Latest / Learn Cantonese with Fexingo / Cantonese Tastes: Hot and Spicy
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey Luna, ready for another episode of Learn Cantonese with Fexingo? Luna: Oh yeah, I'm ready. What are we learning today? Lucas: Well, we've covered sweet, sour, salty, bitter... I thought we'd tackle a big one today: spicy. Or as we say in Cantonese, 辣. Luna: 辣. That's a useful one. I love spicy food, but sometimes it's too much. How do I say something is too spicy? Lucas: Before we dive in, just a quick thought — if you're enjoying these lessons and want to support the show so we can keep making them ad-free, you can always buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It really helps. Luna: Yeah, every little bit counts. And now back to spicy. So 辣 is just 'spicy'? Lucas: Exactly. Now, let's say you're eating something and it's spicy. You can say 呢個好辣. 呢個 means 'this', 好 means 'very', and 辣 is 'spicy'. Luna: 呢個好辣. 'This is very spicy.' Lucas: Perfect. Try it again. Luna: 呢個好辣. Lucas: Great. Now, what if you can't handle spicy food? You could say 我唔食得辣. 我 is 'I', 唔食得 means 'can't eat', and 辣 is 'spicy'. Luna: 我唔食得辣. 'I can't eat spicy.' That's good to know, especially if someone offers you something super hot. Lucas: Right. Let's practice that together. Say it with me: 我唔食得辣. Luna: 我唔食得辣. Lucas: Awesome. Now, if you want to ask if something is spicy, you can ask 辣唔辣. That's 辣, then 唔, then 辣 again — asking 'is it spicy?' Luna: 辣唔辣? So it's like a yes-no question repeating the adjective. Lucas: Exactly. You can use that pattern for other adjectives too. Now, another useful phrase is 少辣. That means 'a little spicy' — like if you want mild spice. Luna: 少辣. So if I want my noodles with just a little kick, I'd say 少辣. Lucas: Yes. Let's do a quick scene. Imagine we're at a noodle shop. You want to order noodles, but you want mild spice. What do you say? Luna: Umm... 我要少辣? 'I want a little spicy.' Lucas: Perfect. And if the server asks you 辣唔辣, you can say 少辣. Luna: Right. 少辣. Or if it's too spicy, I'd say 呢個好辣 and then 我唔食得辣. Lucas: Exactly. Let's review the phrases one more time: 辣, 呢個好辣, 我唔食得辣, 辣唔辣, 少辣. Luna: 辣, 呢個好辣, 我唔食得辣, 辣唔辣, 少辣. Lucas: You've got it. Now, next time you're eating spicy Sichuan food or some hot curry, you'll know what to say. Luna: For sure. Thanks Lucas. And listeners, keep practicing these phrases — they'll definitely come in handy. Lucas: See you next time on Learn Cantonese with Fexingo. Luna: Bye bye!