Learn how to ask about the popular dishes in a restaurant
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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 17 - Which Delicious Chinese Dish Would You Like to Order? In the last lesson, Liu called a restaurant to reserve seats for the next day. Now Liu and her guests are at the restaurant, ready to order their food. |
| Yinru: The conversation is between Liu and a waitress from the 福满园 (Fú mǎn yuán) restaurant. Since they are customer and staff, they’ll be using formal and polite language. |
| Yuriy: Pay attention to how Liu asks the waitress about the restaurant’s most popular dish. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| 服务员:小姐您好，请问有预订吗？(FÚWÙYUÁN : xiǎojie nínhǎo, qǐngwèn yǒu yùdìng ma?) |
| 刘:有。我姓刘。预订了今晚的大厅，五个人。(LIÚ : yǒu. wǒ xìng liú. yùdìng le jīnwǎn de dàtīng, wǔ gèrén.) |
| 服务员:好。这边请.(FÚWÙYUÁN : hǎo. zhèbiān qǐng.) |
| 刘: 请问你们这里哪个菜最受外国人欢迎？(LIÚ : qǐngwèn nǐmen zhèli nǎ ge cài zuì shòu wàiguórén huānyíng?) |
| 服务员: 我们这里的青椒牛柳很好吃。您要尝尝吗？(FÚWÙYUÁN : wǒmen zhèli de qīngjiāo niúliǔ hěn hǎochī. nín yào chángchangma?) |
| 刘:好，就先来一个青椒牛柳吧。(LIÚ : hǎo, jiù xiān lái yí ge qīngjiāo niúliǔ ba.) |
| Yuriy: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| 服务员:小姐您好，请问有预订吗？(FÚWÙYUÁN : xiǎojie nínhǎo, qǐngwèn yǒu yùdìng ma?) |
| 刘:有。我姓刘。预订了今晚的大厅，五个人。(LIÚ : yǒu. wǒ xìng liú. yùdìng le jīnwǎn de dàtīng, wǔ gèrén.) |
| 服务员:好。这边请.(FÚWÙYUÁN : hǎo. zhèbiān qǐng.) |
| 刘: 请问你们这里哪个菜最受外国人欢迎？(LIÚ : qǐngwèn nǐmen zhèli nǎ ge cài zuì shòu wàiguórén huānyíng?) |
| 服务员: 我们这里的青椒牛柳很好吃。您要尝尝吗？(FÚWÙYUÁN : wǒmen zhèli de qīngjiāo niúliǔ hěn hǎochī. nín yào chángchangma?) |
| 刘:好，就先来一个青椒牛柳吧。(LIÚ : hǎo, jiù xiān lái yí ge qīngjiāo niúliǔ ba.) |
| Yuriy: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| 服务员:小姐您好，请问有预订吗？(FÚWÙYUÁN : xiǎojie nínhǎo, qǐngwèn yǒu yùdìng ma?) |
| Yuriy: Hello, Miss, do you have a reservation? |
| 刘:有。我姓刘。预订了今晚的大厅，五个人。(LIÚ : yǒu. wǒ xìng liú. yùdìng le jīnwǎn de dàtīng, wǔ gèrén.) |
| Yuriy: Yes. My family name is Liu. I reserved a dining hall table for tonight for five people. |
| 服务员:好。这边请.(FÚWÙYUÁN : hǎo. zhèbiān qǐng.) |
| Yuriy: Okay. This way please. |
| 刘: 请问你们这里哪个菜最受外国人欢迎？(LIÚ : qǐngwèn nǐmen zhèli nǎ ge cài zuì shòu wàiguórén huānyíng?) |
| Yuriy: Which dish here is the most popular among foreigners? |
| 服务员: 我们这里的青椒牛柳很好吃。您要尝尝吗？(FÚWÙYUÁN : wǒmen zhèli de qīngjiāo niúliǔ hěn hǎochī. nín yào chángchangma?) |
| Yuriy: The green pepper and beef here is very tasty. Would you like to try it? |
| 刘:好，就先来一个青椒牛柳吧。(LIÚ : hǎo, jiù xiān lái yí ge qīngjiāo niúliǔ ba.) |
| Yuriy: Sure, let's have that first. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Yinru: Yuriy, did you know that 小姐 (Xiǎojiě) is a title for young and unmarried women? |
| Yuriy: Yes, and as far as I know, Chinese people have used this title for hundreds of years. |
| Yinru: That’s right. In ancient Chinese, 小姐 (Xiǎojiě) refers to the well-mannered, well-educated young ladies and daughters from rich families. |
| Yuriy: It seems like a polite and honorific term. |
| Yinru: Well, sometimes. |
| Yuriy: What do you mean by sometimes? |
| Yinru: Nowadays, this term is associated with young ladies involved in prostitution, which—in that case—would be very offensive. |
| Yuriy: So we should be careful when using this term then. |
| Yinru: Right. But in most formal or business occasions, it’s OK to use because people still see it as an honorific term. In other cases, such as when you go out to a restaurant or karaoke, it’s best to avoid it. |
| Yuriy: Can you explain that a bit more? |
