# what is your phone number?



## 地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori

你电话号码多少?​你电话号码什么?
Which of these is better for asking for a phone number?


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## charlie2

The second one, if I have to choose. Better, add 是 before 什么?.

You can also say : 可以告訴我你的電話號碼嗎﹖Would/Could you tell/give me your telephone number ?


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## MingRaymond

I will use charlie2's suggestion because it is more polite. 

Ming


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## 地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori

Ok thanks! It says in my book to use "多少" but that doesn't seem right, because it would mean "how much is your phone number?" Written Cantonese and written Mandarin are pretty well the same right? Because I'm learning Mandarin right now.


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## carelai

Yes exactly you are right. People would also understand you if you say
something like "how much is your phone number?"


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## Thomas F. O'Gara

I've seen "多少" used too, in older learning texts printed in the States, particularly I think in the old Yale University series. Maybe people used to say that sixty years ago, but it sounds decidedly unusual now.


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## 地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori

So it would be preferable to use 什么, right?


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## vince

地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori said:
			
		

> Ok thanks! It says in my book to use "多少" but that doesn't seem right, because it would mean "how much is your phone number?" Written Cantonese and written Mandarin are pretty well the same right? Because I'm learning Mandarin right now.


All examples here are in Standard Written Chinese, which is based on Mandarin. None of the sentences written in this thread are acceptable in Written Cantonese without modification (though some are close). For one thing, 多少 is not Cantonese (this is NOT an issue of Simplified vs. Traditional).

My attempt at translation to Cantonese of charlie2's answer: 可以畀我知你個電話號碼嗎? (May not be correct, I am not sure if 嗎 can be used like this in Cantonese).

Also:
你电话号码是什么? --> (direct translation) -->  你电话号码係乜?


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## 地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori

What does that have to do with any of this??


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## vince

地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori said:
			
		

> What does that have to do with any of this??


I was answering a question from someone (guess who?):



			
				地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori said:
			
		

> Written Cantonese and written Mandarin are pretty well the same right? Because I'm learning Mandarin right now.



Cantonese is Chinese, isn't it? So my above post answers the thread title "Chinese: When asking for a Phone Number".


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## 地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori

None of that answers my question...


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## vince

You: *Chinese: When asking for a Phone Number*
Me: 可以畀我知你個電話號碼嗎? (May not be correct, I am not sure if 嗎 can be used like this in Cantonese).

 Also:
 你电话号码是什么? --> (direct translation) -->  你电话号码係乜?

You: Written Cantonese and written Mandarin are pretty well the same right?

Me: 
 All examples here are in Standard Written Chinese, which is based on Mandarin. None of the sentences written in this thread are acceptable in Written Cantonese without modification (though some are close). For one thing, 多少 is not Cantonese (this is NOT an issue of Simplified vs. Traditional).

You: It says in my book to use "多少" but that doesn't seem right, because it would mean "how much is your phone number?"

Me: Never use 多少 in Cantonese, it is never right in any context.


I don't understand what your issue is.


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## MingRaymond

Hello Vince,

「可以畀我知你個電話號碼嗎?」is a little bit strange，it is better to say 「可以話畀我知你個電話號碼嗎?」or 「可以話我知你個電話號碼嗎?」。Also, you can say 可唔可以話我知你個電話號碼呀？

When asking for a phone number, there are many different ways. For example, if you meet an old friend on the street, you don't have his phone number. You can ask him 「你電話幾多號呀？遲啲再聯絡你。」(What is your phone number? I will contact you later.) If you meet a beautiful girl on the street, and you want to ask for her phone number. You can say 「唔知你電話號碼幾多號呢？」／「唔知你電話幾多號呢？」。


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## Dalian

你电话号码多少? sounds more natural to me.


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## 地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori

Is it true that "多少" isn't used in Cantonese? If so, what do you use as instead?


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## midismilex

MingRaymond said:
			
		

> 「可以話我知你個電話號碼嗎?」。Also, you can say 可唔可以話我知你個電話號碼呀？


In the Cantonese conversation books we can buy in Taiwan, these two "sentences" that Ming mentioned are familiar with me. 

Also, "畀" seems to write in a way like "捭", right?


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## MingRaymond

Actually, it is 俾. 俾 and 畀 are both okay. But it is more common to see 俾. 

Ming


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## MingRaymond

地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori said:
			
		

> Is it true that "多少" isn't used in Cantonese? If so, what do you use as instead?


 
We use 幾多。 For example, 幾多錢？ (How much?). But we use 多多少少, for example, 多多少少都要畀啲佢。(You need to give some money to him, no matter what the amount is.)

Ming


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## midismilex

Bingo! You're thinking with my thinking, though I'm not a Cantonese native speaker.


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## LikeBarleyBending

Dalian said:


> 你电话号码多少? sounds more natural to me.


 
Agree! Though it is a bit too direct. If you have a close relationship with the one you are talking, it is absolutely OK;otherwise you can say: 可以告诉我您（你）的电话号码吗？ or 请问您（你）的电话号码是多少？


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## eki_robin

地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori said:


> 你电话号码多少?​你电话号码什么?
> Which of these is better for asking for a phone number?



The first one seems right for me, but not the second one.
You may also use:
你电话号码*是*多少?
你电话号码*是*什么?
OR 
你电话多少?   (the most economical one )

All these are informal because it sounds straigtforward ("what is your phone number?").
 The formal one （in business) may be like: 我可以要你电话号码吗？("can i have your phone number?")


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## eidolon

地獄の森_jigoku_no_mori said:


> 你电话号码多少?​
> 你电话号码什么?
> Which of these is better for asking for a phone number?


你的电话号码，多少?​
你的电话号码是什么?
I used to say the first one.


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## samanthalee

This is most interesting. It seems everyone from China agrees that “你的电话号码多少？” is a natural way to ask for someone's phone number.
But if you say this in Singapore, you are going to get either a) a blank look, or b) a question: "Are you asking how many telephone numbers I have?"

We say 你的电话几号? (What number is your telephone?)
I wonder whether people in China will understand our version?


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## LikeBarleyBending

Sure, we will understand '你的电话几号? ', however, most of us will think 'this guy must come from Taiwan or Hongkong or...' . Interesting really.


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## eidolon

samanthalee said:


> We say 你的电话几号? (What number is your telephone?)
> I wonder whether people in China will understand our version?


'你的电话几号?' sounds strange.


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## noopz

你的电话号码是什么？

你的电话号码是多少？

i like to use both of the above...depending on situation i must say...

the beauty of language


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