我想食
ngo5 soeng2 sik6
In Cantonese, "I want to eat" is expressed as 我想食 (ngo5 soeng2 sik6).
The phrase is used to express a desire to consume food.
What does it mean word for word?
我 (ngo5) means "I" or "me", 想 (soeng2) expresses a desire or intention to do something and 食 (sik6) means "to eat".
Which one should you use?
我想食 is the standard way to express a desire to eat. In contrast, using 我要食 would imply a more forceful or immediate demand for food.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Guangzhou, the variation 我想食下嘢 is used to say "I want to eat something."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 我想食 is typically followed directly by a noun or a quantifier and a noun, such as "a piece of cake", without needing a preposition like "to" or "of".
How do you pronounce it?
ngo5 soeng2 sik6
Did you know?
- In a gambling context, 食 is used when someone 'eats' another player's bet or wins their money.
- To 'eat' a loss or a deficit is expressed as 食蝕, which is a common way to describe taking a financial hit in business.
- To turn your statement into a gentle suggestion for a meal with friends, you can add the particle 呀 to the end of 我想食.
Examples in context
- 我想食啲嘢。I want to eat something.Tatoeba #472632 by nickyeow, translation #256362 by CK
- 我想食件蛋糕。I want to eat a piece of cake.Tatoeba #14038257 by loegunn, translation #7500536 by Ricardo14
- 我想食啲唔辣嘅韓國嘢。I want to eat some Korean food that isn't spicy.Tatoeba #11073300 by nickyeow, translation #3777895 by CK
- 好，我想食飯。Yes, I want to have a meal.
Example conversation
Two friends are walking together in a shopping mall.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung子健，我想食晚餐喇。zi2 gin6, ngo5 soeng2 sik6 wan2 caan1 laa3.Zi Jian, I want to eat dinner now.
- 子健 Tsz Kin好啊，你想食咩？hou2 aa1, nei5 soeng2 sik6 me1?Sure, what do you want to eat?
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung我想食日本菜。ngo5 soeng2 sik6 jat6 bun2 coi3.I want to eat Japanese food.
- 子健 Tsz Kin嗰邊有一間好出名。go2 bin1 jau5 jat1 gaan1 hou2 ceot1 ming4.There is a very famous one over there.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
