Learn Hardcore Chinese: Zhè jiā shítáng suīrán bú dà, dànshì cài hěn duō, yě bú guì, yìbān zhǐ yào èrshí kuài. - Although this cafeteria isn’t big, it has a lot of dishes and isn’t expensive; usually it only costs twenty yuan.

家 is the standard measure word for certain businesses and organizations: restaurants, shops, companies, hotels, etc.
- e.g. 一家饭馆, 三家公司, 那家银行
这家食堂 = “this cafeteria/this canteen (business).”

Using 这个食堂 is not grammatically wrong, but it sounds less natural; 家 is the more idiomatic choice for places like 食堂, 饭馆, 餐厅, 公司, etc.

What’s the difference between 食堂 and words like 餐厅 or 饭馆?

All can relate to places where you eat, but the feel is different:

食堂: canteen, cafeteria, mess hall
- Usually in schools, factories, universities, companies, the army.
餐厅: dining room / restaurant
- Can be a restaurant, a hotel dining room, or just “dining room” in a house.
饭馆 / 饭店: restaurant (often more colloquial/ordinary places).

In this sentence, 食堂 suggests a canteen-style place, not a fancy commercial restaurant.

How does the 虽然……但是…… structure work? Do I need both parts?

虽然……但是…… is a standard pattern meaning “although … (yet) …”.

Structure:
虽然 + clause A，但是 + clause B
Here:
虽然不大，但是菜很多，也不贵。
= Although it’s not big, the dishes are many and not expensive.

You can often drop 但是 in casual speech and writing:

这家食堂虽然不大，菜很多，也不贵。

But you can’t usually drop 虽然 and keep 但是 alone in this pattern (unless 但是 is just being used as “but” in a different structure).

Why is 不 pronounced bú instead of bù in 不大 and 不贵?

Tone sandhi rule:

不 is normally bù (4th tone).
Before another 4th-tone syllable, 不 changes to bú (2nd tone) to make pronunciation smoother.

Here:

不大 → bú dà (大 is 4th tone)
不贵 → bú guì (贵 is 4th tone)

So it’s the same character and meaning; only the tone changes due to the following syllable.

What exactly does 菜很多 mean? Why is there no “to be” like “is”?

Literally: “the dishes are many.”

菜: dishes/food (on the menu), cuisine.
很多: “very many, a lot.”

Chinese doesn’t require a separate verb “to be” before adjectives or quantity complements in this pattern:

菜很多 = “There are many dishes / the selection is large.”
Compare:
- English: “The food is plentiful.”
- Chinese: 菜很多 (no 是).

You could also say 有很多菜, which is closer to “there are many dishes,” but 菜很多 is shorter and very natural.

What’s the difference between 菜很多 and 很多菜?

They’re close in meaning but slightly different in focus:

菜很多: “the dishes are many / there are many dishes.”
- Focus on the amount of dishes as a characteristic of the cafeteria.
很多菜: “many dishes.”
- A general noun phrase, often used as an object:
  - 我点了很多菜。= I ordered many dishes.

In this sentence, describing the cafeteria’s characteristic, 菜很多 is more natural than a bare phrase like 很多菜.

Why is 很 used in 菜很多? Can I just say 菜多?

In modern Mandarin, 很 often works as a link between a subject and an adjective (or adjective-like word), even when it doesn’t strongly mean “very.”

菜很多: grammatically smooth and natural.
菜多: possible, but can sound a bit abrupt or contrastive in many contexts.

So, 菜很多 is the default, neutral way to say “there are many dishes.” Think of 很 here as “is/are (quite)” rather than always “very.”

What does 也 do in 也不贵? Would 不贵 alone be different?

也 means “also / too” and links this comment to the previous one:

菜很多，也不贵
= “There are many dishes, and they’re also not expensive.”

Without 也, 不贵 still means “not expensive,” but you lose the explicit “in addition” connection:

菜很多，不贵
Sounds like two separate statements: “There are many dishes; they’re not expensive.”

With 也, you highlight that “not expensive” is another good point.

What’s the nuance difference between 不大 and 很小, and between 不贵 and 很便宜?

Chinese often prefers a mild, not-too-strong way of praising or criticizing.

不大 = “not big”
- Neutral/mild: could be small or just moderate.
很小 = “very small”
- Stronger, more definite; might sound a bit negative in this context.
不贵 = “not expensive”
- Polite, mild praise about price. Implies it’s reasonably cheap.
很便宜 = “very cheap”
- Stronger; can be positive, but in some contexts might sound like quality is low.

In a neutral description of a cafeteria, 不大, 不贵 sound balanced and natural.

What does 一般 mean here? It’s not “average,” right?

In this sentence, 一般 means “normally / generally / in most cases.”

一般只要二十块。
= “Normally it only costs twenty kuai.”

Other uses of 一般:

他很一般。 = He’s pretty average.
一般来说，… = Generally speaking, …

So here it’s about what usually happens, not about the cafeteria being “average.”

What does 只要 mean in 一般只要二十块? How is it different from just 要二十块?

只要 = “only need / only cost / only” (emphasizing that the amount is low or easy).

只要二十块: “only (needs) 20 kuai” → “it only costs 20.”
要二十块: “(it) costs 20 kuai” (neutral, no “only” feeling).

So 只要 adds the idea that 20 is pleasantly low or acceptable.

Why is it 二十块 and not 两十块?

For numbers like 10, 20, 30, etc., you normally use 二:

10 = 十
20 = 二十
200 = 二百
2000 = 二千

两 is used mainly before measure words and some nouns:

两个, 两本书, 两块钱, 两个人

So:

二十块 = 20 yuan
两块钱 = 2 yuan

“两十块” is not standard.

What does 块 mean here? Why is there no 元?

块 is the colloquial measure word for Chinese money, equivalent to 元 in formal speech.

二十块 ≈ 二十块钱 ≈ 二十元
- All mean “20 yuan.”

In everyday conversation:

People almost always say 块 / 块钱.
元 sounds more formal (used in writing, news, receipts).

So 二十块 is exactly how people would talk in real life.

Why is there no subject repeated before 一般只要二十块? Who “only costs 20 kuai”?

The subject is still 这家食堂, established at the beginning:

这家食堂虽然不大，但是菜很多，也不贵，一般只要二十块。

In Chinese, once the subject/topic is clear, it’s common not to repeat it in later clauses.
So understood full version:

这家食堂…一般只要二十块。
= As for this cafeteria, it usually only costs 20 kuai.

Is there a verb missing in 一般只要二十块? “Only need 20” sounds incomplete in English.

In Chinese, 要 can mean “to cost / to require” when talking about money, time, effort, etc.

只要二十块 literally = “only needs 20 kuai” → “only costs 20.”

You don’t need a separate “it” or “cost” verb:

English: “It usually only costs twenty yuan.”
Chinese: 一般只要二十块。

The subject (“this cafeteria/this meal”) is understood from context.