I can name foods and drinks and say what I like and don't like: 我喜欢…, 我不喜欢…, 你喜欢…吗？
What you like: 喜欢
What you like: 喜欢
This lesson teaches you to say what you like to eat and drink. As in English “I like tea”, the one who likes comes first, then what they like: 安娜喜欢茶。(Ānnà xǐhuan chá.) — “Anna likes tea.”
After 喜欢 comes a food (喜欢米饭) or an action (喜欢吃米饭). Where English says “have breakfast” or “have a coffee”, Chinese uses a real verb: food is eaten — 吃 (chī), drinks are drunk — 喝 (hē); the table above shows which goes with which.
很 and 不 always go before 喜欢: 很喜欢 — “like a lot”, 不喜欢 — “don't like”. English puts “a lot” after the verb; Chinese never does. A question keeps the same word order, with 吗 at the end. Where English answers “Yes, I do”, Chinese repeats the verb: 喜欢。(Xǐhuan.) / 不喜欢。(Bù xǐhuan.); 是 doesn't work here.
Common mistakes:
• ×茶喜欢安娜。→ 安娜喜欢茶。(Ānnà xǐhuan chá.)
• ×王先生喜欢很米饭。→ 王先生很喜欢米饭。(Wáng xiānsheng hěn xǐhuan mǐfàn.)
• ×爸爸喜欢不面条儿。→ 爸爸不喜欢面条儿。(Bàba bù xǐhuan miàntiáor.)
What you say: 喜欢
| What you say | Example (with pinyin) | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| + | 他喜欢面包。(Tā xǐhuan miànbāo.) | He likes bread |
| − | 她不喜欢鸡蛋。(Tā bù xǐhuan jīdàn.) | She doesn't like eggs |
| ? | 你们喜欢包子吗？(Nǐmen xǐhuan bāozi ma?) | Do you like steamed buns? |
| very | 我们很喜欢喝水。(Wǒmen hěn xǐhuan hē shuǐ.) | We really like drinking water |
吃 or 喝
| Verb | With what (with pinyin) |
|---|---|
| 吃 (chī) — to eat | 米饭 (mǐfàn), 面条儿 (miàntiáor), 包子 (bāozi), 饺子 (jiǎozi), 面包 (miànbāo), 鸡蛋 (jīdàn), 苹果 (píngguǒ), 水果 (shuǐguǒ), 菜 (cài), 肉 (ròu) |
| 喝 (hē) — to drink | 水 (shuǐ), 茶 (chá), 牛奶 (niúnǎi), 咖啡 (kāfēi) |
Lesson notes
What you like: 喜欢
This lesson teaches you to say what you like to eat and drink. As in English “I like tea”, the one who likes comes first, then what they like: 安娜喜欢茶。(Ānnà xǐhuan chá.) — “Anna likes tea.”
After 喜欢 comes a food (喜欢米饭) or an action (喜欢吃米饭). Where English says “have breakfast” or “have a coffee”, Chinese uses a real verb: food is eaten — 吃 (chī), drinks are drunk — 喝 (hē); the table above shows which goes with which.
很 and 不 always go before 喜欢: 很喜欢 — “like a lot”, 不喜欢 — “don't like”. English puts “a lot” after the verb; Chinese never does. A question keeps the same word order, with 吗 at the end. Where English answers “Yes, I do”, Chinese repeats the verb: 喜欢。(Xǐhuan.) / 不喜欢。(Bù xǐhuan.); 是 doesn't work here.
Common mistakes:
• ×茶喜欢安娜。→ 安娜喜欢茶。(Ānnà xǐhuan chá.)
• ×王先生喜欢很米饭。→ 王先生很喜欢米饭。(Wáng xiānsheng hěn xǐhuan mǐfàn.)
• ×爸爸喜欢不面条儿。→ 爸爸不喜欢面条儿。(Bàba bù xǐhuan miàntiáor.)