The words you need most for food and drinks: for a café, a shop or a meal at home. Learn these 14 first, and you can already order lunch and say what you like.
Products, dishes, drinks and tastes
- breaduncountable; a loaf of bread = one whole loaf
- an eggplural: eggs
- cheeseuncountable in general: I love cheese
- a potatoplural: potatoes
- soupuncountable; a bowl of soup = one portion
- a salada green salad, a Greek salad
- watera glass of water = one glass
- juiceorange juice, apple juice
- teaa cup of tea = one cup
- milkuncountable; some milk = a little milk
- sweeta taste: a sweet cake has a lot of sugar
- saltya taste: too salty = too much salt
- soura taste like a lemon, not sweet
- delicioustasting very good; very delicious
Uncountable words (bread, soup, water, milk, tea) don’t take “a” or a plural. Many learners say “a milk” or “a bread”. Say some milk, a cup of tea, a loaf of bread. Salad is pronounced /ˈsæləd/, with the stress on the first syllable.
Ready phrases for ordering and eating
- A glass of water, please. — the simplest way to order a drink.
- I’d like a cup of tea. — polite; “I’d like” sounds softer than “I want”.
- Is it sweet or salty? — asking about the taste before you order.
- This soup is delicious! — a compliment to the cook or the waiter.
For the next step, when the waiter arrives, see our posts on ordering and asking for the check.
Check yourself
Fill in the gap or choose the right option, then check your answer:
1.I’d like a ___ of tea, please. (cup / glass)
Answer
cup: I’d like a cup of tea, please.
2.Which is correct: “a bread” or “a loaf of bread”?
Answer
“A loaf of bread.” Bread is uncountable.
3.This lemon is very ___, not sweet. (sour / salty)
Answer
sour: This lemon is very sour.
4.Politely ask for a glass of water.
Answer
A glass of water, please.
New words stick when you use them in real conversation. Book a free trial lesson and practise them with a teacher.
