🚫🌶️🔥

How to Say ‘I can't eat anything too spicy.’ in Simplified Chinese

我不能吃太辣的。

wǒ bù néng chī tài là de

[wo bù néng chī tài là de]

💬 Usage Tip: The 的 at the end turns 太辣 into "food that's too spicy," so no noun is needed. The same trick works elsewhere: 我不吃太甜的 "I don't eat overly sweet stuff".

Phrase Breakdown

我不能吃

wǒ bù néng chī

I can't eat

不能 (bù néng) means 'cannot' and 吃 (chī) means 'eat'.

Example

我不能吃海鲜。

I can't eat seafood.

Words in this phrase

我

wǒ

[wo]

The speaker referring to themselves.

Example

我明天有空。

I am free tomorrow.

不能

bù néng

[bù néng]

cannot; must not

Expresses inability or not being allowed to do something, often for health or dietary reasons.

Example

我不能喝酒。

I can't drink alcohol.

吃

chī

[chī]

to eat

Basic verb for eating food.

Example

我们去吃火锅吧。

Let's go eat hotpot.

太辣的。

tài là de

things that are too spicy.

太 (tài) means 'too' and 辣 (là) means 'spicy'. 的 (de) turns it into a noun: 'spicy things'.

Example

别点太辣的。

Don't order anything too spicy.

Words in this phrase

太

tài

[tài]

too; overly

Adverb placed before an adjective to mean 'excessively'.

Example

这个菜太咸了。

This dish is too salty.

辣

là

[là]

spicy; hot

Adjective describing the burning taste of chili peppers.

Example

四川菜很辣。

Sichuan food is very spicy.

的

[de]

the one (nominalizer)

Placed after a word to mean 'the ... one', replacing a noun.

Example

我要大的。

I want the big one.

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