Hungry for English: Everyday Food and Cooking Vocabulary (A1)

Feeling hungry? Let’s learn English you can use in the kitchen, at the market, and in cafés. In this lesson, you’ll get simple food words, easy cooking verbs, and helpful grammar like a/an, some/any, and There is/There are. After each short section, try a quick exercise to make it stick.

Everyday food words

Here are common foods and drinks you will hear and say often.

apple
a round, sweet fruit
noun
I eat an apple every morning.
I eat one apple each morning.
bread
baked food made from flour
noun
We have some bread for lunch.
We have bread to eat at lunch.
rice
small white grains you cook and eat
noun
There is rice in the bowl.
Rice is in the bowl.
chicken
meat from a chicken
noun
He cooks chicken for dinner.
He makes chicken for dinner.
tomato
red fruit used in salads and sauces
noun
Cut the tomato.
Slice the tomato.
water
a clear drink
noun
Can I have some water?
May I get some water?

Useful adjectives

  • delicious (tastes very good)
  • fresh (new, not old)
  • sweet (sugary)
  • salty (with salt)
  • spicy (hot with chili)

Example: This soup is delicious and spicy.

English
The tomatoes are fresh today.
The tomatoes are new and good to eat.
🧠 Food basics check

I would like rice.

We have banana.

Cooking verbs and tools

Let’s learn easy verbs you use when you cook.

cook
to prepare food with heat
verb
I cook dinner at home.
I make dinner at home.
cut
to use a knife to make pieces
verb
Cut the bread.
Slice the bread.
chop
to cut food into small pieces
verb
Chop the onions.
Cut the onions into small pieces.
boil
to cook in hot water
verb
Boil the rice.
Cook the rice in water.
fry
to cook in hot oil
verb
Fry the eggs.
Cook the eggs in oil.
bake
to cook food in the oven
verb
Bake the chicken.
Cook the chicken in the oven.
mix
to put together and stir
verb
Mix the salad.
Combine the salad ingredients.
stir
to move food around with a spoon
verb
Stir the soup.
Move the soup with a spoon.
add
to put something into food
verb
Add salt.
Put salt in the food.
taste
to try a little food to check the flavor
verb
Taste the sauce.
Try the sauce to feel the flavor.

Kitchen tools

  • knife
  • spoon
  • fork
  • pan
  • pot
  • plate
  • bowl

Example: Use a spoon to stir the soup in the pot.

English
Boil the water, then add the rice.
First make the water hot, then put rice in.
🔠 Put the words in order

Steps in cooking often start with First.

Please the soup.

cook present simple
Pronoun Conjugation
I cook
you cook
we cook
they cook
he cooks
she cooks
it cooks
I am like pizza. → I like pizza. Use like as a simple verb. Don’t use am + like for preferences. She cook dinner. → She cooks dinner. In present simple, add -s with he/she/it.
break verb: stop fast noun: not eat (fasting)
stir verb: move in a circle fry verb: cook in oil

At the market

Learn a simple conversation to buy food.

💬 Buying tomatoes
English
I’d like some chicken, please.
I would like some chicken, please.

Cultural note: words and eating times

  • British vs American words: aubergine (UK) = eggplant (US), courgette (UK) = zucchini (US).
  • Meals: breakfast (morning), lunch (midday), dinner (evening). In some countries, lunch is the main hot meal; in others, dinner is bigger.
  • Spicy food: In many places, food with chili is common. If you don’t like spicy food, say: “Not too spicy, please.”

Polite phrases to use in cafés or markets: “Can I have…?”, “I’d like…”, and “Please” / “Thank you.”

🧠 Quick kitchen check

Summary and practice

You learned food words (apple, bread, rice, chicken, tomato, water), cooking verbs (cook, cut, chop, boil, fry, bake, mix, stir, add, taste), kitchen tools (knife, spoon, fork, pan, pot, plate, bowl), and simple grammar (a/an, some/any, There is/There are, imperatives, present simple).

Try to describe a simple meal:

  • Breakfast: I eat an egg and some bread. I drink water.
  • Lunch: I cook rice and chicken. I add salt.
  • Dinner: I bake potatoes. The salad is fresh.

Keep using polite phrases: “Can I have…?” and “I’d like… please.” You’ve got this—small steps, simple words, real English you can use today.