About This Lesson
Use Coffee During a Break to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
你要咖啡吗？
nǐ yào kāfēi ma? Do you want coffee?
B
好的，谢谢。只要一小杯。
hǎo de, xièxie. zhǐ yào yì xiǎo bēi. Yes, please. Just a small cup.
A
给你。
gěi nǐ. Here you are.
B
闻起来很香。
wén qǐlái hěn xiāng. It smells nice.
A
你需要糖吗？
nǐ xūyào táng ma? Do you need sugar?
B
不用，只要牛奶，谢谢。
bú yòng, zhǐ yào niúnǎi, xièxie. No, just milk, please.
A
对不起，没有牛奶。
duìbuqǐ, méiyǒu niúnǎi. Sorry, there is no milk.
B
没关系。
méi guānxi. That is okay.Word by Word
你
你 means “you” in “你要咖啡吗？”, referring to the person being offered coffee. It commonly comes before the verb in a question such as 你要……吗？. Use it when speaking directly to one person.
要
要 means “want” in “你要咖啡吗？”, asking whether the listener wants coffee. Here it is followed by the requested item, 咖啡. Use 你要……吗？ when offering someone something.
咖啡
咖啡 means “coffee” in “你要咖啡吗？”. It is the item that follows 要 in this offer. Use it when ordering, offering, or talking about coffee.
吗
吗 is the question particle at the end of “你要咖啡吗？”, making it a yes-or-no question. It comes after the statement being questioned. Use it when checking whether someone wants or needs something.
好的
好的 means “okay” or “yes, please” in “好的，谢谢。”. 好 contributes the idea of being good or okay, while 的 completes this friendly response form; together, 好的 accepts the offer. Use 好的 as a polite reply when agreeing to something.
谢谢
谢谢 means “thank you” in “好的，谢谢。”, expressing gratitude for the offered coffee. It can follow an acceptance or request, as it does here. Use it when thanking someone for a favor or an item.
只
只 means “only” or “just” in “只要一小杯”, narrowing the request to a limited amount. In this expression it comes before 要, and 只要 together introduces what is wanted. Use 只要 before a requested item or amount when you want only that much.
小
小 means “small” in “一小杯”, describing the size of the cup. It comes before 杯 in this noun phrase. Use it when requesting a smaller serving or item.
杯
杯 is the cup measure word in “一小杯”, referring to one cup of coffee. It follows the quantity 一 and combines with 小 to specify the serving. Use it when measuring drinks by the cup.
给
给 means “give” in “给你”, the phrase used here to hand the coffee to the listener and mean “here you are”. It comes before the person receiving the item. Use 给 + person when handing or offering something.
闻
闻 means “smell” in “闻起来很香”, referring to sensing the coffee’s smell. Together with 起来, it introduces a description of how something smells. Use it when commenting on an aroma.
起来
起来 helps “闻起来很香” describe how something seems or smells, rather than describing an action of moving upward. It follows 闻 and comes before the description 很香. Use verb + 起来 + description for a sensory impression when the pattern is clear.
很
很 marks a degree in “很香”, strengthening the description of the coffee’s smell. It comes before the describing word 香. Use 很 + description when describing a quality or degree.
香
香 means “fragrant” or “good-smelling” in “闻起来很香”, praising the coffee’s aroma. It follows 很 in the description. Use it when describing the pleasant smell of food or drinks.
需要
需要 means “need” in “你需要糖吗？”, asking whether the listener needs sugar. The item that is needed follows 需要 here. Use 需要 + item when asking about or stating a need.
糖
糖 means “sugar” in “你需要糖吗？”, the item being offered for the coffee. It follows 需要 as the object of the question. Use it when talking about adding sugar to a drink or food.
不
不 means “not” in “不用”, which answers the question about sugar by saying that it is not needed. Here it negates the following expression rather than standing alone as the complete reply. Use 不 before a verb or description to make it negative.
用
用 is the second part of “不用”, which means “no need” in this reply. Together, 不 and 用 tell the other person that sugar is unnecessary here; the whole expression should be learned as a response to an offer or suggestion. Use 不用 before an action when saying that someone does not need to do it.
牛奶
牛奶 means “milk” in “只要牛奶” and “没有牛奶”. In the first phrase it is the requested addition, and in the second it is the item that is unavailable. Use it when requesting milk or explaining that milk is not available.
对不起
对不起 means “sorry” in “对不起，没有牛奶。”, apologizing before explaining that there is no milk. 对 and 不起 are the two parts of this fixed apology expression and work together rather than being translated separately here. Use 对不起 when acknowledging a problem or inconvenience to another person.
没
没 indicates absence in “没有牛奶”, meaning that milk is not available. It also begins the reassurance “没关系”, where the whole phrase means “it’s okay”. Use 没有 + noun to say that something is not present or available.
有
有 means “have” or “there is” in “没有牛奶”. After 没, it forms “没有”, saying that milk is not present or available. Use 没有 + noun when reporting that an item is unavailable.
没关系
没关系 means “it’s okay” or “no problem” in reply to “对不起”. 没 contributes the negation, while 关系 is the second component of this fixed expression about there being no problem or matter; together they form the reassurance. Use 没关系 when accepting an apology or indicating that an inconvenience is not serious.
Grammar Points
很 + 形容词
很香
hěn xiāngIt smells very nice.
很常放在形容词前，用来描述状态；香在这里作谓语。
只要 + 数量短语
只要一小杯
zhǐ yào yì xiǎo bēiI only want a small cup.
只要表示“只想要”或“只需要”，放在所要的东西或数量前。
Chinese Vocabulary
给你
phrase
gěi nǐ
here you are
好的
intj
hǎo de
okay; yes
很
adv
hěn
very
咖啡
noun
kāfēi
coffee
你
pron
nǐ
you
闻起来
phrase
wén qǐlái
smell; smell like
香
adj
xiāng
fragrant; smell nice
谢谢
intj
xièxie
thank you
需要
verb
xūyào
need
要
verb
yào
want; would like
一小杯
phrase
yì xiǎo bēi
a small cup
只要
phrase
zhǐ yào
just want; only need
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
coffee
Show Answer
咖啡need
Show Answer
需要just want; only need
Show Answer
只要a small cup