Restaurant reservations Part 4 (Advanced): Exploring options for private or semi-private dining for groups.

💬 Swap the words to change the time: 那天中午 "that noon", 明天晚上 "tomorrow evening".

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

💬 都 (dōu) means "all". It goes right before the verb and points back to the thing already mentioned, here the private rooms.

💬 订 "book" + 满 "full" gives you the action and its result together. The same idea works with 坐满 "all seats taken" and 卖完 "sold out".

🇨🇳 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.

💬 用 (yòng) "using" + a thing + a verb tells you how something is done. Another example is 用筷子吃 "eat with chopsticks".

🇨🇳 A 半包 (bàn bāo) is a partly enclosed section of the main dining room. It usually has no minimum spend, so it's a common budget choice for groups.

💬 要不要 is a yes-or-no question made by saying the verb, then 不, then the verb again, so no 吗 is needed. You can do the same with 去不去 "going or not?"

💬 比较 (bǐ jiào) in front of an adjective often just means "rather" or "fairly", even when nothing is being compared. Another example is 比较贵 "rather pricey".

💬 ……的话 (de huà) after a word works like "if" or "as for". For example, 包间的话 means "if it's a private room".

🇨🇳 Company dinners usually come with toasts and speeches from the boss. That's why quiet and privacy matter more here than at a casual meal.

🇨🇳 At a group dinner, a manager is often expected to "say a few words" before the toasts. Asking about this tells staff you need a quieter spot.

💬 最 (zuì) "most" + 里面 "inside" means the very back. In the same way, 最前面 means "the very front".

💬 Adding 一些 or 一点 after an adjective makes it "a bit more", so it works as a comparison. For example, 便宜一些 means "a bit cheaper".

💬 改到 (gǎi dào) is "change to". You can put any new time or place after it, as in 改到七点 "move it to seven o'clock".

💬 Weekdays are numbered, with 周 plus a number from 1 to 6. Friday is 周五 (zhōu wǔ), and Sunday is the exception: 周日 (zhōu rì).

💬 不太 (bú tài) means "not very" and softens a negative. Note that 不 changes to (bú) because the falling tone of 太 (tài) follows it.

🇨🇳 恐怕 (kǒng pà) "I'm afraid" plus 不太方便 is a polite way to say no. In practice it usually means "no", not "maybe".

💬 在……上 wraps around a topic to mean "in terms of". Another example is 在时间上 "in terms of timing".

💬 块 (kuài) is the spoken word for yuan, and 元 is what you'll see written on menus and receipts. Use 两 (liǎng) rather than 二 before 千.

🇨🇳 Private rooms often carry a 最低消费 (zuì dī xiāo fèi) "minimum spend". If your group orders less, you still pay the minimum, so ask about it when booking.

🇨🇳 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.

💬 A verb phrase + 的 can describe a noun: 点的菜 means "the dishes ordered". The same pattern gives 买的东西 "the things bought".

💬 按……算 (àn … suàn) means "charged according to". For example, 按人算 means "charged per person".

💬 那就……吧 means "then let's just…" and is used to settle on a decision. Another example is 那就周六吧 "then Saturday it is".

💬 靠 (kào) "lean toward" + a direction describes where a seat is. For example, 靠窗的位置 means "a window seat".

💬 尽量 (jǐn liàng) means "as much as possible". It's a polite way to ask without demanding, as in 尽量早一点 "as early as you can".

💬 一下 (yí xià) after a verb makes the action sound quick and casual. Note that 一 is said (yí) here because it comes before the falling tone of 下.

💬 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".

💬 Starting a request with 方便 (fāng biàn) "convenient" turns it into a polite "would it be OK to…". 个 here just softens 电话 into "a phone number".

🇨🇳 Restaurants almost always ask for a phone number to confirm a booking. Giving it is routine and expected.

🇨🇳 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.

💬 好 after a verb means the action is done and ready. Other examples are 订好 "booked" and 准备好 "all prepared".

💬 到时候 (dào shí hou) means "when the time comes". Put 见 after a time to say goodbye, as in 明天见 "see you tomorrow".