For travel, daily life, and adult living, students need fixed expressions for restaurants, shops, and services. 'A table for two please' (entering restaurant). 'I would like' or 'I will have' (ordering). 'How much is this?' (asking price). 'The bill please' or 'Can I have the bill?' (asking to pay). 'Do you take cards?' (asking about payment). 'I will have the chicken' (choosing from menu). 'Can you recommend something?' (asking for help). 'Excuse me' (getting attention). Each expression is fixed and used the same way every time. Students who know these chunks handle daily situations confidently. Students who do not often translate from their first language and produce wrong English. The lesson connects to thanks (#88), apologies (#92), permission (#93). Together they cover the daily-life social-language toolkit.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
TYPICAL EXCHANGE:
Waiter: Good evening. How can I help you?
You: Good evening. A table for two, please.
Waiter: Do you have a reservation?
You: Yes, under the name Smith. / No, we do not.
Waiter: This way please. Here is your table.
FIXED EXPRESSIONS:
A table for two, please. (entering)
Do you have a reservation? (waiter asks)
Under the name [name]. (giving the booking)
This way, please. (waiter directs)
Why are these chunks important?
Restaurant entry follows a fixed pattern in English. The chunks make it predictable for both customer and waiter. 'A table for two' (or 'a table for four') is the standard way to ask for seating. The 'please' is essential — without it, the request can sound demanding. 'Under the name [Smith]' gives the booking name when asked. 'This way please' is what the waiter says when leading you to the table. Knowing the chunks makes restaurant visits flow naturally. Students who try to translate from their first language often produce wrong English ('we want one table' — too direct). The standard chunks are polite and clear.
FIXED EXPRESSIONS:
I would like the chicken curry, please. (polite)
I will have the soup. (slightly more direct)
Can I have a glass of water? (polite request)
What do you recommend? (asking for advice)
Does this dish have any meat? (asking about content)
I am vegetarian. (declaring dietary preference)
Nothing for me, thanks. (declining)
The same for me, please. (matching another order)
WHY 'I would like' and not 'I want'?
'I would like' is the polite standard for ordering — much more polite than 'I want'. 'I want the chicken' sounds demanding and rude. 'I would like the chicken' is polite and standard. 'I will have' is also acceptable — slightly more direct but still polite. 'Can I have' is everyday polite. 'Give me' is rude — avoid in restaurants. The 'please' at the end is essential for politeness. 'I will have the soup, please' is correct. 'I will have the soup' alone can sound abrupt. Students who order with 'I want' or without 'please' come across as impolite, even when they do not mean to. Drilling the polite chunks prevents this.
IN A SHOP:
Excuse me, how much is this? (asking the price of one item)
How much are these? (asking the price of multiple items)
Do you have this in another colour? (asking for a variation)
Do you have a smaller size? (asking for size)
Can I try it on? (clothing)
Where is the changing room?
AT THE TILL/CHECKOUT:
I will take this, please. (deciding to buy)
Do you take cards? (asking about payment)
Do you have change? (asking about money)
Can I have a receipt, please? (asking for proof of purchase)
IN A RESTAURANT (paying):
The bill, please. / Can I have the bill, please?
Is service included?
Keep the change. (giving extra)
Do you take this card? (specific card)
What is the difference between 'how much' and 'how many'?
'How much' asks about price or uncountable quantity. How much is this? (price). How much water is in the glass? (uncountable quantity). 'How many' asks about countable quantity. How many people are coming? (countable). The grammar follows the countable/uncountable rule (covered in lesson #97). For asking prices, always 'how much' — prices are uncountable money. 'How many is this?' (wrong). 'How much is this?' (correct). Other useful shopping chunks: 'I will take this' (decided to buy). 'Do you take cards?' (asking about payment methods). 'Can I have a receipt?' (asking for proof). 'The bill please' (in restaurant). Each chunk is fixed and used the same way. Drilling them gives students confidence in everyday transactions.
