Everyday English · Read, listen and speak
Planning Food for a Shared Meal
Discuss food preferences before a shared meal, suggest a simple adjustment and agree what each person will bring.
Your speaking goal
State a food preference politely and agree on a shared meal with clear contributions.
Before you start: Imagine organising lunch with a friend. Invent a preference about flavour or ingredients and choose something you could bring.
Your six-step practice plan
- Understand: Read the goal and check the useful phrases.
- Listen or read: Follow both roles. Audio is optional.
- Repeat: Say one short line at a time, then join the words smoothly.
- Change details: Replace two details with imaginary ones.
- Role-play: Read the other person’s question, cover your reply and answer aloud. Then swap roles.
- Review: Use the “I can” checks below. Repeat any part that still needs help.
Work at your own pace. A clear message matters more than copying a particular accent.
Listen, read and notice
Roles: Mina and Evan
Browser-generated English voice; availability and sound vary by device. Use the written dialogue if audio is unavailable.
Mina: What shall we bring for lunch on Saturday?
Evan: I could make a bean salad. Do you like spicy food?
Mina: I prefer mild food. Could we keep the chilli dressing separate?
Evan: Of course. Everyone can add their own.
Mina: Great. I’ll bring some bread and fruit.
Evan: Would you prefer apples or oranges?
Mina: Either is fine. What do you like?
Evan: I prefer oranges.
Mina: Oranges it is, then. How many people are coming?
Evan: Four, including us.
Mina: So you’ll bring the salad and dressing, and I’ll bring bread and fruit for four.
Evan: Exactly. That sounds good.
Useful phrases and what they do
- I prefer mild food. — Explain which kind of flavour you like better.
- Could we keep the dressing separate? — Suggest letting people add it individually.
- Either is fine. — Say that both of the two offered choices are acceptable.
- I’ll bring ___. — Commit to a clear contribution.
Say it clearly
Stress the preference or change: ‘MILD food’ and ‘keep the dressing SEPARATE’. Say the final plan in two short groups, pausing between the two people’s contributions.
Build your own replies
I prefer ___. Could we ___? → Of course. I’ll bring ___, and you can bring ___.
Ask and check
Do you mean no chilli dressing at all? → No, just keep it separate, please.
Common mistakes and alternatives
‘Either is fine’ answers a choice between two options; it does not mean both must be provided. Use ‘I prefer mild food to spicy food’, not ‘I prefer mild food than spicy food’. ‘Mild’ means not strongly spicy here, not cold in temperature. ‘Chilli’ and ‘chili’ are common British and American spellings.
Check what you understood
Answer aloud before revealing each explanation. Natural replies with the same meaning also count.
Question 1
Does Mina ask Evan to leave the chilli dressing at home?
Show answer 1 and explanation
No. She asks to keep it separate so people can add it individually.
Question 2
What does ‘Either is fine’ mean when Evan offers apples or oranges?
Show answer 2 and explanation
Mina is happy with either of the two choices. It does not require Evan to provide both.
Question 3
Who will bring the bread and fruit, and how many people are coming?
Show answer 3 and explanation
Mina will bring the bread and fruit. There will be four people in total, including Mina and Evan. Evan will bring the salad and dressing.
Your turn: make it a real exchange
Practise alone: read the other person’s line, cover your reply and answer aloud. Then swap roles. No partner is needed.
Role A
State an imaginary food preference and suggest one simple adjustment. Agree what you will bring for a small shared meal.
Role B
Ask about preferences, respond to an adjustment and confirm the number of people and each contribution.
Make it easier: Keep the model visible and change one detail at a time.
Add a challenge: One planned ingredient is unavailable. Suggest another option and check that it fits the other person’s stated preference.
Ready to move on?
Try again with less reading. Use these checks and repeat any part that needs more practice.
- I can state a food preference politely.
- I can suggest and understand a simple adjustment.
- I can confirm what each person will bring.