Dialogue

L：到了！好餓！
L: Dàole! Hǎo è!

L: We’re there! So hungry!

M：我也是，我們快一點點菜吧！
M: Wǒ yěshì, wǒmen kuài yīdiǎn diǎn cài ba!

M: Me too, let’s hurry up and order!

L：好，菜單呢？
L: Hǎo, càidān ne?

L: Ok, and... the menu?

M：菜單在這裡！看你想吃什麼...
M: Càidān zài zhèlǐ! Kàn nǐ xiǎng chī shénme...

M: Here’s the menu! See what you want to eat.

L：呃...
L: È...

L: Uh...

M：怎麼了？
M: Zěnmele?

M: Something wrong?

L：我看不懂...
L: Wǒ kàn bù dǒng...

L: I can’t understand this...

M：喔！你看不懂中文字！
M: Ō! Nǐ kàn bù dǒng zhōngwén zì!

M: Oh! You don’t understand Chinese characters!

L：對啊，還是看不太懂
L: Duì a, háishì kàn bù tài dǒng

L: Yeah, I still can’t really understand them.

M：那我幫你，來...
M: Nà wǒ bāng nǐ, lái...

M: Then I’ll help you, come on…

M: 這個是「飯」，這邊是「青菜」
M: Zhège shì fàn', zhè biān shìqīngcài'
M: This one is “rice”, this side is “vegetables,” ...

M: ...and then this side has “soup." Depends which one you want.
M: Ránhòu zhè biān yǒu `tāng', kàn nǐ yào nǎ yīgè
M: 然後這邊有「湯」，看你要哪一個

L：我不知道...
L: Wǒ bù zhīdào...

L: I don’t know...

M：沒關係，還是我幫你點好了
M: Méiguānxì, háishì wǒ bāng nǐ diǎn hǎole

M: No problem, how about I just help you order.

L：好，謝謝！
L: Hǎo, xièxiè!

L: Ok, thanks!

M：不客氣！
M: Bù kèqì!

M: Don’t mention it!

A note about pronunciation: The dialogue above includes the pinyin romanization of the text. The advantage of pinyin for English speakers is that it uses the familiar symbols of the Latin alphabet. The disadvantage is that English speakers are easily deceived into thinking these familiar symbols represent the same sounds they do in English. They don't. That said, pinyin can be a useful system to learn, but you must rely on your ears first, eyes second.

Don't expect to be able to pronounce anything just by reading the pinyin; the romanization is just a reference to jog your memory. The language exists primarily in its sounds, which is why daily listening and imitation practice is so important.