How to Discuss Meals with American Sign Language

Whether you're going to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner with friends who use American Sign Language (ASL), you need to know a few signs about your meal. And don't forget to thank your host or hostess with the appropriate sign!

Signing breakfast-related words and phrases

You sign "breakfast" by signing "morning meal."

The signs in this table can certainly help at the breakfast bar or at the breakfast table.

Get going on practicing your early-morning skills with the following examples:

• English: I want eggs, not cereal.

  Sign: EGGS WANT — CEREAL NOT — ME

  

• English: The orange juice is cold.

  Sign: COLD O-J

  

• English: I’ll have sausage and eggs.

  Sign: SAUSAGE — EGGS — HAVE ME

  

Signing words associated with lunch

To sign "lunch," combine "noon" and "meal."

Doing lunch with friends is at your fingertips. The set of signs in this table can hold you through the afternoon.

Follow these examples:

• English: I’m hungry, and it’s time for lunch.

  Sign: NOW TIME — NOON FOOD — HUNGRY ME

  

• English: I’d like a cheeseburger and fries.

  Sign: CHEESEBURGER — FRIES — LIKE ME

  

• English: The soda is cold.

  Sign: SODA — COLD

  

• English: I want a sandwich and salad for lunch.

  Sign: NOON FOOD — SANDWICH — SALAD — WANT ME

  

Dinner-related words in Sign language

Because dinner is served in the evening, you sign it as "evening meal."

Putting the evening meal into conversation is a piece of cake. Follow the signs in this table, and you’ll say a mouthful.

Here are some dinner-related sentences to give you practice:

• English: Soup and bread were served.

  Sign: FINISH — SOUP — BREAD — SERVE

  

  Finish at the beginning of a sentence adds past tense to the whole sentence. (See Chapter 2 for more information on signing in past tense.)

• English: Chicken and spaghetti are on special.

  Sign: SPECIAL — WHAT — CHICKEN — SPAGHETTI

  

• English: The steak is rare.

  Sign: STEAK — R-A-R-E

  

• English: I’d like a potato with my fish.

  Sign: MY FISH — POTATO TOGETHER — WANT ME

  

Sign language for beverages

Drinks are often a big part of any meal. This table can help you when asking for common beverages.

Here are some sentences that use beverage signs:

• English: We need ice.

  Sign: I-C-E — NEED US

  

• English: The water is warm.

  Sign: WATER — WARM

  

• English: I need a glass for my beer.

  Sign: BEER GLASS — NEED ME

  

• English: The coffee is strong.

  Sign: COFFEE — STRONG