随便 Whatever You Like in Chinese

晚上wǎnshang，我们wǒmen几个jǐ ge朋友péngyou想xiǎng一起yìqǐ吃饭chī fàn，可是kěshì不bù知道zhīdào去qù哪儿nǎr吃chī。

In the evening, a few of us friends wanted to eat together, but we didn't know where to go.

我wǒ问wèn大家dàjiā：“想xiǎng吃chī什么shénme？”大家dàjiā都dōu说shuō：“随便suíbiàn，随便suíbiàn都dōu可以kěyǐ。”

I asked everyone: "What do you want to eat?" Everyone said: "Whatever, anything's fine."

我们wǒmen走zǒu进jìn一家yì jiā饭馆fànguǎn，服务员fúwùyuán让ràng我们wǒmen自己zìjǐ找zhǎo座位zuòwèi，我wǒ问wèn朋友péngyou坐zuò哪儿nǎr，他们tāmen还是háishi说shuō“随便suíbiàn”。

We walked into a restaurant, and the waiter let us find our own seats. I asked my friends where to sit, and they still said "whatever."

服务员fúwùyuán拿ná来lái了le菜单càidān，问wèn我们wǒmen想xiǎng喝hē什么shénme，朋友们péngyoumen又yòu说shuō：“随便suíbiàn，你nǐ点diǎn就jiù好hǎo。”

The waiter brought the menu and asked what we wanted to drink. My friends said again: "Whatever, you just order."

我wǒ看了看kànlekàn菜单càidān，发现fāxiàn从cóng坐zuò哪儿nǎr到dào吃chī什么shénme，都dōu是shì我wǒ一个人yí ge rén在zài决定juédìng。

I looked over the menu and realized that everything, from where to sit to what to eat, was being decided by me alone.

于是yúshì我wǒ自己zìjǐ点diǎn了le几个jǐ ge大家dàjiā常cháng吃chī的de菜cài，还有háiyǒu一个yí ge汤tāng，把bǎ菜单càidān还给huángěi了le服务员fúwùyuán。

So I ordered a few dishes everyone usually eats, plus a soup, and handed the menu back to the waiter.

菜cài上shàng来lái的时候de shíhou，大家dàjiā都dōu吃chī得de很hěn开心kāixīn，谁shéi也yě没méi再zài说shuō“随便suíbiàn”。

When the food arrived, everyone ate happily, and nobody said "whatever" again.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

随便suíbiànwhatever; as one pleases

服务员fúwùyuánclerk; attendant

菜单càidānmenu

座位zuòwèiseat

决定juédìngto decide

开心kāixīnhappy

随便 (whatever you like)

随便 means any option works for the speaker — handy when you don't want to choose, though it can leave everyone else stuck.

想吃什么？随便，随便都可以。— What do you want to eat? Whatever, anything's fine.

还是 + verb (still)

还是 shows that an attitude or answer doesn't change, even after being asked again.

我又问了一次，他们还是说“随便”。— I asked again, and they still said 'whatever.'

都是 + 我一个人 + 在 + verb (it's all me doing X alone)

一个人 stresses that only one person is carrying out the action — often pointing out it's unfair that no one else is helping decide.

都是我一个人在决定。— I'm the only one deciding everything.

1. What does everyone keep saying when asked what to eat?

2. Who ends up deciding what to order?

3. What happens when the food arrives?

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.