Learn how to ask the waiter or waitress about the menu, and how to order
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Hello and welcome to Southern Vietnamese Survival Phrases brought to you by VietnamesePod101.com. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Southern Vietnam. You’ll be surprised at how far a little Vietnamese will go. Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by VietnamesePod101.com. There, you’ll find the accompanying PDF lesson notes and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Southern Vietnamese Survival Phrases lesson 13 - Restaurant 3 - Waiter! in Southern Vietnamese |
| Today, we’ll cover getting by at a table. You can get a hold of the staff using a variety of phrases and body language. One of the phrases you can use we have previously covered. You can just simply “Excuse me” or Xin lỗi. |
| Xin lỗi. |
| While saying xin lỗi, you can motion with your hands for the waiter or waitress to come. You can also get a hold of the staff by saying người hầu bàn. |
| người hầu bàn |
| người hầu bàn |
| Let’s break this down by syllable: người hầu bàn. |
| người hầu bàn |
| Every word in this phrase is said in the falling tone. The first word, người, should be reviewed by our previous lesson. It means “person.” |
| So once again, người. |
| người |
| This is followed by hầu. |
| hầu |
| hầu |
| Literally means to “to serve.” |
| So again, hầu. |
| hầu |
| The entire phrase is finished off with bàn. |
| bàn |
| bàn |
| This means “table.” |
| So literally, this entire phrase translates to "person serve table," but we use it as the English equivalent for “waiter” or “waitress.” |
| Once the waiter or waitress comes to the table, you can go with the standard point and "This please." Remember, in Vietnamese, “this please” is cái này. |
| cái này |
| cái này |
| Cái is said in the rising tone and này falls gradually. |
| cái này |
| cái này |
| Now, if you're feeling ambitious, you can also ask for "What is good?" In Vietnamese, to say “What is good?” Món gì ngon? |
| Món gì ngon? |
| Let’s break this down: Món gì ngon? |
| Món gì ngon? |
| The first word, món, is said in the rising tone. It means "meal." |
| món |
| món |
| món |
| This is followed by gì ngon. |
| gì ngon |
| The first word, gì, falls gradually. |
| gì |
| gì |
| Gì is followed by ngon. |
| ngon |
| ngon |
| Ngon has no tone and means "good." |
| So again, ngon. |
| ngon |
| ngon |
| This entire phrase, Món gì ngon? |
| Món gì ngon? |
| Món gì ngon? |
| Món gì ngon? |
| Most street vendors serve only one or two main dishes, so you will most likely use these phrases in a restaurant setting. |
Outro |
| Okay, to close out today’s lesson, we'd like for you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it out loud. You’ll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so, chúc may mắn, this means “good luck” in Vietnamese. |
| Okay, here we go! |
| “Waiter!” or “Waitress!” - Người hầu bàn! |
| Người hầu bàn! |
| Người hầu bàn! |
| “This please.” - Cái này |
| Cái này |
| Cái này |
| “What is good?” - Món gì ngon? |
| Món gì ngon? |
| Món gì ngon? |
| All right, that's going to do it for this lesson. Remember to stop by VietnamesePod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF lesson notes. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. Bye! |
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