何を食べるのが好き？
nani o taberu no ga suki?
The English phrase "what do you like to eat" is translated into Japanese as 何を食べるのが好き？ (nani o taberu no ga suki?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about their general food preferences.
Which one should you use?
何を食べるのが好き？ asks about a person's general likes, whereas 何を食べたい？ asks what the person wants to eat right now.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form 何を食べるのが好き？ is informal. You can make the phrase polite and suitable for strangers or superiors by adding ですか to the end, resulting in 何を食べるのが好きですか？
How do you pronounce it?
nani o taberu no ga suki?
Did you know?
- If you want to ask this to someone much older or in a formal setting, you might avoid the word 食べる altogether. Instead, you would use the respectful verb 召し上がる, making the question much more indirect and polite.
- The word 好き is actually a 'na-adjective' meaning 'likeable' rather than a verb. When asking this question, you are technically asking if certain foods are 'likeable' to the person.
- If someone answers this question with 何でも ('anything'), they aren't necessarily being indecisive. It is often a polite way to defer the choice to the other person to show modesty.
Examples in context
- 健太さんは何を食べるのが好き？kenta-san wa nani o taberu no ga suki?What do you like to eat, Kenta?
Example conversation
Two friends are planning a dinner outing.
- 美咲 Misaki何を食べるのが好き？nani o taberu no ga suki?What do you like to eat?
- 健太 Kentaお肉が一番好きだよ。oniku ga ichiban suki da yo.I like meat the most.
- 美咲 Misakiじゃあ、焼肉はどう？jaa, yakiniku wa dou?Then, how about yakiniku?
- 健太 Kenta最高！行こう！saikou! ikou!Great! Let's go!
