Traditional Chinese - Phone Messages

我打來是想問___。

Wǒ dǎ lái shì xiǎng wèn ___.

I'm calling about ___.

Meaning: I'm calling about ___.

When to use: Use this to politely say the reason you called. 問 (wèn) can mean “ask about,” so it works for many everyday topics.

Tip: Don’t translate “calling about” word by word. In Taiwan Mandarin, 我打來是想問___ (Wǒ dǎ lái shì xiǎng wèn ___) sounds natural.

___什麼時候會回來？

___ shénme shíhòu huì huílái?

When will ___ be back?

Meaning: When will ___ be back?

When to use: Use this when the person you want is not available and you want to know when to call or talk again.

請稍等一下

Qǐng shāo děng yíxià.

Please hold for a moment.

Meaning: Please hold for a moment.

When to use: Use this politely when you need the caller to wait briefly while you check something or find someone.

你聽得到我嗎

Nǐ tīng de dào wǒ ma?

Can you hear me?

Meaning: Can you hear me?

When to use: Use this when the call sounds unstable or you think the other person may not hear you.

Tip: Use 聽得到 (tīng de dào) for “can hear successfully.” It’s more natural here than only saying 聽 (tīng).

訊號不好

Xùnhào bù hǎo.

The line is bad.

Meaning: The line is bad.

When to use: Use this when the phone connection, signal, or audio quality is poor.

我剛剛沒接到你的電話。

Wǒ gānggāng méi jiē dào nǐ de diànhuà.

I missed your call.

Meaning: I missed your call.

When to use: Use this when you call or message someone back after not answering their call.

我收到你的留言了。

Wǒ shōu dào nǐ de liúyán le.

I got your message.

Meaning: I got your message.

When to use: Use this to confirm that you received a voicemail or phone message.

我會幫你轉告___。

Wǒ huì bāng nǐ zhuǎngào ___.

I'll give ___ the message.

Meaning: I'll give ___ the message.

When to use: Use this when someone calls for another person and you promise to pass along the message.

Tip: 轉告 (zhuǎngào) means “pass along a message.” It is not the same as 告訴 (gàosù), which simply means “tell.”

請在嗶聲後留言。

Qǐng zài bī shēng hòu liúyán.

Please leave a message after the beep.

Meaning: Please leave a message after the beep.

When to use: Use or recognize this as a standard voicemail prompt.