Languages / Mandarin / Level 2 · Unit 2

我更喜欢 — Expressing Preferences

Lesson 31 of 170 · Level 2 of 6All lessons
In this lesson

You are learning expressing preferences: you will read the scene it happens in, learn 10 words and phrases, take apart the pattern behind them (subj + 更 + verb/adj — prefer / more), hear them in a conversation, rehearse them, and finish by saying one thing out loud to be graded.

The scene

Two xiaolongbao restaurants on the same block — Jia Jia Tang Bao and Nanxiang. You choose sides. Preferences require 更 (gèng).

佳家 vs 南翔 — The Great Debate

In Shanghai, xiaolongbao allegiance is serious. Jia Jia Tang Bao on Huanghe Road uses thinner wrappers and more broth. Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant in Yu Garden has the heritage — established in 1900 — and a thicker, chewier skin.

Two friends sat at a café after eating at both. 「我更喜欢佳家汤包。」 I prefer Jia Jia. 「皮更薄,汤更多。」 The skin is thinner, the soup is more plentiful. The other friend disagreed. 「南翔也不错,但是佳家更新鲜。」

They ordered tea. 「你更喜欢什么茶?」 What tea do you prefer? 「我更喜欢绿茶。」 I prefer green tea. 「绿茶更清淡。」 Green tea is lighter. Every preference required 更 — and every opinion was worth having. In Shanghai, food opinions are a form of respect.