| Yinru: Sure. For example in restaurants, people used to call a waitress 小姐 (Xiǎojiě) because most waitresses in China are young women. But now, in order to be careful, they call them 小妹 (Xiǎo mèi)instead of 小姐(Xiǎojiě). In the lesson dialogue, the waitress used 小姐 (Xiǎojiě)toward the customer in an honorific manner, but Liu and her guests shouldn’t be using this term when calling for the waitress to come. |
| Yuriy: So either 服务员 (Fúwùyuán )or 小妹 (Xiǎo mèi) is the correct term to use for a waitress? |
| Yinru: Yep, or just follow what the local people use. |
| Yuriy: That’s a good tip. 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: 预订 (Yùdìng)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: reservation |
| Yinru: 预订 (Yùdìng)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 预订 (Yùdìng)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 这边 (Zhè biān)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: over here |
| Yinru: 这边 (Zhè biān)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 这边 (Zhè biān)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 菜 (Cài)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: dish |
| Yinru: 菜 (Cài)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 菜 (Cài)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 受...欢迎 (Shòu... Huānyíng)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: popular among |
| Yinru: 受...欢迎 (Shòu... Huānyíng)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 受...欢迎 (Shòu... Huānyíng)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 青椒牛柳 (Qīngjiāo niú liǔ)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: beef strips with green pepper |
| Yinru: 青椒牛柳 (Qīngjiāo niú liǔ)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 青椒牛柳 (Qīngjiāo niú liǔ)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 尝尝 (Cháng cháng)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: to taste |
| Yinru: 尝尝 (Cháng cháng)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 尝尝 (Cháng cháng)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 先 (Xiān)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: first |
| Yinru: 先 (Xiān)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 先 (Xiān)[natural native speed] |
| : And Last: |
| Yinru: 来一个 (Lái yīgè)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: to have an order |
| Yinru: 来一个 (Lái yīgè)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 来一个 (Lái yīgè)[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: First up in this lesson’s key vocabulary, is the phrase 受...欢迎。(Shòu... Huānyíng.) |
| Yuriy: Which means “to be popular among...” |
| Yinru: With this phrase, a certain group of people is mentioned between 受 and 欢迎(Shòu and huānyíng), meaning that something is popular among a certain group of people. This is what we need to pay attention to. |
| Yuriy: Let’s take a look at some sample sentences. |
| Yinru: 这个手机很受女性的欢迎.(Zhège shǒujī hěn shòu nǚxìng de huānyíng.) |
| Yuriy: “This phone is popular among females.” |
| Yinru: 那部电影很受八零后的欢迎.(Nà bù diànyǐng hěn shòu bā líng hòu de huānyíng.) |
| Yuriy: “That movie is very popular among people born in the 1980s.” |
| Yinru: 八零后 (Bā líng hòu) refers to people who were born in the 1980s. Since these kids are usually the only child in their family, they’re a special group of people in China. |
| Yuriy: This term is used a lot in everyday conversations. |
| Yinru: Here’s another example: 有的明星走到哪里都受大家的欢迎.(Yǒu de míngxīng zǒu dào nǎlǐ dōu shòu dàjiā de huānyíng.) |
| Yuriy: “Some stars are welcomed by everyone no matter where they go.” |
| Yinru: Okay. Let’s move on to the second key vocabulary word, which is 来一个(Lái yīgè). |
| Yuriy: This is a colloquial phrase you use when you order or buy something. |
| Yinru: It means, “I’d like one serving.” |
