Simplified Chinese - Lesson 62 of 156: Food Preferences

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

我喜欢吃___。

Wǒ xǐhuan chī ___.

I like ___ food.

Meaning: I like ___ food.

When to use: Use this to say you enjoy a particular food, cuisine, or flavor.

我喜欢吃饺子

Wǒ xǐhuan chī jiǎozi.

I like eating dumplings.

我喜欢吃四川菜，很有味道。

Wǒ xǐhuan chī Sìchuān cài, hěn yǒu wèidào.

I like Sichuan food; it has a lot of flavor.

我不太喜欢___。

wǒ bú tài xǐhuan ___.

I don't really like ___.

Meaning: I don't really like ___.

When to use: A polite, softer way to say you dislike something — good for casual conversation.

Tip: Beginners sometimes say 不喜欢___ which sounds stronger. Use 不太喜欢___ to be gentler.

我不太喜欢喝咖啡，太苦了。

Wǒ bú tài xǐhuan hē kāfēi, tài kǔ le.

I don't really like coffee; it's too bitter.

我不太喜欢吃太甜的点心。

Wǒ bú tài xǐhuan chī tài tián de diǎnxīn.

I don't really like very sweet pastries.

我最喜欢___。

wǒ zuì xǐhuan ___.

___ is my favorite.

Meaning: ___ is my favorite.

When to use: Say this when naming your top food or dish.

我最喜欢火锅

Wǒ zuì xǐhuan huǒguō.

I like hot pot the most.

我最喜欢吃草莓和巧克力。

Wǒ zuì xǐhuan chī cǎoméi hé qiǎokèlì.

My favorites are strawberries and chocolate.

你最喜欢吃什么？

nǐ zuì xǐhuan chī shénme?

What's your favorite food?

Meaning: What's your favorite food?

When to use: Ask someone about their favorite food in a natural spoken way.

你最喜欢吃什么？我想知道你的口味。

Nǐ zuì xǐhuan chī shénme? Wǒ xiǎng zhīdào nǐ de kǒuwèi.

What's your favorite food? I want to know your taste.

你最喜欢吃什么？我们周末去吃你喜欢的。

Nǐ zuì xǐhuan chī shénme? Wǒmen zhōumò qù chī nǐ xǐhuan de.

What's your favorite food? We'll go eat what you like this weekend.

我不能吃___。

wǒ bù néng chī ___.

I can't eat ___.

Meaning: I can't eat ___.

When to use: Use this when you have allergies, religious restrictions, or health reasons.

Tip: Don't confuse 我不能吃 (I can't eat) with 我不吃 (I don't eat). 不能 usually means allergy/medical/religious reasons.

我不能吃花生，我对花生过敏。

Wǒ bù néng chī huāshēng, wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn.

I can't eat peanuts; I'm allergic to them.

医生说我不能吃太多油炸食物。

Yīshēng shuō wǒ bù néng chī tài duō yóuzhá shíwù.

The doctor said I can't eat too much fried food.

我吃素

wǒ chī sù.

I'm vegetarian.

Meaning: I'm vegetarian.

When to use: Say this to explain you don't eat meat; it's a short, everyday phrase.

点菜的时候我会告诉服务员：我吃素。

Diǎncài de shíhou wǒ huì gàosu fúwùyuán: Wǒ chī sù.

When ordering, I'll tell the server: I'm vegetarian.

我吃素，所以我不点牛肉。

Wǒ chī sù, suǒyǐ wǒ bù diǎn niúròu.

I'm vegetarian, so I don't order beef.

里面有___吗？

lǐmiàn yǒu ___ ma?

Does it have ___ in it?

Meaning: Does it have ___ in it?

When to use: Point at a dish or package and ask about an ingredient or allergen.

你好，里面有牛奶吗？我对牛奶过敏。

Nǐ hǎo, lǐmiàn yǒu niúnǎi ma? Wǒ duì niúnǎi guòmǐn.

