# How do you drink your tea (or coffee)? Do you like it weak or strong?



## yuechu

大家好！

I was recently wondering how to say "How do you drink your tea (or coffee)? Do you like it weak or strong?" in Chinese (Context: you are offering tea or coffee to a guest at your house).
For example, would you say "你怎么喝你的茶（或者咖啡)? 你要淡的还是浓的?"?
(Feel free to change this completely as I suspect it might sound 别扭！ )

Thanks! 😃


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## Chris of Magnolia

This one is good: 你要淡的还是浓的?
This one does not sound natural: "你怎么喝你的茶（或者咖啡)?

light tea: 淡茶
strong tea: 浓茶，酽茶. 
酽 is not an obscure character but seldom heard in colloquial.


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## SimonTsai

你茶要*濃*的還*淡*的？
你要*濃*茶還是*淡*一點的？

你咖啡要味道比較*重*的還是比較*淡*的？
你咖啡要*深*焙的還是*淺*焙的？

To be honest, I am not really sure what exactly strength means when talking about coffee. I enjoy hot coffee, black coffee in particular, but I am not a coffee connoisseur. I know espresso, Americano, cappuccino, and latte, but that's all.


yuechu said:


> 你怎么喝你的茶 (或者咖啡)? [...]


I think this is an example demonstrating the difference between the thinking of we Mandarin speakers, and the thinking of English speakers. Your sentence is grammatical but it works only in a different context:

甲：你*怎麼*喝茶？
乙：咖啡苦，我怕苦。

甲：你*怎麼*喝你的茶？
乙：我喝我的茶，*怎麼*了嗎？

甲：你平常都*怎麼*喝茶的？
乙：就 ... ... 用杯子喝。

甲：你是*怎麼*喝茶的？
乙：(倒一杯茶，示範。)


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## SuperXW

SimonTsai said:


> I think this is an example demonstrating the difference between the thinking of we Mandarin speakers, and the thinking of English speakers. Your sentence is grammatical but it works only in a different context:
> 
> 甲：你*怎麼*喝茶？
> 乙：咖啡苦，我怕苦。
> 
> 甲：你*怎麼*喝你的茶？
> 乙：我喝我的茶，*怎麼*了嗎？
> 
> 甲：你平常都*怎麼*喝茶的？
> 乙：就 ... ... 用杯子喝。
> 
> 甲：你是*怎麼*喝茶的？
> 乙：(倒一杯茶，示範。)


Exactly. 你怎么喝你的茶（或者咖啡)? is a typical mistranslation.
Let me mark out the common stresses of the following Chinese sentences.

甲：你怎麼喝*茶*？ (Why tea? Why not other drinks?)
乙：咖啡苦，我怕苦。

甲：你*怎麼*喝茶？(How do you drink tea?) 
乙：用開水泡了喝啊！
甲：我以前也只是這樣，但上了茶藝課，才知道有那麼多門道！

甲：你怎麼喝*你*的茶？(Why yours? Why not mine or others'?)
乙：我喝我的茶，*怎麼*了嗎？

甲：你平常都*怎麼*喝茶的？
甲：你是*怎麼*喝茶的？
The above two are similar to 你*怎麼*喝茶？


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## yuechu

Thanks for all your examples and explanations, Chris, Simon and SuperXW! 😃 



SimonTsai said:


> To be honest, I am not really sure what exactly strength means when talking about coffee.


I don't drink coffee much, but I think that strong coffee would have a higher ratio of coffee beans to water (and the opposite would be weak coffee, which would be more "watery").


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## SimonTsai

yuechu said:


> I think that strong coffee would have a higher ratio of coffee beans to water[.]


That is my understanding, too. To be specific, I think that the strength describes the taste. But taste is subjective and somewhat abstract. I searched on the Web and found differing definitions. Anyway, I guess that concentration plays a big part, and that leaves me satisfied. Thanks for confirming.


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## yuechu

How about if someone answered "In between is fine" (neither weak nor strong). Would you say "之间（中间？）就可以了" in Chinese? (It doesn't have to be 直译！）

Thanks!


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## SimonTsai

甲：你們茶要濃的還淡的？
乙：不要太濃，但也不要太淡。
丙：不濃不淡剛剛好。
丁：一樣，中間。

甲：水剛燒好，你們要不要自己泡？

(甲內心嘀咕：要求一堆，麻煩死了！濃就濃，淡就淡，我怎麼知道甚麼叫中間？你們自己弄。)


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## yuechu

SimonTsai said:


> (甲內心嘀咕：要求一堆，麻煩死了！濃就濃，淡就淡，我怎麼知道甚麼叫中間？你們自己弄。)


哈哈。嗯

The person is being a bit fussy if they say this. I think you're right. 
Thanks for the example dialogue, Simon! 😃

EDIT: Oh, and I just realized: 还 can be used for 还是, and 刚刚好 can be used for 刚好, right?


