Deciding on the Type of Cuisine for a Meal
1.
| 你 | 聽晚 | 想 | 食 | 咩 | 呀 | ? |
| nei5 | ting1 maan5 | soeng2 | sik6 | me1 | aa3 | ? |
| you | tomorrow night | want to | eat | what | SP |
What do you want to eat tomorrow night?
2.
| 你 | 聽晚 | 有 | 冇 | 咩 | 想 | 食 | 呀 | ? |
| nei5 | ting1 maan5 | jau5 | mou5 | me1 | soeng2 | sik6 | aa3 | ? |
| you | tomorrow night | have | not have | what | want to | eat | SP |
Do you have what you want to eat tomorrow night?
[= Is there anything that you want to eat tomorrow night?]
3.
| 我哋 | 聽晚 | 食 | 咩 | 好 | 呀 | ? |
| ngo5 dei6 | ting1 maan5 | sik6 | me1 | hou2 | aa3 | ? |
| we | tomorrow night | eat | what | good | SP |
We eat what tomorrow night will be good?
[= What should we eat tomorrow night?]
4.
| 我 | 想 | 打邊爐 | 呀 | 。 |
| ngo5 | soeng2 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | aa3 | . |
| I | want to | have hotpot | SP |
I want to have hotpot.
5.
| 我 | 好 | 想 | 打邊爐 | 呀 | 。 |
| ngo5 | hou2 | soeng2 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | aa3 | . |
| I | very | want to | have hotpot | SP |
I want to have hotpot very much.
6.
| 你 | 想 | 唔 | 想 | 打邊爐 | 呀 | ? |
| nei5 | soeng2 | m4 | soeng2 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | aa3 | ? |
| you | want to | not | want to | have hotpot | SP |
Do you want to have hotpot?
7.
| 我哋 | 打邊爐 | 好 | 唔 | 好 | 呀 | ? |
| ngo5 dei6 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | hou2 | m4 | hou2 | aa3 | ? |
| we | have hotpot | good | not | good | SP |
Is having hotpot good?
[= What do you think about having hotspot?]
8.
| 我哋 | 打邊爐 | 好冇 | 呀 | ? |
| ngo5 dei6 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | hou2 mou2 | aa3 | ? |
| we | have hotpot | good not good | SP |
Is having hotpot good?
[= What do you think about having hotspot?]
- We can contract 好唔好 hou2 m4 hou2 to 好冇 hou2 mou2.
9.
| 不如 | 我哋 | 打邊爐 | 吖 | 。 |
| bat1 jyu4 | ngo5 dei6 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | aa1 | . |
| why not | we | have hotpot | SP |
Why don’t we have hotpot?
10.
| 你 | 有 | 冇 | 興趣 | 打邊爐 | 呀 | ? |
| nei5 | jau5 | mou5 | hing3 ceoi3 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | aa3 | ? |
| you | have | not have | interest | have hotpot | SP |
Do you have an interest in having hotpot?
[= Are you interested in having hotpot?]
Route A: Agree
11.
| 好 | 呀 | , | 我 | 都 | 想 | 打邊爐 | 呀 | 。 |
| hou2 | aa3 | , | ngo5 | dou1 | soeng2 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | aa3 | . |
| good | SP | I | too | want to | have hotpot | SP |
Good. [= Sure.] I want to have hotpot too.
12.
| 噉 | 不如 | 就 | 打邊爐 | 啦 | 。 |
| gam2 | bat1 jyu4 | zau6 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | laa1 | . |
| then | why not | [determination] | have hotpot | SP |
Why don’t we just choose having hotpot then?
13.
| 好 | 呀 | 。 |
| hou2 | aa3 | . |
| good | SP |
Good. [= Sure.]
Route B: Disagree
14.
| 我 | 唔係好 | 想 | 打邊爐 | 呀 | 。 |
| ngo5 | m4 hai6 hou2 | soeng2 | daa2 bin1 lou4 | aa3 | . |
| I | not very | want to | have hotpot | SP |
I don’t want to have hotpot very much.
