Restaurant reservations (Advanced): Number of guests

💬 Putting 多 before a number means "that many more." 多两个 means "two more," and 一两个 (yì liǎng gè) is a handy vague "one or two." Note that 一 is read (yì) before 两.

🇨🇳 Group sizes at Chinese dinners often grow at the last minute, so restaurants are used to hearing this. It's normal to warn them in advance.

🇨🇳 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.

💬 Putting 不下 after a verb means "there isn't room to do it." 坐不下 means there's no room to sit, and 放不下 means "can't fit it in." The positive form is 坐得下 "can fit everyone."

🇨🇳 Private rooms are very common in Chinese restaurants for family gatherings and business meals. They often come with a minimum spend.

💬 位 (wèi) is the polite counting word for people, so you'll hear 十二位 from staff instead of 十二个人. You'll also hear 几位？ "how many people?" when you walk in.

🇨🇳 Private rooms often require a minimum total bill for the table. If your group orders less than that amount, you still pay the minimum, so ask the figure when you book.

💬 您看 literally means "you look." Here it means "what do you think" and softens a suggestion. Add it to the front of a proposal to make it polite: 您看明天可以吗？ "would tomorrow work?"

💬 按 (àn) means "based on, going by." You can swap in other numbers or measures, as in 按人数 "by headcount."

💬 Adding 吧 (ba) at the end turns a statement into a decision or suggestion, like "let's." Compare 走吧 "let's go."

💬 万一 (wàn yī) literally means "one in ten thousand." It's used for unlikely or unwanted possibilities: 万一人多了 "in case more people come."

💬 说一声 literally means "say one sound." It means "just give a quick heads-up," and putting 一声 after the verb makes the request feel small and easy.

💬 Putting 就行 at the end of an instruction means "that's all it takes." It's reassuring and works after almost anything, as in 付现金就行 "cash is fine."

💬 Starting a request with 麻烦 (má fan) "trouble" works like "would you mind." It's a quick polite opener: 麻烦您等一下 "please wait a moment."

🇨🇳 When booking, people usually give only their surname with 我姓 (wǒ xìng). The restaurant then records the booking as "Mr./Ms. Shi," and you'll hear 史先生 or 史女士 when you arrive.

💬 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."

🇨🇳 Popular restaurants usually hold a booked table for only a short grace period, often 15 minutes. If you're running late, it's worth calling ahead.

💬 Pairing 会 with 的 at the end makes a confident promise, like "we definitely will." Without 的 it still works but sounds less assured.

🇨🇳 This is the usual polite thank-you to end a call with staff. It feels warmer than a plain 谢谢 because it acknowledges the effort they made.

💬 Put any time word in front of 见 (jiàn) to say "see you then": 明天见 (míng tiān jiàn) "see you tomorrow", 晚上见 (wǎn shang jiàn) "see you tonight". Weekdays are just numbered, so 周一 (zhōu yī) is Monday through 周六 (zhōu liù) for Saturday. Sunday breaks the pattern: it's 周日 (zhōu rì), not "week seven".