Hover a line for its pinyin and translation; hover a word for its meaning. Tap 🔊 to hear it.
Alex orders at a small coffee shop. A member of staff takes the order.
Two is two words. 二 is the number you count with — 一, 二, 三 — and the one inside larger numbers like 十二. 两 is the one that goes before a measure word: 两个三明治, 两杯咖啡. Say 二个 and you will be understood, and instantly marked as a beginner. Money is also two words. 元 is what is printed on the note and on a receipt; 块 is what everyone says out loud. A price you hear will almost always be 块, a price you read will be 元, and they are the same thing. 欢迎光临 is shouted at you the moment you enter a shop. It is staff-to-customer only — there is no situation in which you say it back.
How do I read these pronunciations? See the pronunciation guide.
1. 要 — ordering things
要 covers both “want” and “I'll have”. In a shop it is the ordinary way to order, and it is not impolite — Chinese does not need a conditional to soften a request the way English reaches for “I would like”. The thing ordered follows with its number and measure word attached.
2. The measure word is not optional
Between a number and a noun, Chinese always puts a measure word. 一咖啡 is not merely unusual, it is ungrammatical — it has to be 一杯咖啡. Each noun has one that suits it: 杯 for cups, 个 for people and most objects, and dozens more to come. When you cannot remember which, use 个: it is wrong often enough to notice but right often enough to rescue you.
3. 请 + verb — making a request
请 goes in front of the verb and marks the whole thing as a request: 请扫这里, 请慢用, 请稍等. It is not a word you sprinkle over a sentence the way English sprinkles “please” — it opens the instruction, and there is only ever one of it.
4. 谢谢 and its reply
The answer to 谢谢 is 不客气 — literally “don't be polite” — or 不用谢. It is not 没关系, which answers an apology, not thanks. Mixing the two is the single most common slip an English speaker makes in their first week, because English lets “that's all right” do both jobs.
A. Fill in the Blank · 填空
Fill in the blank with a word from this lesson's vocabulary.
- 1.我要一咖啡。(measure word for cups)
- 2.还要个三明治。two
- 3.扫这里。please
- 4.谢谢！——。you're welcome
B. Multiple Choice · 选择
Choose the best answer.
- 1.How do you order a coffee?
- 2.Which is correct?
- 3.Someone says 谢谢. What do you say?
- 4.Who says 欢迎光临?
C. Rearrange the Sentence · 排序
Rearrange the words into a correct sentence, adding the punctuation shown in parentheses.
- 1.Tap tiles below…
- 2.Tap tiles below…
- 3.Tap tiles below…
- 4.Tap tiles below…
D. True or False · 判断
Based on the dialogue, mark each sentence T (true) or F (false).
- 1.Alex orders a coffee.
- 2.Alex orders one sandwich.
- 3.Alex pays with his phone.
- 4.The total is fifteen yuan.
E. Matching · 连线
Match each line on the left with the best response on the right.
F. Translation · 翻译
Translate items 1–2 into Chinese, and items 3–4 into English.
- 1.I'd like a coffee.
- 2.Thirty-five yuan altogether.
- 3.还要两个三明治。
- 4.请扫这里。
Generate a brand-new dialog on any topic, using this lesson's 19 vocab words — plus any words you add below.
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Why the default is hot
Asking for 热 rather than iced is not just this customer's preference. Warm drinks are the default in China, and cold ones are widely held to be bad for you — particularly when you are unwell. Restaurants bring free hot water, 热水, without being asked, and a vacuum flask is standard office equipment. Tea remains the everyday drink; coffee is a recent, urban and comparatively expensive arrival, which is part of why a coffee shop like this one reads as a young person's place. Ask for iced water and you may get a puzzled look first.