Lesson 14
You’ve learnt how to say a number of different types of drinks in Chinese. Now you’ll learn many different types of food, including some Chinese foods. There is a lot of new vocabulary in this lesson so, as usual, it’s okay to take your time and learn at your own pace.
Foods
| 米饭 | mǐfàn | rice |
| 面条 | miàntiáo | noodles |
| 炒饭 | chǎofàn | fried rice |
| 炒面 | chǎomiàn | Fried noodles (chow mein) |
| 饺子 | jiǎozi | Chinese dumplings |
| 包子 | bāozi | steamed buns |
| 火锅 | huǒguō | hotpot |
| 炸鸡 | zhájī | fried chicken |
| 汉堡 | hànbǎo | hamburger |
| 薯条 | shǔtiáo | fries |
| 披萨 | pīsà | pizza |
| 面包 | miànbāo | bread |
| 鸡蛋 | jīdàn | eggs |
| 鸡肉 | jīròu | chicken |
| 牛肉 | niúròu | beef |
| 猪肉 | zhūròu | pork |
| 羊肉 | yángròu | lamb, mutton |
| 鱼 | yú | fish |
| 虾仁 | xiārén | shrimp |
| 蔬菜 | shūcài | vegetables |
| 水果 | shuǐguǒ | fruits |
Supplementary vocabulary
| 吃 | chī | to eat |
| 吃饭 | chīfàn | to have a meal |
| 碗 | wǎn | bowl |
| 份 | fèn | portion; serving |
| 在 | zài | auxiliary verb to express an action is in progress |
| 正在 | zhèng zài | auxiliary verb to express an action is in progress |
Ongoing actions
Unlike English, Chinese verbs don’t change their form for different tenses like present, past, or future. In fact there are no verb tenses in Chinese, there are simply words that imply that an action is occurring, has completed or will occur. For example, while the English verb ‘eat’ becomes ‘ate’ in the past tense, the Chinese verb 吃 (chī) stays the same.
To express that an action is ongoing in Chinese we most commonly use在 (zài), and 正在 (zhèng zài). 在(zài) indicates that an action is happening. 正在(zhèngzài) is used to indicate that the action is both current and still in progress.
Structure
- Subj. + 在 + Verb + Obj.
- Subj. + 正在 + Verb + Obj.
Example:
我在吃饭。(Wǒ zài chīfàn.) I am eating.
我正在喝咖啡。(Wǒ zhèngzài hē kāfēi.) I am drinking coffee.
Example sentences
| 你想吃什么？ | Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme? | What do you want to eat? |
| 我要吃一碗面条。 | Wǒ yào chī yìwǎn miàntiáo. | I want to eat a bowl of noodles. |
| 我想吃牛肉面。 | Wǒ xiǎng chī niúròumiàn. | I want to eat beef noodles. |
| 你在吃什么？ | Nǐ zài chī shénme? | What are you eating? |
| 我正在吃一个披萨。 | Wǒ zhèngzài chī yīgè pīsà. | I’m eating a pizza. |
| 我在吃汉堡、炸鸡和薯条。 | Wǒ zài chī hànbǎo, zhájī hé shǔtiáo. | I’m eating a hamburger, fried chicken, and fries. |
| 你喜欢吃什么？ | Nǐ xǐhuan chī shénme? | What do you like to eat? |
| 我非常喜欢虾仁炒饭。 | Wǒ fēicháng xǐhuan xiārén chǎofàn. | I really like shrimp fried rice. |
| 我比较喜欢吃羊肉炒面。 | Wǒ bǐjiào xǐhuan chī yángròu chǎomiàn. | I prefer eating lamb fried noodles. |
| 我不吃肉。 | Wǒ bùchī ròu. | I don’t eat meat. |
| 我不喜欢吃蔬菜。 | Wǒ bù xǐhuan chī shūcài. | I don’t like eating vegetables. |
| 一份猪肉饺子多少钱？ | Yì fèn zhūròu jiǎozi duōshǎo qián? | How much does a plate of pork dumplings cost? |
| 猪肉饺子15块钱一份儿。 | Zhūròu jiǎozi shíwǔ kuài qián yì fènr. | A plate of pork dumplings costs 15 yuan. |
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