Flirting at the bar Part 2 (Advanced): Suggest moving to a quieter spot in the bar to continue talking.

🇨🇳 Many Chinese bars, especially the small music bars known as 清吧 (qīng bā), have a resident singer doing covers. That's often exactly why it's hard to talk near the stage.

💬 靠 literally means "lean against". Put it before a place to say "next to": 靠门 "by the door", 靠墙 "against the wall".

💬 Adding 点儿 after an adjective means "a bit more": 便宜点儿 "a bit cheaper". It also softens a request, as in 慢点儿 "slow down a little".

💬 好像 (hǎo xiàng) means "it seems". It hedges what you say so the suggestion doesn't sound pushy.

💬 Literally 要不 is "if not", but at the start of a sentence it introduces a gentle suggestion. Try 要不我们走吧 "how about we leave?"

💬 着 after the first verb describes the state you're in while doing the second: 站着吃 "eat standing up", 躺着看 "read lying down".

🇨🇳 咱们 (zán men) is the "we" that includes the listener, so it sounds warm and casual, like you're already a pair. It's especially common in northern China.

💬 说一声 means "say a word" and is the casual way to say "give someone a heads-up". 一声 here is (yì shēng), because 一 changes tone before a first-tone word.

💬 When 得 means "have to", it's read (děi), not (de) or (dé). It's very common in casual speech.

💬 把 moves the object in front of the verb when you're doing something to it. 端 (duān) means carrying something steadily with your hands, like a drink or a bowl, and 过去 "over there" shows the direction.

🇨🇳 Offering to carry her drink is a small, polite gesture. It shows interest without being too forward.

💬 Ending a sentence with 就行 means "that's enough" or "that'll do". Another example: 给我水就行 "just water is fine".

🇨🇳 Politely turning down a small favour is a reflex in China and isn't a rejection. The flirting can carry on as normal.

💬 The 个 here is short for 一个 and makes the request sound casual and light. Compare 吃个饭 "grab a meal".

💬 吧 at the end turns an instruction into a friendly suggestion. Without it, 你先去占位子 sounds more like an order.

🇨🇳 回见 is a casual, Beijing-flavoured "see you in a bit". It suits someone you'll see again shortly, even in the same bar.

🇨🇳 好嘞 (hǎo lei) is a cheerful, northern-flavored "you got it". Bartenders and waiters say it a lot.

💬 那桌 is short for 那张桌子 "that table". 桌 works as its own counting word when you're talking about tables of people, as in 一桌客人 "a table of guests".

💬 Literally 有人了 is "there's someone now", and it's the standard way to say a seat is taken. You can ask 这儿有人吗？ "is this seat taken?"

💬 张 is the counting word for flat things like sofas, tables, beds and tickets: 一张票 "one ticket".

💬 行 (xíng) means "OK" or "works". Put 吗 after anything to ask "is that alright?": 明天行吗？ "is tomorrow OK?"

💬 The 啊 after 行 makes the agreement sound relaxed and willing rather than flat.

💬 To compare, just put 更 before the adjective, with no 是 needed: 这个更好 "this one is better".

💬 过来 means "come over towards you" and 过去 means "go over away from me". The choice depends on whose side you're picturing.

💬 果然 (guǒrán) means something turned out just as you expected. It's not a plain "really", so use it when a guess or prediction is confirmed: 他果然来了 "he came, just as I thought".

💬 Put 多了 after an adjective to say something is much more so than before: 好多了 "much better", 安静多了 (ānjìng duō le) "much quieter".

🇨🇳 This is a natural, low-pressure line once you've moved somewhere quieter. It quietly confirms that suggesting the move was a good idea, without making a big deal of it.

💬 扯 (chě) literally means "to pull" and 嗓子 (sǎngzi) means "throat", so the image is straining your throat. Putting 着 (zhe) after an action shows how another action is done: 扯着嗓子说话 "talk while straining your voice".

🇨🇳 In a loud bar, complaining that you have to shout is an easy and natural reason to suggest moving somewhere quieter, and it doesn't sound pushy.

💬 来 (lái) after a movement verb means toward the speaker, and 去 (qù) means away. So 过来 is "come over here" and 过去 (guòqu) is "go over there".

💬 愿意 (yuànyì) "to be willing" goes right before the action, with no extra word needed: 谢谢你愿意等我 "thanks for being willing to wait for me".

🇨🇳 Thanking someone for agreeing to move with you is polite and warm. It shows you don't take their company for granted, which comes across well when you're flirting.

💬 玩 (wán) doesn't only mean "play" like a child. Adults use it for any leisure or going out, as in 去哪儿玩 "where to go have fun".

💬 Time words like 平时 (píngshí) "usually, normally" come before the verb, not at the end like in English: 你平时几点睡？ "what time do you usually sleep?"

🇨🇳 This is a classic, safe getting-to-know-you question in a bar. It's also an easy way to find out what they like doing, which can lead to suggesting a next meeting.

💬 出来 (chūlai) here means "go out socially", not just physically stepping outside. 很少 (hěn shǎo) before a verb means "rarely": 我很少喝酒 "I rarely drink".

💬 被 (bèi) puts the person doing the action right after it: 被朋友 "by a friend". 硬 (yìng) "forcibly" adds the sense that you went unwillingly.

💬 Wrapping an action in 是……的 (shì……de) highlights how or why something happened, rather than the fact that it happened: 我是坐地铁来的 "I came by subway".

🇨🇳 Saying a friend dragged you along is a common modest way to signal you're not a regular bar-goer. People in China often read that as a good sign.

💬 不过 (búguò) is a softer, more conversational "but" than 但是 (dànshì). Note that 不 is read (bú) here because the next syllable has a falling tone.

💬 还好 (hái hǎo) means "luckily" or "thankfully" here, not "still good". Use it for a lucky outcome: 还好没下雨 "luckily it didn't rain".

🇨🇳 This is a gentle flirt: it hints that meeting you made the night worthwhile, without saying so outright.

💬 Doubling an adjective before a verb adds "thoroughly, properly": 好好休息 (hǎohǎo xiūxi) "rest properly". In speech the second 好 is often said (hāo).

💬 With close relationships like friends and family, Chinese usually drops 的 (de): 你朋友 instead of 你的朋友, or 我妈 "my mom".

💬 可得 (kě děi) means "really must", with 得 read (děi) here, not (de). The 了 at the end adds a sense of "now that that's the case".

🇨🇳 This is a playful, flirty reply: it turns their complaint about being dragged along into a compliment that you're glad they came.