Chinese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 10 of 12
Likes and dislikes
喜欢和不喜欢Xǐhuan hé bù xǐhuan
Say what you like and don't like in Mandarin with 喜欢 and 不, give your opinion with 觉得, and choose where to eat with a colleague.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what you like and like doing with 喜欢 (xǐhuan)
- Say what you don't like with 不 (bù) and 不太 (bú tài)
- Give your opinion with 觉得 (juéde)
- Talk about food and flavours
Listen
In Chengdu, colleagues Zhang Wei and Lin Xiaoyu decide where to have lunch: hotpot or noodles. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Zhang Wei
小雨，中午我们一起吃饭吧！
Xiǎoyǔ, zhōngwǔ wǒmen yìqǐ chīfàn ba!
Xiaoyu, let's have lunch together!
Lin Xiaoyu
好！吃什么？
Hǎo! Chī shénme?
OK! What shall we eat?
Zhang Wei
你喜不喜欢吃火锅？
Nǐ xǐ bu xǐhuan chī huǒguō?
Do you like hotpot?
Lin Xiaoyu
火锅太辣了，我怕辣。
Huǒguō tài là le, wǒ pà là.
Hotpot is too spicy. I can't handle spicy food.
Zhang Wei
你不喜欢吃辣的？我最喜欢吃辣的！
Nǐ bù xǐhuan chī là de? Wǒ zuì xǐhuan chī là de!
You don't like spicy food? Spicy food is my favourite!
Lin Xiaoyu
我不太喜欢。我喜欢清淡的菜，也喜欢酸的。
Wǒ bú tài xǐhuan. Wǒ xǐhuan qīngdàn de cài, yě xǐhuan suān de.
I don't really like it. I like mild dishes, and sour ones too.
Zhang Wei
你喜欢吃米饭还是面条？
Nǐ xǐhuan chī mǐfàn háishi miàntiáo?
Do you prefer rice or noodles?
Lin Xiaoyu
我喜欢吃面条。
Wǒ xǐhuan chī miàntiáo.
I like noodles.
Zhang Wei
我们吃面条吧。我觉得这儿的面条很好吃，不太辣。
Wǒmen chī miàntiáo ba. Wǒ juéde zhèr de miàntiáo hěn hǎochī, bú tài là.
Let's have noodles. I think the noodles here are really good, and not too spicy.
Lin Xiaoyu
太好了！
Tài hǎo le!
Great!
Understand
喜欢: liking things and liking to do things
(xǐhuan) means “to like”. Put a noun after it, or a verb: (wǒ xǐhuan huǒguō), I like hotpot; (wǒ xǐhuan chī miàntiáo), I like eating noodles. With food, Chinese usually adds (chī, to eat). (zuì, most) before makes it your favourite: (wǒ zuì xǐhuan chī là de), I like spicy food best.
To ask, use (ma) or the A-not-A form. With a two-syllable word like , people usually repeat only the first syllable: (nǐ xǐ bu xǐhuan chī huǒguō?). The full (xǐhuan bu xǐhuan) is correct too. (ài, to love) is stronger than : (wǒ ài chī huǒguō), I love hotpot.
- 我喜欢清淡的菜。Wǒ xǐhuan qīngdàn de cài.I like mild dishes.
- 你喜欢吃米饭还是面条？Nǐ xǐhuan chī mǐfàn háishi miàntiáo?Do you prefer rice or noodles?
- 她最喜欢吃火锅。Tā zuì xǐhuan chī huǒguō.Hotpot is her favourite food.
Saying “not” with 不, and its tone change
(bù) goes straight before a verb or an adjective: (wǒ bù xǐhuan), I don't like it; (bú là), not spicy. (bú tài) softens it to “not very, not really”: (wǒ bú tài xǐhuan), I don't really like it. Only (yǒu) is different: its negative is always (méiyǒu), never 不有. is for now, habits and the future; for things that didn't happen, Chinese uses (méi), which you'll learn in A2.
Like , changes its tone. It is bù before first, second and third tones, but bú before a fourth tone. In the middle of an A-not-A question it is said lightly, bu. Pinyin in this course always shows the tone you say.
| Before | Said | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1st, 2nd, 3rd tone | bù | (bù chī), (bù tián), (bù hǎo) |
| 4th tone | bú | (bú là), (bú tài), (bú shì) |
| in A-not-A | bu | (xǐ bu xǐhuan), (yào bu yào) |
Opinions with 觉得, and 的 without a noun
To give your opinion, start with (wǒ juéde), “I think, I find”, followed by a whole sentence: (wǒ juéde zhèr de miàntiáo hěn hǎochī), I think the noodles here are delicious. To ask, add (ma): (nǐ juéde huǒguō hǎochī ma?), do you think hotpot is good?
Adjective + (de) can stand for a whole noun when it's clear what you mean: (là de), spicy food, spicy ones; (suān de), sour things.
More in the grammar: Negation: 不, 没 and 别 · Pinyin and the four tones
New words
- 一起yìqǐtogether · Before the verb: (yìqǐ chīfàn), to eat together.
- 喜欢xǐhuanto like · + noun or + verb: (xǐhuan chī miàntiáo), to like eating noodles.
- 火锅huǒguōhotpot · A pot of simmering broth in the middle of the table, where everyone cooks their food.
- 辣làspicy, hot · (bú là), not spicy.
- 怕辣pà làcan't handle spicy food · Literally “fear spicy”.
- 最zuìmost · (wǒ zuì xǐhuan…), my favourite is…
- 不太bú tàinot very, not really
- 清淡qīngdànmild, light (food) · Not spicy, not oily, not salty.
- 菜càidish; food; vegetables · (Chuāncài), Sichuan food.
- 酸suānsour
- 米饭mǐfàn(cooked) rice
- 面条miàntiáonoodles
- 觉得juédeto think, to feel (opinion) · (wǒ juéde…), I think…
- 好吃hǎochītasty, delicious · Literally “good to eat”.
Practise
1.How do you say “I don't like spicy food”?
2.Put the words in order: I think hotpot is delicious.
Tap the words below in the right order.I think hotpot is delicious.
3.Match the food words.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.How is (not spicy) said?
5.Put the words in order to ask a friend if they like hotpot.
Tap the words below in the right order.Do you like hotpot?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
我很喜欢吃面条。
Wǒ hěn xǐhuan chī miàntiáo.
I really like noodles.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.