为我们的友谊干杯！ To our friendship! — HSK 4, lesson 16

Dialogues

A get-together

A

好久没见了！今天我们好好聚一聚，大家别客气，随便点。

Hǎojiǔ méi jiàn le! Jīntiān wǒmen hǎohǎo jù yi jù, dàjiā bié kèqi, suíbiàn diǎn.

Long time no see! Let’s have a proper get-together today — don’t be shy, order whatever you like.

B

那我要一大碗牛肉面，再来一份饺子。

Nà wǒ yào yí dà wǎn niúròu miàn, zài lái yí fèn jiǎozi.

Then I’ll have a big bowl of beef noodles and a portion of dumplings.

A

喝点儿什么？白酒还是葡萄酒？

Hē diǎnr shénme? Báijiǔ háishi pútaojiǔ?

What will you drink? Baijiu or wine?

B

我开车，不敢喝酒，来一杯果汁吧。

Wǒ kāichē, bù gǎn hē jiǔ, lái yì bēi guǒzhī ba.

I’m driving, I daren’t drink — a glass of juice for me.

A

好。来，为我们的友谊干杯！

Hǎo. Lái, wèi wǒmen de yǒuyì gānbēi!

OK. Come on, to our friendship!

B

干杯！……菜太多了，吃不完了。

Gānbēi! …… Cài tài duō le, chī bu wán le.

Cheers! … There’s too much food — we can’t finish it.

A

没关系，剩下的我们带走。服务员，结账！

Méi guānxi, shèngxia de wǒmen dàizǒu. Fúwùyuán, jiézhàng!

Never mind, we’ll take the rest with us. Waiter, the bill!

Snacking again

A

你又在吃零食？饼干、巧克力……晚餐还吃不吃了？

Nǐ yòu zài chī língshí? Bǐnggān, qiǎokèlì …… wǎncān hái chī bu chī le?

Snacking again? Biscuits, chocolate… are you still having dinner?

B

你吃你的吧，别管我。

Nǐ chī nǐ de ba, bié guǎn wǒ.

You just eat yours and leave me alone.

A

早餐你也只喝了一小杯酸奶。

Zǎocān nǐ yě zhǐ hēle yì xiǎo bēi suānnǎi.

For breakfast you only had a little cup of yogurt, too.

B

放心，冰箱里吃的有的是，饿不着我。

Fàngxīn, bīngxiāng li chī de yǒudeshì, è bu zháo wǒ.

Don’t worry, there’s plenty to eat in the fridge — I won’t go hungry.

A

这盒月饼一百多块，太贵了吧？

Zhè hé yuèbing yìbǎi duō kuài, tài guì le ba?

This box of mooncakes cost over a hundred yuan — isn’t that too expensive?

B

贵就贵点儿吧，中秋节一年只有一次。

Guì jiù guì diǎnr ba, Zhōngqiū Jié yì nián zhǐ yǒu yí cì.

So what if it’s a bit pricey — Mid-Autumn comes only once a year.

New words

白酒báijiǔbaijiu (Chinese spirit)
葡萄酒pútaojiǔ(grape) wine
果汁guǒzhīfruit juice
汽水qìshuǐsoda pop; carbonated soft drink
酸奶suānnǎiyogurt
饼干bǐnggānbiscuit; cracker; cookie
巧克力qiǎokèlì(loanword) chocolate
馒头mántousteamed bun
零食língshísnack; nibbles
干杯gānbēito drink a toast; Cheers! (proposing a toast); Here's to you!
聚餐jùcānto have a meal together
聚会jùhuìparty; gathering; to meet
聚jùto get together
结账jiézhàngto pay the bill
早餐zǎocānbreakfast
午餐wǔcānlunch; luncheon
晚餐wǎncānevening meal; dinner
茶叶cháyètea; tea leaves
月饼yuèbingmooncake (esp. for the Mid-Autumn Festival)
剩shèngto be left over
敢gǎnto dare
份fènportion; copy (measure word)
顿dùnmeasure word for meals (and scoldings)
袋子dàizibag, sack
盒子hézibox; case
客气kèqipolite; to stand on ceremony
随便suíbiànas you like; casual

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 敢 “to dare”

敢 + verb means “to dare to do”: 我不敢喝酒 “I daren’t drink”, 他不敢一个人走夜路 “he’s afraid to walk alone at night”. Questions: 敢不敢？ or 你敢…吗？ The negative is 不敢.

我开车，不敢喝酒。

Wǒ kāichē, bù gǎn hē jiǔ.

I’m driving — I daren’t drink.

你敢一个人去吗？

Nǐ gǎn yí ge rén qù ma?

Do you dare go on your own?

2. 顿 and 份: “a meal” and “a portion”

顿 counts meals: 一天吃三顿饭 “eat three meals a day”, 请你吃一顿饭 “treat you to a meal”; also scoldings: 妈妈批评了他一顿 “his mum gave him a telling-off”. 份 is “portion, copy, share”: 一份饺子 “a portion of dumplings”, 一份报纸 “a newspaper”, 一份工作 “a job”.

