LinguaThe words that order food
cho means give. Put it in front of the word that names you and you have an order: Cho tôi + number + classifier + dish. Nothing else changes – a Vietnamese verb has no endings. Add ạ at the end and the order sounds respectful.
| Order | What you get |
|---|---|
| Cho tôi một bát phở. | one bowl of phở |
| Cho tôi hai cốc cà phê. | two glasses of coffee |
| Cho tôi một chai nước. | one bottle of water |
Swapping tôi for your own word
tôi is always safe, but Vietnamese people use the word that fits the two of you. If the person serving you is older, you are em: Cho em một cốc trà. If they are much older, you are cháu. If you are the older one, you are anh or chị.
Cho em hai cái bánh mì ạ.Two bánh mì for me, please.
Saying what you want: muốn
muốn is to want. It takes a noun (Tôi muốn một cốc trà đá.) or another verb (Tôi muốn ăn cơm.). muốn describes your wish; cho tôi is the request itself. In a quán you can state the wish first and order after it.
Tôi muốn uống trà nóng.I want to drink hot tea.
For one more of something Vietnamese uses two words in two places. thêm goes in front of what you want more of: Cho tôi thêm một cái đĩa. nữa closes the group, after the noun: Cho tôi một bát nữa. The two can appear together: Cho tôi thêm một bát nữa.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cho | to give; for | Chị cho em một cốc trà đá. Give me a glass of iced tea, please. |
| cho tôi | give me | Cho tôi một đĩa cơm. One plate of rice for me. |
| muốn | to want | Tôi muốn ăn phở. I want to eat phở. |
| gọi món | to order food | Anh Nam gọi món cho cả nhà. Nam orders the food for the whole family. |
| thêm | more; to add | Cho tôi thêm một cái cốc. Give me one more glass. |
| nữa | one more (after the noun) | Tôi muốn một bát nữa. I want one more bowl. |
| quán | small eatery | Quán này bán bánh mì. This eatery sells bánh mì. |
| thực đơn | menu | Thực đơn của quán có nhiều món. The eatery's menu has many dishes. |
| đá | ice | Cho em một cốc cà phê đá. One iced coffee for me, please. |
| nóng | hot | Bát phở này còn nóng. This bowl of phở is still hot. |
| nhé | soft-request particle | Chị cho em thêm một đĩa nhé. Please give me one more plate. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
You are in a quán. Which sentence orders one bowl of phở?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.