| Yuriy: As we mentioned in the previous lesson, 个 (Gè)is a counter that can be used for almost everything, that’s why we use 个 (Gè) here. You can also use other counters for different objects, depending on the context. |
| Yinru: For example, in a restaurant, you can say: 老板, 来一个炒饭.(Lǎobǎn, lái yīgè chǎofàn.) |
| Yuriy: “Owner, I’d like one order of fried rice.” |
| Yinru: 老板 (Lǎobǎn) means “boss,” but you can use it to call for store owners, too. In many small or family restaurants, the owner is the only waiter or waitress, so you just need to yell 老板 (Lǎobǎn) to get their attention. |
| Yuriy: Our next example applies to a chain restaurant or fast food restaurant. |
| Yinru: 你好, 我想来一个二号套餐.(Nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎnglái yīgè èr hào tàocān.) |
| Yuriy: “Hello, I’d like a Number Two combo.” |
| Yinru: 服务员, 来两瓶啤酒.(Fúwùyuán, lái liǎng píng píjiǔ.) |
| Yuriy: “Waiter, two bottles of beer please.” |
| Yinru: Please note here, we use 瓶 as the measure word for bottles. |
| Yuriy: For objects like beer or bottled water, we always use this measure word. |
| Yinru: As another example of a measure word, 来一只北京烤鸭怎么样? (Lái yī zhǐ běijīng kǎoyā zěnme yàng?) |
| Yuriy: “How about we order a serving of Peking duck?” |
| Yinru: For animals, we use 只 (Zhǐ) as a measure word. |
| Yuriy: Okay, now onto the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
| Yuriy: In this lesson, you’ll learn the use of replication of verbs in Chinese language. |
| Yinru: In spoken Chinese, you often repeat verbs. |
| Yuriy: By doing that, sentences sound more relaxed and friendly. |
| Yinru: When you repeat a verb, it has the same meaning, but the pronunciation changes a little bit. |
| Yuriy: The second time you say the verb, it changes to a neutral tone. Let’s listen to an example. |
| Yinru: 你看看这个颜色适不适合。(Nǐ kàn kàn zhège yánsè shì bù shìhé.) |
| Yuriy: “Take a look at this color and see if it fits.” |
| Yinru: 你好好想想, 昨晚十点你在哪.(Nǐ hǎohǎoxiǎngxiǎng, zuó wǎn shí diǎn nǐ zài nǎ.) |
| Yuriy: “Think hard, where were you at ten o’clock last night?” |
| Yinru: 有时候, 听听音乐是很好的放松方式.(Yǒu shíhòu, tīng tīng yīnyuè shì hěn hǎo dì fàngsōng fāngshì.) |
| Yuriy: “Sometimes listening to music is a great way to relax.” |
| Yinru: In these examples, the verbs are pronounced as 看4看0, 想4想0, 听4听0, instead of 看看, 想想,听听.(Kàn 4 kàn 0, xiǎng 4 xiǎng 0, tīng 4 tīng 0, instead of kàn kàn, xiǎng xiǎng, tīng tīng.) |
| Yuriy: Yes, that’s what we talked about: the change of tone when you say the verb a second time. |
| Yinru: That’s true for one-syllable verbs. |
| Yuriy: However, there’s no tone change for two-syllable verbs. In this case, people just say the second verb more quietly than the first time. Let’s listen. Please pay attention to the repeated words and how they’re pronounced. |
| Yinru: 给大家介绍介绍, 这是我的女朋友, 她是美国人.(Gěi dàjiā jièshào jièshào, zhè shì wǒ de nǚ péngyǒu, tā shì měiguó rén.) |
| Yuriy: Literally, this is “Let me introduce to you guys; this is my girlfriend; she’s American.” What’s the next example? |
| Yinru: 很多事情习惯习惯就好了.(Hěnduō shìqíng xíguàn xíguàn jiù hǎole.) |
| Yuriy: “Many things you just need to get used to.” |
| Yinru: In our conversation, when the waitress recommends the “green pepper and beef” to her customers, in order to sound casual and less forceful, she repeats 尝 (Cháng) by saying, 您要尝尝吗？(Nín yào cháng cháng ma?) |
| Yuriy: This means, “Would you like to try it?” |
Outro |
| Yuriy: Well listeners, that’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening, bye! |
| Yinru: 我们下期再见! (Wǒmen xiàqī zàijiàn!) See you for the next lesson! |
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