IELTS Speaking Vocabulary - Topic 1

1. Food and Drinks

Cuisine (n) Món ăn The hotel restaurant is well-known for its local cuisine.

Lưu ý: từ này chỉ món ăn được dùng chủ yếu trong các nhà
hàng sang trọng.

Typical dish (n) Món ăn đặc trưng Pho is one of typical dishes in Vietnam

Staple food (n) Món ăn không thể thiếu Rice and fish are the staple food in China

Lưu ý: cụm này được sử dụng với những món ăn mà không

thể thiếu trong các bữa ăn.

(Ví dụ: Với Việt nam thì rice (cơm) là một staple food, còn
đối với Mỹ thì staple food là sandwich (bánh mỳ)

Dairy product (n) Sản phẩm từ sữa Leonard is allergic to dairy products like milk or butter.

Animal product (n) >< Sản phẩm từ động vật Because she is a vegetarian, she hardly ever consumes
plant product (n) >< sản phẩm từ thực vật animal products

Fast food (n) Đồ ăn nhanh My favorite fast foods are hamburger and fried chicken

Leftovers (n) Đồ ăn thừa I usually give the leftovers to my cats.

Takeaway (n) Đồ ăn làm sẵn được bán Nam doesn’t have much time to cook a whole meal by
để đem về nhà himself, so he usually gets a takeaway on the way home.

Home-cooked food (n) Đồ ăn nấu sẵn ở nhà Linda usually brings her home-cooked food along to work
for lunch.

Vocabs for food

Spring roll (n) Nem cuốn I’m really into spring rolls.
Moon cake (n) Bánh trung thu I really like Vietnamese moon cake.

Chung cake (n) Bánh Chưng Tet holiday often calls for Chung cakes.

Pasta ( n) Mì ống Pasta is of Italian origin.

Broth (n) Nước luộc thịt, nước Pho consists of rice noodles, broth made from beef bones
phở.. and onions.

Sauce (n) Sốt I enjoy eating fried chicken with tomato sauce.

Sandwich (n) Bánh mỳ Sandwiches are a kind of staple food in the US.

Barbecued chicken (n) Gà nướng Barbecued chicken is a typical dish in my hometown.

Vocabs for types of restaurants

Food stall (n) Quầy bán hàng ăn Bangkok is a mecca for foodies with many street food
stalls.

Fine dining restaurant Nhà hàng sang chảnh On my payday, I decided to indulge myself a bit by eating
(n) at a fine dining restaurant.

Eatery (n) Quán ăn nhỏ You can find many eateries across the street

Fast food chain (n) Chuỗi cửa hàng đồ ăn Lotteria is my favorite fast food chain.
nhanh

Vocabs for courses of meals

Starter/ Appetizer (n) Món khai vị We had ginger cookies for our starter

Main course (n) Món chính The main course was beef stew.

Dessert (n) Món tráng miệng I guess I’m too full to have dessert

Supper (n) Bữa ăn nhẹ trước khi đi I hardly ever have supper before going to bed
ngủ
Vocabs for ingredients

Condiment (n) Gia vị I suppose the dish would be bland without our special
condiments.

Garlic (n) Tỏi Garlic is usually served in Vietnamese dishes

Lemongrass (n) Sả You can add more flavor to your stir-fried chicken by using
a handful of lemongrass.

Herb (n) Rau thơm A wide range of herbs and spices are used in Vietnamese
dishes

Greens (n) Rau xanh My mother sprinkles the greens with lemon juice and salt
before dressing.

Onion (n) Hành tím You can flavor your sauce with onion

Vocasb for drinks

Beverage (n) Đồ uống nói chung This restaurant serves hot beverages like tea, coffee and hot
chocolate.

Dessert drink (n) Đồ uống tráng miệng I like to have a dessert drink while studying

Soft drink (n) Đồ uống có gas I suppose ice tea is better for you than soft
drinks such as coke or lemonade

Alcoholic drink (n) Đồ uống có cồn You should not have alcoholic drinks before getting behind
the wheel.

Vocabs for food/ drink flavor

Fragrant (adj) thơm The broth itself is light and fragrant/

Strong (adj) Mạnh, nặng (mùi vị) I can’t stand the strong smell of durians

Bland (adj) Nhạt, vô vị The soup is bland because I didn’t flavor it.

Distinctive (adj) Đặc biệt (giúp dễ phân I won’t forget the distinctive taste of this dish
biệt)

Fresh (adj) Tươi mới Home-grown fruits always taste fresher than those in shops.
Sweet >< bitter Ngọt >< đắng Bitter chocolate is not my thing

Benefits of eating moderately

Keep fit Giữ sức khỏe Besides doing exercise, eating on a healthy diet is a good
way to keep fit.

Lose weight Giảm cân If you want to lose weight, you should control the amount
of food you intake.

Sharpen one’s mind Khiến đầu óc nhanh Eating fish is believed to help people sharpen their mind
nhạy

Strengthen bones and Làm chắc xương và Regular consumption of dairy products has been proven to
teeth chắc răng strengthen bones and teeth.

