Vocabulary: Thematic & Topical Vocabulary (A2) - Lesson 3: More on Food & Drinks

Lesson 3: More on Food & Drinks

Vegetables, Meats, and Flavors

You already know basic food words like 'rice' and 'chicken'. But what about the other ingredients that make Khmer food so delicious? This lesson will teach you the words for common vegetables¹, other meats², and how to describe flavors.

Common Vegetables & Meats

vegetable	បន្លែ	A plant used as food. Example: "It is healthy to eat many vegetables."
morning glory3	ត្រកួន	A popular green vegetable in Cambodia. Example: "I like fried morning glory."
beef4	សាច់គោ	Meat from a cow. Example: "Lok Lak is a famous dish made with beef."
pork5	សាច់ជ្រូក	Meat from a pig. Example: "I like grilled pork with rice."

Describing Flavors (Adjectives)

delicious6	ឆ្ងាញ់	Having a very good taste. Example: "This Amok is delicious!"
sweet7	ផ្អែម	Having the taste of sugar. Example: "Mangoes are very sweet."
spicy8	ហឹរ	Having a strong, hot flavor from chili. Example: "This soup is a little spicy."
sour9	ជូរ	Having a sharp taste like a lemon. Example: "The soup is both spicy and sour."

Usage Note: Talking about Amounts

For many food words (like rice, water, meat), we don't say 'one rice'. They are 'uncountable'. To talk about an amount, we can use "some" or "a lot of".

• "I would like some rice, please." (a small or medium amount)
• "She eats a lot of vegetables." (a large amount)

In Conversation

Bora and Srey are trying a new restaurant.

Bora: Wow, this food is delicious! What is in this soup?

Srey: It has pork and a lot of vegetables. I think I see some morning glory.

Bora: It's a little bit spicy, but I like it. I don't usually eat a lot of beef.

Srey: Me neither. I prefer chicken or fish. This mango smoothie is very sweet!

Bora: The soup is a little sour too. It's a perfect combination.

quiz Check Your Understanding

1. Which of these is a type of meat?

• a) Morning glory
• b) Pork
• c) Tomato

Click to see the answer

Answer: b) Pork

2. A food with a lot of chili is ______.

• a) sweet
• b) sour
• c) spicy

Click to see the answer

Answer: c) spicy

3. Choose the correct sentence.

• a) I would like a rice.
• b) I would like some rice.
• c) I would like many rice.

Click to see the answer

Answer: b) I would like some rice.

edit Your Mission

1. My Plate: Think about the last meal you ate. Write two sentences about it. (e.g., "For lunch, I had pork and rice. The soup was a little spicy.")
2. At the Market: Next time you are at a market, look for three vegetables. Say their English names to yourself.
3. Speak: Your mission is to tell a friend about a food you like and describe its flavor. (e.g., "I like mangoes because they are sweet.")

book Lesson Glossary

1. Vegetable (noun) - Khmer: បន្លែ - A plant or part of a plant used as food. ↩
2. Meat (noun) - Khmer: សាច់ - The flesh of an animal eaten as food. ↩
3. morning glory (noun) - Khmer: ត្រកួន - A popular green vegetable in Cambodia, often stir-fried. ↩
4. beef (noun) - Khmer: សាច់គោ - Meat from a cow. ↩
5. pork (noun) - Khmer: សាច់ជ្រូក - Meat from a pig. ↩
6. delicious (adjective) - Khmer: ឆ្ងាញ់ - Having a very good taste. ↩
7. sweet (adjective) - Khmer: ផ្អែម - Having the taste of sugar. ↩
8. spicy (adjective) - Khmer: ហឹរ - Having a strong, hot flavor from chili. ↩
9. sour (adjective) - Khmer: ជូរ - Having a sharp taste like a lemon or tamarind. ↩