我请客 My Treat in Chinese

晚上wǎnshang，我wǒ和hé朋友péngyou一起yìqǐ去qù饭馆fànguǎn吃饭chīfàn，点diǎn了le很多hěn duō菜cài。

In the evening, my friend and I went to a restaurant together and ordered a lot of dishes.

吃chī完wán饭fàn，我们wǒmen叫jiào服务员fúwùyuán买单mǎidān。

After we finished eating, we called the waiter over to pay the bill.

朋友péngyou想xiǎng付fù钱qián，我wǒ也yě想xiǎng付fù钱qián，我们wǒmen都dōu想xiǎng请客qǐngkè。

My friend wanted to pay, and I wanted to pay too — we both wanted to treat.

服务员fúwùyuán刚gāng说shuō完wán多少钱duōshao qián，我wǒ就jiù抢qiǎng着zhe说shuō：“这次zhècì我wǒ请客qǐngkè！”

The waiter had just said how much it was when I jumped in: "This one's on me!"

朋友péngyou也yě想xiǎng给gěi钱qián，说shuō：“不bù行xíng，今天jīntiān应该yīnggāi我wǒ请客qǐngkè。”

My friend also wanted to pay and said: "No way — today it should be me treating."

我wǒ拿ná着zhe钱qián，跑pǎo到dào服务员fúwùyuán那儿nàr，先xiān把bǎ钱qián给gěi了le她tā。

I grabbed the money, ran over to the waiter, and handed it to her first.

出chū了le饭馆fànguǎn，朋友péngyou说shuō：“那nà我wǒ请qǐng你nǐ喝hē一杯yì bēi咖啡kāfēi吧ba！”

Once we were outside the restaurant, my friend said: "Then let me buy you a cup of coffee!"

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Key words 生词

请客qǐngkèto treat (someone to a meal)

买单mǎidānto pay the bill (at a restaurant)

付fùto pay

抢qiǎngto rush to do something first

应该yīnggāishould

咖啡kāfēicoffee

抢着 + verb (to rush to be the one who does it)

抢 means 'to grab/rush', and 抢着 + verb shows someone hurrying to do something before anyone else can.

我就抢着说：“这次我请客！”— I jumped in: "This one's on me!"

刚 A，就 B — no sooner had A than B

刚 marks something that just happened; 就 in the next clause says the second thing followed immediately. The pair is what makes the timing feel tight.

服务员刚说完多少钱，我就抢着说：“这次我请客！” — The clerk had barely said the total before I jumped in: "This one's on me!"

那 + clause (in that case, ...)

那 at the start of a sentence means 'in that case' or 'then', responding to what just happened.

那我请你喝一杯咖啡吧！— Then let me buy you a cup of coffee!

1. What did both the narrator and the friend want to do when the bill came?

2. How did the narrator manage to pay first?

3. What did the friend do after losing the race to pay?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.