hundredwords

What does the petrol station attendant say in Taiwan?

Expect to hear 加什麼油？ (jiā shénme yóu, "Which fuel?"), 加滿嗎？ (jiā mǎn ma, "Fill it up?"), 有會員嗎？ (yǒu huìyuán ma, "Are you a member?"). Useful things to say: 九五。 (jiǔ wǔ, "95") and 對，加滿。 (duì, jiā mǎn, "Yes, fill it up").

The whole conversation: At the petrol station

Hire a car and you will meet Taiwan's full-service petrol stations. An attendant fills up for you and talks you through it.

  1. You hear
    加什麼油？ jiā shénme yóu Which fuel?
  2. You say
    九五。 jiǔ wǔ 95.

    Petrol is named by its octane: 九二 (92), 九五 (95) and 九八 (98). Check the sticker inside the fuel flap.

  3. You hear
    加滿嗎？ jiā mǎn ma Fill it up?
  4. You say
    對，加滿。 duì, jiā mǎn Yes, fill it up.
  5. You hear
    你的油箱蓋在另外一邊喔。 nǐ de yóuxiāng gài zài lìngwài yì biān o Your fuel cap is on the other side.
  6. You say
    喔，不好意思！ o, bù hǎo yìsi Oh, sorry!

    The everyday sorry and excuse me. 對不起 is for when you have really done something wrong.

  7. You hear
    有會員嗎？ yǒu huìyuán ma Are you a member?
  8. You hear
    要打統編嗎？ yào dǎ tǒngbiān ma Do you need a company tax number on it?

    Only for business expense claims. Say 不用.

This is the scene behind Hundred Words. Our founder could ask for petrol in Taiwan, then got stuck when the attendant told him his fuel cap was on the other side of the car.

Is this what people really say here?

Questions about this scene

What does the petrol station attendant say in Taiwan?

Expect to hear 加什麼油？ (jiā shénme yóu, "Which fuel?"), 加滿嗎？ (jiā mǎn ma, "Fill it up?"), 有會員嗎？ (yǒu huìyuán ma, "Are you a member?"). Useful things to say: 九五。 (jiǔ wǔ, "95") and 對，加滿。 (duì, jiā mǎn, "Yes, fill it up").

What does "加什麼油？" mean in Mandarin (Taiwan)?

It means "Which fuel?". It is pronounced jiā shénme yóu. A natural reply is 九五。 (jiǔ wǔ), "95".

What does "加滿嗎？" mean in Mandarin (Taiwan)?

It means "Fill it up?". It is pronounced jiā mǎn ma. A natural reply is 對，加滿。 (duì, jiā mǎn), "Yes, fill it up".

What does "有會員嗎？" mean in Mandarin (Taiwan)?

It means "Are you a member?". It is pronounced yǒu huìyuán ma.