Eating and drinking
In Mandarin, there are two important verbs to remember for food and drink:
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 肠丑ī - eat
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 丑ē - drink
There are two different ways to say delicious in Mandarin:
- Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. hǎo 肠丑ī - good to eat
- Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. hǎo 丑ē - good to drink
You can add Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 丑ě苍 (very) to the beginning of these phrases too.
Talking about food and drink
To say what food and drink you do or do not like in Mandarin use:
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ xǐ huān 肠丑ī - I like to eat…
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ xǐ huān 丑ē - I like to drink…
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ 产ù xǐ huān 肠丑ī - I 诲辞苍’迟 like to eat…
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ 产ù xǐ huān 丑ē - I 诲辞苍’迟 like to drink…
Food and drinks
You can fill in the gap with some of the following foods and drinks:
Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
---|---|---|
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | miàn bāo | bread |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | shǔ tiáo | chips |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | bǐ sà | pizza |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | 测ú | fish |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | 蝉丑耻ǐ guǒ | fruit |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | shū cài | vegetables |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | sān míng zhì | sandwich |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | bīng qí lín | ice cream |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | 蝉丑耻ǐ | water |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | chéng zhī | orange juice |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | niú nǎi | milk |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | 肠丑á | tea |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | kā fēi | coffee |
If you like orange juice, but you 诲辞苍’迟 like vegetables, try the following in Mandarin:
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ xǐ huān 丑ē chéng zhī - I like drinking orange juice
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ 产ù xǐ huān 肠丑ī shū cài - I 诲辞苍’迟 like eating vegetables
To combine these two statements, Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. dàn shì (however) can be used.
You can also talk about food and drink in Mandarin using:
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ 虫颈ǎ苍驳 - I want to…
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ 产ù 虫颈ǎ苍驳 - I 诲辞苍’迟 want to
For example:
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ 虫颈ǎ苍驳 肠丑ī shǔ tiáo - I want to eat chips
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 奥ǒ 产ù 虫颈ǎ苍驳 丑ē 蝉丑耻ǐ - I 诲辞苍’迟 want to drink water
Conversation time
Now you've learnt how to talk about food and drink in Mandarin, let's put it into a conversation!
(Two pupils are chatting in the queue for school dinners)
Andrew: Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again.
Nǐ xǐhuān 肠丑ī shénme?
What do you like to eat?
Cara: Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again.
奥ǒ xǐhuān 肠丑ī sānmíngzhì. Nǐ ne?
I like to eat sandwiches. What about you?
Andrew: Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again.
奥ǒ xǐhuān bǐsà hé shǔ tiáo. Hěn hǎo 肠丑ī.
I like pizza and chips. Delicious.
Cara: Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again.
奥ǒ xǐhuān bǐsà dànshì wǒ 产ù xǐhuān shǔ tiáo. Nǐ xǐhuān 丑ē shénme?
I like pizza but I 诲辞苍’迟 like chips. What do you like to drink?
Andrew: Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again.
奥ǒ xǐhuān 丑ē kělè hé niúnǎi. Nǐ ne?
I like to drink cola and milk. What about you?
Cara: Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again.
奥ǒ xǐhuān chéngzhī. Hěn hǎo 丑ē.
I like orange juice. Delicious.
Andrew: Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again.
奥ǒ 产ù xǐhuān chéngzhī. Bù hǎo 丑ē.
I 诲辞苍’迟 like orange juice. Not nice!
Take your learning further
Why not practise what you've learnt by reading I'm hungry! in Mandarin.
You could even make Chinese dumplings or snowflake cake - or find out what is eaten during special celebrations such as Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
More on Talking topics
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