Preferences & Basic Transactions
Saying what you like doing and ordering food politely.
- check_circleI can say what I like and don't like doing
- check_circleI can order food and drinks politely
- check_circleI can ask for prices and pay in a shop or café
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Ana loves drinking coffee in the morning, but she hates waiting in long lines. Today the café was busy, so she waited almost ten minutes.
“Good morning! What would you like?” the barista asked.
“I’d like a cappuccino, please, and a small croissant,” Ana said.
“Anything else? Would you like it to go?”
“Yes, please. I’d like to pay by card.”
A few minutes later, Ana got her coffee and left. She really enjoys starting her day this way — even with the long line, a good cappuccino always makes it worth it.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
When we talk about our feelings toward activities, we use verbs of preference. When we want to buy something or order food, we use a different, more polite structure.
Like, Love, Hate + Gerund
When you use verbs like love, like, enjoy, don’t like, or hate followed by an action, that second action usually takes the -ing form (the gerund).
- I love reading.
- She likes cooking.
- We don’t like cleaning.
- He hates waking up early.
Would Like / I’d Like
When you are in a restaurant, a café, or a shop, it is rude to say “I want.” Instead, we use would like.
Would like is the polite version of “want.” We usually shorten it to ’d like.
- I want a coffee. (Direct, often considered rude)
- I would like a coffee. (Polite)
- I’d like a coffee, please. (Natural and polite)
If you want to do an action, use would like to:
- I’d like to order now.
- I’d like to pay by card.
Questions in Transactions
When a waiter asks you what you want, they will also use this structure:
- What would you like?
- Would you like anything to drink?
Waiter: What would you like to eat? Customer: I’d like the chicken sandwich, please. Waiter: And would you like anything to drink? Customer: Yes, I’d like a sparkling water.
- love / like / hate + -ing: I love reading
- I’d like = polite “I want” — for ordering: I’d like a coffee, please
- Waiter asks: What would you like? · Would you like anything else?
- I like = in general · I’d like = right now
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?