Ordering a coffee Part 2: Options such as type of milk, depending on dietary preferences or allergies.
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Key Phrases
一杯咖啡
yī bēi kā fēi
A cup of coffee
听起来不错
tīng qǐ lái bù cuò
Sounds good
过敏
guò mǐn
Allergic
Skills You'll Learn
Making a drink order
点饮料
diǎn yǐn liào
Discussing dietary restrictions
讨论饮食限制
tǎo lùn yǐn shí xiàn zhì
Asking about ingredients
询问成分
xún wèn chéng fèn
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you are at a coffee shop in China. You start by ordering a cup of coffee and are asked about your milk preference. Since you're allergic to regular milk, the server offers soy milk as an alternative. You inquire about the ingredients in soy milk before deciding to go ahead with it. The server then confirms your order and lets you know it will be ready soon.
你好，我要一杯咖啡。
nǐ hǎo wǒ yào yī bēi kā fēi
Hello, I would like a cup of coffee.
好的。你喜欢什么牛奶？我们有普通牛奶、豆奶和杏仁奶。
hǎo de nǐ xǐ huān shén me niú nǎi wǒ men yǒu pǔ tōng niú nǎi dòu nǎi hé xìng rén nǎi
Sure. What kind of milk do you prefer? We have regular milk, soy milk, and almond milk.
我对牛奶过敏。有没有椰奶？
wǒ duì niú nǎi guò mǐn yǒu méi yǒu yē nǎi
I'm allergic to milk. Do you have coconut milk?
对不起，我们没有椰奶。你想试试豆奶吗？
duì bù qǐ wǒ men méi yǒu yē nǎi nǐ xiǎng shì shì dòu nǎi ma
Sorry, we don't have coconut milk. Would you like to try soy milk?
豆奶可以吗？豆奶里有什么成分？
dòu nǎi kě yǐ ma dòu nǎi lǐ yǒu shén me chéng fèn
Is soy milk okay? What's in soy milk?
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
你
nǐ
You
好
hǎo
Good
你好
nǐ hǎo
Hello
🇨🇳 [你好] is fine and polite, but in many real coffee-shop interactions people may skip it and go straight to the order. Staff might greet you first with [你好] or [欢迎光临].
See breakdown →我
wǒ
I
要
yào
Want
💬 [要] often means "want," but in ordering it commonly softens into "would like." You can reuse it with food and drinks: [我要茶] "I'd like tea."
See breakdown →我要
wǒ yào
I would like
💬 [我要] is a very common way to order: literally "I want," but in shops it often just means "I'd like." To make it softer, many people also say [我想要].
See breakdown →一
yī
One
💬 Before a counting word like [杯], [一] is said (yì), not (yī). You'll hear the same in [一个] and [一杯].
See breakdown →杯
bēi
Cup
💬 [杯] is the counting word for cups and glasses of drinks. Swap the drink after it: [一杯茶], [一杯拿铁].
See breakdown →咖啡
kā fēi
Coffee
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Options such as type of milk, depending on dietary preferences or allergies.
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