| Expression | Function | When to use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A table for two please | Asking for seating | Entering a restaurant | Vary the number — for one, for three, for four. |
| Do you have a reservation | Asking about booking | Waiter to customer | Standard waiter question. |
| I would like | Polite ordering | Choosing food/drink | More polite than 'I want'. Standard for ordering. |
| I will have | Ordering | Choosing food/drink | Slightly more direct than 'I would like' but still polite. |
| Can I have | Polite request | Asking for items | Versatile — works for food, drinks, items. |
| What do you recommend | Asking for advice | When unsure what to order | Polite way to get a suggestion. |
| How much is this | Asking price | In shops, market | For one item. Use 'how much are these' for plural. |
| Do you take cards | Asking about payment | At checkout | Useful for travel and shopping. |
| The bill please | Asking to pay | End of restaurant meal | American: 'check please'. British: 'bill please'. |
| Can I try it on | Asking to try clothing | In clothing shop | Standard for trying clothes before buying. |
| I will take this | Decided to buy | At till | Standard 'I have decided' for buying. |
| Excuse me | Getting attention | To call a waiter or shopkeeper | Polite way to start interactions. |
NOTE 1 — Always include 'please': In restaurants and shops, 'please' is essential. 'A table for two' alone sounds demanding; 'A table for two, please' is polite. 'The bill' alone sounds rude; 'The bill, please' is polite. Always add please.
NOTE 2 — 'I would like' is more polite than 'I want': For ordering, 'I would like' is standard polite. 'I want' sounds rude. 'Give me' is also rude. Use 'I would like' or 'I will have' or 'Can I have' for polite ordering. Save 'I want' for casual situations between friends.
NOTE 3 — How much vs how many: How much asks about price or uncountable. How many asks about countable number. For prices, always 'how much is this?'. For counting items, 'how many are there?'.
NOTE 4 — British vs American: Bill (British) vs check (American) — both for the restaurant payment. Trousers (British) vs pants (American). Lift (British) vs elevator (American). Most chunks work in both, but a few words differ.
NOTE 5 — Get attention politely: 'Excuse me' is the polite way to call a waiter or get attention. Avoid waving or saying 'hey'. 'Excuse me, could I have the bill, please?' is polite and standard.
Restaurant and shopping expressions are essential for daily life and travel. Students who know the chunks handle these situations confidently. Cultural context: politeness in service interactions varies between cultures, but English consistently uses 'please' and polite forms. Students should learn the chunks and the politeness conventions. The lesson connects to thanks (#88), apologies (#92), and permission (#93). Together they cover the social-language toolkit for daily transactions.
Practise restaurant and shopping through role-play. One student is the customer, another the waiter or shopkeeper. They go through the full exchange — entering, ordering, asking prices, paying. Drill the polite chunks. Real exchanges fix the chunks in memory. Use real menus or shop scenarios.
Choose the best expression for each restaurant or shopping situation.
Each sentence has a problem with a restaurant or shopping expression. Suggest a better version and explain.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — Restaurant entry (5 min): Drill the entry chunks. 'A table for two please.' Vary the number. Show what the waiter says — 'do you have a reservation?'. Practise the full entry exchange.
STEP 2 — Ordering politely (8 min): Drill the polite ordering chunks. 'I would like' (most polite). 'I will have' (slightly more direct). 'Can I have' (everyday polite). Always with 'please'. Show that 'I want' is rude — avoid in restaurants. Practise five ordering examples.
STEP 3 — Asking prices (5 min): Drill the price chunks. 'How much is this?' (singular item). 'How much are these?' (multiple items). Show the difference between 'how much' (price/uncountable) and 'how many' (countable number). Practise with real items.
STEP 4 — Shopping (6 min): Drill shopping chunks. 'Do you have this in another size?'. 'Can I try it on?'. 'I will take this.'. 'Do you take cards?'. Practise a typical shopping exchange — looking, asking, deciding, paying.
STEP 5 — Paying in restaurants (6 min): Drill the paying chunks. 'The bill, please.' / 'Can I have the bill, please?'. 'Do you take cards?'. 'Is service included?'. 'Keep the change.'. Practise the full end-of-meal exchange.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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