Traditional Chinese course

Lesson 195 of 240

New here? This is lesson 195 of a free 240-lesson Traditional Chinese course.

Start hereHow this works

Cooking at home in Traditional Chinese

A typhoon day keeps everyone indoors at Banyan Breakfast. Auntie Lin is already in the kitchen, shouting a simple noodle recipe over the sound of the pan.

You will follow the steps in order: boil the water, add the noodles, wait five minutes, add a little salt, and stir-fry until soft. Maya rarely cooks, so she listens carefully.

A-Li sits nearby with his soy milk still unfinished. The fortune slip stays in the till; nobody is solving it today.

By the end of this lesson

Follow and give a simple recipe in steps, then say you rarely cook.

  • 先把水燒開Boil the water first.
  • 再把麵放進去Then put the noodles in.
  • 煮五分鐘就好Five minutes is enough.
  • 要加一點鹽Add a little salt.
  • 炒到變軟為止Stir-fry until soft.
  • 我很少下廚I rarely cook.

Scene — a typhoon kitchen

The shop is closed for the typhoon, but the kitchen is still busy. Auntie Lin shouts steps from the stove while Maya stands by the pot, trying to keep up.

A-Li sits on two stools with his soy milk. He is hungry and distracted, not magic, and the drink stays unfinished.

In a typhoon-dark breakfast-shop kitchen, Auntie Lin commands the stove while Maya hovers by a steaming pot and A-Li sits on a pair of stools with unfinished soy milk.

Learn — steps in a recipe

Listen to six cooking lines you can shout from a kitchen. Each step uses 把 or a result, then Maya admits she rarely cooks.

Notice how 先 and 再 order the steps. 到…為止 tells you when to stop.

  1. Auntie Lin works the stove flame under a pot of water just beginning to tremble while Maya waits beside her with dry noodles.

    先把水燒開

    Boil the water first.

    When to use it: Use this as the first step when you give a recipe.

    「把」puts the water before the verb; 「燒開」means bring it to a boil.

  2. Auntie Lin guides a bundle of noodles down into the rolling pot while Maya steps back with empty hands.

    再把麵放進去

    Then put the noodles in.

    When to use it: Use this for the next step after the water has boiled.

    再 marks the next step. 放進去 tells you to put the noodles in.

    Say it: 去 is a light neutral tone after 放進.

  3. From behind Maya, Auntie Lin lifts a few noodle strands from the steam and gives a calm enough-is-enough hand.

    煮五分鐘就好

    Five minutes is enough.

    When to use it: Tell someone the noodles only need five minutes.

    就好 means that amount of time is enough; you can stop then.

  4. Auntie Lin pinches a little salt into the pot while Maya holds the salt jar with both cautious hands.

    要加一點鹽

    Add a little salt.

    When to use it: Use this when the dish needs a small amount of salt.

    一點 means a little and comes right before 鹽.

    Say it: 一 is fourth tone before third-tone 點.

  5. Auntie Lin tosses greens in a wok until they wilt while Maya still stands lost beside the soup pot.

    炒到變軟為止

    Stir-fry until soft.

    When to use it: Give this when food should keep cooking until it is soft.

    到…為止 means keep going until that result happens.

  6. Maya freezes with a spatula she barely knows how to hold while Auntie Lin keeps cooking and A-Li waits hungry on a pair of stools with unfinished soy milk.

    我很少下廚

    I rarely cook.

    When to use it: Say this when cooking at home is unusual for you.

    很少 before a verb means you almost never do that action.

Story — shouting from the kitchen

Auntie Lin shouts a noodle recipe from the kitchen while Maya tries each step. A-Li waits nearby and asks how long it needs to cook.

Listen for the order: first the water, then the noodles.

  1. Auntie Lin外面風很大，我們來煮泡麵吧。It's very windy outside; let's cook instant noodles.
  2. Maya我很少下廚。I rarely cook.
  3. A-Li我偶爾會自己煮。I occasionally cook.
  4. Auntie Lin沒關係啦，跟我做就好。It's fine; just follow me.
  5. Auntie Lin先把水燒開！Boil the water first!
  6. Maya好喔。Okay.
  7. A-Li水開了喔。The water's boiling.
  8. Auntie Lin再把麵放進去！Then put the noodles in!
  9. Maya再把麵放進去。Then put the noodles in.
  10. Auntie Lin煮五分鐘就好。Five minutes is enough.
  11. A-Li要煮多久？How long should it cook?
  12. Maya煮五分鐘就好。Five minutes is enough.
  13. Auntie Lin要加一點鹽。Add a little salt.
  14. Maya好，要加一點鹽。Okay, add a little salt.
  15. Auntie Lin青菜炒到變軟為止。Stir-fry the greens until they turn soft.
  16. Maya炒到變軟為止。Stir-fry until soft.
  17. The pot is steaming. A-Li's soy milk sits untouched beside the two stools.
  18. A-Li豆漿還沒喝完。The soy milk still isn't finished.

Practice — follow the recipe

Try these exercises to follow a recipe and say each step in order. Match the line to the moment in the kitchen.

Check why a wrong option fails, then say the right line out loud.

0 of 11 done

  1. What does it mean?

    先把水燒開

  2. What do you say?

    The water is boiling. Auntie Lin wants the next step with the noodles.

  3. Build the line

    Five minutes is enough.

    Tap the words in order.

  4. Fill the gap

    Add a little salt.

    要加____鹽

  5. What did you hear?

  6. What do you say?

    Auntie Lin asks you to cook. You want her to know this is unusual for you.

  7. Swap the word

    Auntie Lin starts the recipe by boiling water, not soup.

    先把____燒開

  8. Match the pairs

    Traditional Chinese

    先把水燒開Drop the English here
    再把麵放進去Drop the English here
    要加一點鹽Drop the English here
    我很少下廚Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Traditional Chinese, or tap one and then the other.

  9. Pick the reply

    A-Li says:

    麵要煮多久？

    How long do the noodles need to cook?

    And you reply with:

  10. Fill the gap

    Let's cook instant noodles.

    我們來煮____吧

  11. What does it mean?

    我偶爾會自己煮

Say it — your cooking steps

You play Maya in the kitchen. Auntie Lin shouts the next step, and you say it back so you remember.

Tap the microphone. Replay her line if the kitchen is too loud.

  1. Auntie Lin starts the recipe from the kitchen and waits for you to say the first step.
  2. Maya (you)Tell her you will boil the water first.

    先把水燒開

    Boil the water first.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

Traditional ChineseEnglish
先把水燒開Boil the water first.
再把麵放進去Then put the noodles in.
煮五分鐘就好Five minutes is enough.
要加一點鹽Add a little salt.
炒到變軟為止Stir-fry until soft.
我很少下廚I rarely cook.
Next: lesson 196How I'm feeling

Save your progress — it’s free

Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.

Want the next lesson in your inbox?

Get the next lesson by email, one a day.

Where should we start?
Join the newsletter

Daily lesson emails are coming soon. Newsletter subscribers get them first.

Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Today's recipe steps are in Yak Cards with more lines for cooking at home.

Review a few cooking cards so the steps stay in order when you speak.

Open Yak Cards