Chinese for English speakers Cafe · Lesson 3

At the cafe

Greet a Chinese waiter — 中午好! 你们几位? (Good afternoon! How many of you?) — with the counter 位 for people.

Conversation

  1. Kyle Kyle

    中午好！你们几位？

    zhōng wǔ hǎo! ní men jǐ wèi?

    Good afternoon! How many of you are there?

    Tip: 几位 <jǐwèi> = how many people 位 <wèi> = counter for people (formal) NOTE: this sentence has no verb. It sounds like "You, how many people?"

  2. Muri Muri

    我们六个人。

    wǒ men liù gè rèn.

    There are six of us.

  3. Kyle Kyle

    好的。这边请。

    hǎo de. zhè biān qǐng.

    Very well. This way please.

  4. Muri Muri

    谢谢。

    xiè xie.

    Thanks.

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

What's the counter 位?

Formal counter for people (polite). 几位 = 'how many people (polite)?'. Less formal: 个 (gè).

Greetings by time in Chinese?

早上好/早安 (morning), 中午好 (noon), 下午好 (afternoon), 晚上好 (evening). 你好 works any time.

How to count people in Chinese?

Number + 个/位 + 人: 六个人 (6 people, casual), 六位 (6, polite). Note: 一 (yī) becomes 两 (liǎng) for 'two of'.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Chinese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.

Next lesson in Cafe General enquiries about food →