A1 · Beginner · Home · 92 words · ~2 min read

🍲 Cooking a Traditional Dinner

Language focus: Imperatives · sequencing words

Before you read

Recipes are the purest form of instruction in English, and this story shows why: bare imperatives plus sequencing words. Notice the four words that organise the whole process — first, next, then, finally — and how they let you follow steps without any dates or times.

Tonight, Omar cooks a traditional dinner. He reads the recipe. First, he chops up some onions.

Next, he boils water in a saucepan. He adds some rice and a few spices.

Then he lets the sauce simmer slowly. Finally, he tastes it. “The secret ingredient is love,” he laughs.

While the sauce cooks, Omar washes the pans and lays the table. The kitchen smells wonderful.

After twenty minutes he turns off the heat. He serves the rice on two warm plates and adds a little fresh parsley on top. Dinner is ready.

Key vocabulary (8 words)

recipenoun: Instructions that tell you how to cook a dish.
chopverb: To cut food into small pieces.
boilverb: To heat a liquid until it bubbles.
saucepannoun: A deep round pot for cooking on the hob.
spicesnoun: Strong-tasting powders, like pepper, that flavour food.
simmerverb: To cook gently in liquid, just below boiling.
tasteverb: To try a little food to check the flavour.
ingredientnoun: One of the foods you use to make a dish.

Phrasal verbs in this story

chop up — To chop up means to cut something into small pieces.

The grammar in this story

Sequencing words order the steps

First, he chops up some onions. Next, he boils water. Then he lets the sauce simmer. Finally, he tastes it. These four words come at the start of the sentence, usually with a comma, and they replace any need for exact times. They work just as well for describing your morning as for a recipe.

Imperatives in a recipe stay in the base form

Written recipes use bare imperatives — chop the onions, boil the water, add the rice. This story tells it in the present simple because it describes Omar doing it, so the verbs take -s: he chops, he boils, he adds. Compare the two forms and you will see the difference between instructing and narrating.

A little and some with uncountable food

He adds some rice and a few spices, then a little parsley. Use a little and some with uncountable nouns (rice, water, parsley) and a few with countable plurals (spices, onions). Getting this pair right instantly makes your food English sound natural.

while for two things at the same time

“While the sauce cooks, Omar washes the pans.” While joins two actions happening together. At A1 you can use it with the present simple on both sides, exactly as here.

Phrases you can reuse today

First, chop the onions.: The classic recipe opening: sequencing word plus imperative.
Let it simmer for ten minutes.: Let it plus base verb — very common in cooking.
Add a little salt.: A little for uncountable amounts.
Dinner is ready.: The fixed phrase; not dinner is finished.

Comprehension quiz

What does Omar make?
- A traditional dinner
- A cake
- Breakfast
Show answer
A traditional dinner
First, he…
- chops up onions
- eats
- sleeps
Show answer
chops up onions
He boils water in a…
- saucepan
- basket
- cup
Show answer
saucepan
“Simmer” means to cook…
- gently and slowly
- very fast
- without heat
Show answer
gently and slowly
The order words are first, next, then,…
- finally
- never
- behind
Show answer
finally

Now use it yourself

Reading builds recognition; writing your own sentences is what turns it into something you can actually say. Three short tasks:

Write your favourite simple recipe in five imperative steps with sequencing words.
Describe what you cooked yesterday. Which words change from imperative to past simple?
Do you cook every day, sometimes or never? Answer with a frequency adverb.