Talking about cooking soup | Learn Chinese in English

About This Lesson

Use Talking about cooking soup to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

做饭是你的爱好吗？

Zuò fàn shì nǐ de àihào ma? Is cooking your hobby?

我喜欢在家做简单的食物。

Wǒ xǐhuan zài jiā zuò jiǎndān de shíwù. I like making simple food at home.

你喜欢做什么？

Nǐ xǐhuan zuò shénme? What do you like to make?

我经常做简单的汤。

Wǒ jīngcháng zuò jiǎndān de tāng. I often make a simple soup.

你会看食谱吗？

Nǐ huì kàn shípǔ ma? Do you use a recipe?

我照着一个简单的食谱做。

Wǒ zhàozhe yí ge jiǎndān de shípǔ zuò. I follow an easy one.

汤做好后，我想尝尝。

Tāng zuò hǎo hòu, wǒ xiǎng chángchang. I would like to try it when it is ready.

我会给你留一些汤。

Wǒ huì gěi nǐ liú yìxiē tāng. I will save some soup for you.

Word by Word

做饭 “做饭” means cooking or preparing food, and here it is the topic being asked about as a hobby. It can be used before a linking expression to talk about cooking as an activity, such as “做饭是你的爱好吗？”. This is useful when talking about hobbies at home.

是 “是” links “做饭” with “你的爱好” and means that cooking is your hobby. It is used between the topic and the noun that identifies or describes it. This pattern is useful for identifying something or someone.

你 “你” refers to the person being spoken to, meaning you in this dialogue. It appears in questions about the other person’s hobby, cooking ability, and preferences. Use it when addressing one person directly.

的 In “你的爱好”, “的” connects “你” with “爱好” to show that the hobby belongs to or is associated with you. The reusable pattern is person + 的 + noun. It is useful when identifying someone’s possession or relationship to something.

爱好 “爱好” means hobby here, specifically the activity that someone enjoys doing. In “你的爱好”, it is connected to the person with “的”. Use it when talking about a regular interest or favorite activity.

吗 “吗” is placed at the end of “做饭是你的爱好吗？” to turn the statement into a yes-or-no question. It signals that the speaker is asking for confirmation. Use it at the end of a simple question when the expected answer can be yes or no.

我 “我” refers to the speaker, meaning I or me. It appears in statements about what the speaker likes, makes, wants, and plans to save. Use it when describing your own actions, preferences, or intentions.

喜欢 “喜欢” means like in “我喜欢在家做简单的食物” and “你喜欢做什么？”. It is followed by an activity or thing that someone likes, and in the question it is followed by the action being asked about. Use it when expressing preferences or asking about someone’s preferences.

在 “在” places the activity at a location in “在家做简单的食物”, meaning at home. It comes before the place and then the action. Use it before a location when saying where an action happens.

家 “家” means home in “在家”. Together with “在”, it identifies home as the place where the speaker makes food. Use it after a location marker when talking about activities done at home.

做 “做” means make or do, and here it refers to preparing food or soup. It is followed by what is being made, as in “做简单的食物” and “做简单的汤”. Use it before an object when describing making or doing something.

简单 “简单” means simple and describes the food, soup, and recipe in this lesson. It appears before the noun it describes, as in “简单的食物” and “简单的汤”. Use it before a noun when describing something that is not complicated.

食物 “食物” means food in “做简单的食物”. It is the thing being made at home. Use it after an action such as “做” when referring generally to food.

什么 “什么” means what in “你喜欢做什么？”. It asks which thing or activity the other person likes to make. Use it in the position of the unknown object in a question.

经常 “经常” means often and shows that making simple soup happens regularly in “我经常做简单的汤”. It comes before the action “做”. Use it before a verb when describing an action that happens frequently.

汤 “汤” means soup, the food being made, tasted, and saved in this dialogue. It follows the action in “做简单的汤” and can also be used as the object of saving. Use it when talking about soup as a food or dish.

会 “会” has two contextual uses in the dialogue. In “你会看食谱吗？”, it means can or know how to, while in “我会给你留一些汤”, it means will, referring to the speaker’s intention. Use its meaning together with the surrounding action and sentence context.

看 “看” means read or look at in “看食谱”, referring to consulting a recipe. It comes before the object being read or looked at. Use it with a book, recipe, or other written material when referring to reading or looking at it.

食谱 “食谱” means recipe in this dialogue. It is the written guide that the speaker looks at and follows while making soup. Use it after an action such as “看” or after an expression meaning follow something.

照着 “照着” means following or according to something, and in “照着一个简单的食谱做” it shows that the speaker makes the soup by following a recipe. The thing being followed comes after it, and the action comes afterward. Use it when carrying out an action according to instructions or a guide.

一个 “一个” identifies one recipe in “一个简单的食谱”, meaning a recipe or one recipe. It comes before the describing word and noun. Use it before a singular countable item when referring to one item.

做好 “做好” means finished making and ready in “汤做好后”. It describes the point when the soup has been prepared and is ready to be tasted or shared. Use it when talking about something made or prepared reaching a finished state.

后 “后” means after in “做好后”, referring to the time after the soup is ready. It follows the action or situation that must happen first. Use it after an event or completed situation when describing what happens afterward.

想 “想” means want to in “我想尝尝”, expressing the speaker’s desire to taste the soup. It is followed by the action the speaker wants to do. Use it before a verb when stating what you want to do.

尝尝 “尝尝” means have a taste or try some, referring here to tasting the soup. The form is used in the friendly request or statement “我想尝尝” because the soup is already understood from the context. A reusable pattern is 想尝尝 + food or drink when saying that you want to taste something.

给 “给” marks the recipient in “给你留一些汤”, meaning for you or to you. The person receiving something comes after it and before the action. Use the pattern 给 + person + action when describing doing something for someone.

留 “留” means save or reserve in “给你留一些汤”, referring to keeping some soup for another person. It is used with the recipient and the amount or thing being saved. Use it when keeping part of something so that someone can have it later.

一些 “一些” means some and indicates an unspecified amount of soup in “一些汤”. It comes before the noun whose amount is being described. Use it before a noun when referring to part of something without giving an exact amount.

Grammar Points

照着 + 名词 + 动词

照着食谱做饭。

zhàozhe shípǔ zuò fàn

Cook according to the recipe.

“照着”表示按照某物来做，后面接名词，再接动作。

动词 + 好 + 后，……

汤做好后，尝尝。

Tāng zuò hǎo hòu, chángchang.

After the soup is ready, have a taste.

“做好后”表示某事完成以后；“好”放在动词后表示完成、准备妥当。

Chinese Vocabulary

爱好 noun

àihào hobby

做饭是你的爱好吗?

简单 adj

jiǎndān simple; easy

我喜欢在家做简单的食物。

经常 adv

jīngcháng often

我经常做简单的汤。

看 verb

kàn look at; read

你会看食谱吗?

食谱 noun

shípǔ recipe

你会看食谱吗?

食物 noun

shíwù food

我喜欢在家做简单的食物。

汤 noun

tāng soup

我经常做简单的汤。

喜欢 verb

xǐhuan like

我喜欢在家做简单的食物。

在家 phrase

zài jiā at home

我喜欢在家做简单的食物。

照着 prep

zhàozhe according to; following

我照着一个简单的食谱做。

做饭 verb

zuò fàn cook; cooking meals

做饭是你的爱好吗?

做好后 phrase

zuò hǎo hòu after it is ready

汤做好后,我想尝尝。

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

often

Show Answer

经常

simple; easy

Show Answer

简单

recipe

Show Answer

食谱

cook; cooking meals

Show Answer

做饭