Lesson 13: ラーメンを ください
N5 · Lesson 13 · 18 min — 〜をください・〜にします・AかB
Last lesson you learned 「Nを + verb」: ラーメンを たべます (eat), コーヒーを のみます (drink). This time, swap the verb after を for ください, and you can order at a ramen shop or café. You'll also learn "I'll have ~" and "A or B." By the end, you'll be able to tell the staff yourself: 「ラーメンを ふたつ ください。」 Let's start with the comic!
After this lesson, you can:
- Order food and ask for things with 「Nを（〜つ）ください」, including how many you want
- Say what you've decided with 「Nに します」: "I'll have this."
- Say "A or B" with 「AかB」, and understand when staff give you two choices
Two? Three?
くまや, a ramen shop in a Yanaka back alley. The bear in the head-band, Mr. Kuma... isn't Kumata?
Saying 「〜にします」 or 「〜をください」 is already ordering. Three bowls of ramen... in Grandpa's photo, were there three bowls on the table too?
Words for ramen shops and cafés
- ラーメン (rāmen): ramen
- カレー (karē): curry (curry rice)
- 餃子 (gyōza): gyoza (pan-fried dumplings)
- 水 (mizu): water
- 紅茶 (kōcha): (black) tea
- ケーキ (kēki): cake
- 飲み物 (nomimono): drink, beverage
- セット (setto): set meal
- メニュー (menyū): menu
- ホット (hotto): hot (drink)
- アイス (aisu): iced (drink)
- ください (kudasai): please give me
Grammar 1 / 3: をください
To ask for something, say "thing + を + ください."
- Nを ください = Please give me N: Take the 「Nを + verb」 pattern you learned and swap the verb for ください: ラーメンを ください. When ordering casually, people often drop を: ラーメン ください.
- The number goes between を and ください: ラーメンを ふたつ ください. When ordering, the ひとつ・ふたつ you already know work for almost everything, so you don't need words like "cups," "bowls" or "plates" (Japanese does have special counters for cups and bowls, but ひとつ・ふたつ are the easiest). For bottled drinks you can also use 〜ほん (にほん = two bottles), and for tickets 〜まい (にまい = two tickets).
- Point at the menu: これを ください: Can't read the dish name? No problem. Point at the menu and say 「これを ください」 to order.
- Two things: AとBを ください: Join the items with the と you already know: ラーメンと ぎょうざを ください.
- すみません、みずを ください。 — Excuse me, water, please.
- コーヒーを ひとつ ください。 — One coffee, please.
- これを ください。 — This one, please. (pointing at the menu)
- メニューを ください。 — The menu, please.
- ラーメンと ぎょうざを ください。 — Ramen and gyoza, please.
- おちゃを にほん ください。 — Two bottles of tea, please. (Here にほん = two bottles. It's spelled the same as にほん, "Japan" — context tells you which.)
- きっぷを にまい ください。 — Two tickets, please.
Grammar 2 / 3: にします
After choosing from the options, say 「Nに します」.
- Nに します = I'll have N / I'll go with N: When you've looked at the menu and made your choice, use this to announce it. You can say it to staff or to friends.
- なにに しますか = What will you have?: Friends often ask like this: 「リンは なにに しますか。」 Staff may ask you in a more polite way, but you still answer with 〜に します.
- Learn this に as part of a set phrase: Just remember 「〜に します」 as one fixed phrase. に has other uses too — you'll learn them step by step later.
- をください vs. にします: をください = asking someone to give you something (please give me); にします = saying what you've chosen (I'll have). Both work for ordering in a shop. When you finally make up your mind after thinking it over, にします sounds especially natural.
- なにに しますか。 — What will you have?
- わたしは カレーに します。 — I'll have curry.
- これに します。 — I'll have this one. (pointing at the menu)
- わたしも これに します。 — I'll have this one too.
- のみものは こうちゃに します。 — For my drink, I'll have tea.
- セットに します。 — I'll have the set meal.
Grammar 3 / 3: AかB
Put か between two nouns = "A or B."
- noun + か + noun = A or B: コーヒーか こうちゃ = coffee or tea. You pick one of the two.
- Choices on the menu: Menus and set-meal descriptions often say: 「のみものは コーヒーか こうちゃです。」 = For the drink, you can choose coffee or tea.
- Either-or questions: Staff often ask two questions in a row: 「ホットですか、アイスですか。」 = Hot or iced?
- Answer: your choice + にします: You can't just answer はい — say the one you chose: 「アイスに します。」
- か is not と: と = you want both (コーヒーと こうちゃ); か = you pick only one (コーヒーか こうちゃ).
- コーヒーか こうちゃ — coffee or tea
- のみものは コーヒーか こうちゃです。 — The drink is coffee or tea (pick one).
- ホットですか、アイスですか。 — Hot or iced?
- アイスに します。 — I'll have iced.
- ラーメンか カレーを たべます。 — I'll eat ramen or curry. (たべます = eat, from last lesson)