zhè jiā fàndiàn de cài gēn chāoshì lǐ de shūcài yíyàng xīnxiān.

this

Breakdown of zhè jiā fàndiàn de cài gēn chāoshì lǐ de shūcài yíyàng xīnxiān.

• 的de: possessive particle
• 跟gēn: with
• 饭店fàndiàn: restaurant

Questions & Answers about zhè jiā fàndiàn de cài gēn chāoshì lǐ de shūcài yíyàng xīnxiān.

What does 家 (jiā) mean in this sentence? I thought it meant “home” or “family.”

In this sentence, 家 (jiā) is a measure word (also called a classifier), not the noun “home/family.”

• 这家饭店 (zhè jiā fàndiàn) literally means “this [classifier] restaurant,” i.e. “this restaurant.”
• 家 is commonly used as a classifier for businesses or shops:
  
  • 一家饭店 – a restaurant
  • 一家银行 – a bank
  • 一家公司 – a company

So here, 家 is not “home”; it’s the classifier for 饭店.

What’s the difference between 饭店 (fàndiàn) and other words like 餐馆 (cānguǎn) or 餐厅 (cāntīng)?

All of these refer to places where you can eat, but there are some tendencies:

• 饭店 (fàndiàn)

  • In Mainland usage today: often means “restaurant”, sometimes slightly more formal or larger.
  • In some contexts (especially older usage or in some regions), it can also mean “hotel.”

• 餐馆 (cānguǎn)

  • A very common, neutral word for “restaurant” or “eatery.”
  • Focuses on the place where you eat.

• 餐厅 (cāntīng)

  • Literally “dining hall.”
  • Can be a restaurant, but also the dining room in a house, a canteen at school, a hotel dining room, etc.

In this sentence, 这家饭店 is most naturally understood as “this restaurant.”

Why do we use 菜 (cài) for the restaurant and 蔬菜 (shūcài) for the supermarket? Aren’t they both “vegetables”?