Are you emotionally prepared to talk to me on the phone?

[Shi Tong]

If the doctor says it as you stand anxiously outside intensive care, yes. But you can use it for a range of challenging scenarios (first page of Google results has motherhood, being dropped from a sports team, marriage, studying abroad, and being asked for your phone number by Erbse).

Definately it can be used in a lot of cases, I agree, and also can be used as a kind of way of joking.. like, say for example your house is usually a mess, and you tell your friend "心理准备" because you've tidied it up well, then this is a source of immense amusement.

Using it in a sentence for "can I have your phone number" or "can I call you", I'm not sure how you would insert this, is all.. I agree that you could use it, though. IMO it might sound either funny, or as a joke, or very unnecessarily serious.. maybe?

心理准备,我今晚会打个电话给你咯...

Does this not sound slightly like a joke?

[Erbse]

Thanks for all the consideration if this sentence is really funny or not. But let me say one more time. It won't be the first sentence in a conversation, but rather after maybe 10 minutes of talking. And I'm not planning to use this in a formal setting, but rather at an evening entertainment venue.

心理准备 sounds fine, but the 今晚 needs to be removed. I don't want to give a hint when the phone call should occur.

[gato]

Oo, sneak attack. Better be prepared.

[Shi Tong]

Yeah, but Erbse, you're really better off just saying something like "你可不可以留个电话号码?"

You might want to add something like "所以我可以跟你联络" (so I can contact you). Saying "contact you" would sound much less like "I want to call you because I like you", so this might help a bit.

But basically, if you want to say are you emotionally prepared to talk to me on the phone, I really dont think it will translate. It's like saying to you "how do I ask a * woman: "Can you leave me your number so I can contact you"". In English, IMO, this sounds weird, but in Chinese, it sounds fine.

[Erbse]

That makes sense.

[imron]

But let me say one more time. It won't be the first sentence in a conversation, but rather after maybe 10 minutes of talking. And I'm not planning to use this in a formal setting, but rather at an evening entertainment venue.

Well, at least you're emotionally prepared if this line doesn't work then

[Shi Tong]

Good luck Erbse, let us know.. wont you?

[Erbse]

Don't worry about me. I'm fine

[Speedy]

I tried this and succeeded every time. 我们见个面吧？

[daofeishi]

"Are you emotionally prepared to talk to me on the phone?"

I don't know, to me that sounds incredibly douchebagy in English. I'm trying to come up with a context where saying something like that wouldn't be awkward or cringe-inducing, but I can't think of anything.

If that really gets you phone numbers, my guess is that you either have the looks to get away with anything and/or you have a charming German accent.

[Lu]

Yeah, I also find it a terrible line (and I'm a woman), but apparently Erbse pulls it off, or he has an eye for finding women who do like it. Well, good for him. Also, in a way, it doesn't matter all that much what you say, as long as you go and say it. Perhaps after ten minutes of pleasant chatting, one is more willing to forgive one bad line.

[crazy-meiguoren]

I wouldn't try it, but that kind of line is not my style anyway. It just doesn't sound right to me.

However, in my current relationship, she was the one who asked for my number. So I'm on good ground to start with.

[rivercao]

I have considered a good sentence:

美女，准备好了吗？漫漫长夜，让我们一起打发无聊的时间吧！

[Meng Lelan]

Great line, rivercao. Let's see what results the guys report in.

[crazy-meiguoren]

Here's a proposed scoresheet for rivercao's line:

Yes:

No:

Slaps in the face:

Threats from father, brother, uncle, etc.:

Restraining orders:

[Meng Lelan]

Restraining orders:

Only in the US would that happen.

[crazy-meiguoren]

Only in the US would that happen.

Then the future is bright for the rest of the world.

Scratch that if you are outside the US. Replace it with "Got Caned" if you live in Singapore.

Personally, I think that the proposed line would work best when bantering in an existing relationship. But what do I know? Hell, I've watched a guy pick up a girl at a gas station just by saying "Nice legs!" When both parties finished their transactions, they both drove off to their meeting place. I guess that if a guy shows enough confidence, he can take risks and get away with bending the rules.

[Shi Tong]

Personally, I think that the proposed line would work best when bantering in an existing relationship. But what do I know? Hell, I've watched a guy pick up a girl at a gas station just by saying "Nice legs!" When both parties finished their transactions, they both drove off to their meeting place. I guess that if a guy shows enough confidence, he can take risks and get away with bending the rules.

Yeah, but did money change hands?

[Lu]

I guess that if a guy shows enough confidence, he can take risks and get away with bending the rules.

And don't forget that it also greatly depends on which woman you're talking to, what mood she is in, etc etc etc. What works for one woman on one day, may completely backfire with another woman, or even with the same woman an hour later. And vice versa.

[renzhe]

Some guys go for quantity, not quality.

They try the worst pick up line on hundreds of girls, until it works. Much worse lines than "nice legs".