Learn how to ask for the bill at a restaurant
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| Introduction |
| Eric: Welcome to 3-Minute Chinese Season 1, Lesson 23 - Asking for the Bill. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask for the bill at a restaurant and check the change in Chinese. |
| Body |
| Eric: Here's the formal way to ask 'Can you bring the bill, please?' in Chinese. |
| Cho: [Normal] 可以给我账单吗？(kěyǐ gěi wǒ zhàngdān ma ?) |
| Eric: First is a verb meaning 'can' |
| Cho: [Normal] 可以 [Slow] 可以 (kěyǐ) |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning 'give me' |
| Cho: [Normal] 给我 [Slow] 给我(gěi wǒ) |
| Eric: Next is the noun meaning “the check” |
| Cho: [Normal] 账单 [Slow] 账单(zhàngdān) |
| Eric: Last is the question marker. |
| Cho: [Normal] 吗 [Slow] 吗(ma) |
| Eric: Listen again to the formal question meaning 'Can you bring the bill, please?' |
| Cho: [Slow] 可以给我账单吗？ [Normal] 可以给我账单吗？ |
| Eric: Now, imagine you're speaking to a stranger. Here's the formal way to ask, 'Where can I pay the bill?' |
| Cho: [Normal] 在哪儿结账？(zài nǎr jiézhàng ?) |
| Eric: First is a preposition meaning 'in' |
| Cho: [Normal] 在 [Slow] 在 (zài) |
| Eric: Next is the pronoun meaning 'where' |
| Cho: [Normal] 哪儿 [Slow] 哪儿(nǎr) |
| Eric: Last is the verb meaning 'check' |
| Cho: [Normal] 结账 [Slow] 结账(jiézhàng) |
| Eric: Listen again to the formal question meaning 'Where can I pay the bill?' |
| Cho: [Slow] 在哪儿结账？ [Normal] 在哪儿结账？ |
| Eric: Here's a response meaning 'Excuse me, the change is wrong.' |
| Cho: [Normal] 不好意思，你找错钱了。(bùhǎoyìsi , nǐ zhǎo cuò qián le .) |
| Eric: First is an expression meaning 'excuse me' |
| Cho: [Normal] 不好意思 [Slow] 不好意思(bùhǎoyìsi) |
| Eric: Next is the pronoun meaning 'you' |
| Cho: [Normal] 你 [Slow] 你(nǐ) |
| Eric: Next is the phrase meaning 'wrong' |
| Cho: [Normal] 找错 [Slow] 找错(zhǎo cuò) |
| Eric: Next is the noun meaning 'money' |
| Cho: [Normal] 钱 [Slow] 钱(qián) |
| Eric: Last is the sentence ending particle. |
| Cho: [Normal] 了 [Slow] 了(le) |
| Eric: Listen again to the response, 'Excuse me, the change is wrong.' |
| Cho: [Slow] 不好意思，你找错钱了。 [Normal] 不好意思，你找错钱了。 |
| Eric: Finally, here's a response meaning, 'Keep the change.' |
| Cho: [Normal] 不用找了。(búyòng zhǎo le.) |
| Eric: First is a phrase meaning 'no need to' |
| Cho: [Normal] 不用 [Slow] 不用(búyòng) |
| Eric: Next is the verb meaning 'to give change' |
| Cho: [Normal] 找 [Slow] 找(zhǎo) |
| Eric: Last is the sentence ending particle. |
| Cho: [Normal] 了 [Slow] 了(le) |
| Eric: Listen again to the response, 'Keep the change.' |
| Cho: [Slow] 不用找了。 [Normal] 不用找了。 |
| Cultural Insight |
| Eric: Now it's time for a quick cultural insight. |
| Cho: In the Chinese currency, the 100 RMB note is the highest denomination. The one problem with these little pink notes is having enough change to pay for cheap items. A cash register can run out of small bills relatively quickly with a quick succession of 100 RMB notes. Having small change available is crucial, especially when riding in taxis where they may not have small change. You may find yourself stranded on the roadside with an angry taxi driver waiting for you to get change! |
Outro |
|---|
| Eric: And that’s all for this lesson. Don’t forget to check out the lesson notes, and we’ll see you in the next lesson! |
| Cho: 再见 |
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