One of the pieces of information you may need to find out is where things are. Remember that when you ask where something is, estar is the verb you generally use.
Wheres?
Estoy buscando la calle Teruel, ¿sabe usted dónde está?Im looking for the calle Teruel. Do you know where it is?¿Sabe usted dónde está el restaurante Don Alfonso?Do you know where the restaurant Don Alfonso is?Perdone, ¿dónde están los servicios?Excuse me, where are the toilets?Before you decide where to eat or what to eat, you may want to find out what the restaurant or the food is like. Dont forget that Spanish has two verbs for to be: ser and estar. For more on these verbs, see here.
Is?
¿Es un restaurante muy caro?Is it a very expensive restaurant?¿Es un plato típico de la zona?Is it a typical local dish?¿Es apto para vegetarianos?Is it suitable for vegetarians?¿La bebida está incluida en el menú de 10 euros?Are drinks included in the 10-euro set menu?To ask more specifically about the menu, you can use ¿Qué? (What?).
What?
¿Con qué lo sirven?What does it come with?¿Qué lleva?Whats in it?Las gambas en gabardina, ¿qué son?What are gambas en gabardina?¿Qué hay de postre?What is there for dessert?If you want to ask the price of something, you can use ¿Cuánto vale? (How much is?).
How much is?
¿Cuánto vale una botella de vino de la casa?How much is a bottle of house wine?¿Cuánto vale el menú del día?How much is the set menu?ASKING FOR THINGS
If you havent already got a reservation at the restaurant where youre planning to eat, youll need to ask if theres a table you can have. ¿Tienen? is the right verb form to use whenever asking if something is available in hotels, restaurants and shops. It is from the verb tener. For more information on tener, see here.
Have you got?
¿Tienen una mesa para tres?Have you got a table for three, please?¿Tienen alguna mesa libre para esta noche?Have you got a table available for tonight?¿Tienen menú del día?Do you have a set menu?¿Tienen la carta en inglés?Have you got the menu in English?¿Tienen vino de la casa?Do you have a house wine?¿Tienen menú infantil?Have you got a childrens menu?Una mesa para dos, por favor.A table for two, please.¿LO SABÍAS?
Of course if you have made a reservation, instead of asking if theres a table free, youll be able to say he reservado una mesa para dos a nombre de (Ive booked a table for two in the name of).
To say what youd like or what you want, you can use either quisiera or quiero (Id like). They are both from the verb querer. For more information on querer, see here. To attract the waiters attention, you just need to say ¿Puede venir, por favor? (Can you come over?) or ¡Oiga, por favor! (Excuse me, please!).
Id like
Quisiera reservar mesa para las 9.00.Id like to book a table for 9 oclock.Quisiera pedir.I'd like to order.Quisiera dos cafés más, por favor.Id like two more coffees, please.Yo quiero una tortilla.I'd like an omelette.Yo quiero gazpacho.I'd like gazpacho.Quiero el bistec muy hecho.I'd like my steak well done.¿LO SABÍAS?
To a Spanish ear, you may sound unnatural, overformal and foreign if you pepper your requests with por favor the way we use please in English. So dont overuse it, and dont keep repeating it.
To say what youve chosen, you can use voy a tomar (Ill have).
Ill have
De primero voy a tomar sopa.As a starter I'll have soup.De segundo voy a tomar ternera.For the main course I'll have veal.De postre voy a tomar flan.For dessert Ill have crème caramel.Para beber vamos a tomar vino blanco.We'll have white wine.¿LO SABÍAS?
If you havent made up your mind what you want to eat when the waiter appears with a notebook, youll want to send him or her away temporarily. To do this you can say todavía no he decidido (Im not ready to order yet) or todavía no hemos decidido (were not ready to order yet).
When youre at your table, a very natural way to ask the waiter for what you want is by using ¿Me trae? (Can I have? or Can you bring me?). If youre being served at the bar, use ¿Me pone? for Can I have?.
Can I have?
¿Me trae otra ración de ensaladilla rusa?Can I have another portion of Russian salad?¿Nos trae otra botella de vino?Can we have another bottle of wine, please?¿Nos trae más pan?Can we have some more bread?¿Nos trae la cuenta, por favor?Can we have the bill, please?¿Me pone una cerveza?Can I have a beer?You can also use ¿Puede? (Can you?) or ¿Podría? (Could you?) when asking for things. They are both from the verb poder (to be able). For more information on poder, see here.
Could you?
¿Puede traernos la carta de vinos, por favor?Can you bring us the wine list, please?¿Puede traerme otro tenedor?Can you bring me another fork?¿Puedes pasarme la sal?Can you pass me the salt?¿Podría bajar la música un poco?Could you turn the music down a bit?¿Podrías pasarme el vino?Could you pass me the wine?Would you mind?
¿Le importaría cerrar la ventana?Would you mind closing the window?¿Le importaría encender el ventilador?Would you mind putting on the fan?¿Le importa pedirle que no fume?Would you mind asking him not to smoke?SAYING WHAT YOU LIKE, DISLIKE, PREFER
When youre eating out, you may want to talk about what you like and dislike when it comes to food. Dont forget that the Spanish for I like works rather differently from English. You use me gusta with singular words and me gustan with plural ones. And its the same story with me encanta and me encantan (I love). To say what you dont like, use no me gusta or no me gustan (I dont like).
I like
Me gusta el gazpacho.I like gazpacho.Me gustan las uvas.I like grapes.Me encantan las cerezas.I love cherries.Nos encanta la paella.We love paella.I dont like
No me gusta el jamón.I don't like ham.No me gustan las judías verdes.I don't like green beans.No me gusta nada el pescado.I hate fish.Do you like?
¿Te gusta la leche?Do you like milk?¿Te gustan las fresas?Do you like strawberries?¿No te gusta el té?Don't you like tea?¿LO SABÍAS?
Note that in Spanish when you talk about things that you like in general, you need to say the equivalent of I like the gazpacho, I dont like the ham even though in English its I like gazpacho and I dont like ham.
Id rather
Prefiero beber zumo de naranja.I'd rather have orange juice.Prefiero el vino tinto.I prefer red wine.Preferimos tomar paella.We'd rather have paella.If you have specific dietary requirements, you can sometimes describe them using soy (Im).
Im
Soy alérgico al marisco.Im allergic to shellfish.Soy vegetariano.Im a vegetarian.Soy abstemio.Im a teetotaller.MAKING SUGGESTIONS
You may want to make suggestions to Spanish-speaking companions. One way to do this is to use podemos and podríamos (we can and we could). podemos and podríamos come from poder. For more information on poder, see here.
We could
Podríamos sentarnos cerca de la ventana.We could sit by the window.Podríamos compartir una ensalada.We could share a salad.Si lo prefieres, podemos sentarnos en la terraza.We can sit outside, if you prefer.Podemos tomar el café cuando volvamos al hotel si prefieres.If youd rather, we can have our coffee when we get back to the hotel.To ask a friend or young person if they would like something, you can use ¿Quieres? (Would you like?). Alternatively, you can use ¿Te apetece? (Do you fancy?) with a singular noun and ¿Te apetecen? with a plural one.
Would you like?
¿Quieres un café?Would you like a coffee?¿Quieres probar un poco de esto?Would you like to try a bit of this?¿Te apetece un helado?Do you fancy an ice cream?¿Te apetece tomar un licor?Do you fancy having a liqueur?¿Te apetecen unas fresas?Do you fancy some strawberries?Another way of making a suggestion is to use ¿Por qué no? (Why dont?).