Pay first or pay after eating? (2 real-life Taiwanese Mandarin expression)

臺灣的飲食文化很豐富
Taiwan’s food culture is very diverse

有時候是先吃，再付錢

sometimes you eat first, then pay.

有時候是點餐的時候就要付錢。
Other times, you have to pay when you place your order.

每家餐廳的不同
Every restaurant is different

通常小吃店都是要先付錢的

at most street food stalls, you usually pay first.

因為小吃店老闆很忙

That’s because the stall owners are super busy

他們怕你吃了不付錢跑掉 哈哈
​ they’re afraid you’ll eat and run without paying, haha.

If you’re not sure, you can ask —

Should I pay first? 要先結帳嗎 ? Memorize this phrase! Once you say it, you sound like a Taiwanese immediately.

要 should I…?

先 do something first?

結帳 to pay the bill; to check out

You can of course say -- 要先付(ㄈㄨˋfù) 嗎? ​
​Both are the same.

Clerk would usually reply you

Just pay after you finish eating– it's fine, no rush.

吃完 finish eating

再 and then

付 to pay

“something + 就好 structure”

meaning doing something and then it’s fine​
You can this phrase at 05:29 👇

Finally, please do memorize these two common Taiwnaee Mandarin expressions.

You’ll hear this very often in real-life situations in Taiwan. However, for some reason, they’re not taught in textbooks. :( I guess that’s part of the reason why many learners struggle to understand Taiwanese clerks.

I hope this month’s video can help you improve your real-life listening and speaking skills.

Note

If your goal is to understand Taiwanee people’s fast talking speed and converse with your Taiwanese family and friends with confidence, do not hesitate to check out this program: 🇹🇼 Master Conversational Taiwanese Mandarin: Eating, Drinking and Chatting.​ For any questions, let me know here.