Flirting at the bar: Buy them a drink after asking for their permission.
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Key Phrases
不好意思，我可以坐這裡嗎？
bù hǎo yì sī wǒ kě yǐ zuò zhè lǐ ma
Excuse me, may I sit here?
你常來這間酒吧嗎？
nǐ cháng lái zhè jiān jiǔ bā ma
Do you come to this bar often?
我可以請你喝一杯嗎？
wǒ kě yǐ qǐng nǐ hē yī bēi ma
Can I buy you a drink?
Skills You'll Learn
Politely asking for permission and starting a conversation
有禮貌地請求允許並開始對話
yǒu lǐ mào dì qǐng qiú yǔn xǔ bìng kāi shǐ duì huà
Making small talk about places, habits, and relaxing
聊場所、習慣和放鬆心情的輕鬆對話
liáo chǎng suǒ xí guàn hé fàng sōng xīn qíng de qīng sōng duì huà
Offering to treat someone to a drink and asking what they want
請對方喝一杯並詢問對方想喝什麼
qǐng duì fāng hē yī bēi bìng xún wèn duì fāng xiǎng hē shén me
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you’re at a cozy bar in Taiwan, starting a friendly and slightly flirty conversation with someone you’ve just met. You politely ask to sit down, make small talk, and offer to buy them a drink.
不好意思，我可以坐這裡嗎？
bù hǎo yì sī wǒ kě yǐ zuò zhè lǐ ma
Excuse me, may I sit here?
可以啊，這裡沒人。
kě yǐ a zhè lǐ méi rén
Sure, no one’s sitting here.
謝謝，你常來這間酒吧嗎？
xiè xiè nǐ cháng lái zhè jiān jiǔ bā ma
Thanks. Do you come to this bar often?
偶爾來，今天想放鬆一下。
ǒu ěr lái jīn tiān xiǎng fàng sōng yī xià
I come by occasionally. I just wanted to unwind today.
我也是。跟你聊天很舒服。
wǒ yě shì gēn nǐ liáo tiān hěn shū fú
Me too. Talking with you feels really nice.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
不好
bù hǎo
Bad / not good
意思
yì sī
Meaning; intention
不好意思
bù hǎo yì sī
Excuse me
💬 [不好意思] often means more than literal "embarrassed" or "sorry" — it's a very common soft opener for getting someone's attention, like [不好意思，請問一下]. In Taiwan it's one of the safest polite ways to start talking to a stranger.
See breakdown →我可以
wǒ kě yǐ
I can; may I
💬 [我可以...] is a very reusable way to ask permission: [我可以坐這裡嗎？] or [我可以加你IG嗎？]. It's softer than just saying the action by itself.
See breakdown →坐
zuò
To sit
這裡
zhè lǐ
Here
我可以坐這裡嗎？
wǒ kě yǐ zuò zhè lǐ ma
May I sit here?
🇹🇼 This is polite and low-pressure in a bar if you're checking whether a seat is taken. In Taiwan, asking before sitting reads much better than just pulling up a chair.
See breakdown →可以
kě yǐ
Can; may
啊
a
A particle that adds a casual tone
💬 Sentence-final [啊] makes the line sound more casual and friendly: [可以] is plain, while [可以啊] feels more like "sure." You'll hear it added to lots of short replies like [好啊] and [對啊].
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