Chinese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 3 of 12
At the café
在咖啡馆Zài kāfēiguǎn
Order coffee, tea and cake in Mandarin with 我要, use the measure word 杯, answer “A or B?” questions with 还是 and pay the total.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Order drinks and food with 我要 (wǒ yào)
- Use the measure words 杯 (bēi) and 个 (ge)
- Understand and answer “A or B?” questions with 还是 (háishi)
- Understand the total and pay
Listen
Liu Yang orders coffee and cake for herself and a friend at a café in Shanghai. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Barista
欢迎光临！您要什么？
Huānyíng guānglín! Nín yào shénme?
Welcome! What would you like?
Liu Yang
我要两杯拿铁。
Wǒ yào liǎng bēi nátiě.
I'd like two lattes.
Barista
大杯还是中杯？
Dà bēi háishi zhōng bēi?
Large or medium?
Liu Yang
中杯，谢谢。
Zhōng bēi, xièxie.
Medium, thanks.
Barista
你们在这儿喝还是带走？
Nǐmen zài zhèr hē háishi dàizǒu?
Is that to drink here or to take away?
Liu Yang
在这儿喝。我还要一个蛋糕。
Zài zhèr hē. Wǒ hái yào yí ge dàngāo.
To drink here. I'd also like a cake.
Barista
好的。一共八十八块。
Hǎo de. Yígòng bāshíbā kuài.
OK. That's eighty-eight yuan altogether.
Liu Yang
可以扫码吗？
Kěyǐ sǎomǎ ma?
Can I pay by scanning the code?
Barista
可以，请扫码。
Kěyǐ, qǐng sǎomǎ.
Yes, please scan the code.
Liu Yang
好，谢谢！
Hǎo, xièxie!
OK, thanks!
Understand
Ordering: 我要… and 请
To order, say (wǒ yào…), “I want…”. It may sound blunt in English, but in Chinese it's the normal, polite way to order. Add (xièxie) and you're perfectly polite. To add something, put (hái, also, as well) before : (wǒ hái yào yí ge dàngāo), I'd also like a cake.
(qǐng) means “please”, but it goes before the verb, as in an invitation: (qǐng sǎomǎ), please scan the code. Staff use it a lot; customers ordering usually don't. When staff say (hǎo de), it means “OK, sure”.
Staff call every customer (nín). Talking to Liu Yang and her friend together, the barista says (nǐmen), the plural “you” from chapter 1, because there is no 您们 in speech. (men) is only for people: (wǒmen), we; (tāmen), they. Things never take it: (liǎng bēi nátiě), two lattes.
Measure words: 一杯咖啡, 一个蛋糕
Remember: number + measure word + noun. Drinks in a cup or glass take (bēi), cup: (yì bēi kāfēi), a coffee; (liǎng bēi chá), two teas. A cake takes the all-purpose (ge): (yí ge dàngāo).
Cup sizes use the same word: (dà bēi) is a large, (zhōng bēi) a medium. (dà) means “big” and (zhōng) “middle”.
| Number + measure word | Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (yì bēi) | (nátiě) | a latte |
| (liǎng bēi) | (chá) | two cups of tea |
| (yí ge) | (dàngāo) | a cake |
| (yì píng) | (shuǐ) | a bottle of water |
A or B? Questions with 还是
To ask “A or B?”, put (háishi) between the two choices. The question needs no (ma). To answer, just repeat the choice you want: (dà bēi háishi zhōng bēi?) … (zhōng bēi).
At the end, staff tell you the total with (yígòng), altogether: (yígòng bāshíbā kuài), 88 yuan altogether.
- 大杯还是中杯？Dà bēi háishi zhōng bēi?Large or medium?
- 在这儿喝还是带走？Zài zhèr hē háishi dàizǒu?To drink here or to take away?
- 你要咖啡还是茶？Nǐ yào kāfēi háishi chá?Do you want coffee or tea?
More in the grammar: Asking questions · Measure words · Modal verbs: 会, 能, 可以, 要, 想, 应该 · Pronouns and 你 vs 您
New words
- 欢迎光临huānyíng guānglínwelcome (to our shop) · Said by staff when you walk into a shop, café or restaurant.
- 您nínyou (polite) · Staff use it with every customer.
- 要yàoto want; to order · (wǒ yào…), I'd like…
- 杯bēicup, glass (measure word) · (yì bēi kāfēi), a cup of coffee.
- 拿铁nátiělatte
- 大杯dà bēilarge (cup)
- 中杯zhōng bēimedium (cup)
- 还是háishior (in questions) · Goes between two choices: (kāfēi háishi chá?), coffee or tea?
- 在这儿喝zài zhèr hēto drink here · (zài zhèr), here; (hē), to drink.
- 带走dàizǒuto take away
- 蛋糕dàngāocake · Measure word (ge): (yí ge dàngāo).
- 一共yígòngaltogether, in total
- 请qǐngplease · Goes before the verb: (qǐng sǎomǎ), please scan the code.
- 茶chátea · (yì bēi chá), a cup of tea.
Practise
1.The barista asks (dà bēi háishi zhōng bēi?). You want a medium. What do you say?
2.Put the words in order to order a tea.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'd like a tea.
3.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.How do you say “a cake”?
5.You're the barista. Ask two customers if it's to drink here or to take away.
Tap the words below in the right order.Is that to drink here or to take away?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
我要一杯拿铁，谢谢。
Wǒ yào yì bēi nátiě, xièxie.
I'd like a latte, thanks.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.