How to eat at the campus canteen in Chinese
It's lunchtime at the campus canteen (食堂). You point at the dishes behind the glass and pay with your meal card (饭卡). Master Chen serves the food.
How the conversation starts
陈师傅 (Master Chen) · canteen cook
Eat at the campus canteen
What you do
- Ask for a dish
- Ask for a bowl of rice
- Ask how much it is and pay with your meal card
What to say
- 我要这个。Wǒ yào zhège.I'll have this one.
- 再要一碗米饭。Zài yào yì wǎn mǐfàn.And a bowl of rice.
- 多少钱？Duōshao qián?How much is it?
- 刷饭卡可以吗？Shuā fànkǎ kěyǐ ma?Can I pay with my meal card?
- 谢谢师傅！Xièxie shīfu!Thank you!
Eat at the campus canteen
It's lunchtime at the campus canteen (食堂). You can't eat very spicy food. You choose your dishes at the counter and pay with your meal card (饭卡), which is almost empty. Master Chen serves the food.
What you do
- Ask which dish isn't spicy and order it
- Ask for a vegetable dish and rice
- Ask where to top up your meal card
What to say
- 哪个菜不辣？Nǎge cài bú là?Which dish isn't spicy?
4 more sentences in this lesson, in the app.
Canteen: no pork, and an empty meal card
It's lunchtime at the campus canteen (食堂). You don't eat pork and can't take much spice, so you ask the cook what he'd recommend. You pay with your meal card (饭卡), but there's almost nothing left on it.
What you do
- Ask for a dish that isn't spicy and has no pork
- Order a main dish, a vegetable and rice
- Your meal card is declined: ask where to top up, and ask him to keep your food
What to say
- 师傅，有什么不辣、没有猪肉的菜吗？Shīfu, yǒu shénme bú là, méiyǒu zhūròu de cài ma?Is there anything that isn't spicy and has no pork?
4 more sentences in this lesson, in the app.
Now say it out loud
In Kaiko, 陈师傅 (Master Chen) answers you out loud in Chinese, and a coach corrects you as you go.