Food and drink
What you will learn
- Name common foods and drinks
- Ask for something with "Mujhe ... chahiye" and "... dijiye"
- Offer food and drink politely
- Say you are hungry or thirsty the everyday way
English explanation
Section titled “English explanation”Useful words: paani (water), chai (tea), doodh (milk), chaawal (rice), roti (flat bread), daal (lentils), sabzi (vegetable dish). Describing words: garam (hot), thanda (cold), meetha (sweet), teekha (spicy).
Asking for something. Two safe patterns:
- Mujhe ___ chahiye. (To me ___ is wanted.) Example: Mujhe paani chahiye. This does not change for men and women.
- ___ dijiye. (Please give ___.) Example: Ek chai dijiye. Add zara or thoda to soften it.
Offering. Aap chai lenge ya coffee? (Will you have tea or coffee?) Aur chahiye? (Do you want more?) The polite answer to stop is Bas, aur nahin chahiye.
Being hungry. In Lesson 5 you learned Main bhookha hoon. In everyday speech people more often say Mujhe bhookh lagi hai (hunger has hit me), and Mujhe pyaas lagi hai for thirst. These sentences do not change for men and women.
Mujhe ___ chahiye என்றால் “எனக்கு ___ வேண்டும்”. இது ஆண், பெண் இருவருக்கும் மாறாது. ___ dijiye என்றால் “___ கொடுங்கள்” (பணிவான கேட்பு). உபசரிக்க Aap chai lenge ya coffee? (நீங்கள் தேநீர் எடுத்துக்கொள்வீர்களா, காபியா?). போதும் என்று சொல்ல Bas என்று சொல்லுங்கள். “எனக்குப் பசிக்கிறது” என்பதை அன்றாடப் பேச்சில் Mujhe bhookh lagi hai என்றும், “தாகமாக இருக்கிறது” என்பதை Mujhe pyaas lagi hai என்றும் சொல்வார்கள்.
Vocabulary
| Hindi | Say it | English | Tamil | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| paani | PAA-nee | water | தண்ணீர் | |
| chai | CHAI | tea (a feminine word) | தேநீர் | |
| doodh | DOODH | milk | பால் | |
| coffee | KO-fee | coffee | காபி | |
| chaawal | CHAA-wal | rice (cooked or raw) | சாதம், அரிசி | |
| roti | RO-tee | roti, chapati (flat bread) | ரொட்டி, சப்பாத்தி | |
| daal | DAAL | lentils, dal | பருப்பு | |
| sabzi | SAB-zee | cooked vegetable dish | காய்கறிக் கூட்டு / பொரியல் | |
| meetha M: meetha F: meethi | MEE-thaa | sweet | இனிப்பு | |
| teekha M: teekha F: teekhi | TEE-khaa | spicy hot | காரம் | |
| garam | ga-RAM | hot, warm | சூடு | |
| thanda M: thanda F: thandi | THAN-daa | cold | குளிர்ச்சி | |
| namak | NA-mak | salt | உப்பு | |
| chahiye | chaa-HI-ye | (I) want, need (does not change for men or women) | வேண்டும் | |
| ya | YAA | or | அல்லது | |
| bas | BAS | enough, that's all | போதும் |
Example sentences
Real-life dialogue
Offering tea at home
Exercises
Say 'I want milk.'
Show answer
Mujhe doodh chahiye.
Ask politely for a little salt.
Show answer
Thoda namak dijiye.
Offer a guest tea or coffee.
Show answer
Aap chai lenge ya coffee?
Say you are thirsty the everyday way.
Show answer
Mujhe pyaas lagi hai.
Quiz
Quick quiz
1. How do you say 'I want water'?
2. Which is a polite way to ask for tea?
3. What does 'Bas, aur nahin chahiye' mean?
4. 'Mujhe bhookh lagi hai' means:
Lesson summary
- Mujhe ___ chahiye. = I want ___. It is the same for men and women.
- ___ dijiye. = Please give ___.
- Mujhe bhookh lagi hai. is the usual way to say I am hungry.
- bas means enough.