In this workshop you will practice talking about food you love, food you can live without, and food you are not a fan of. You will also practice asking someone what they like and answering a question about what to eat today. The native examples come from short recorded lines, so you can listen, repeat, and then use them in simple role-plays. You can play both roles with the audio, but there is no automatic assessment, so use the answer keys to check yourself.
Say What You Love and What You Can't Live Without
Start with a strong positive statement. «パスタが大好きです。» means "I love pasta." The word daisuki shows a strong liking, and it is polite and safe with friends, coworkers, or people you just met. If you want to be more dramatic or funny, use «パスタなしでは生きられません。», which means "I can't live without pasta." This line is a dramatic but common way to say you can't live without something, and it is often used humorously. Notice that both lines use pasta as the food. You can keep the same pattern and change only the food word if you already know it, but for this workshop, practice with the recorded lines exactly as they are. Listen once, then repeat aloud. Focus on a clear, friendly tone. After you can say both lines smoothly, move to the next section.
Say What You Are Not a Fan Of
Now practice a softer negative. «辛い食べ物はあまり好きじゃないです。» means "I'm not a fan of spicy food." The phrase amari suki ja nai desu is a gentle way to say you do not like something very much. Amari with a negative means 'not very,' and suki ja nai is casual but polite enough for most situations. This is useful when someone offers you a dish and you want to be honest without being rude. Listen to the rhythm of the line and repeat it several times. Pay attention to the ending: ja nai desu. It sounds softer than a direct "I hate it." After you can say it comfortably, try switching between the positive lines from the first section and this negative line. For example, say a positive line, pause, then say the negative line. This helps your mouth get used to both patterns.
Ask About Preferences and Respond to a Suggestion
To keep a conversation going, you need a simple question. «何が好きですか。» means "What do you like?" You can use it to ask about food preferences. If you want to be more specific, you can add tabemono no naka de, which means "among foods," but the recorded line is already clear in a food conversation. Now look at a short exchange. «今日は何を食べたいですか。» means "What do you want to eat today?" This is a natural way to start a meal plan with a friend. The answer in «私はパスタが大好きです。パスタなしでは生きられません。» means "I love pasta. I can't live without pasta." Then the first speaker replies with «いいですね。でも、辛い食べ物はどうですか。», which means "That sounds good. But how about spicy food?" Finally, «辛い食べ物はあまり好きじゃないです。» means "I'm not a fan of spicy food." This exchange shows how a suggestion and a polite refusal can work together. Practice both roles: first read the questions, then read the answers.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
パスタが大好きです。
I love pasta.
Pasuta ga daisuki desu.
パスタなしでは生きられません。
I can't live without pasta.
Pasuta nashi de wa ikiraremasen.
辛い食べ物はあまり好きじゃないです。
I'm not a fan of spicy food.
Karai tabemono wa amari suki ja nai desu.
何が好きですか。
What do you like?
Nani ga suki desu ka.
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
今日は何を食べたいですか。
What do you want to eat today?私はパスタが大好きです。パスタなしでは生きられません。
I love pasta. I can't live without pasta.いいですね。でも、辛い食べ物はどうですか。
That sounds good. But how about spicy food?辛い食べ物はあまり好きじゃないです。
I'm not a fan of spicy food.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided Exchange: Ask and Answer About Today's Food
You are talking with a friend about what to eat today. Your friend asks the question from the recording. You answer with the pasta lines. Then your friend asks about spicy food, and you give the polite negative answer.
Your task: Play the role of the friend first. Say the line from «今日は何を食べたいですか。». Then switch roles and answer with the two lines from «私はパスタが大好きです。パスタなしでは生きられません。». Next, ask the question from «いいですね。でも、辛い食べ物はどうですか。». Finally, answer with the line from «辛い食べ物はあまり好きじゃないです。». Repeat the whole exchange twice, once slowly and once at a natural speed.
Reply Comprehension: Choose the Best Response
Imagine a friend says the line from «いいですね。でも、辛い食べ物はどうですか。»: they think pasta sounds good, but they ask about spicy food. You need to choose a natural reply from the recorded options.
Your task: Read or listen to «いいですね。でも、辛い食べ物はどうですか。». Then choose the best reply: A) «辛い食べ物はあまり好きじゃないです。» or B) «パスタが大好きです。». Say your choice aloud, then say the full reply line. After that, imagine a friend asks «何が好きですか。». Choose a natural answer from the recorded lines and say it aloud.
Recall and Role Swap: Be the Questioner and the Answerer
Now you will recall the lines without looking at them. Imagine the same conversation, but this time you start as the person who asks about today's food, then you switch to the person who answers.
Your task: First, say the question from «今日は何を食べたいですか。» from memory. Then answer as the pasta lover using «私はパスタが大好きです。パスタなしでは生きられません。». Next, ask the spicy food question from «いいですね。でも、辛い食べ物はどうですか。». Finally, answer with «辛い食べ物はあまり好きじゃないです。». After one round, swap roles: start with the answer lines, then ask the questions. Do two full rounds.
Common questions
Can I use these lines with someone I just met?
Yes, the recorded lines are polite enough for most everyday situations. The line «パスタが大好きです。» uses daisuki, which is a strong but friendly way to say you love something. The negative line «辛い食べ物はあまり好きじゃないです。» uses amari suki ja nai desu, which is a soft way to say you are not a fan. These are safe in casual and polite conversations.
What if I want to talk about a different food?
The recordings use pasta as the example food. You can listen to the pattern and repeat it exactly as recorded. If you already know another food word, you can try replacing pasta in the same pattern, but keep the rest of the line the same. For this workshop, focus on saying the recorded lines clearly and naturally.
Sources and further reading
- japanese: talk about favorite foodsChecked September 2026
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