Learning a language is more than studying and remembering new words. You need to see them in context. Scenarios can give you the opportunity to see the Spanish language in a realistic context. For example, imagine you are in Spain and you would like to have something to eat or drink at the bar. How would you ask for it? In this article, we are going to study and practice the verb
At the Bar: How to Ask
First of all, let’s review the conjugation of the verb
| Querer |
| quiero quieres quiere queremos queréis quieren |
The conversation will probably start with a greeting, and then the waiter will ask something like
¿Qué quieres beber?
What do you want to drink? (informal)
¿Qué quiere beber?
What do you want to drink? (formal)
Querer or Desear
¿Qué desea beber?
What do you want to drink?
Y ustedes, señoras, ¿qué desean beber?
And you mesdames, what would you like to drink?
In Spanish, using the verb
¿Qué desea?
How can I help you?
At the Bar: How to Answer
You may answer by asking for something.
¿Hay zumo de naranja?
Is there any orange juice?
¿Tienes té rojo?
Do you have any red tea?
You can also answer by saying what you want or by ordering something.
Quiero un café y un zumo de naranja, por favor.
I want a coffee and an orange juice, please.
Quiero una cerveza y unas aceitunas, por favor.
I’ll have a beer and some olives, please.
Yo quiero un café con leche y él quiere un vaso de agua, por favor.
I’ll have a coffee with milk and he wants a glass of water, please.
You can shorten some expressions by omitting the verb and it’s always nicer to say
Otra cerveza, por favor.
Another beer, please.
Para él, un zumo de naranja, por favor.
An orange juice for him, please.
Un vaso de agua y un café, por favor.
A glass of water and and a coffee, please.
Algo o Nada
Examine the following expressions using
¿Quiere algo para beber?
Do you want something to drink?
No, gracias. No quiero nada para beber.
No, thank you. I don’t want anything to drink.
Para Compartir
If you want to share your food, you need to order something and add
Deseamos patatas fritas y jamón para compartir, por favor.
We’d like to share some French fries and ham, please.
Unas tapas para compartir, por favor.
Some tapas to share, please.
Conversation: At the Bar
Knowing how to order food or drinks at a bar is very useful while traveling. Here is a short conversation to practice the phrases and vocabulary you have seen in this article.
Camarero: Buenos días. ¿Qué desean?
Elena: Buenos días. Yo quiero un filete, una ensalada y una botella de agua.
Antonio: Hola. Yo quiero una ensalada y una cerveza, por favor.
Camarero: ¿Desean algo más?
Elena: ¿Hay postres?
Camarero: Hay flan, frutas y pastel de chocolate.
Elena: Yo no quiero postre, gracias.
Antonio: Para mí un flan. Y la cuenta, por favor.