15.
| 噉 | 你 | 想 | 食 | 咩 | 呀 | ? |
| gam2 | nei5 | soeng2 | sik6 | me1 | aa3 | ? |
| then | you | want to | eat | what | SP |
What do you want to eat then?
16.
| 噉 | 你 | 有 | 冇 | 咩 | 想 | 食 | 呀 | ? |
| gam2 | nei5 | jau5 | mou5 | me1 | soeng2 | sik6 | aa3 | ? |
| then | you | have | not have | what | want to | eat | SP |
Do you have what you want to eat then?
[= Is there anything that you want to eat then?]
We can use the expressions covered to continue the conversation and decide the type of cuisine for the meal.
We can ask about the other person’s preferences before making suggestions. For example, we can ask if he or she likes a type of cuisine:
17.
| 你 | 鍾 | 唔 | 鍾意 | 食 | 日本 | 嘢 | 㗎 | ? |
| nei5 | zung1 | m4 | zung1 ji3 | sik6 | jat6 bun2 | je5 | gaa3 | ? |
| you | like | not | like | eat | Japanese | thing | SP |
Do you like eating Japanese things?
[= Do you like eating Japanese cuisine or food?]
18.
| 鍾意 | 呀 | 。 |
| zung1 ji3 | aa3 | . |
| like | SP |
Yes.
19.
| 唔係好 | 鍾意 | 呀 | 。 |
| m4 hai6 hou2 | zung1 ji3 | aa3 | . |
| not very | like | SP |
Not very much.
We can also ask if the other person eats spicy food:
20.
| 你 | 食 | 唔 | 食 | 辣 | 嘢 | 㗎 | ? |
| nei5 | sik6 | m4 | sik6 | laat6 | je5 | gaa3 | ? |
| you | eat | not | eat | spicy | thing | SP |
Do you eat spicy things?
21.
| 食 | 呀 | 。 |
| sik6 | aa3 | . |
| eat | SP |
Yes.
22.
| 唔 | 食 | 呀 | 。 |
| m4 | sik6 | aa3 | . |
| not | eat | SP |
No.
23.
| 我 | 勁 | 鍾意 | 食 | 辣 | 嘢 | 嘅 | 。 |
| ngo5 | ging6 | zung1 ji3 | sik6 | laat6 | je5 | ge3 | . |
| I | strongly | like | eat | spicy | thing | SP |
I strongly like eating spicy things.
24.
| 我 | 唔係好 | 鍾意 | 食 | 辣 | 嘢 | 嘅 | 。 |
| ngo5 | m4 hai6 hou2 | zung1 ji3 | sik6 | laat6 | je5 | ge3 | . |
| I | not very | like | eat | spicy | thing | SP |
I don’t like eating spicy things very much.
We can also ask if the other person doesn’t eat certain foods.
25.
| 你 | 有 | 冇 | 嘢 | 唔 | 食 | 㗎 | ? |
| nei5 | jau5 | mou5 | je5 | m4 | sik6 | gaa3 | ? |
| you | have | not have | thing | not | eat | SP |
Do you have what you don’t eat?
[= Is there anything that you don’t eat?]
26.
| 冇 | 呀 | 。 |
| mou5 | aa3 | . |
| not have | SP |
No.
27.
| 我 | 唔 | 食 | 辣 | 嘢 | 嘅 | 。 |
| ngo5 | m4 | sik6 | laat6 | je5 | ge3 | . |
| I | not | eat | spicy | thing | SP |
I don’t eat spicy things.
28.
| 我 | 唔 | 食 | 肉 / 豬肉 / 牛肉 / 海鮮 | 嘅 | 。 |
| ngo5 | m4 | sik6 | juk6 / zyu1 juk6 / ngau4 juk6 / hoi2 sin1 | ge3 | . |
| I | not | eat | meat / pork / beef / seafood | SP |
I don’t eat meat / pork / beef / seafood.
29.
| 我 | 食齋 / 食素 | 嘅 | 。 |
| ngo5 | sik6 zaai1 / sik6 sou3 | ge3 | . |
| I | be on Buddhist diet / be on vegetarian diet | SP |
I am on a Buddhist vegetarian diet / a vegetarian diet.