Ordering a coffee: The style of coffee, such as espresso, latte, cappuccino, Americano, mocha, etc.
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Key Phrases
你好
nǐ hǎo
Hello
我可以幫
wǒ kě yǐ bāng
I can help
這裡有
zhè lǐ yǒu
Here is
Skills You'll Learn
Ordering a drink
點飲料
diǎn yǐn liào
Expressing preferences
表達喜好
biǎo dá xǐ hào
Handling transactions
處理交易
chù lǐ jiāo yì
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you're at a café in Taiwan, having a conversation in Mandarin with the barista as you order a hot latte. The exchange includes making a decision between a hot or iced drink, addressing any additional preferences like sugar or milk, and completing the payment.
你好，我可以幫你點些什麼？
nǐ hǎo wǒ kě yǐ bāng nǐ diǎn xiē shén me
Hello, what can I get you?
你好，我想要一杯拿鐵。
nǐ hǎo wǒ xiǎng yào yī bēi ná tiě
Hello, I would like a latte.
好的，拿鐵。你要熱的還是冰的？
hǎo de ná tiě nǐ yào rè de hái shì bīng de
Alright, a latte. Do you want it hot or iced?
我要熱的。
wǒ yào rè de
I want it hot.
你需要加糖或牛奶嗎？
nǐ xū yào jiā táng huò niú nǎi ma
Do you need sugar or milk?
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
你
nǐ
You
好
hǎo
Good
你好
nǐ hǎo
Hello
🇹🇼 [你好] is standard and polite, but in many Taiwan coffee shops people may simply start with their order instead of greeting first.
See breakdown →我
wǒ
I
可以
kě yǐ
Can
💬 [可以] often means "may / can" in a polite request, not just ability. For example, [我可以要一杯美式嗎？] means "Can I get an Americano?"
See breakdown →我可以
wǒ kě yǐ
I can
💬 [我可以] is a useful way to soften a request: [我可以一杯拿鐵嗎？] or more naturally [我可以要一杯拿鐵嗎？]. In shops, it often means "Can I have..." rather than "I am able to...".
See breakdown →幫
bāng
To help
什麼
shén me
What
💬 [什麼] stays in the place where the missing information would go: [你想喝什麼？] = "You want to drink what?" Use the same pattern in [你要什麼？] or [你加什麼？]
See breakdown →想
xiǎng
Want
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Options such as type of milk, depending on dietary preferences or allergies.
Ordering a coffee Part 2
Indicates whether the coffee is for in-store or to be taken out.
Ordering a coffee Part 2
Getting recommendations
Ordering food
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