state
Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I feel that this place is weird, there is weird, the whole person is wrong, in fact, I can't explain what it is, I forget what I want, and my work is also very boring. You can express this "absence" situation in these sentences:
not feeling myself
“I’m not feeling myself today.”
"I'm not in shape today / I'm not in good shape today. 」
not in the mood
“I wanted to start on that project, but I’m not in the mood for it right now. I’ll tackle it tomorrow when I feel more motivated.”
"I wanted to start working on that project, but I'm not really in the mood right now. I'll deal with it tomorrow when I feel more motivated. 」
03.
Off topic
There are many people in the office, whether it is a meeting or ordinary small talk, a group of ginseng comes in, and it is likely that they will not know where to talk after chatting. When you want to remind people that they are "off topic", you can use these relevant words:
off-topic
“We’re getting off-topic now.”
"We're off topic. 」
to lose focus
“As we delved deeper into the project details, Tom began to lose focus, steering the conversation toward unrelated topics.”
"As we got into the details of the project, Tom became distracted and started talking about topics that weren't topical. 」
04.
I didn't mean to
There are many people in the office, and it is inevitable that there will be some misunderstandings. For example, if you find that you forgot to add a colleague to a LINE group, you got something wrong, or you were late for a meeting because you misremembered the time. "I didn't mean to" is a lot of related phrases in English:
an honest mistake
“Sorry, it’s an honest mistake.”
"I'm sorry, that was an unintentional mistake. 」
on purpose
“When my coworker accused me of taking credit for their idea, I explained, “I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sorry for the confusion.”
"When my colleague accused me of taking credit for their idea, I explained: 'I didn't mean to, and I'm sorry for the confusion. 」
05.
Make an appointment another day
It is common for colleagues to have lunch dinners, after-work dinners, and KTV singing, but if you are not in the right mood today, or happen to be busy, how can you politely say "make an appointment another day" in English?
can’t make it
“I can’t make it today. I’m feeling unwell and need to rest at home.”
"I can't go today, I don't feel well, I have to go home and rest. 」
reschedule for another day
“Hey, sorry, but I can’t make it today. Can we reschedule for another day?”
"Hey, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be able to go today. Can we change the appointment to another day?"