Hello, does it have milk? I'm allergic to milk.

请问，这个汤里面有鸡肉吗？

Qǐngwèn, zhège tāng lǐmiàn yǒu jīròu ma?

Excuse me, does this soup have chicken in it?

都可以

dōu kěyǐ.

Anything is fine.

Meaning: Anything is fine.

When to use: Use this when you don't mind what to eat and want to be easygoing.

你想吃什么？——都可以。

Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme? — Dōu kěyǐ.

What do you want to eat? — Anything is fine.

我们点菜吧，你说吧，我都可以。

Wǒmen diǎn cài ba, nǐ shuō ba, wǒ dōu kěyǐ.

Let's order; you decide — anything works for me.

对我来说太___了。

duì wǒ lái shuō tài ___ le.

It's too ___ for me.

Meaning: It's too ___ for me.

When to use: Use this to say a flavor or texture is too strong (e.g., too spicy, too sweet).

对我来说太辣了，我吃不了太辣。

Duì wǒ lái shuō tài là le, wǒ chī bùliǎo tài là.

It's too spicy for me; I can't eat very spicy food.

这个蛋糕对我来说太甜了。

Zhège dàngāo duì wǒ lái shuō tài tián le.

This cake is too sweet for me.

我不吃___

Wǒ bù chī ___.

I don't eat ___.

Meaning: I don't eat ___.

When to use: A direct way to say you exclude a specific food from your diet.

我不吃猪肉，因为宗教原因。

Wǒ bù chī zhūròu, yīnwèi zōngjiào yuányīn.

I don't eat pork for religious reasons.

我不吃海鲜，肠胃不太好。

Wǒ bù chī hǎixiān, chángwèi bú tài hǎo.

I don't eat seafood; my stomach isn't good.

我尽量不吃___。

Wǒ jǐnliàng bù chī ___.

I try to avoid ___.

Meaning: I try to avoid ___.

When to use: Say this when you usually avoid a food for health or preference reasons.

我尽量不吃油炸食品，想保持健康。

Wǒ jǐnliàng bù chī yóuzhá shípǐn, xiǎng bǎochí jiànkāng.

I try to avoid fried foods to stay healthy.

我尽量不吃太多糖。

Wǒ jǐnliàng bù chī tài duō táng.

I try to avoid eating too much sugar.

我___一般吃___。

Wǒ ___ yìbān chī ___.

I usually eat ___ for ___.

Meaning: I usually eat ___ for ___.

When to use: Talk about what you normally eat for a particular meal (put the meal before the food).

我早餐一般吃包子。

Wǒ zǎocān yìbān chī bāozi.

I usually eat steamed buns for breakfast.

我晚饭一般吃面条。

Wǒ wǎnfàn yìbān chī miàntiáo.

I usually eat noodles for dinner.

你___一般吃什么？

Nǐ ___ yìbān chī shénme?

What do you usually eat for ___?

Meaning: What do you usually eat for ___?

When to use: Ask about someone's usual food for a specific meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner).

你早餐一般吃什么？我想换点新吃的。

Nǐ zǎocān yìbān chī shénme? Wǒ xiǎng huàn diǎn xīn chī de.

What do you usually eat for breakfast? I want to try something new.

你午饭一般吃什么？公司附近有什么好吃的？

Nǐ wǔfàn yìbān chī shénme? Gōngsī fùjìn yǒu shénme hǎo chī de?

What do you usually eat for lunch? Is there good food near the office?

Simplified Chinese - Food Preferences

1. Reading + Listening Practice

2. Conversational Listening Practice

3. Guided Practice

Which sentence asks "What's your favorite food?"

How do you say "I'm vegetarian."?

Which phrase politely means 'I don't really like ___'?

Which phrase best matches 'I can't eat ___ (for example, peanuts)'?

Anything is fine.

Does it have peanuts in it?

I try to avoid sugar.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice