預約
jyu6 joek3
The English word 'reservation' is translated into Cantonese as 預約 (jyu6 joek3).
預約 is used when making arrangements to secure something in advance, such as booking appointments for services like doctors or making reservations at restaurants.
Meaning: arrangement by which something is secured in advance (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 預, meaning pre or advance and 約, meaning appointment or promise.
Which one should you use?
While 預約 is a general term for making reservations, other forms are more specific: 訂座 is used for restaurant reservations, 預訂 is used for reserving hotel rooms or booking tickets and 訂位 is a colloquial way to say you are booking a table or seat. In very casual settings, you might hear 鎖位, which is an informal way to describe blocking or reserving a seat.
How do you pronounce it?
jyu6 joek3
Did you know?
- If you are reserving a seat at a very crowded, popular eatery, you might use 霸位, which means 'to tyrannize a position'. This describes the act of aggressively securing a spot.
- When using the colloquial term 鎖位, you are literally saying you want to 'lock a position'. It implies a sense of grabbing or securing a spot before others can.
- In highly competitive dining scenes, people may use 預約 in conjunction with 'black market' agents who sell their priority booking slots to others.
Examples in context
- 我想訂座兩個位。I would like to make a reservation for two.
- 我想預訂一張機票。I would like to reserve one flight ticket.
- 席位有限，我會幫你鎖位。Seats are limited, I will reserve one for you.
- 你有冇預約？nei5 jau5 mou5 jyu6 joek3?Do you have a reservation?
- 我想做個預約。ngo5 soeng2 zou6 go3 jyu6 joek3.I would like to make a reservation.
Example conversation
Two friends are planning to visit a popular hair salon.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit嘉欣，你做咗預約未？ga1 san1, nei5 zou6 zo2 jyu6 joek3 mei6Ka欣, have you made a reservation yet?
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan我未做，而家打電話去。ngo5 mei6 zou6, ji1 ga2 da2 din6 waa2 heoi3I haven't yet, I'll call them now.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit好，因為嗰度好多人。hou2, jan1 wai6 go2 dou3 hou2 do1 jan4Okay, because that place is very crowded.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan搞掂，預約咗聽日下晝三點。gaau2 din6, jyu6 joek3 zo2 ting1 jat6 haa6 zau3 saam1 dim2Done, I've made a reservation for 3 p.m. tomorrow.
