13 Lesson 5 Dialogue 1: What would you like to drink?

Dialogue:

（高亮在美国教书，是一个学校的中文老师，美美是他的女儿。）
（高亮敲门。）
美美：谁呀？
高亮：我，你爸爸。
美美：请进！爸，有事儿吗？
高亮：今天是周末，我不想在家做饭，请你去饭馆吃饭，怎么样？
美美：太好了！
（他们进了一家中国饭馆。）
Waiter: 请问你们想喝点儿什么？
高亮：你们这儿有没有啤酒？
Waiter: 有。美国啤酒、中国啤酒，我们都有。
高亮：你觉得美国啤酒好喝还是中国啤酒好喝？
Waiter：两个都不错。
高亮：那我要两瓶中国啤酒。
Waiter: 小姐，你呢？
美美：给我一瓶啤酒吧。
Waiter: 请问你今年多大？
美美：十七岁。
Waiter: 我们这儿的咖啡和茶都不错，你可以喝点儿。
美美：可是我只想喝啤酒。你为什么要我喝茶和咖啡？
Waiter：因为你还很小，不能喝酒。
高亮：对！你喝一杯茶吧！喝咖啡也可以。
美美：我想一下。
高亮：想什么？
美美：今天我想十点半睡觉，所以现在喝咖啡、喝茶都不好。我喝奶吧。

Vocabulary Words:

Grammar Notes:

1. Measure word 家 (jiā)
   We have learned that “家” refers to “home” or “family” as a noun, as in “我家有三个人” and “这是我家”. It can also be used as a measure word to describe certain nouns. For examples:
   (1) 他们是一家人。(They are a family.) In this example, 家 is used before a group of people to indicate that they make up one entire family.
   (2) 那家电影院是他们的。(That cinema is theirs.)
   请问你们在哪家饭馆吃饭？(May I ask in which restaurant are you eating?)
   In the two sentences above, 家 is used before business establishments 电影院 and 饭馆.
2. The particle 了
   了 is a particle, used after a verb to indicate its completion. In the sentence 他们进了一家饭馆, the particle 了 is used after the verb 进, meaning the action 进 was completed. Below are more examples:
   昨天我唱了歌，看了电视，还打了游戏。(Yesterday I sang, watched TV, and played games.)
   上个周末他们去了中国。(Last weekend, they went to China.)
   2021年，你们做了什么？(What did you do in 2021?)
   Note: The particle 了 is not equal to the past tense in English because the particle 了 can also be used with future tense to indicate an action completed in the future. For example, 明天你去了北京以后回家。
3. 点儿 (diǎn ér):
   It means “a little” or “a bit” and is put before a noun, such as 一点儿咖啡，一点儿茶. They are used in much the same way as these words in English. They are used as a generic way to soften the tone of sentences, making them sound more polite or modest. For example, “喝点儿什么” is more polite than “喝什么“. Below are more examples:
   吃点儿菜 (eat a little bit of vegetables)
   学一点儿中文 (learn a little Chinese)
   看点书 (read some books)
   Note: “一点儿” is more often heard among people in the north of China. People in the south prefer to say “点“. However, they mean the same.
4.  好 (hǎo) + verb:
   The character 好 can be followed by many different verbs to form “好 (hǎo) + verb” combinations, meaning “nice to verb”. For example, 好喝 means “nice to drink” or “delicious”, and 好吃 means “nice to eat” or “tasty”.
5. The adverb 还(hái):
   This word is always used before a verb or an adjective, but it has several meanings.
   (1) We have learned its meaning of “and also, in addition”. For example, 我喜欢唱歌，还喜欢跳舞。(I like singing; in addition, I like dancing.) In this sentence, 还 comes before the verb 喜欢 to connect two clauses 我喜欢唱歌 and 喜欢跳舞. The two clauses connected by “还” share the same subject 我.
   (2) In this dialogue, 还 in the sentence 你还很小 means “still,” indicating that the state 小 continues to exist. More examples:
   好久不见，你还是这么漂亮。(Long time, no see. You are still so pretty.)
   A: 你现在怎么样？B：还好。(How are you doing now? Still good.)
   爷爷六十岁了，还喜欢看书。(Grandpa is sixty, but he still enjoys reading.)
6. The verb 要 (yào)
   It has multiple meanings. In this dialogue, we will focus on the meaning of “to want, to request”.
   （1）In the sentence from the dialogue “我要两瓶啤酒“ (I want two bottles of bear), you can see that the verb 要 is directly followed by 啤酒. The structure is “Subject + 要 + something“, which is often used to buy things or order food in restaurants. More examples:
   请问您要什么？(May I ask what you want to order/buy?)
   我要一杯奶。(I want to order a cup of milk)
   谢谢，我不要咖啡，我要茶。(Thanks. I don’t want to order coffee. I want tea.)
   （2）In the sentence from the dialogue “你为什么要我喝茶和咖啡” (Why did you ask me to drink tea and coffee). The structure is “Subject + 要 + object + verb phrase“, which is often used when you request/ask/demand/order others to do something. For example,
   妈妈要我去你家吃饭。(Mom asked me to go to your home to eat.)
   爸爸要我跟他去打球。(Dad asked me to go to play ball with him.)
7. The verb 想 (xiǎng)
   It has multiple meanings. Study the sentences below:
   (1) 我想一下。 (Let me think for a moment)
   (2) 今晚我想十点半睡觉。(I wish or hope to go to sleep at 10:30 tonight.)
   (3) 现在我不想喝咖啡。(Now I don’t want to drink coffee.)
   (4) 我想你，你想我吗？(I miss you. Do you miss me?)
8. Measure words 瓶 (píng) and 杯 (bēi)：
   The new measure words 瓶 and 杯 are used between numbers and nouns. 瓶 can be used for water, wine, liquid, etc., meaning “bottle”. For example, 两瓶啤酒 (two bottles of beer).
   杯 is used for beverage, including water, tea, coffee, wine, etc., meaning “cup; glass; mug”. For example, 三杯啤酒  means “three glasses of beer”.
9. The modal verb 能 (néng):
   能 is often used before verbs to indicate possibility of something happening, It is used in the following two ways:
   (1) It is used in negative sentences, indicating “not allow” or “forbid”. For example, 你不能喝酒 means “You are not allowed to drink alcohol.” 这儿不能游泳 means “You cannot swim here.”
   (2) It is used to form polite questions, meaning “would it be possible”. For example, 你能帮我一下吗 means “Would it be possible that you help me?” 老师，我能说英文吗 means “Teacher, may I speak English.”

