How to say “How long is the wait?” in Chinese
“How long is the wait?” in Chinese is 要等多久？, written in pinyin as Yào děng duō jiǔ?.
要等多久？
Yào děng duō jiǔ?
How long is the wait?
Word by word
What each part of 要等多久？ actually means.
- 要yàoneed to
- 等děngto wait
- 多久duō jiǔhow long
When you use it
- Ask it at the door of any busy restaurant, ticket window or food stall when the queue in front of you is long and you need to decide whether to wait.
- Use it with a queue number in hand too — if the answer is over half an hour, 多少号 now means a walk and a return, and this question tells you which.
Use 要等多久？ in restaurant situations. Order food, ask for the bill, handle spice levels.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
还要等多久？
Hái yào děng duō jiǔ?
How much longer is the wait?
现在排到几号了？
Xiànzài pái dào jǐ hào le?
Which number are they on now?
可以先点单吗？
Kěyǐ xiān diǎndān ma?
Can I order while waiting?
What usually trips people up
- Dropping 要 — 要等多久 is the natural question; 等多久 alone sounds clipped and 多久等 doesn't work at all.
- Mishearing 分钟 as 点钟 — 二十分钟 means twenty minutes; 二十点 would mean eight o'clock, a completely different answer.
- Walking away without a queue number — many places won't call you if you never took one; combine with a photo of the ticket so you remember your 号.
What you might hear back
- 大概十分钟。Dàgài shí fēnzhōngAbout ten minutes.
- 前面还有三桌。Qiánmiàn hái yǒu sān zhuōThere are three tables ahead of you.
- 人多的时候要等一小时。Rén duō de shíhou yào děng yì xiǎoshíAt busy times you wait an hour.
Common questions
- How do you say "How long is the wait?" in Chinese?
- "How long is the wait?" in Chinese is 要等多久？ — written in pinyin as Yào děng duō jiǔ?. It is a restaurant phrase you would use in China.
- What does 要等多久？ mean in Chinese?
- 要等多久？ (Yào děng duō jiǔ?) means "How long is the wait?". Broken down word by word: 要 (yào) means "need to"; 等 (děng) means "to wait"; 多久 (duō jiǔ) means "how long".
- When would you use "How long is the wait?" in Chinese?
- Ask it at the door of any busy restaurant, ticket window or food stall when the queue in front of you is long and you need to decide whether to wait. Use it with a queue number in hand too — if the answer is over half an hour, 多少号 now means a walk and a return, and this question tells you which.
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