Getting Help at a Restaurant I
During a meal, we may need help from the server, or the server may offer to help. We will learn about some common types of help below.
Adding water
If we want to add water to our cups or teapots, we can say:
- Notice we don’t usually use 吖 in a sentence with the modal verb 要 jiu3 or 想 soeng2 even if we are making a request.
If the server sees that our cups are almost empty, they may ask if we need to add water.
Removing plates
If we have finished some dishes and want to remove the plates from the table, we can say:
If the server sees that we have finished some dishes, they may ask if we still need the plates.
- 要 jiu3 is used as a verb (‘to want’) instead of a modal verb (‘to need to’) here. 呢碟嘢 ni1 dip6 je5 is the object of 要 jiu3. It is moved to the beginning of the sentence and becomes the topic of the sentence.
- To indicate that something is no longer needed, we usually say 唔要喇 m4 jiu3 laa3 instead of 唔使喇 m4 sai2 laa3.
Changing bowls or plates
If we want to change our bowls or plates, we can say:
If the server sees that our bowls or plates are too messy, they may ask if we need to change them.
Serving desserts
When we are ready to have the desserts, we can say:
If the server sees that we have finished the main dishes, they may ask if we want the desserts to be served.
Following up on dishes
If a dish still hasn’t arrived after a long wait, we can ask the server to follow up.