我们一天吃三顿饭。

Wǒmen yì tiān chī sān dùn fàn.

We eat three meals a day.

他被妈妈批评了一顿。

Tā bèi māma pīpíngle yí dùn.

His mum gave him a good telling-off.

3. 一大碗, 一小杯, 一整天: number + 大 / 小 / 整 + measure

大, 小 or 整 can go between the number and the measure word (usually after 一): 一大碗面 “a big bowl of noodles”, 一小杯酸奶 “a little cup of yogurt”, 一整天 “a whole day”. Other adjectives aren’t used this way.

我要一大碗牛肉面。

Wǒ yào yí dà wǎn niúròu miàn.

I’d like a big bowl of beef noodles.

我在家睡了一整天。

Wǒ zài jiā shuìle yì zhěng tiān.

I slept at home all day long.

4. 有的是 “plenty of”

有的是 means “plenty of, loads” (colloquial): 冰箱里吃的有的是 “there’s loads to eat in the fridge”, 我有的是时间 “I’ve got plenty of time”. It usually goes at the end or before a noun.

别着急，我们有的是时间。

Bié zháojí, wǒmen yǒudeshì shíjiān.

Don’t rush — we have plenty of time.

5. 你吃你的吧 “you just eat” and 贵就贵点儿吧 “so what if it’s pricier”

你 + verb + 你的吧 means “carry on with your own thing, don’t mind (me)”: 你吃你的吧, 你忙你的吧 “get on with what you’re doing”. X就X（点儿）吧 is a concession: we admit the drawback and accept it: 贵就贵点儿吧 “so it’s a bit pricey — fine”, 远就远点儿吧 “a bit far — never mind”.

你忙你的吧，我自己去。

Nǐ máng nǐ de ba, wǒ zìjǐ qù.

You carry on with your work — I’ll go myself.

远就远点儿吧，那儿的菜好吃。

Yuǎn jiù yuǎn diǎnr ba, nàr de cài hǎochī.

So it’s a bit far — the food there is good.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

Answer
周末有个聚会，你来吗？ Zhōumò yǒu ge jùhuì, nǐ lái ma? — There’s a party at the weekend — are you coming?
Answer
这是我从中国带回来的茶叶。 Zhè shì wǒ cóng Zhōngguó dài huilai de cháyè. — This is tea I brought back from China.
Answer
北方人早餐常吃馒头。 Běifāng rén zǎocān cháng chī mántou. — Northerners often eat steamed buns for breakfast.
Answer
请给我一个袋子。 Qǐng gěi wǒ yí ge dàizi. — Please give me a bag.

2. Choose the correct option

“I daren’t drink”
Answer
我不敢喝酒。
我们一天吃三___饭。
Answer
顿
“A huge bowl of noodles”
Answer
一大碗面
“So what if it’s pricier”
Answer
贵就贵点儿吧。

3. Build the sentence

To our friendship!
Answer
为我们的友谊干杯！ Wèi wǒmen de yǒuyì gānbēi!
We’ll take the rest with us.
Answer
剩下的我们带走。 Shèngxia de wǒmen dàizǒu.
There’s plenty to eat in the fridge.
Answer
冰箱里吃的有的是。 Bīngxiāng li chī de yǒudeshì.
You just eat and leave me alone.
Answer
你吃你的吧，别管我。 Nǐ chī nǐ de ba, bié guǎn wǒ.

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

You are speaker B. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.

A

今天我请客，你随便点。

Jīntiān wǒ qǐngkè, nǐ suíbiàn diǎn.

It’s my treat today — order whatever you like.

B

那就不客气了！我要一份饺子。

Nà jiù bú kèqi le! Wǒ yào yí fèn jiǎozi.

Then I won’t hold back! I’ll have a portion of dumplings.

A

要不要喝点儿酒？

Yào bu yào hē diǎnr jiǔ?

Shall we have a drink?

B

我不敢喝，明天还要上班，来一瓶汽水吧。

Wǒ bù gǎn hē, míngtiān hái yào shàngbān, lái yì píng qìshuǐ ba.

I’d better not — work tomorrow. A bottle of fizzy drink for me.

A

好。来，干杯！

Hǎo. Lái, gānbēi!

OK. Come on — cheers!

B

干杯！谢谢你请我吃这顿饭。

Gānbēi! Xièxie nǐ qǐng wǒ chī zhè dùn fàn.

Cheers! Thanks for treating me to this meal.

5. Translate into Chinese

I’m afraid to walk alone at night.
Answer
我不敢一个人走夜路。
Don’t worry, we have plenty of time.
Answer
别着急，我们有的是时间。
I watched TV all day long.
Answer
我看了一整天电视。

💡 Did you know?: Table customs

At a Chinese table the dishes go in the middle and everyone takes a little from the shared plates. 干杯 literally means “dry the glass” — after a toast you drink it all. The best-known spirit is 白酒 báijiǔ, usually 40–60% alcohol. The host makes sure guests eat and drink plenty, and friends sometimes literally argue at the till over who pays: paying shows respect.