Baffled by what women are getting at half the time you talk to them? Then keep this translation manual handy to decode her most misunderstood lines:

So follow this guide to girl-speak. These are some of the things you might hear a woman say as you meet, date and woo her—and the code for reading between the lines.

What she says: "You're really sweet, but I have a boyfriend."

What she means: "You're really sweet, but I definitely don't want to date you."

Why she says it: It's a classic barstool scene: You see her sitting by herself and figure it's as good a time as any to make a move. And it's all going so well—she's smiling, she's answering your questions—until she drops the bomb that she has a boyfriend. Now, she may be telling the truth. But more likely this "boyfriend" is merely a ploy to get you to back off fast. it really works without hurting a guy's feelings too much, shows immediately that there's nothing more to say.

What she says: "Why don't I take your number and I'll call you?"

What she means: "There's no way I'm giving you my number so why don't I take yours?"

Why she says it: Even in this day and age, most women like to be pursued, so if we really like you, we'll happily hand over our digits and wait for you to call. Pretty much the only time we'll ask for your number is—sorry—when we want to keep the ball in our court and, well, never see you again. Other not-so-great responses: "Why don't you e-mail me instead," "You can get my number through our mutual friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend Mandy" or "I'm in the phone book." if she likes you, she'll make it easy for you to call.

What she says: "Oh, sorry, I already have weekend plans."

What she means: "I don't necessarily have weekend plans, but you're calling so last-minute, I'd feel like a loser if I admitted I was free and took you up on your offer."

Why she says it: As much as we all say that The Rules is an outdated tome that brews trouble between the sexes, there are still some things we can't let go of. And one of them is that we don't want to accept plans with you last-minute, because we don't want you to think we're that easy to catch.

What she says: "This feels good, but we really shouldn't."

What she means: "I want you, really badly, but don't want to get burned."

Why she says it: The night is winding down, and it's time to decide whether she should hold 'em, fold 'em, or hop in the sack with you. So if your date isn't telling you a flat-out "No," "I don't want to," or "I don't like you that way," chances are she really does like you—and want you—that way. She'd just rather wait a few weeks or months until she knows you're not a love-'em-and-leave-'em type. It's possible she's been in the position of wanting to hear from him and then not hearing from him—and she doesn't want to make that mistake again. So if you're a guy who really does want the relationship to go further (be honest now), it's worth telling her so to see if she'll change her mind.

What she says: "So, what have you been up to?"

What she means: "Why haven't you called me? Are you seeing someone else?"

Why she says it: If we haven't talked to you in a few weeks and then you suddenly start calling again, all we want to know is, What the heck took you so long? But because we want you to think we're laid-back "Hey, whatever" women, all we dare squeeze out is a general inquiry. I don't want him to know I care. biggest fear? That you've been calling other women instead of us. Whether that's the case or not, you're best off filling in your missing weeks with very un-sexy things. I'm hoping he'll tell me he's been working really hard," "or better, that he's been really sick."

What she says: "If you want to have a guy's night, go ahead, fine."

What she means: "I really, really don't want you to go. And if you do, I'm going to be annoyed."

Why she says it: It seemed innocuous enough: You asked her if she'd