So you arrive at your favorite Chinese restaurant. It might even be in China, or just around the corner from your place in New York. Maybe you want to impress a date, or just impress the waiters or owners of the restaurant. Maybe, you are just really hungry and the best way to get your point across is by speaking Chinese. Translation in Chinese is here to help you!
Once you get into a restaurant, ask for the menu:
我要看一下你们的菜单 (Wǒ yào kàn yīxià nǐmen de càidān) – I want to have a look at your menu – Easy and straight to the point. Maybe you won’t even like the options and go to the next restaurant. But if you decide to stay, here’s how to order a meal.
You can say it in various ways. Here are two options:
我要… [meal name] (Wǒ yào) – I want …. – Just fill in the meal name. If you don’t know how to pronounce it. Just point to the menu and say 这个 (Zhège), which means “this”.
Another way:
来… [meal name] (Lái) – Bring me [meal name] – This is better suited when sitting down. Even better if you use an informal tone, such as street barbecues. Yum!
What if you aren’t sure what to order? Ask the restaurant to provide their most delicious meal (this is risky though!)
你的饭店最好吃的菜是什么？ (Nǐ de fàndiàn zuì hào chī de cài shì shénme?) – What’s your restaurant’s most delicious dish? – Again, use at your own discretion, ’cause they might bring some strange meals!
At the end ask for the menu: 我要买单 (Wǒ yāo mǎidān) – I want to pay the bill.
There we go! A good meal. If you want to order some beers, ask them in Chinese too!
If I have made an error or if you want a sentence translated, email me info@translationinchinese.com
