How to Say ‘Have you eaten yet?’ in Simplified Chinese
吃饭了吗？
chī fàn le ma
[chr fan luh mah]
🇨🇳 In China: This is a friendly greeting, much like "How's it going?", and not an invitation to a meal. A simple 吃了 or 还没 "not yet" is all anyone expects back.
Phrase Breakdown
吃饭
chī fàn
[chr fan]
to eat a meal
A common everyday expression meaning to have food or eat together.
我们晚上一起吃饭，庆祝生日。
We will eat together tonight to celebrate the birthday.
了
le
[luh]
completed-action particle
A particle placed after a verb to show the action happened or was completed.
我看了一眼，觉得价格不对。
I took a quick look and felt the price was wrong.
吗
ma
[mah]
question particle (yes/no)
Placed at the end of a sentence to turn it into a yes/no question.
新年你回家了吗？
Did you go home for the New Year?
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