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## SimonTsai

yuechu said:


> EDIT: Oh, and I just realized: 还 can be used for 还是, and 刚刚好 can be used for 刚好, right?


Yes, you are right. (The additional 剛 in 剛剛好 is emphatic.)


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## SuperXW

SimonTsai said:


> 甲：你們茶要濃的還淡的？
> 乙：不要太濃，但也不要太淡。
> 丙：不濃不淡剛剛好。
> 丁：一樣，中間。
> 
> 甲：水剛燒好，你們要不要自己泡？
> 
> (甲內心嘀咕：要求一堆，麻煩死了！濃就濃，淡就淡，我怎麼知道甚麼叫中間？你們自己弄。)


The conversation is understandable and funny in the above scenario.
*But in real life, normal context, at least in Mainland China, two things should to be noted:
1.* *中间* is usually not understandable or not idiomatic.
*2. 刚刚好* usually describes one's feeling, not a request. E.g.

甲：你这杯茶泡得怎么样？
乙：刚好/刚刚好。


甲：你要浓的还是淡的？
乙：刚好/刚刚好。
 Strange

*Suggestions:
1. 浓度* = concentration (formal); 你要什么浓度的？ is perfectly grammatical, but I don't know whether it's too formal for coffee or tea, since I don't drink those.

*2. 中等浓度* is a formal translation to say “medium concentration”.
甲：你要浓的还是淡的？
乙：中等浓度的。
Sounds fine.

*3. 适中* is a common adjective to mean "not too much or too little, just right, in-between".
甲：你这杯茶泡得怎么样？
乙：浓度适中，挺好的。
Fine.

甲：你要浓的还是淡的？
乙：适中浓度吧。
Fine.

*4. 适度* = proper degree / *适量* = proper amount.  They are common formal words often appear in recipe. E.g.
取适量咖啡粉...
冲咖啡时，水温要适度...
The words sound formal and "professional", but I really hate them as they tell me nothing about the actual degree/amount.
Who the hell knows how much is "proper"?


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## skating-in-bc

A: 你們要怎樣的咖啡? 濃的還是淡的?
B: 濃的。我喝純咖啡 (Strong. I take my coffee black)。
C: 我喜歡淡的, 加雙份糖和奶油 (I like it weak with double-double)。
A: 水剛燒好, 你們要不要自己泡？


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## yuechu

SuperXW said:


> The conversation is understandable and funny in the above scenario.
> *But in real life, normal context, at least in Mainland China, two things should to be noted:
> 1.* *中间* is usually not understandable or not idiomatic.
> *2. 刚刚好* usually describes one's feeling, not a request. E.g.
> 
> 甲：你这杯茶泡得怎么样？
> 乙：刚好/刚刚好。
> 
> 
> 甲：你要浓的还是淡的？
> 乙：刚好/刚刚好。
> Strange
> 
> *Suggestions:
> 1. 浓度* = concentration (formal); 你要什么浓度的？ is perfectly grammatical, but I don't know whether it's too formal for coffee or tea, since I don't drink those.
> 
> *2. 中等浓度* is a formal translation to say “medium concentration”.
> 甲：你要浓的还是淡的？
> 乙：中等浓度的。
> Sounds fine.
> 
> *3. 适中* is a common adjective to mean "not too much or too little, just right, in-between".
> 甲：你这杯茶泡得怎么样？
> 乙：浓度适中，挺好的。
> Fine.
> 
> 甲：你要浓的还是淡的？
> 乙：适中浓度吧。
> Fine.
> 
> *4. 适度* = proper degree / *适量* = proper amount.  They are common formal words often appear in recipe. E.g.
> 取适量咖啡粉...
> 冲咖啡时，水温要适度...
> The words sound formal and "professional", but I really hate them as they tell me nothing about the actual degree/amount.
> Who the hell knows how much is "proper"?


Thanks for all the info, SuperXW! Those are great suggestions! 😃  



skating-in-bc said:


> A: 你們要怎樣的咖啡? 濃的還是淡的?
> B: 濃的。我喝純咖啡 (Strong. I take my coffee black)。
> C: 我喜歡淡的, 加雙份糖和奶油 (I like it weak with double-double)。
> A: 水剛燒好, 你們要不要自己泡？


Thanks for the examples, Skating-in-bc!


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## Chris of Magnolia

yuechu said:


> How about if someone answered "In between is fine" (neither weak nor strong). Would you say "之间（中间？）就可以了" in Chinese? (It doesn't have to be 直译！）
> 
> Thanks!


”中间“ definitely sounds unauthentic. 
"In between is fine": "不浓不淡就行/好/可以。"


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