Learn how to call a restaurant to make a reservation
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Yinru: Hi everyone, I’m Yinru. |
| Yuriy: And I’m Yuriy. Welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. This is lower intermediate, season 2 lesson 16 - Making a Reservation at a Chinese Restaurant. |
| Yinru: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to call a restaurant and make a reservation. |
| Yuriy: Liu is calling a restaurant now to make a reservation for tomorrow afternoon. The conversation is between Liu and a waitress from the restaurant. Since they don’t know each other and it’s a business environment, they’ll be using formal language. |
| Yinru: We’ll also learn how to use three different measure words for people: 个, 位, and 名.(Gè, wèi, and míng.) |
| Yuriy: Listeners, be sure to pay attention to the questions that the waitress asks Liu. Okay, let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| 服务员:您好。福满园酒店。(FÚWÙYUÁN : nínhǎo. fú mǎn yuán jiǔdiàn.) |
| 刘:你好，明天下午还有座位吗？我想订座。(LIÚ : nǐhǎo, míngtiān xiàwǔ hái yǒu zuòwèi ma? wǒ xiǎng dìng zuò.) |
| 服务员:请稍等。不好意思, 明天下午只有大厅没有包厢。大厅可以吗？(FÚWÙYUÁN : qǐng shāoděng. bùhǎoyìsi ,míngtiān xiàwǔ zhǐyǒu dàtīng méiyǒubāoxiāng. dàtīng kěyǐ ma?) |
| 刘:没关系。(LIÚ : méiguānxi.) |
| 服务员:请问几位？(FÚWÙYUÁN : qǐngwèn jǐ wèi?) |
| 刘:五位。(LIÚ : wǔ wèi.) |
| 服务员:请问您贵姓，手机号码是多少？(FÚWÙYUÁN : qǐngwèn nín guìxìng, shǒujī hàomǎ shì duōshao?) |
| Yuriy: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| 服务员:您好。福满园酒店。(FÚWÙYUÁN : nínhǎo. fú mǎn yuán jiǔdiàn.) |
| 刘:你好，明天下午还有座位吗？我想订座。(LIÚ : nǐhǎo, míngtiān xiàwǔ hái yǒu zuòwèi ma? wǒ xiǎng dìng zuò.) |
| 服务员:请稍等。不好意思, 明天下午只有大厅没有包厢。大厅可以吗？(FÚWÙYUÁN : qǐng shāoděng. bùhǎoyìsi ,míngtiān xiàwǔ zhǐyǒu dàtīng méiyǒubāoxiāng. dàtīng kěyǐ ma?) |
| 刘:没关系。(LIÚ : méiguānxi.) |
| 服务员:请问几位？(FÚWÙYUÁN : qǐngwèn jǐ wèi?) |
| 刘:五位。(LIÚ : wǔ wèi.) |
| 服务员:请问您贵姓，手机号码是多少？(FÚWÙYUÁN : qǐngwèn nín guìxìng, shǒujī hàomǎ shì duōshao?) |
| Yuriy: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| 服务员:您好。福满园酒店。(FÚWÙYUÁN : nínhǎo. fú mǎn yuán jiǔdiàn.) |
| Yuriy: Hello. This is Fumanyuan Restaurant. |
| 刘:你好，明天下午还有座位吗？我想订座。(LIÚ : nǐhǎo, míngtiān xiàwǔ hái yǒu zuòwèi ma? wǒ xiǎng dìng zuò.) |
| Yuriy: Hi, are there still any tables available for tomorrow afternoon? I want to make a reservation. |
| 服务员:请稍等。不好意思, 明天下午只有大厅没有包厢。大厅可以吗？(FÚWÙYUÁN : qǐng shāoděng. bùhǎoyìsi ,míngtiān xiàwǔ zhǐyǒu dàtīng méiyǒubāoxiāng. dàtīng kěyǐ ma?) |
| Yuriy: Please wait a moment. I'm sorry we only have tables in the dining hall, not in the private rooms. Will the dining hall work? |
| 刘:没关系。(LIÚ : méiguānxi.) |
| Yuriy: That’s fine. |
| 服务员:请问几位？(FÚWÙYUÁN : qǐngwèn jǐ wèi?) |
| Yuriy: For how many people? |
| 刘:五位。(LIÚ : wǔ wèi.) |
| Yuriy: Five. |
| 服务员:请问您贵姓，手机号码是多少？(FÚWÙYUÁN : qǐngwèn nín guìxìng, shǒujī hàomǎ shì duōshao?) |
| Yuriy: What’s your name and cell phone number? |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Yinru: When friends get together in China, they always go to eat at a restaurant. |
| Yuriy: No wonder there are so many restaurants in China! |
| Yinru: Yeah. We have all kinds of restaurants serving foods from all over the world. |
| Yuriy: Does every restaurant have a private room like they mentioned in our conversation? |
| Yinru: Not necessarily, but bigger restaurants usually have them. They’re great for parties and family get-togethers. |
| Yuriy: I’ve been to some of them. What surprised me most was how much they have in the room. |
| Yinru: I think I know what you’re talking about. Private rooms not only have a table for dining, but also other entertainment devices like a TV, mahjong table, or karaoke machine. |
| Yuriy: Yeah, and I like that some have their own bathrooms, too. |
| Yinru: Just like a hotel room, huh? |
