First date dinner: Offering to split or pay the bill
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Key Phrases
各付各的
gè fù gè de
Each pays for their own
讓我請嘛
ràng wǒ qǐng ma
Let me treat you
下次換我請喔
xià cì huàn wǒ qǐng ō
Next time it's my treat
Skills You'll Learn
Learning how to offer to pay or decline payment at a restaurant
學習如何在餐廳付款時提議請客或拒絕
xué xí rú hé zài cān tīng fù kuǎn shí tí yì qǐng kè huò jù jué
Learning how to offer to accompany a friend somewhere
學習如何提議陪伴朋友前往某地
xué xí rú hé tí yì péi bàn péng yǒu qián wǎng mǒu dì
Learning how to express gratitude and enjoyment after a meal
學習如何表達用餐後的感謝與愉快心情
xué xí rú hé biǎo dá yòng cān hòu de gǎn xiè yǔ yú kuài xīn qíng
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you've just finished a first dinner with a new friend at a restaurant in Taipei. You want to pay the bill and treat them.
你吃飽了嗎？
nǐ chī bǎo le ma
Are you full?
吃飽了，這家好好吃！
chī bǎo le zhè jiā hǎo hǎo chī
Yes, I'm full. This place is really good!
那我去買單吧，今天我請你。
nà wǒ qù mǎi dān ba jīn tiān wǒ qǐng nǐ
Then I'll go get the bill. It's on me today.
不用啦，我們各付各的吧。
bù yòng la wǒ men gè fù gè de ba
No need, let's each pay for our own.
沒關係，第一次吃飯，讓我請嘛。
méi guān xì dì yī cì chī fàn ràng wǒ qǐng ma
It's fine. It's our first dinner, so let me treat you.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
你吃飽了嗎？
nǐ chī bǎo le ma
Are you full?
💬 了 after 飽 marks the change into being full, and 嗎 at the end turns any statement into a yes/no question. Answer with 吃飽了 (chī bǎo le) "I'm full".
See breakdown →這家好好吃！
zhè jiā hǎo hǎo chī
This place is really good!
💬 好 in front of an adjective works like "so" or "really": 好好吃 (hǎo hǎo chī), 好累 "so tired", 好貴 "so expensive". Here 家 counts shops and restaurants, so 這家 means "this place".
See breakdown →買單
mǎi dān
To pay the bill
🇹🇼 買單 (mǎi dān) is widely understood in Taiwan, but 結帳 is the more everyday local word for asking for the check.
See breakdown →今天我請你。
jīn tiān wǒ qǐng nǐ
It's on me today.
💬 請 here means "to treat", not "please". Put a person after it to say who you're paying for: 我請你們 "my treat, all of you".
🇹🇼 On a first date in Taiwan, the person who invited often offers this. A polite back-and-forth of refusing and insisting is normal before someone gives in.
See breakdown →不用啦
bù yòng la
No need
💬 啦 softens the refusal and makes it sound friendly and casual. Plain 不用 (bú yòng) can come across as curt, and 不 reads (bú) here because 用 is a falling tone.
See breakdown →各付各的
gè fù gè de
Each pays for their own
💬 This is the pattern 各 + verb + 各的 "each does their own". Swap in other verbs, like 各玩各的 "each does their own thing".
See breakdown →不用啦，我們各付各的吧。
bù yòng la wǒ men gè fù gè de ba
No need, let's each pay for our own.
🇹🇼 Offering to split is common and not rude on a first date in Taiwan. It can signal you'd like to keep things equal, or that you're not sure about a second date.
See breakdown →沒關係
méi guān xì
It's fine.
🇹🇼 沒關係 (méi guān xi) is an all-purpose reply to thanks, apologies, or offers. Said to someone insisting on paying, it gently means "don't worry about it".
See breakdown →讓我請嘛。
ràng wǒ qǐng ma
Let me treat you.
💬 嘛 at the end adds a coaxing, insistent tone, roughly "come on". 讓我 + verb means "let me do it": 讓我來 "let me handle it".
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