Restaurant reservations (Advanced): Checking table availability for specific dates and times.

🇨🇳 A soft reaction to news that's mildly disappointing, like hearing that your time slot is gone. It sounds polite and gives you a moment before suggesting an alternative.

💬 左右 (zuǒ yòu) literally means "left and right", but after a time or number it means "roughly". Try 十个人左右 "about ten people".

💬 Ending a phrase with 呢 (ne) turns it into "what about...?" with no verb needed, and 那 (nà) at the start means "in that case". Try 那明天呢？ "what about tomorrow, then?".

💬 Put 一点 (yì diǎn) after a describing word to mean "a bit more so": 晚一点 "a bit later", 便宜一点 "a bit cheaper".

💬 也行 (yě xíng) means "would work too" and can follow almost anything to signal you're flexible: 明天也行 "tomorrow is fine too".

🇨🇳 Busy Chinese restaurants, especially popular chains, often try to seat several groups at the same table in one evening, and staff may mention a time limit. Saying up front that you'll stay a long time helps you avoid being rushed.

🇨🇳 Restaurants usually offer two choices: 大厅 (dà tīng), the open main hall, or a 包间 "private room." Larger groups and business dinners often prefer the private room.

💬 得 (de) links an action to how it goes, so 吃得比较久 means "eat in a way that takes a while". Swap in other words, like 吃得很快 "eat quickly".

💬 Asking with "can or can't", 能不能, is a common Chinese way of making a request, and it sounds softer than a plain demand. Note that 不 is read with a light, neutral tone here: (néng bu néng).

💬 靠 (kào) means "next to" or "leaning on", so you can say 靠门 "by the door" or 靠墙 "against the wall".

💬 With 的 at the end, 靠窗的 means "one by the window". Chinese often drops the noun after 的 when it's obvious from context, just as English says "the window one".

🇨🇳 When staff say 尽量, they're usually being polite rather than making a firm promise. Treat it as a "maybe", and turn up on time if the table really matters to you.

💬 敢 (gǎn) normally means "dare", but 不敢 here just means "can't really" and sounds modest rather than fearful.

💬 麻烦 (má fan) means "trouble", and putting it at the start of a request works like "sorry to trouble you, but...". It's an easy way to soften any request: 麻烦再说一遍 "could you please say that again".

🇨🇳 Restaurants in China usually take your mobile number when you book, and they'll often call or text to confirm. A surname alone is often enough for the name, for example "Mr Wang".

💬 In Chinese, the length of time comes right after the verb: 保留十五分钟 "hold for fifteen minutes." The same order works in 等五分钟 "wait five minutes."

🇨🇳 A 15-minute hold is a common rule at busy Chinese restaurants. If you're late, call ahead, or the table may go to people waiting at the door.

💬 要是 (yào shi) means "if" and is very common in speech. Start any condition with it, like 要是下雨 "if it rains".

💬 In Chinese you "give someone a phone call": the person you're calling goes after 给 (gěi), before the action. So "call me" is 给我打电话.

🇨🇳 Literally "I've troubled you", this is a warm, polite way to thank someone who has done you a favour, like staff who arranged your booking. It often sounds more natural than a plain 谢谢 "thank you" when someone has gone out of their way for you.