Lesson 60 - Three coffee please

Prepare yourself, because you're about to learn a new counter! The generic counter for things is tsu, though it isn't as easy as it seems.

Here is the list from one to ten:
ひとつ Hitotsu - one thing
二つ Futatsu - two things
三つ Mittsu - three things
四つ Yottsu - four things
五つ Itsutsu - five things
六つ Muttsu - six things
七つ Nanatsu - seven things
八つ Yattsu - eight things
九つ Kokonotsu - nine things
十 Too - ten things

If you think this looks familiar, you may remember it is similar to the dates of a month, like tsuitachi, futsuka, mikka, yokka, etc. When ordering food, you would say something like KOOHII o mittsu kudasai, or "Three coffees please." Know that the counters always go in front of the verb.

Let's listen to a woman ordering food.

Clerk: Irasshaimase.
Woman: Konnichi wa. HANBAAGA o hitotsu kudasai. HOTTO DOGGU o mittsu kudasai. KOKAKOORA o yottsu kudasai.
Clerk: Hai. Soshite?
Woman: Eeto ... KEEKI ga arimasu ka.
Clerk: Gomen nasai, KEEKI ga arimasen.
Woman: Daijoubu desu. Dewa, CHOKOREETO MIRUKUSEEKI o hitotsu kudasai.
Clerk: Hai, shoushou omachi kudasai.  [Moments later] Omatase shimashita! Douzo.
Woman: Arigatou gozaimasu.

Let's look at what the woman ordered. The clerk began by welcoming her, and the woman said, "Hello. Please give me one hamburger, three hot dogs, and four cokes." The clerk asks if there's anything more, and the woman says, "Um ... do you have cake?" The clerk replies, "Sorry, we have no cake." The woman replies, "That's alright. Then I'll have one chocolate milkshake." The clerk says, Shoushou omachi kudasai or Please wait a minute. Then he says Omatase shimashita, or Sorry to keep you waiting. He gives her the food and she thanks him. 

ひとつ Hitotsu- one thing
二つ Futatsu- two things
三つ Mittsu- three things
四つ Yottsu- four things
五つ Itsutsu- five things
六つ Muttsu- six things
七つ Nanatsu- seven things
八つ Yattsu- eight things
九つ Kokonotsu- nine things
十 Too- ten things
ハンバーガー HANBAAGA- hamburger
ホットドッグ HOTTO DOGGU- hot dog
ケーキ KEEKI- cake
チョコレート CHOKOREETO- chocolate
少々お待ちください Shoushou omachi kudasai- Please wait a moment
お待たせしました Omatase shimashita- Sorry to keep you waiting
苺 Ichigo- strawberry
バニラ BANIRA- vanilla
オレンジ ORENJI- orange
マクドナルド MAKUDONARUDO - McDonalds (Also somethings pronounced as Maku)