Booking a Table

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We can use the expressions below to call a restaurant to book a table. Notice below we often add the sentence particle 嘅 ge3 to the sentences and 嘅 ge2 to the questions. This is a way to make the sentences and questions sound slightly more polite.

職員 zik1 jyun4

客 haak3

喂	，	壽司人	。
wai2	,	sau6 si1 jan4	.
hello		Sushiet

Hello, Sushiet [a fictional restaurant].

唔該	我	想	book / 訂	位	嘅	。
m4 goi1	ngo5	soeng2	buk1 / deng6	wai2	ge3	.
please	I	want to	book	seat	SP

I want to book seats, please.

唔該	我	想	book / 訂	枱	嘅	。
m4 goi1	ngo5	soeng2	buk1 / deng6	toi2	ge3	.
please	I	want to	book	table	SP

I want to book a table, please.

請	等	一	等	。
cing2	dang2	jat1	dang2	.
please	wait	one	wait

Please wait for a moment.

A few moments later…

請問	想	book / 訂	幾時	嘅	？
cing2 man6	soeng2	buk1 / deng6	gei2 si4	ge2	?
may I ask	want to	book	when	SP

May I ask when you want to book for?

請問	想	book / 訂	邊	日	嘅	？
cing2 man6	soeng2	buk1 / deng6	bin1	jat6	ge2	?
may I ask	want to	book	which	day	SP

May I ask which day you want to book for?

我	想	book / 訂	十二	號	嘅	。
ngo5	soeng2	buk1 / deng6	sap6 ji6	hou6	ge3	.
I	want to	book	12	CL	SP

I want to book for the 12th.

請問	幾多	位	嘅	？
cing2 man6	gei2 do1	wai2	ge2	?
may I ask	how many	CL	SP

May I ask how many people?

位 wai2 is the classifier for people. It is more formal and polite than 個 go3. We don’t add the noun 人 jan4 (‘person’) after it.

請問	幾多	個	人	嘅	？
cing2 man6	gei2 do1	go3	jan4	ge2	?
may I ask	how many	CL	person	SP

May I ask how many people?

10.

四	位	嘅	。
sei3	wai2	ge3	.
4	CL	SP

4 people.

11.

四	個	人	嘅	。
sei3	go3	jan4	ge3	.
4	CL	person	SP

4 people.

12.

請問	想	book / 訂	幾多點	嘅	？
cing2 man6	soeng2	buk1 / deng6	gei2 do1 dim2	ge2	?
may I ask	want to	book	what time	SP

May I ask what time you want to book for?

13.

我	想	book / 訂	八	點	嘅	。
ngo5	soeng2	buk1 / deng6	baat3	dim2	ge3	.
I	want to	book	8	o'clock	SP

I want to book for 8:00.

14.

唔好意思	，	八	點	full / 爆	咗	喇	。
m4 hou2 ji3 si1	,	baat3	dim2	fu1 / baau3	zo2	laa3	.
sorry		8	o'clock	full	AP	SP

Sorry, we are fully booked for 8:00 already.

The words full fu1 and 爆 baau3 (‘full’) are adjectives. We can use an aspect particle (咗 zo2 here) with some adjectives. We will examine this in later books.

15.

唔好意思	，	八	點	冇	位	喇	。
m4 hou2 ji3 si1	,	baat3	dim2	mou5	wai2	laa3	.
sorry		8	o'clock	not have	seat	SP

Sorry, there are no seats for 8:00 already.

16.

噉	幾多點	有	位	嘅	？
gam2	gei2 do1 dim2	jau5	wai2	ge2	?
then	what time	have	seat	SP

What time will there be seats then?

17.

我	check	一	check	。
ngo5	check	jat1	check	.
I	check	one	check

I will have a check.

18.

我	睇	一	睇	。
ngo5	tai2	jat1	tai2	.
I	look	one	look

I will have a look.

A few moments later…

19.

九	點	有	位	。
gau2	dim2	jau5	wai2	.
9	o'clock	have	seat

There are seats at 9:00.

20.

早啲 / 晏啲	有	冇	位	嘅	？
zou2 di1 / aan3 di1	jau5	mou5	wai2	ge2	?
earlier / later	have	not have	seat	SP

Are there seats earlier / later?

21.

六	點	半	都	有	位	。
luk6	dim2	bun3	dou1	jau5	wai2	.
6	o'clock	half	too	have	seat

There are seats at 6:30 too.

22.

噉	幫	我	book / 訂	六	點	半	吖	唔該	。
gam2	bong1	ngo5	buk1 / deng6	luk6	dim2	bun3	aa1	m4 goi1	.
then	for	me	book	6	o'clock	half	SP	please

Then please book for 6:30 for me.

23.

噉	六	點	半	吖	唔該	。
gam2	luk6	dim2	bun3	aa1	m4 goi1	.
then	6	o'clock	half	SP	please

Then 6:30, please.

24.

