Meeting the in laws again — Family updates and events

嗨

Hi

A casual and friendly greeting in Mandarin, akin to 'Hi' in English.

In Taiwan, greeting is often accompanied by a slight nod of the head or a smile.

媽

Mother

A somewhat informal but respectful term for mother.

Used in slightly formal contexts or addressing someone else's mother politely.

媽媽

Mom

The more affectionate and casual term for mother.

Commonly used in family settings, this term conveys familiarity and warmth.

最

Most

This superlative is used to express the highest degree of an adjective.

Common in colloquial phrases such as [最好] (best) or [最喜歡] (favorite).

近

Recent/near

Indicates both proximity in distance and in time.

Common in phrases discussing recent events or nearby locations.

最近

Lately

A combination of [最] (most) and [近] (recent/near) to refer to recent times.

Frequent starter in conversations asking about recent happenings: '最近怎麼樣?' (How have you been lately?)

你

You

A fundamental pronoun in conversational Mandarin.

Using [你們] when addressing multiple people is considered polite.

怎麼樣

How is it

An inquiry phrase often appended to questions about well-being or opinions.

Common in casual settings; asking '最近怎麼樣?' is a friendly check-in.

你最近怎麼樣

How have you been

A friendly phrase to inquire about someone's recent well-being.

Considered polite and caring. Often accompanies a smile or positive body language.