I can order food and a drink at a café — 我要…, 请给我一杯…, 还要… — and make a suggestion to a friend: 我们吃…吧！
Ordering: 要, 给, and 杯
Ordering: 要, 给, and 杯
The waiter speaks to a customer politely, with 您: 请问，您要什么？(Qǐngwèn, nín yào shénme?) — “Excuse me, what would you like?” You answer with 要: 要 + a thing — “I'll have …”, 要 + an action — “I'm going to (eat, drink) …”. You call the waiter simply “服务员！” (Fúwùyuán!) — that's normal and polite, not rude.
A request “give me …” goes like this: 请给我 + how many + what. First who gets it, then what, as in English “give me a coffee”; the number with its measure word goes right before the thing.
杯 is the measure word for drinks: 一杯水 (yì bēi shuǐ); where English says “a water”, Chinese still needs 杯. The glass itself is 杯子, and its measure word is 个. “Two” before a measure word is 两, not 二: 两杯 (liǎng bēi), ×二杯.
还 before the verb means “also, more”: 还要. 吧 at the end of a sentence means “let's”; to agree, just say 好！(Hǎo!) 一点儿 after a verb means “a little”; 一些 means “some, a few” (more than 一点儿).
Common mistakes:
• ×她要茶一杯。→ 她要一杯茶。(Tā yào yì bēi chá.)
• ×请给一个面包他。→ 请给他一个面包。(Qǐng gěi tā yí gè miànbāo.)
• ×还她要一个鸡蛋。→ 她还要一个鸡蛋。(Tā hái yào yí gè jīdàn.)
• ×一水 → 一杯水。(Yì bēi shuǐ.)
Ordering: 要, 给, and 一点儿
| What you want to say | How to say it (with pinyin) | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| I'll have … | 她要一杯茶。(Tā yào yì bēi chá.) | She'll have a cup of tea |
| going to eat | 他要吃米饭。(Tā yào chī mǐfàn.) | He's going to eat rice |
| please give | 请给他一个面包。(Qǐng gěi tā yí gè miànbāo.) | Please give him one bread roll |
| also, more | 她还要一个鸡蛋。(Tā hái yào yí gè jīdàn.) | She'll also have one egg |
| let's | 我们吃面条儿吧！(Wǒmen chī miàntiáor ba!) | Let's have noodles! |
| a little | 他喝一点儿水。(Tā hē yìdiǎnr shuǐ.) | He'll drink a little water |
杯 (measure word) and 杯子 (the object)
| Phrase (with pinyin) | Translation | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 一杯水 (yì bēi shuǐ) | a glass of water | 杯 — a measure word |
| 一个杯子 (yí gè bēizi) | one glass | 杯子 — an object; its measure word is 个 |
Lesson notes
Ordering: 要, 给, and 杯
The waiter speaks to a customer politely, with 您: 请问，您要什么？(Qǐngwèn, nín yào shénme?) — “Excuse me, what would you like?” You answer with 要: 要 + a thing — “I'll have …”, 要 + an action — “I'm going to (eat, drink) …”. You call the waiter simply “服务员！” (Fúwùyuán!) — that's normal and polite, not rude.
A request “give me …” goes like this: 请给我 + how many + what. First who gets it, then what, as in English “give me a coffee”; the number with its measure word goes right before the thing.
杯 is the measure word for drinks: 一杯水 (yì bēi shuǐ); where English says “a water”, Chinese still needs 杯. The glass itself is 杯子, and its measure word is 个. “Two” before a measure word is 两, not 二: 两杯 (liǎng bēi), ×二杯.
还 before the verb means “also, more”: 还要. 吧 at the end of a sentence means “let's”; to agree, just say 好！(Hǎo!) 一点儿 after a verb means “a little”; 一些 means “some, a few” (more than 一点儿).
Common mistakes:
• ×她要茶一杯。→ 她要一杯茶。(Tā yào yì bēi chá.)
• ×请给一个面包他。→ 请给他一个面包。(Qǐng gěi tā yí gè miànbāo.)
• ×还她要一个鸡蛋。→ 她还要一个鸡蛋。(Tā hái yào yí gè jīdàn.)
• ×一水 → 一杯水。(Yì bēi shuǐ.)