Chinese phrase
〜能抽烟吗？ 〜 néng chōu yān ma
Meaning
Can I smoke in ___?
When to use it
Asks whether smoking is allowed in a particular place. This polite question requests permission before smoking, especially when the rules are unclear.
Example dialogue
请问，店里 能抽烟吗？ qǐng wèn diàn lǐ néng chōu yān ma
Excuse me, can I smoke inside the store?
不好意思，我们店不允许抽烟。 bù hǎo yì si wǒ men diàn bù yún xǔ chōu yān
Sorry, our store does not allow smoking.