What you will be able to do
- Order a meal from start to finish with 要, 来 and the right measure word.
- State clearly what you do not eat or drink, and ask for a dish to be changed.
- Choose between 有点儿 before an adjective and 一点儿 after it.
Chinese words in this text can be activated to show a dictionary gloss.
Ordering a meal
Getting attention, getting a menu
fúwùyuán is what you call across a room to a member of staff, and there is nothing rude about it — it is simply the word. A said in the same direction works too and is a little softer.
- ，。 Fúwùyuán, wǒ yào diǎn cài. — I would like to order.
- 。 Qǐng gěi wǒ càidān. — The menu, please.
- ？ Yǒu méiyǒu Yīngwén càidān? — Is there an English menu?
Asking for a dish
Two verbs carry almost the whole meal. yào is I want, I will have. lái, literally come, is the casual bring me that people actually use in a small restaurant.
- 。 Wǒ yào yì wǎn mǐfàn. — A bowl of rice for me.
- 。 Lái liǎng píng píjiǔ. — Two beers.
- 。 Wǒmen yào sān ge cài. — Three dishes for us.
The measure word is doing real work here, because it says how the food arrives. wǎn is a bowl, bēi a cup or glass, píng a bottle, pán a plate, and ge covers what is left: yì wǎn miàntiáo, yì bēi kāfēi, yì píng shuǐ, liǎng ge jīdàn.
Saying what you cannot eat
- 。 Wǒ bù chī yángròu. — I do not eat lamb.
- 。 Wǒ bù chī zhūròu.
- 。 Wǒ bù néng hē jiǔ. — I cannot drink alcohol.
- 。 Qǐng bú yào fàng làjiāo. — No chilli, please.
states a standing habit rather than a preference about today, which is exactly the reading you want. And is fourth tone, so becomes bú in .
Saying it was good
in front of a verb builds an adjective of experience, and the verb has to match the sense.
- hǎochī — good to eat. 。 Zhège cài hěn hǎochī.
- hǎohē — good to drink. 。 Zhōngguó chá hěn hǎohē.
- … is the everyday intensifier: ！ Tài hǎochī le!
Saying of a drink or of a dish is instantly noticeable. Keep the verb attached to the sense: things you chew take , things you swallow take .
and
These two are not interchangeable, and the position tells you which you need.
- + adjective, in front, carries a mild complaint: yǒudiǎnr là, a bit too spicy; yǒudiǎnr guì, a bit pricey.
- adjective + , behind, asks for a change: là yìdiǎnr, make it spicier; kuài yìdiǎnr, a bit faster.
is always a small grievance, which is why sounds odd — nobody complains that something is slightly good.
Paying
- ，。 Fúwùyuán, mǎidān. — The bill, please. jiézhàng does the same job and sounds a shade more formal.
- ？ Yígòng duōshao qián? — How much altogether?
- ？ Kěyǐ yòng shǒujī fù ma? — Can I pay by phone?
Two habits of the table are worth knowing. Splitting a bill item by item is not the norm among friends — one person usually pays the whole thing and the balance is settled over later meals. And tipping is not expected in most ordinary restaurants; leaving money on the table can cause more confusion than gratitude.
How to work through it
A meal from the door to the billread
Read the lesson once in order — it is written in the order a meal happens. Note the three moments where you have to choose something: which verb to order with, which measure word, and whether the complaint goes in front of the adjective or behind it.
What is on the tablevocabulary
Eight cards, each learned inside its measure word rather than alone: 一碗米饭, 一碗面条, 两个鸡蛋, 一杯牛奶, 一杯咖啡. A food word without its measure word is only half a card.
Order, refuse, adjustsentence
Build one sentence of each kind and say it aloud: 我要一碗… / 来两瓶… / 我不吃… / 请不要放… / 有点儿… / …一点儿。 The last two are the pair to get right; check the position of the adjective before you speak.
Bowls, cups and how good it wasquiz
Ten items. Six give you a food word and ask for the measure word; four ask you to complete 这个菜__好吃, where 很, 太…了 and a bare adjective are not interchangeable.
Sit down and eatspeaking
Play both parts of a full meal in about a minute: call the waiter, ask for the menu, order two dishes and a drink, say one thing you do not eat, praise the food, ask for the bill. Do it a second time and make one thing go wrong — the dish is too spicy, and you have to say so.