Lower blood pressure Giảm huyết áp It is thought that fruits can help the elderly lower blood
pressure

Put sb in a good mood Khiến ai có tâm trạng tốt A cup of coffee in the morning can put me in a good mood

Ill effects of eating not in moderation

Obesity Béo phì A diet that is rich in fat can lead to obesity.

Food poisoning Ngộ độc thực phẩm Foods prepared at unhygienic places can cause food
poisoning.

Diabetes (n) Tiểu đường If you consume a large amount of sugar regularly, you are
likely to contract diabetes.

Malnutrition (n) Thiếu dinh dưỡng Skipping breakfast is one of the reasons why a child suffers
from malnutrition

High blood pressure Huyết áp cao Overconsumption of coffee can lead to high blood pressure

Tooth decay Sâu răng Many children have to visit dentists because they have
severe tooth decay

Food idioms & Collocation

eat like a bird (idm) Ăn ít như “mèo” She eats like a bird – she is on a strange diet
eat like a horse (idm) Ăn khỏe như “trâu” After working out, I eat like a horse

Be burnt to a crisp Cháy thành than By the time I got home, the chicken was burnt to a crisp
(idm)

couch potato (idm) người chỉ ngồi xem tivi He’s such a couch potato as he just spends all day long
cả ngày watching his favorite movie series.

cry over spilt milk Có khóc cũng không It’s no use crying over spilt milk, you should face the truth
(idm) làm gì được

full of beans (idm) Tràn trề năng lượng Although my grandpa is his mid sixties, he is full of beans

spoil appetite Làm mất ngon Having chocolate before the main course will spoil your
appetite.

2. Health Problems

Allergy (n) Dị ứng I have an allergy to wheat

Cancer (n) Bệnh ung thư Smoking can cause lung cancer

Infection (n) Bệnh nhiễm trùng Tom is suffering from a lung infection

Obesity (n) Béo phì A diet that is rich in fat can lead to obesity.

life-threatening disease (n) Bệnh đe dọa đến tính Diabetes is a life-threatening disease
mạng

Insomnia (n) Bệnh mất ngủ He has suffered from insomnia for a long time.

Health idioms

as fit as a fiddle (idiom) Khỏe như vâm Although my grandma is 70 years old, she’s as
fit as a fiddle

do somebody good (idiom) Có lợi cho ai Doing exercise can do you good

under the weather (idiom) Không được khỏe I’m a bit under the weather– I think I’m getting
cold
Put sb at risk of + (tên bệnh) Khiến ai có nguy cơ Smoking can put him at risk of lung cancer
mắc bệnh gì

Health Improvements

take up yoga (collocation) Bắt đầu tập yoga A lot of people take up yoga to relax

work out (collocation) Tập luyện I work out twice a week

physically demanding sports (n) Các môn thể thao yêu Young people often do some physically
cầu thể chất demanding sports such as football or
basketball.

athletic-based activities (n) Các hoạt động liên Children can take part in athletic-based
quan đến điền kinh activities to improve their physical health
(chạy, nhảy..)

combat sports (n) Các môn thể thao đối Combat sports, such as boxing and martial arts,
kháng are popular with a majority of young people

maintain a balanced diet Duy trì một chế độ ăn Maintaining a balanced diet is important for
uống lành mạnh staying in good shape

do taichi (collocation) Tập thái cực quyền The elderly can stay healthy by doing taichi

take a walk (collocation) Đi bộ Taking a walk every day can help reduce blood
pressure

Health benefits of doing exercise

remain/keep in good shape = stay Ở trạng thái khỏe Doing exercise regularly can help people keep
healthy = keep fit (collocation) mạnh fit

lose weight (collocation) Giảm cân Cycling is a great way to lose weight

enhance suppleness (collocation) Tăng cường sự dẻo dai Doing yoga can enhance suppleness

relieve stress (collocation) Giảm căng thẳng Some people go jogging to relieve stress
 3. Making friends

close friend Bạn thân

enjoy each other's company Thích dành thời gian cho nhau Steve and Noah are always
together, they definitely enjoy each
others company.

fair-weather friends Những người chỉ gắn bó khi cuộc A lot of John's friends turned out to
sống của bạn diễn ra tốt đẹp be fair-weather friends. They were
with him when he was rich and left
him when he went bankrupt.

near and dear to someone Rất quan trọng đối với ai đó Her parents are the only people who
are near and dear to her.

shoulder to cry on Người luôn lắng nghe những vấn đề I'm so glad my boyfriend is so kind
của bạn and sympathetic, it's good to always
have a shoulder to cry on.

to be through thick and thin vượt qua ngọt bùi và sóng gió Your parents are married for 15
years, they must have been through
thick and thin together.

to be well-matched Hợp nhau They are well-matched.

to fall out with Cãi vã, mâu thuẫn He ​left ​the party after ​falling out
with his ​girlfriend.

to get on well with somebody Hòa hợp với ai đó I'm an outgoing person and I easily
get on well with new people.

to have a lot in common Có cùng sở thích

to strike up (a conversation, a Bắt đầu (cuộc hội thoại, một mốt I feel awkward when I strike up a
relationship) quan hệ) conversation with unknown people.

ups and downs Những thăng trầm We're friends for almost 30 years!
Surely we've had our ups and
downs.