Restaurant reservations Part 3 (Advanced): Requesting accommodations for special occasions, such as birthdays or anniversaries.

🇨🇳 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".

💬 免贵 (miǎn guì) "no need for 'honorable'" is a humble opener, followed by 姓 plus your surname.

🇨🇳 This answers the polite question 您贵姓？ "what is your honorable surname?", which restaurants ask when taking a booking. It sounds courteous and a little old-fashioned; plain 我姓史 is also fine.

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

💬 靠 (kào) "lean against / next to" plus a place, then 的, describes location: 靠门的位置 "a seat by the door".

💬 Weekdays are just 周 plus a number, from 周一 (zhōu yī) Monday to 周六 (zhōu liù) Saturday. Sunday is the odd one out: 周日 (zhōu rì).

💬 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".

💬 满 "full" after 订 "book" shows the result of the booking: booked until full. The 了 marks that this has now happened.

💬 靠窗的 stands alone as "the window ones" — when the thing is obvious, the noun after 的 can be dropped. Likewise 安静的 "the quiet ones".

🇨🇳 Many Chinese restaurants have private rooms 包间 (bāojiān) for celebrations, often with a minimum spend. A 半包间 is partly screened off, a cheaper middle option that's good for a small birthday or anniversary.

🇨🇳 Staff use this when offering an alternative, inviting you to judge it. The respectful 您 keeps it polite rather than pushy.

💬 行 (xíng) means "OK, that works"; 也 "also" makes it "that's fine too," accepting a second-best offer graciously.

💬 Something + 就好 means "as long as it's ___, that's fine." Swap in: 干净就好 "as long as it's clean".

💬 个 here is short for 一个 "a/one"; in speech the 一 is often dropped after a verb. 买个礼物 "buy a gift" works the same way.

💬 自己 (zìjǐ) "oneself" before the action means doing it yourself instead of having it done: 我自己来 "I'll do it myself".

🇨🇳 Bringing your own birthday cake is very common in China, and most restaurants allow it, usually without a corkage-style fee.

🇨🇳 Asking whether it's 方便 "convenient" is a soft way of asking permission, so you aren't putting staff on the spot. Using it makes requests sound considerate.

💬 帮您 + action means "do ___ for you," a service phrase you'll hear constantly: 帮您打包 "pack it up for you".

🇨🇳 When you bring a cake, restaurants commonly supply candles, plates, and forks, and sometimes a cake knife and paper crown.

💬 另外 here means "additionally," so this is literally "not additionally charge." Note 不 stays (bù) before 另 (lìng), because it only turns into (bú) before a falling tone.

💬 上 (shàng) is the restaurant word for serving or bringing out food: 上菜 "serve the dishes". Action + 的时候 means "when ___".

💬 放 usually means "put," but with music it means "play." 点 (short for 一点) adds "some," which softens the request.

💬 能不能 "can or can't" turns a statement into a polite yes/no question without needing 吗. Swap in: 能不能便宜点？ "could it be a bit cheaper?"

💬 给 + person + thing means "give someone something"; the 一 before 个 is dropped in casual speech. The subject "I" is left out because it's obvious.

💬 A verb plus 了 at the start of a sentence can mean "once/when that happens," with the next step following. Swap in: 吃完了 "once you've finished eating".

💬 说一声 means "say a word" — just give a quick heads-up. 跟 (gēn) marks who you tell: 跟老板说一声 "let the boss know".

💬 就行 at the end means "that's all you need to do." It's a reassuring phrase: 打个电话就行 "just give a call".

💬 束 (shù) is the counting word for bunches of things tied together, like flowers. Number + counter + noun is the usual order: 三束花 "three bouquets".

🇨🇳 Restaurants catering to celebrations often offer add-ons like flowers, balloons, or decorations, usually for a fee, so ask the price before agreeing.

💬 Putting the topic first, as in 花, then saying who handles it, is very common in Chinese. Swap in: 蛋糕我自己带 "the cake, I'll bring myself".

🇨🇳 麻烦你们了 is the standard polite way to wrap up a request, roughly "sorry for the trouble, thanks a lot." Using it when ending a booking call comes across as gracious.

💬 记下 (jì xià) means "write down / note down"; 下 after the verb shows it's now recorded and settled. The 了 confirms it's done.

💬 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".