HSK 1 · Lesson 8你想吃什么？ What would you like to eat?
At a café: food and drinks, 想 and 要, the measure word 杯, 一点儿.
Speed:Male voice:
Dialogues
At a café
A
你饿吗？
Nǐ è ma?
Are you hungry?
B
很饿！我想吃面条儿。你想吃什么？
Hěn è! Wǒ xiǎng chī miàntiáor. Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?
Very! I’d like noodles. What would you like?
A
我要米饭和一个菜。
Wǒ yào mǐfàn hé yí ge cài.
I’ll have rice and a dish.
B
你喝什么？
Nǐ hē shénme?
What will you drink?
A
我很渴，要两杯茶。
Wǒ hěn kě, yào liǎng bēi chá.
I’m thirsty — two cups of tea.
B
好的。我也想喝一点儿水。
Hǎo de. Wǒ yě xiǎng hē yìdiǎnr shuǐ.
OK. I’d also like a little water.
New words
- 想xiǎngto think (about); to think of; to devise
- 要yàoto want; to need; to ask for
- 吃chīto eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc)
- 喝hēto drink
- 饿èhungry; to starve (sb)
- 渴kěthirsty
- 茶chátea; tea plant
- 水shuǐwater; (after a name) ... River; to swim (used mostly in 會水 and 水性)
- 米饭mǐfàn(cooked) rice
- 面条儿miàntiáornoodles
- 包子bāozibaozi; bao (steamed stuffed bun)
- 菜càivegetable; greens (CL:棵); dish (of food) (CL:樣,道,盤)
- 鸡蛋jīdàn(chicken) egg; hen's egg
- 牛奶niúnǎicow's milk
- 饭店fàndiànrestaurant; hotel
- 杯bēicup; trophy cup
- 杯子bēizicup; glass
- 一点儿yìdiǎnra little, a bit
Grammar
1. 想 and 要 — “want”
Subject + 想/要 + verb / thing
想 is a soft wish, “would like”: 我想喝茶. 要 is firm, “I’ll have / I want”, typical when ordering: 我要一杯茶. The negative is 不想 “don’t want” (不要 means “don’t!”).
我想吃包子。
Wǒ xiǎng chī bāozi.
I’d like steamed buns.
我不想喝牛奶。
Wǒ bù xiǎng hē niúnǎi.
I don’t want milk.
2. Measure words: 杯, 个
Drinks are counted in cups/glasses: 一杯茶, 两杯水. Dishes, buns, eggs take 个: 一个菜, 三个包子.
三杯牛奶
sān bēi niúnǎi
three glasses of milk
两个鸡蛋
liǎng ge jīdàn
two eggs
3. 一点儿 “a little”
一点儿 goes before the noun: 喝一点儿水 “drink a little water”.
我想吃一点儿米饭。
Wǒ xiǎng chī yìdiǎnr mǐfàn.
I’d like a little rice.
Exercises
1. 想 or 要? (ordering)
- To a waiter: 我___一杯茶。
Answer
要 - Dreaming: 我___去中国。
Answer
想
2. Translate
- Two cups of tea, please.
Answer
我要两杯茶。 - I’m not hungry.
Answer
我不饿。 - What would you like to eat?
Answer
你想吃什么？
💡 Did you know?: Dishes are shared
In China dishes are ordered for the whole table and shared in the middle; each person gets only rice and chopsticks. One person usually pays, and people politely “argue” over the bill.
Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).