L001 · Ordering a Hand-Shaken Drink 點手搖飲

intermediate · ordering drinks at a 手搖飲 stand
Speed
Pinyin
⚙ Settings
Theme
Stroke speed
Known words
Marked-known words live on this device. Export them, then sync into the tutor with tutor chars --import <file>.

Dotted underline = tone sandhi — the syllable's tone shifts in connected speech (tap/hover for why).

Vocabulary

手shǒu搖yáo飲yǐn
hand-shaken drink (the whole bubble-tea-stand drink category) (noun)
🇹🇼 Everyday Taiwan term for made-to-order shaken drinks; 飲料 (yǐnliào) is the more general word for 'beverage'.
我wǒ們men下xià午wǔ去qù買mǎi手shǒu搖yáo飲yǐn，好hǎo不bù好hǎo？
Let's go buy a bubble tea this afternoon, okay?
珍zhēn珠zhū奶nǎi茶chá
pearl (bubble) milk tea (noun)
🇹🇼 Usually shortened to 珍奶 (zhēn nǎi). The chewy tapioca pearls are 珍珠 or 波霸 (bōbà) for the larger ones.
一yì杯bēi珍zhēn奶nǎi，謝xiè謝xie。
One bubble milk tea, thanks.
微wēi糖táng
lightly sweetened (a sugar level) (phrase)
🇹🇼 Sugar levels you'll be asked, from most to least: 全糖、半糖、微糖、無糖. 'Normal' is 正常糖.
我wǒ要yào微wēi糖táng，謝xiè謝xie。
I'd like it lightly sweetened, thanks.
去qù冰bīng
no ice (an ice level) (phrase)
🇹🇼 Ice levels: 正常冰、少冰、微冰、去冰, or 熱 (hot). 去冰 still serves it cold, just without ice cubes.
微wēi糖táng去qù冰bīng。
Lightly sweet, no ice.
外wài帶dài
to take away / takeout (verb)
🇹🇼 Standard in Taiwan; the opposite is 內用 (nèiyòng, 'dine in'). Mainland speech more often uses 打包 / 带走.
內nèi用yòng還hái是shì外wài帶dài？
For here or to go?

Useful expressions

不bú會huì
you're welcome / no problem (in response to thanks)
🇹🇼 Distinctly Taiwanese reply to 謝謝. Mainland speakers more often say 不客氣 or 不用謝.
謝xiè謝xie！ — 不bú會huì不bú會huì。
Thanks! — No problem at all.
還hái好hǎo
it's okay / so-so / not too bad
🇹🇼 Extremely common hedge in Taiwan for 'meh, it's fine' or to play something down.
今jīn天tiān會huì不bù會huì很hěn累lèi？ — 還hái好hǎo啦la。
Are you tired today? — Eh, I'm okay.

Conversation — At the drink stand

Follow along — the current line highlights as it plays; tap a line to jump to it (long-press to replay it).
客人：
老lǎo闆bǎn，我wǒ要yào一yì杯bēi珍zhēn奶nǎi，微wēi糖táng去qù冰bīng。
Boss, I'd like a bubble milk tea, lightly sweet, no ice.
老闆：
好hǎo的de，中zhōng杯bēi還hái是shì大dà杯bēi？
Sure — medium or large?
客人：
大dà杯bēi，謝xiè謝xie。
Large, thanks.
老闆：
內nèi用yòng還hái是shì外wài帶dài？
For here or to go?
客人：
外wài帶dài。多duō少shǎo錢qián？
To go. How much?
老闆：
五wǔ十shí五wǔ塊kuài。
Fifty-five NT dollars.
客人：
好hǎo，謝xiè謝xie喔ō！
Okay, thank you!
老闆：
不bú會huì，這zhè是shì你nǐ的de飲yǐn料liào。
No problem — here's your drink.

Stroke order

New characters in this lesson — tap a character to see its strokes drawn, or ✎ to trace it yourself. (Needs internet for now.)

shǒu
yáo
yǐn
zhēn
zhū
nǎi
chá
wēi
táng
qù
bīng
wài
dài
bú
huì
hái
hǎo

Definitions from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from 教育部《重編國語辭典修訂本》 via 萌典 (g0v moedict) (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW).