Talking About Traffic and Road Conditions｜English Expressions for Getting Around
Izumi English Morning
Phrases for Talking About Favorite Foods｜Everyday English Expressions
Izumi
In English conversations, the topic of “What kind of food do you like?” comes up frequently.
Food preferences often reflect culture and personal values, making this an easy topic to start with and an excellent way to build rapport with others.
In this lesson, I will introduce basic English expressions to talk about your favorite foods, explain how to express different degrees of preference, and show you how to expand the conversation, all with grammar and vocabulary notes.
Contents
Dialogue
What kind of food do you like?
I really like pasta! Especially carbonara.
Oh, I love pasta too! Do you cook it yourself?
Sometimes. But usually I eat out. There’s a great Italian place near my apartment.
That sounds nice! I like Japanese food, especially sushi.
Grammar and Expression Points
1. Using Verbs and Adverbs to Show Different Levels of “Liking”
In English, you can express varying degrees of liking by choosing different verbs and adverbs. This is an important point in making your conversation more natural.
- I like pizza.
→ A basic and neutral way to express liking. - I really like pizza.
→ Adding really strengthens the feeling. - I love pizza!
→ Love is stronger than like, showing emotional enthusiasm.
Love can be used for both people and things. When used for food or hobbies, it sounds friendly and emotional.
To express feelings more mildly:
- I kind of like curry.
- I don’t like it that much.
By choosing expressions that match your true feelings, you can add emotional depth to your English communication.
2. The Structure of “What kind of ～ do you like?”
The phrase “What kind of food do you like?” is an open question, meaning it allows for a wide variety of answers.
Be careful: it is easy to mistakenly use plural forms (foods, movies), but the correct form is singular.
This structure can be applied to many different topics:
- What kind of books do you like?
- What kind of sports do you like?
- What kind of places do you like to visit?
3. Deepening the Conversation with “Do you cook it yourself?”
To continue the conversation beyond simply asking about favorite foods, it is effective to ask about lifestyle or habits.
- Do you cook it yourself?
The word “yourself” adds nuance, emphasizing “you, not someone else.”
If the answer is Yes or Sometimes, you can naturally follow up with:
- What do you usually cook?
- Is it difficult to make?
These questions help the conversation develop in a natural flow.
4. Introducing a Favorite Restaurant
To talk about a good restaurant near you, use the following structure: There is (There’s) + adjective + noun + location.
- There’s a cozy café near my school.
- There’s a famous ramen shop near here.
By mastering this structure, you can smoothly shift the conversation from food to local information, which is very useful in both daily English and travel situations.
Summary
- What kind of food do you like?
→ A natural open question to ask about preferences. - I really like pasta. / I love sushi.
→ Useful phrases to express different levels of liking. - Do you cook it yourself?
→ A natural follow-up question to expand the topic into lifestyle and habits. - There’s a great Italian place near my apartment.
→ A convenient structure to introduce your favorite places.
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「English Morning｜基礎から学ぶ英語講座」を運営している泉（Izumi）です。このサイトでは基礎から応用まで、英語の文法を解説しています。
