What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 你 (you), 想 (want/would like to), 吃 (eat) and 什么 (what).
Which one should you use?
Using 想 (xiǎng) implies a desire or suggestion, as in "would like to". In contrast, using 要 (yào) in the phrase 你要吃什么？ sounds more direct and can imply a demand or a requirement.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more polite and respectful tone when addressing elders, clients or superiors, you can replace 你 (nǐ) with 您 (nín) to say 您想吃什么？ For a very formal setting, such as asking a guest politely, you can use 请问您想吃些什么？ which means "May I ask what you would like to eat, please?" On the other hand, 你想吃点什么？ or the very informal 你想吃啥(子)? are suitable for casual conversations.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, the word order for the question remains the same as a statement. You do not need to move "what" to the front of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?
Did you know?
- In many parts of China, instead of asking 你想吃什么？, people might simply ask 吃了吗？ (Have you eaten?). This is often used as a standard, friendly greeting rather than a literal inquiry into your hunger.
- In China, the response to 你想吃什么？ is frequently 随便 (suíbiàn), which translates to 'whatever' or 'anything'. While it sounds dismissive in English, it is often a polite way to show deference to the other person's preference.
- The word 想 (xiǎng) in 你想吃什么？ literally means 'to think' or 'to miss' in other contexts, showing how 'to want' is often expressed through the concept of mental desire or thought.
Examples in context
- 你想吃什么？Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?What do you want to eat?
- 午饭你想吃什么？Wǔfàn nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?What do you want to eat for lunch?
- 晚饭你想吃什么？Wǎnfàn nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?What do you want to eat for dinner?
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to order for lunch.
- 梓涵 Zihan浩然，你想吃什么？Hàorán, nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?Haoran, what do you want to eat?
- 浩然 Haoran我想吃面条。Wǒ xiǎng chī miàntiáo.I want to eat noodles.
- 梓涵 Zihan我也想吃面条。Wǒ yě xiǎng chī miàntiáo.I want to eat noodles too.
- 浩然 Haoran那我们去面馆吧。Nà wǒmen qù miànguǎn ba.Then let's go to the noodle shop.