| Yuriy: Right. But I’ve heard it’s not always easy to get a room like that. |
| Yinru: Yeah, you always need to make a reservation, and sometimes when it’s busy, like during holidays, you’ll need to reserve a room a few months ahead. |
| Yuriy: Wow. That’s crazy. |
| Yinru: Also, for many of the private rooms, there’s a minimum charge. |
| Yuriy: So the room isn’t free? |
| Yinru: Well, no, the room is free, but you have to spend a certain amount of money on your food and drinks. Nicer rooms probably will start from 1,000 yuan. |
| Yuriy: That’s still a great option every once in a while, I think. Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Yuriy: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| : The first word we shall see is: |
| Yinru: 酒店 (Jiǔdiàn)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: restaurant |
| Yinru: 酒店 (Jiǔdiàn)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 酒店 (Jiǔdiàn)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 座位 (Zuòwèi)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: seats |
| Yinru: 座位 (Zuòwèi)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 座位 (Zuòwèi)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 订座 (Dìng zuò)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: to reserve seats |
| Yinru: 订座 (Dìng zuò)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 订座 (Dìng zuò)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 稍等 (Shāo děng)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: to wait a moment |
| Yinru: 稍等 (Shāo děng)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 稍等 (Shāo děng)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 大厅 (Dàtīng)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: hall, lobby |
| Yinru: 大厅 (Dàtīng)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 大厅 (Dàtīng)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 包厢 (Bāoxiāng)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: private room |
| Yinru: 包厢 (Bāoxiāng)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 包厢 (Bāoxiāng)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 贵 (Guì)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: honored |
| Yinru: 贵 (Guì)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 贵 (Guì)[natural native speed] |
| : And Last: |
| Yinru: 手机号码 (Shǒujī hàomǎ)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: cell phone number |
| Yinru: 手机号码 (Shǒujī hàomǎ) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 手机号码 (Shǒujī hàomǎ) [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Yuriy: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Yinru: For the key vocabulary in this lesson, we’re going to talk about the noun 酒店(Jiǔdiàn). |
| Yuriy: In our conversation, as we know, it means “restaurant.” |
| Yinru: Yes, but it’s often confusing for non-native speakers to figure out what 酒店 (Jiǔdiàn)really means. |
| Yuriy: Because it can also be a hotel, right? |
| Yinru: That’s right! 酒店 (Jiǔdiàn)can be a hotel, or it can be a restaurant. Normally, we’d call a bigger restaurant or a higher-level restaurant a 酒店(Jiǔdiàn). |
| Yuriy: Then what are other restaurants called? |
| Yinru: Usually, 餐馆 and 餐厅 or 饭店 and 饭馆.(Cānguǎn and cāntīng Or fàndiàn and fànguǎn) |
| Yuriy: Okay. So those are other names for a restaurant. How about a hotel? What do you call that? |
| Yinru: A hotel can be called a 饭店 (Fàndiàn) as well, just like 酒店(Jiǔdiàn). It can refer to both a restaurant and a hotel. Other than that, it can also be called a 宾馆(Bīnguǎn), which only means “hotel”. |
| Yuriy: Wow, there are so many different names for the same thing. Probably because many nice hotels have a great restaurant, they share the name. |
| Yinru: I think so. So once again, 餐馆, 餐厅, 饭店, 饭馆, and 酒店 are restaurants, and 饭店, 酒店, and 宾馆 are hotels. (Cānguǎn, cāntīng, fàndiàn, fànguǎn,and fàndiàn, jiǔdiàn, and bīnguǎn) |
