Note: The spoken Chinese Mandarin language has 4 spoken tones. We have attempted to re-create those below where after each syllable we tell you (1), (2), (3), or (4) as they correspond to each of the 4 tones. We encourage you to complement your Xianzai.com Emergency Chinese newsletter with a good offline study program.

NEW WORDS:

1) Bar: jiu(3) ba(1)

2) One glass of: yi(4) bei(1)

3) Beer: pi(2) jiu(3)

4) Wine: bai(2)jiu(3)

5) Waitress: fu(2) wu(4) yuan(2) xiao(3) jie(3)

LESSON:

At the Bar

• Take me to a bar.
  dai(4) wo(3) dao(4) jiu(3) ba(1).

• I need a beer, how about you?
  wo(3) xiang(3) yao(4) yi(4) bei(1) pi(2) jiu(3). ni(3) ne?

• Give me one glass of beer, please.
  qing(3) gei(2) wo(3) lai(2) yi(4) bei(1) pi(2) jiu(3).

• Waitress, check please.
  xiao(3) jie(3), mai(3) dan(1).

Diologue:

• You: Waitress, come here, please.
  xiao(3) jie(3), qing(3) dao(4) zhe(3) er(1) lai(2).

• Waitress: Hi, what would you like?
  hai(4), ni(3) xiang(3) yao(4) shen(2) me?

• You: One glass of beer and one glass of wine, please.
  yi(4) bei(1) pi(2) jiu(3) he(1) yi(4) bei(4) bai(2) jiu(3).

• Waitress: Here you are.
  gei(3).

• You: Check, please.
  mai(3) dan(1).

• Waitress: That will be 50 yuan.
  u(3) shi(1) kuai(4).

• You: Thanks.
  xie(4) xie(4).

Taxi corner. (As most of our ever-improving Chinese is first practiced on dumbfounded taxi drivers, each session we will have a short conversation with a cabby that will come in handy.)

• You: Mr. Driver, can you take me to the Sanlitun bar street? (In Beijing)
  shi(1) fu(4), ni(3) ke(2) yi(3) dai(4) wo(3) dao(4) san(1) li(3) tun(2) jiu(1) ba(1) jie(1) ma?

• Driver: No problem.
  mei(2) wen(4) ti(2).

• You: Thanks, I owe you one.
  xie(4) xie(4). wo(3) qian(4) ni(3) yi(1) ci(4).

• Driver: you can buy me a glass of beer there.
  ni(3) neng(2) zai(4) na(4) gei(3) wo(3) mai(3) yi(4) bei(1) bi(2) jiu(3) ma?

• You: Sure.
  dang(1) ran(2).

* Fortune cookie: You will not tip at any bars or restaurants, because it is not the custom in China. Your lucky number is one, as in "One glass of beer at a time."