This is the seventh lesson in our beginner level Spanish course looking at vocabulary and phrases useful for ordering and paying for food and drink in a Spanish restaurant.
In our previous lesson we focused on the Spanish verb Querer (To want) and practiced using it with some common drinks vocabulary, including Café (Coffee), Té (Tea), Cerveza (Beer), and Vino (Wine). In this Spanish Lesson 7 we are going to continue using Querer. We will also see how to understand prices and learn phrases that will enable you to say what you want for first course, second course, and dessert.
In a Spanish Restaurant
Useful vocabulary
(El) Restaurante: Restaurant
(La) Mesa: Table
(La) Silla: Chair
(El) Menú: Menu
(El) Primer plato: First course
(El) Segundo plato: Main course
(El) Postre: Dessert
(La) Cuenta: Bill
(El) Camarero: Waiter
(La) Camarera: Waitress
Por favor: Please
Gracias: Thank you
In Spanish Lesson 6 we discussed El and La, which both mean The in Spanish. El is used with ‘masculine’ nouns/things and La is used with ‘feminine’ nouns/things. Every Spanish noun is either masculine or feminine and it is important to be aware of the gender of each noun you are using as other elements of your sentence will need to be altered according to this. For example: Un: A/An (for a masculine noun) and Una: A/An (for a feminine noun).
Useful phrases
When you enter a Spanish-speaking restaurant you can use the greetings we learned in Spanish Lesson 1 and say, for example:
Hola, buenas tardes (Hello, good afternoon).
You might then want to say that you want a table for a certain number of people. We can ask for this using El verbo Querer (To want) and the numbers we learned in Spanish Lesson 3. For example:
Quiero una mesa para cuatro personas (I want a table for four people). Remember that it is not rude to say Quiero… (I want…) when you are ordering things in Spanish.
If you want to ask the waiter (Camarero) or waitress (Camarera) for a menu you can say:
El menú por favor: The menu please.
To order your food you can use Querer once again and say, for example:
De primero quiero…: For starter I want…
De segundo quiero…: For main course I want…
De postre quiero…: For dessert I want…
Once you have finished eating you can ask for the bill like this:
La cuenta por favor: The bill please
Prices in Spanish
Finally, let’s take a look at prices in Spanish. Spain uses the Euro. Euros y céntimos (Euros and cents). Here are some examples of prices in Spanish:
€5.00: Cinco euros
€2.99: Dos euros con noventa y nueve céntimos
€10.50: Diez euros con cincuenta céntimos
You don’t have to say Euros and Céntimos. You can just say:
€2.99: Dos con noventa y nueve
€10.50: Diez con cincuenta
That is all for this lesson about ordering and paying for food and drink in a Spanish restaurant. If you are new to this course we recommend that you go back and review our previous lessons, starting with Spanish Lesson 1: Meeting and Greeting. And if you are unsure of anything related to the lessons, please do leave us your questions in the comments section below.
