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Am I Being Rude? Usage of "會" to Indicate Future Conditional


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Posted

I'm an American attorney working in Taiwan. My Mandarin speaking and reading skill is proficient but not fluent. I've had a private practice for years, but am now joining a local Taiwan firm. When I do, I don't want to accidentally offend those with whom I speak.

As a matter of habit, I often lead off with the following in my professional and personal conversations when speaking to Taiwanese using Mandarin Chinese:

"如果我聽不懂的話, 我會跟你說."

What I'm trying to express is simply, "If I don't understand something you say, I'll let you know."

I've been told recently by a very bright college-educated Taiwanese non-attorney friend that I sound quite rude when I say this, and that it sounds like I am "speaking down" to the other person. She says using "會" in this way indicates a hierarchical relationship between speaker and listener, and suggested instead I say, "如果我聽不懂的話, 我可以跟你說." My friend grew up in southern Taiwan with parents who speak primarily Taiwanese, and I wanted to seek a second opinion regarding this. It seems odd for me as an attorney to say to a client or counterparty, "If I don't understand, I may tell you." Also, I tend to mimic the speech patterns of the Taiwanese attorneys with whom I've worked, and it seems to me I frequently have heard "hui" used to express the future conditional in situations where courtesy would be mandatory, but I could be wrong about this.

It's difficult to get any information via Google on any implied connotations in Taiwan and / or the PRC when using "會" to express the future conditional, so any help is much appreciated! If the connotation is different in Taiwan and China, please let me know as I occasionally deal with residents of Hong Kong and the PRC in business. If there is a difference in business usage as opposed to everyday conversations, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Posted

I think your "如果我聽不懂的話, 我會跟你說." is right. "如果我聽不懂的話, 我可以跟你說." in your case--If I don't understand something you say, I'll let you know." sounds strange to my ear. If that is put in a question, then it's ok--如果我聽不懂的話,我可以跟你說嗎? If I don't understand something you say, can I let you know?

She says using "會" in this way indicates a hierarchical relationship between speaker and listener,

Don't think so, unless the tone of '會' is impatient but still I don't see why it is hierachical.

It seems odd for me as an attorney to say to a client or counterparty, "If I don't understand, I may tell you."

In this case, if you want to be polite, you may say '如果我有不明白的地方,我會再請教您的。'

You may look at this or that related to the usage of 會.

Posted

I'm not a native speaker of Chinese, so take my comments with a grain of salt, but 如果我聽不懂的話, 我會跟你說 does sound a little strong/direct to me. Depending on the situation, it could come across as condescending (similar in tone to "Don't worry, I'll let you know if I don't understand something"). But that may be to do with the 跟你說 part of the phrase as much as the 會. semantic nuance's suggestion certainly sounds more polite to me.

Posted

Are you saying this because the other person expects you, as a foreigner, not to understand? If so, it's hard to say who is talking down to whom, in a way. semantic's suggestion sounds great though. The purpose is to let the other person just relax and keep on talking.

Posted

It's not a specifically Chinese issue.

Even in English, "If I don't understand something you say, I'll let you know" sounds a bit rude. It's as if you are anticipating and turning down help before someone offers it.

In English, I would say "There is a chance I won't understand what you say, in which case, could you repeat (or slow down a bit)?", which translated to Chinese would be:

"我有可能会听不懂你说的,到时请麻烦重复一下你说的(或说得慢一点)”

  • Like 1
Posted
In this case, if you want to be polite, you may say '如果我有不明白的地方,我會再請教您的。'

This is somewhat off-topic, but I find it interesting that you used 您. I thought that it wasn't really used in Taiwan nowadays, and I guess I was wrong (generalising from southern Mainland China, basically). Very interesting to know.

I agree with most here that it's a question of the context and the tone you use with the other person. I don't think that the 會 itself makes it any more or less rude. The whole sentence sounds very different if spoken with a warm smile or a cold condescending sneer. If you're not completely fluent, then sometimes this also makes things come across differently from what you intend, and it's also a fact to consider. Then it's better to be on the safe side and add some extra politeness.

Posted

I think maybe you can ask them “如果我有不懂的,可以提出来吗?” ,and they will say “of curse" "当然”。 That will be well.

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Posted

Many thanks for the advice. I found Semantic Nuance's suggestion particularly persuasive. My Taiwanese friend mentioned above agreed it was perfectly polite and seemed appropriate for usage by a non-local attorney in a business context. However, she said she personally would not use "nin" or the "de" at the end in a casual oral conversation.

Posted
she said she personally would not use "nin" or the "de" at the end in a casual oral conversation.

Personally, I would use 您 when I talk to someone I'm not familiar with out of politeness, no matter if it is used in oral or written form. As for 的, you can use it or leave it.

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