Cam: Welcome to Chinese Studio everyone… I’m Cam.
YJ: And wo shi Yajie. Cam, we’ve been talking about food and restaurants, and we’ve learned how to order many dishes.
Cam: I’m getting better at that, but sometimes I need to call the waitress or waiter over to my table – right now I can only yell , because I don’t know what to call them!
Yajie: Let’s check out our Key Words of the Day.
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Key Words of the Day
服务员(fu2wu4 yuan2) waiter or waitress, napkin 餐巾纸(can1jin1zhi3)。我要几张餐巾纸, I’d like some napkins. 加一个糖醋排骨I’d like to add another spareribs in sweet and sour sauce. 加一瓶啤酒. I want to have another bottle of beer. All in today’s Chinese Studio.
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Cam: Yajie, I can be a messy eater… and the other day, I needed to get some napkins. But how do I call for help, and then ask for some napkins?
YJ: First you may call for the waiter or waitress. In Chinese it’s服务员(fu2wu4 yuan2), waiter, or waitress. 服务员(fu2wu4 yuan2) does not mention the gender.
Cam: 服务员(fu2wu4 yuan2).
YJ: 服务(fu2wu4) means service. 服, f-u, the second tone; 务, w-u, the fourth tone. Together it’s服务(fu2wu4).
Cam: 服务(fu2wu4).
YJ: 员 (yuan2), y-u-a-n, the second tone. It suggests a person engaged in certain field of activity.
Cam: 员 (yuan2).
YJ: 服务员(fu2wu4 yuan2).
Cam: 服务员(fu2wu4 yuan2).
Conversation1 :
YJ: Now Cam, there they are, and you can ask for some napkins. Let’s learn how to say napkin first. It’s “餐巾纸(can1jin1 zhi3)”.
Cam: 餐巾纸(can1jin1 zhi3)
YJ: 餐巾(can1jin1) is napkin. All in the first tone.
Cam: 餐巾(can1jin1).
YJ: 纸 (zhi3), z-h-i, the third tone means paper.
Cam: 纸 (zhi3).
YJ: 餐巾纸(can1jin1zhi3) napkin.
Cam: 餐巾纸(can1jin1zhi3).
YJ: 我要几张餐巾纸(wo3 yao4 ji3 zhang1 can1jin1zhi3)。
Cam: 我要几张餐巾纸( wo3 yao4 ji3 zhang1 can1jin1zhi3)。
YJ: 几(ji3) means some, and 张(zhang1) is a measure word for the napkin, means piece of …
Cam: Wow, hold on a sec Yajie. In English we don’t say some pieces of napkin, we just say some napkins.
YJ: I know. But that is the difference between English and Chinese. In Chinese we say “some pieces of napkin” 几张(ji3 zhang1) means some pieces of …
Cam: 几张 (ji3 zhang1)。
YJ: and napkin is 餐巾纸。So together “I’d like some napkins ” should be 我要几张餐巾纸( wo3 yao4 ji3 zhang1 can1jin1zhi3)
Cam:我要几张餐巾纸( wo3 yao4 ji3 zhang1 can1jin1zhi3)。
Conversation2:
Cam: Yajie, I don’t think I could ever eat enough Chinese food… so I’d like to add another dish, but how about spareribs in sweet and sour sauce?
YJ: Ok… Cam. You can say加一个糖醋排骨(jia1 yi2ge4 tang2 cu4 pai2 gu3).
Cam: 加一个糖醋排骨(jia1 yi2ge4 tang2 cu4 pai2 gu3).
YJ: 加(jia1) means add.
Cam: 加(jia1).
YJ: 一个(yi2ge4), one.
Cam: 一个(yi2ge4).
YJ: 糖醋排骨(tang2 cu4 pai2 gu3), we learned it in previous show.
Cam: Yes, how can I forget this, 糖醋排骨(tang2 cu4 pai2 gu3).
YJ: 加一个糖醋排骨(jia1 yi2ge4 tang2 cu4 pai2 gu3). I’d like to add spareribs in sweet and sour sauce.
Cam: 加一个糖醋排骨(jia1 yi2ge4 tang2 cu4 pai2 gu3). So I guess I can put any dish after jia1 yi2 ge4, right?
YJ: yes, jia yi ge any dish that u want.
Cam: Ok…I also want to have another bottle of beer. Can I say ”jia1 yi2 ge3 pi2 jiu3”?
YJ: it’s 加一瓶啤酒(jia1 yi4ping2 pi2jiu3) 瓶ping, means bottle。
Cam: Oh, right, I knew that, 加一瓶啤酒(jia1 yi4ping2 pi2jiu3).
Conversation3:
Cam: Okay…. I think I can remember all that.
YJ: We’ve certainly learned a lot. But before we go, we have to give you our question of the day.
Cam: How do you say, “I’d like some napkins” in Chinese? And we will see you tomorrow!
YJ: Zai jian.