Culture Notes:

1. Chinese people drink hot water all year around, whether it is winter or summer, day or night. They do not drink cold water from the tap (the majority of the tap water in China is not safe for drinking, so it is boiled and then stored in thermoses), and they seldom drink iced water because hot water is believed to have health benefits and helps ward off illnesses.
   Besides hot water, tea is also popular among the Chinese because it is an important part of Chinese tradition. Tea is valued not only for its good smell and taste, but also for its perceived health and digestive benefits. Offering the guests a cup of tea is a long-standing tradition, as well as drinking tea before or after a meal. There are many kinds of teas, including green tea, black tea, flower tea, herbal tea, Oolong tea, Jasmine tea, Chrysanthemum tea; the list goes on and on. To learn more about tea history in China, please watch this video.
   Nowadays, Chinese people drink a variety of beverages, including tea, coffee, milk tea, soybean milk, coconut milk, soda, cola, etc.
2. Under the Minors Protection Law of China, the sale of cigarettes or alcohol to minors (“minors” refers to citizens under the age of 18) is prohibited, and business operators shall put up a sign, saying they will not sell cigarettes or alcohol to minors, in a prominent place. If it is hard to tell whether the buyer is an adult or not, he/she shall be required to show his/her identity card.
   However, this law is NOT strictly enforced due to China’s traditional alcohol culture. China has 4,000 years’ history of liquor drinking and it has become part of the daily life, whether it is when eating dinner at home, celebrating holidays, getting together with friends, spending nights out in cities, or conducting business meetings.
   Unlike the West’s freestyle way of drinking, the Chinese way is more controlled, ritualized and purposeful. Chinese business people prefer to make business deals with several cups of alcohol. Friends and family members also like to have several rounds of drinks at festivals or during regular social gatherings.