Ordering a coffee Part 2 (Advanced): Indicates whether the coffee is for in-store or to be taken out.

💬 吧 at the end softens a decision into "I guess" or "let's". 打包吧 means "pack it, I guess".

💬 上 "above" and 下 "below" go after the noun, the reverse of English: 楼下 "downstairs", 桌上 "on the table".

💬 没什么 + noun means "hardly any", not "nothing": 没什么人 "hardly anyone". The 了 at the end shows the situation has changed, so the seats were there earlier and are gone now.

💬 好像 (hǎo xiàng) "it seems" goes before the part you're unsure about. It makes a guess sound polite instead of blunt.

💬 Put 满 "full" after an action to show the action filled the space: 坐满 "full of people sitting", 停满 "parked full".

💬 位 (wèi) on the end of a word means "seat": 靠窗位 "window seat".

💬 门口 is literally "door mouth". 口 is used for many openings, like 路口 "intersection".

💬 有点 (yǒu diǎn) before an adjective usually means "a bit too", so it's a mild complaint: 有点贵 "a bit pricey". Don't use it for good things.

💬 帮我 + action is the everyday way to ask someone to do something for you: 帮我加点糖 "add some sugar for me".

💬 还是 (hái shi) in a statement means "I'd better" after thinking it over: 还是走吧 "I'd better go". Here 那 means "in that case".

💬 回 "back" goes right after the action, then the place: 带回家 "take it home", 拿回去 "take it back".

💬 Chinese lists the actions in the order they happen: first take it back, then drink. You can swap in other actions the same way: 我买回家吃 "I'll buy it and eat it at home".

💬 加个 is short for 加一个 "add one". People often drop the 一 in casual speech: 来个拿铁 "give me a latte".

💬 Prices often drop the money word 块 "yuan". 三十二 alone means 32 yuan.

💬 就行 at the end means "that's all it takes" — tack it onto any action to make it sound easy: 刷卡就行 "just swipe your card", 给我就行 "just give it to me".

🇨🇳 Paying in China is almost always by scanning a QR code with WeChat Pay or Alipay, so set one up before you travel. Cash is technically accepted but can leave the barista hunting for change.

💬 Adding 好了 after an action means it's done and finished: 做好了 "it's ready", 写好了 "it's written".

💬 Adding 一下 after an action makes it sound quick and casual: 等一下 "wait a sec".

🇨🇳 Most people pay by scanning a QR code with WeChat or Alipay. Showing your phone screen to the cashier so they can confirm the payment is normal.

🇨🇳 Staff say this to confirm your payment has gone through. It's also widely used in chats and at work to mean "got it" or "noted".

💬 稍 (shāo) "slightly" makes the request polite. 稍等 alone, "one moment", is very common in shops.

💬 好 after an action means it's finished: 付好了 "paid", 做好了 "made". In this sentence, 做好了 by itself works as "once it's done", with no word for "when".

💬 您 (nín) is the polite form of 你 "you". Staff use it with customers.

🇨🇳 In busy cafés, staff may call out your order number instead of your name, so listen for numbers.