吃早餐
chī zǎocān
To eat breakfast in Chinese is 吃早餐, chī zǎocān.
The phrase 吃早餐 is used to describe the act of consuming the first meal of the day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb 吃 (chī), meaning 'to eat' and the noun 早餐 (zǎocān), meaning 'breakfast'.
Which one should you use?
While 吃早餐 is a standard way to say the phrase, 吃早饭 (chī zǎofàn) is a very common colloquial alternative used in daily conversation. Additionally, 吃点早餐 (chī diǎn zǎocān) can be used to mean 'eat some breakfast', which sounds more casual.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that the action of eating breakfast has been completed, you can add the aspect particle 了 (le) after the verb: 吃了早餐 (ate breakfast).
How do you pronounce it?
chī zǎocān
Did you know?
- In Chinese culture, asking if someone has 'eaten' (吃了吗) is a common way to say 'hello'. This greeting often refers to the most recent meal, such as breakfast, rather than a literal inquiry about hunger.
- In many parts of China, a typical breakfast consists of savory items like 油条 (youtiao) or 包子 (baozi) rather than sweet cereals or toast.
- While 吃早餐 uses the word for 'meal', the colloquial 吃早饭 literally translates to 'eat early rice', reflecting the historical staple of the Chinese diet.
Examples in context
- 你几点吃早餐？At what time do you eat breakfast?This sentence is useful for asking about the time someone eats breakfast using 吃早餐.Tatoeba #2051312 by fercheung, translation #1774984 by potatosoup
- 你每天吃早餐吗Do you eat breakfast every day?This sentence is useful for asking if someone eats breakfast every day using 吃早餐.Tatoeba #5136722 by JimmyUK, translation #4049105 by CK
- 我每天早上吃早餐。I eat breakfast every morning.This sentence is useful for stating that you eat breakfast every morning using 吃早餐.Tatoeba #834646 by Martha, translation #464655 by CK
- 我要吃早餐I want to eat breakfast
- 我要用早餐I want to have breakfast
- 我要吃点早餐I want to eat some breakfast
- 您早上好，请问您要用早餐吗?Good morning. May I ask if you would like to have breakfast?
- 阿姨，早上好，想要吃点早餐吗?Auntie, good morning, would you like to have some breakfast?
- 早上好！要用早餐吗？Good morning! Would you like to have breakfast?
- 今天我吃早饭了I already ate breakfast today.
- 你想要吃点早餐吗？Do you want to eat some breakfast?
- 大家一起去吃早餐吧Let's all go eat breakfast together!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a cafe in the morning.
- 浩然 Haoran我们要不要去吃早餐？Wǒmen yào bù yào qù chī zǎocān?Shall we go eat breakfast?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好啊，我饿了。Hǎo a, wǒ è le.Sure, I'm hungry.
- 浩然 Haoran晓雯，你想吃什么？Xiǎowén, nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?Xiaowen, what do you want to eat?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我想吃面包。Wǒ xiǎng chī miànbāo.I want to eat bread.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