請問	先生 / 小姐	貴姓	嘅	？
cing2 man6	sin1 saang1 / siu2 ze2	gwai3 sing3	ge2	?
may I ask	Sir / Miss	noble surname is	SP

Sir / Miss, may I ask what your noble surname is?

25.

請問	先生 / 小姐	姓	咩	嘅	？
cing2 man6	sin1 saang1 / siu2 ze2	sing3	me1	ge2	?
may I ask	Sir / Miss	surname is	what	SP

Sir / Miss, may I ask what your surname is?

26.

姓	梁	嘅	。
sing3	loeng4	ge3	.
surname is	Leung	SP

My surname is Leung.

The restaurant staff may also ask for our name this way:

27.

請問	留	咩	名	嘅	？
cing2 man6	lau4	me1	meng2	ge2	?
may I ask	leave	what	name	SP

What name do you want to leave?

[= What name do you want to use in the booking?]

28.

唔該	留	梁	生 / 小姐 / 太	吖	。
m4 goi1	lau4	loeng4	saang1 / siu2 ze2 / taai2	aa1	.
please	leave	Leung	Mr. / Miss / Mrs.	SP

Please leave Mr. / Miss / Mrs. Leung.

[= Please use Mr. / Miss / Mrs. Leung.]

29.

麻煩	先生 / 小姐 / 太太
maa4 faan4	sin1 saang1 / siu2 ze2 / taai3 taai2
please	Sir / Miss / Madam

留	一	留	電話	吖	。
lau4	jat1	lau4	din6 waa2	aa1	.
leave	one	leave	phone	SP

Sir / Miss / Madam, please leave your phone number.

30.

請問	幾多號 / 幾號	電話	嘅	？
cing2 man6	gei2 do1 hou6 / gei2 hou6	din6 waa2	ge2	?
May I ask	what number	phone	SP

May I ask what your phone number is?

31.

九一二三	，	四五六七	。
gau2 jat1 ji6 saam1	,	sei3 ng5 luk6 cat1	.
9123		4567

9123-4567.

32.

我	複	一	複	，
ngo5	fuk1	jat1	fuk1	,
I	repeat	one	repeat

幫	你	book / 訂	咗	十二	號	六	點	半	，
bong1	nei5	buk1 / deng6	zo2	sap6 ji6	hou6	luk6	dim2	bun3	,
for	you	book	AP	12	CL	6	o'clock	half

劉	生	，	三	位	，
lau4	saang1	,	saam1	wai2	,
Lau	Mr.		3	CL

電話	係	九一二三	，	四五六一	。
din6 waa2	hai6	gau2 jat1 ji6 saam1	,	sei3 ng5 luk6 jat1	.
phone	be	9123		4561

I will repeat it [for you to check the booking details].

I have booked a table for the 12th, 6:30, Mr. Lau, 3 people, for you.

The phone number is 9123-4561.

If there is something incorrect, we can correct it this way:

33.

唔	係	劉	生	呀	，	係	梁	生	呀	。
m4	hai6	lau4	saang1	aa3	,	hai6	loeng4	saang1	aa3	.
not	be	Lau	Mr.	SP		be	Leung	Mr.	SP

It is not “Mr. Lau”. It is “Mr. Leung”.

34.

唔	係	梁	小姐	呀	，	係	梁	生	呀	。
m4	hai6	loeng4	siu2 ze2	aa3	,	hai6	loeng4	saang1	aa3	.
not	be	Leung	Miss	SP		be	Leung	Mr.	SP

It is not “Miss Leung”. It is “Mr. Leung”.

35.

唔	係	三	位	呀	，	係	四	位	呀	。
m4	hai6	saam1	wai2	aa3	,	hai6	sei3	wai2	aa3	.
not	be	three	CL	SP		be	four	CL	SP

It is not “three people”. It is “four people”.

36.

電話	係	九一二三	，	四五六七	呀	。
din6 waa2	hai6	gau2 jat1 ji6 saam1	,	sei3 ng5 luk6 cat1	aa3	.
phone	be	9123		4567	SP

The phone number is 9123-4567.

37.

我	再	複	一次	，
ngo5	zoi3	fuk1	jat1 ci3	,
I	again	repeat	once

十二	號	六	點	半	，	梁	生	，	四	位	，
sap6 ji6	hou6	luk6	dim2	bun3	,	loeng4	saang1	,	sei3	wai2	,
12	CL	6	o'clock	half		Leung	Mr.		4	CL

電話	係	九一二三	四五六七	。
din6 waa2	hai6	gau2 jat1 ji6 saam1	sei3 ng5 luk6 cat1	.
phone	be	9123	4567

I will repeat it once again [for you to check the booking details].

The 12th, 6:30, Mr. Leung, 4 people. The phone number is 9123-4567.

38.

唔該晒	。
m4 goi1 saai3	.
thank you so much

Thank you so much.

39.

唔使客氣	，	拜拜	。
m4 sai2 haak3 hei3	,	baai1 baai3	.
no problem		bye

No problem. Bye.

40.

拜拜	。
baai1 baai3	.
bye

Bye.