Food Words

School Words

Talking About Food You Want

Pattern 1: "I want to eat/drink..."

Wǒ xiǎng chī + (food) I want to eat...

Wǒ xiǎng hē + (drink) I want to drink...

Talking About Hunger

Wǒ hěn è. I am very hungry.

Asking About Food Preferences

Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme? What do you want to eat?

Nǐ xǐhuan chī shénme? What do you like to eat?

Talking About Your Class

Nǐmen bān yǒu duōshao ge xuésheng? How many students are in your class?

Wǒmen bān yǒu + number + ge xuésheng. Our class has... students.

Conversation 1: At Home - What to Eat

Anna: 你 早饭 想 吃 什么？ (Nǐ zǎofàn xiǎng chī shénme?) What do you want for breakfast?

Baba: 我 想 喝 茶 和 吃 饼。 (Wǒ xiǎng hē chá hé chī bǐng.) I want to drink tea and eat cake.

Anna: 我 想 吃 地瓜。 (Wǒ xiǎng chī dìguā.) I want to eat sweet potato.

Baba: 那 好啊，地瓜 也 很 好吃。 (Nà hǎo a, dìguā yě hěn hǎochī.) That's good, sweet potato is also delicious.

Conversation 2: At Home - Feeling Hungry

Limei: 姐姐，我 饿了。 (Jiějie, wǒ è le.) Sister, I am hungry.

Jiějie: 你 午饭 想 吃什么？ (Nǐ wǔfàn xiǎng chī shénme?) What do you want for lunch?

Limei: 我 想 吃 鱼 和 米饭。 (Wǒ xiǎng chī yú hé mǐfàn.) I want to eat fish and rice.

Conversation 3: At School - Class Numbers

Student A: 你们 班 有 多少 个 学生？ (Nǐmen bān yǒu duōshao ge xuésheng?) How many students are in your class?

Student B: 我们 班 有 三十 个 学生。 (Wǒmen bān yǒu sānshí ge xuésheng.) Our class has 30 students.

Student A: 有 几个 女生 呢？ (Yǒu jǐ ge nǚshēng ne?) How many girls are there?

Student B: 有 八个 女生，七个 男生。 (Yǒu bā ge nǚshēng, qī ge nánshēng.) There are 8 girls and 7 boys.

Activity 1: Answer These Questions

1. Bàba zǎofàn xiǎng chī shénme? (What does Dad want for breakfast?)

   • A. 地瓜 和 牛奶 (dìguā hé niúnǎi)
   • B. 饼 和 茶 (bǐng hé chá)

2. Shéi xiǎng chī dìguā? (Who wants to eat sweet potato?)

   • A. 安娜 (Ānnà)
   • B. 爸爸 (Bàba)

3. Māma xiǎng hē shénme? (What does Mom want to drink?)

   • A. 牛奶 (niúnǎi)
   • B. 可乐 (kělè)

Activity 2: Complete the Dialogue

Use the words in the box to complete the conversation.

A: 你 今天 晚上 想 吃 什么？ (Nǐ jīntiān wǎnshang xiǎng chī shénme?) B: 我 想 吃 ______ 和 米饭。 (Wǒ xiǎng chī ______ hé mǐfàn.)

A: 我 想 喝 ______, 你呢？ (Wǒ xiǎng hē ______, nǐ ne?) B: 我 想 喝 水。 (Wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ.)

To speak about food and school in Chinese, remember these key points:

• Use 想 (xiǎng) to say what you want to eat or drink
• Use 吃 (chī) for eating and 喝 (hē) for drinking
• Use 有没有 questions to ask about school subjects and class numbers
• Numbers in Chinese: 十五 (15), 三十 (30), 八个 (8), 七个 (7)

In Tanzania, you can use these Chinese phrases when you meet Chinese tourists visiting places like Zanzibar or when shopping at Chinese-owned shops in Dar es Salaam. For example, if a Chinese visitor asks "你要吃什么?" (What do you want to eat?), you can answer "我想吃鱼和米饭" (I want to eat fish and rice) — just like eating at a local restaurant in Kigoma or at home with your family.