| Yinru: Okay, let’s get to the next word: 贵 (Guì). Unlike most cases, here it doesn’t mean “expensive.” |
| Yuriy: That’s right. Here it’s an honorific that means “honored” or “valued.” It’s used to address another person formally. |
| Yinru: It’s seen as a more formal and respectful term than “您” or “您的.”(“Nín” or “nín de.”) |
| Yuriy: When people meet you for the first time and would like to find out your name, they probably would ask... |
| Yinru: 请问您贵姓? (Qǐngwèn nín guìxìng?) |
| Yuriy: “May I have your family name?” |
| Yinru: This is to place you at an honorable level. In response, to show your humbleness, you can say 免贵姓...(Miǎn guìxìng...) |
| Yuriy: That means, “No need for the formalities, my family name is...” |
| Yinru: You may also find this word in business letters, like: 贵校一直有着很好的声誉.(Guì xiào yīzhí yǒuzhe hěn hǎo de shēngyù.) |
| Yuriy: “Your school has always enjoyed an excellent reputation.” |
| Yinru: 我公司非常荣幸能和贵公司合作.(Wǒ gōngsī fēicháng róngxìng néng hé guì gōngsī hézuò.) |
| Yuriy: “It’s our company’s great pleasure to cooperate with your company.” Okay, now onto the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
| Yuriy: In this lesson, you’ll learn different measure words for people. |
| Yinru: Listeners, you should already know that Chinese has different measure words for different nouns. |
| Yuriy: And when you’re using them, you should be careful. |
| Yinru: For counting people, three measure words are used the most. They are: 个, 位, and 名(Gè,wèi, and míng). |
| Yuriy: Let’s look at them one by one. |
| Yinru: 个 (Gè) is the most useful and most commonly used measure word. It can apply to almost anything, objects or people, and it’s used in informal language. |
| Yuriy: Here are some examples. |
| Yinru: 一个好人.(Yīgè hǎorén.) |
| Yuriy: “A good person.” |
| Yinru: 一个听话的孩子.(Yīgè tīnghuà de háizi.) |
| Yuriy: “A well-behaved kid.” |
| Yinru: 我看见了一个长得很像你的女生.(Wǒ kànjiànle yīgè zhǎng dé hěn xiàng nǐ de nǚshēng.) |
| Yuriy: “I saw a girl that looks a lot like you.” |
| Yinru: Compared to 个(Gè)，位 (Wèi)is a more honorific measure word for people. It indicates respect for the people you address. |
| Yuriy: And, it’s used in formal situations. Let’s hear some examples. |
| Yinru: 第一位选手.(Dì yī wèi xuǎnshǒu.) |
| Yuriy: “The first contestant.” |
| Yinru: 一位伟大的母亲 (Yī wèi wěidà de mǔqīn) |
| Yuriy: “A great mother.” |
| Yinru: 请问您找哪位?(Qǐngwèn nín zhǎo nǎ wèi?) |
| Yuriy: “May I ask who you’re looking for?” |
| Yinru: You can use this sentence in phone conversations and face-to-face conversations. |
| Yuriy: It’s very polite. |
| Yinru: Now the last measure word, 名(Míng), is also formal and honorific, but the difference is that it’s used more often in describing someone in the third person. |
| Yuriy: It often appears before a person with a special title or occupation. |
| Yinru: For example, 一名老师(Yī míng lǎoshī.). |
| Yuriy: “A teacher.” |
| Yinru: 两名勇敢的战士.(Liǎngmíngyǒnggǎn de zhànshì.) |
| Yuriy: “Two brave soldiers.” |
| Yinru: 这名咖啡店的服务员是四川人.(Zhè míng kāfēi diàn de fúwùyuán shì sìchuān rén.) |
| Yuriy: “This waiter in the cafe is from Sichuan.” |
| Yinru: In our dialogue, the waitress asks how many people will come to the dinner. She says, 请问几位? (Qǐngwèn jǐ wèi?) |
| Yuriy: Since she is talking to her customer, she uses the honorific measure word... |
| Yinru: ...位(... Wèi), instead of using the casual 个(Gè) and the descriptive 名(Míng). In response, Liu can answer either 五位 or 五个人(Wǔ wèi or wǔ gèrén), because her position as customer does not require her to use an honorific. |
Outro |
| Yuriy: Ok, listeners! That’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Yinru: 再见.(Zàijiàn.) |
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