Rocket Spanish Newsletter Series
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Hola and welcome to the Rocket Spanish Newsletter Series!
In this lesson you will learn everything you need to know when going to a restaurant in a Spanish speaking country. Let’s start.
It’s not common in Spain or Latin American countries to be seated by the waiter or waitress. Instead you just choose the table yourself. In some restaurants the menu will be on the table already otherwise the waiter will bring it over to you as soon as possible. Just in case you do need to ask for the menu, say…
| Can I look at the menu, please? | ¿Puedo ver el menú, por favor? |
After looking at the menu, you could get asked one of the following questions…
Audio 1 Click Play To Hear Audio
| What would you like to eat? | ¿Qué desea comer? | |
| What would you like to drink? | ¿Qué desea tomar? | |
| Would you like to order? | ¿Qué desea ordenar? |
Sometimes all you might get asked is…
Audio 2 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Yes, please? | ¿Si? ¿Qué quiere? |
You could answer by saying one of these phrases…
Audio 3 Click Play To Hear Audio
| One moment, please. | Un momento, por favor. | |
| For the main course, I would like… | Como plato principal quiero… | |
| As a starter, I would like… | De primero, quiero… / De botana quiero… | |
| To drink, I would like… | Para beber, quiero… | |
| We need a little more time to decide. | Necesitamos mas tiempo para decidir. | |
| We’re ready to order. | Estamos listos para pedir. |
Not sure what you fancy eating? Just ask the waiter what he recommends…
Audio 4 Click Play To Hear Audio
| What can you recommend? | ¿Que nos recomienda? | |
| Can you recommend a local dish? | ¿Puede recomendarnos algún plato típico de aquí? | |
| Is there a house specialty? | ¿Hay alguna especialidad de la casa? | |
| What is the dish of the day? | ¿Cuál es el plato del día? | |
| What is the soup of the day? | ¿Cuál es la sopa del día? | |
| Do you have any vegetarian dishes? | ¿Tienen algún plato vegetariano? | |
| Which dishes have no meat / fish? | ¿Cuáles son los platos que no llevan carne / pescado? | |
| What types of sandwiches to you have? | ¿Que tipo de bocadillos tienes? | |
| What else is in the dish? | ¿Qué más trae el plato? | |
| Does it come with salad? | ¿Viene con ensalada? | |
| What vegetables are included in this dish? | ¿ Qué vegetales están incluídos en este plato? |
Chances are, you've heard the buzz about the "Tapas dining experience" –eating those little hot and cold dishes that are served up during cocktail hour in Spain.
Here are the names of some Tapas you can order…
A Tapa of…Unas tapas de…
Audio 5 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Olives | Aceitunas | |
| Meatballs | Albóndigas | |
| Cod in tomato sauce | Bacalao con tomate | |
| Slow-cooked, tender beef | Carne mechada | |
| Battered and fried tiny squid | Chopitos / Puntillitas | |
| Mushrooms in garlic | Champiñón al ajillo | |
| Prawns | Gambas | |
| Pork seasoned with garlic | Rajo | |
| Raw ham | Jamón | |
| Salted cod loin | Bacalao | |
| Potato Omelette | Tortilla de patatas | |
| Turnovers | Empanadas or empanadillas | |
| Chorizo sausage in wine | Chorizo al vino |
While In Spain you eat these enticing Tapas…each Spanish speaking country has it’s own distinct tasting food. Such as in Mexico, you’ll always have the tortillas to accompany your meal.
So here are common Mexican tortilla dishes…
Audio 6 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Soft tortilla with egg and chicken | Chilaquiles | |
| Rolled tortilla with filling | Enchilada | |
| Tortilla with cheese filling | Quesadilla | |
| Deep fried toasted tortilla | Tostada |
In order to get the dish you want simply say…
Audio 7 Click Play To Hear Audio
| I’ll have… | Quiero… | |
| Can you bring me…? | ¿Puede darme ... ? | |
| I want a dish containing… | Quisiera un plato que lleve... |
When ordering a steak in a Spanish-speaking restaurant, you may need to specify how you want it…well done, medium done or rare.
Audio 8 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Well done | Bien asado | |
| Medium done | Termino medio | |
| Rare | Poco asado |
Now, the waiter brings your dish and you’ll hear this essential phrase…
Audio 9 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Enjoy your meal. | ¡Buen provecho! |
Just in case you get the wrong dish…let’s learn how to call for the waiter …
Audio 10 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Waiter! | ¡Camarero! / ¡Mesero! | |
| This is not what I ordered. | Esto no es lo que he pedido. |
During your meal, the waiter may come to check if everything is ok.
Audio 11 Click Play To Hear Audio
| How’s everything? | ¿Cómoestátodo? | |
| Is everything ok? | ¿Todo está bien? | |
| Would you like more to drink? | ¿Quiere algo más de tomar? | |
| Would you like some dessert? | ¿Quiere algo de postre? |
If you need some pepper, salt, bread....just say…
Audio 12 Click Play To Hear Audio
| May I have some….? | ¿Me puede dar un poco de...? | |
| Black pepper | Pimienta | |
| Salt | Sal | |
| Butter | Mantequilla | |
| Bread | Pan | |
| Olive oil | Aseite de oliva |
Once you finished your meal you ask for the bill…
Audio 13 Click Play To Hear Audio
| The bill, please. (casual) | La cuenta, por favor. | |
| Please bring the bill. | Por favor traigame la cuenta. | |
| Is service included? | ¿La propina está incluida? |
The waiter or waitress will bring the bill to your table. If you are eating out with a group you might get asked whether you want to pay separately or together. You can answer with…
Audio 14 Click Play To Hear Audio
| We’d like to pay together. | Nos gustaría pagar juntos. | |
| We’d like to pay separately. | Nos gustaría pagar por separado. |
When paying the bill, you may need to ask if they accept credit card, or travellers’ cheque...
Audio 15 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Do you accept credit card? | ¿Acepta usted tarjeta de credito? | |
| Do you accept travellers' check?. | ¿Acepta usted cheques de viajero? |
It is kind of expected to tip in Spanish restaurants. A tip is usually 10% of the price or more if you were satisfied. Not tipping implies that you didn’t enjoy your time at the restaurant. The word for tip is…
Audio 16 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Tip | Propina |
That’s it for today’s lesson.
See you soon! ¡Hasta pronto!
Mauricio Evlampieff
Rocket Spanish
|
P.S. Don't forget to check out my special bonus offer only available for 6 Day Course subscribers:
http://www.rocketlanguages.com/spanish/6day_special.php |
P.P.S You can practice your Spanish skills with this exercise.
Exercise 1. Match the Spanish phrases and words with the correct English translation. Write the letter of the correct answer in the space provided.
1. Propina. |
( ____ ) |
a. What would like to eat? |
2. ¿Qué desea comer? |
( ____ ) |
b. Enjoy you meal! |
3. La cuenta, por favor. |
( ____ ) |
c. We’re ready to order. |
4. ¡Buen provecho! |
( ____ ) |
d. The bill, please. |
5. Estamos listos para pedir. |
( ____ ) |
e. Tip |
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