Restaurant reservations (Advanced): Setting preferences for seating, such as indoor, outdoor, or specific views.

💬 坐 (zuò) "sit" goes straight in front of the place, with no word for "in" needed: 坐外面 "sit outside", 坐窗边 "sit by the window".

💬 Put 更 (gèng) in front of an adjective to make it "more", and no 是 is needed. For example, 更安静 means "quieter".

🇨🇳 Restaurant staff often steer guests away from an unavailable option with a soft suggestion like this, using 可能 (kě néng) "might" instead of a flat no. It's a polite way to redirect.

💬 看到 (kàn dào) means "see" in the sense of actually catching sight of something, while 看 alone is just "look". Adding 能 (néng) makes it "able to see".

💬 位子 (wèi zi) is said with a light, toneless 子. In restaurant talk it means a place at a table, not just a chair.

💬 To describe a noun, put the whole description before it and link it with 的: 能看到江景 + 的 + 位子. Asking 有没有 (yǒu méi yǒu) "is there or isn't there" is another way to form a yes/no question without 吗.

💬 景 (jǐng) "view" attaches to a scene to name it. For example, 海景 (hǎi jǐng) is "sea view" and 山景 (shān jǐng) is "mountain view".

🇨🇳 In riverside cities like Shanghai or Chongqing, 江景 tables are a selling point and often have a minimum spend. Ask about it when booking.

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

💬 对着 (duì zhe) means "facing", and 正 (zhèng) in front sharpens it to "directly". It works for anything: 正对着门 "right facing the door".

💬 挺……的 (tǐng ... de) wraps around an adjective to mean "quite" and sounds relaxed and conversational. You can reuse it with 挺好的 "pretty good".

💬 张 (zhāng) is the counting word for flat things like tables, so 一张 here means one table. 帮我 (bāng wǒ) "for me" goes before the action you want done.

💬 A description plus 的 can stand in for the noun once it's understood. Here 靠窗的 means "one by the window", and 靠 (kào) means "next to".

🇨🇳 Opening with 麻烦 (má fan) "sorry to trouble you" is the everyday polite way to ask a favor of staff. It sounds warmer than a bare request.

💬 Use the pattern 离 + place + 远一点 for "a bit farther from". Swap in 近一点 (jìn yì diǎn) for "a bit closer". Note that 一 before 点 is read (yì).

🇨🇳 Chinese restaurants often run the air conditioning very cold, and many locals avoid sitting in a direct draft for health reasons. Staff hear this request all the time.

💬 不 (bù) changes to (bú) before a falling tone, so 不对 is read (bú duì). 风口 (fēng kǒu) is the air vent.

💬 贵 (guì) here means "honorable", not "expensive". When answering, drop it and say 我姓王 "my surname is Wang", because using 贵 about yourself would sound odd.

🇨🇳 This is the standard polite way staff ask your name for a booking. They usually only need the surname, so you'll often be recorded as 王先生 "Mr. Wang" or 王女士 "Ms. Wang".

💬 The description 我现在打 "I'm now calling" sits before 的这个 "this one" to say which one you mean. Here 打 (dǎ) means to make a phone call.

🇨🇳 Restaurants in China confirm bookings by mobile number, often with a text message. Giving the number you're calling from is the quickest answer.

💬 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 policy, especially for popular view tables. If you'll be late, call ahead or your table may go to walk-ins.

💬 会 (huì) here signals a promise or a prediction about the future, not "know how to". For example, 我会打电话 means "I'll call".

💬 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".