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I don’t 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 don’t like the ham even though in English it’s I like gazpacho and I don’t like ham.
I’d 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 (I’m).
I’m…
Soy alérgico al marisco.I’m allergic to shellfish.Soy vegetariano.I’m a vegetarian.Soy abstemio.I’m 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 you’d 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 don’t…?).
Why don’t…?
¿Por qué no pruebas el pescado?Why don't you try the fish?¿Por qué no tomas otra copa de vino?Why don't you have another glass of wine?¿Por qué no tomamos un café para terminar?Why don't we have a coffee to finish with?No sé qué pedir. ¿Por qué no decides tú?I don’t know what to choose. Why don’t you decide?You could also try making suggestions about where or what you should eat using ¿Qué te parece si…? or ¿Qué tal si…?, which both mean How about…?
How about…?
¿Qué te parece si pedimos unas tapas?How about having some tapas?¿Qué te parece si pedimos una botella de cava?How about having a bottle of cava?¿Qué te parece si pedimos otra ración?How about asking for another portion?¿Qué tal si vamos a un restaurante gallego?How about going to a Galician restaurant?¿Qué tal si probamos los mejillones?How about trying the mussels?¿LO SABÍAS?
Don’t use un or una in front of otro and otra (another). To say another glass of wine, for instance, you just say otra copa de vino.
To ask someone what they think, use ¿Crees que deberíamos…? (Do you think we should…?).
Do you think we should…?
¿Crees que deberíamos reservar mesa?Do you think we should book a table?¿Crees que deberíamos tomar la paella?Do you think we should go for the paella?¿Qué vino crees que deberíamos tomar con esto? ¿Blanco o tinto?What sort of wine do you think we should have with this? White or red?What would you recommend?
No sé qué tomar de postre, ¿qué me recomienda?I don’t know what to have for dessert. What would you recommend?No puedo decidirme entre la paella y el pescado. ¿Cuál me recomienda?I can’t make up my mind between the paella and the fish. Which would you recommend?¿Recomienda usted algún plato de la zona?Is there a local dish you’d recommend?COMPLAINING
If you’re unfortunate enough to have something to complain about, remember that estar is the verb to use to talk about temporary, changeable qualities. For more on ser and estar, see here.
…is…
El café está frío.The coffee’s cold.El pan está duro.The bread’s stale.El vino está malo.The wine’s corked.El filete no está muy bien hecho.This steak isn’t very well cooked.You may want to say that there’s too much of something or that there isn’t enough of something. You can use demasiado and suficiente to do this.
…too much…
Hay demasiado ajo en esta salsa.There’s too much garlic in the sauce.La verdura tiene demasiada sal.There’s too much salt in the vegetables.No hay suficiente pan para todos.There isn’t enough bread for everyone.No hay suficientes copas.There aren’t enough glasses.¿LO SABÍAS?
Don’t forget to change the endings of demasiado and suficiente to go with the noun they describe. For more information on agreement of adjectives, see here.
You can also use demasiado to mean too. In this case, the ending always stays the same.
…too…
La música está demasiado fuerte.The music’s too loud.Esta mesa está demasiado cerca de la cocina.This table’s too close to the kitchen.You can say that something has run out by using no queda… (there isn’t any…left).
There isn’t any…left
No queda pan.There isn’t any bread left.No queda vinagre en la vinagrera.There isn’t any vinegar left in the bottle.LISTEN OUT FOR
Here are some of the key phrases you may hear when going out for a meal.
¿Le vendría bien a las nueve?Would nine o’clock suit you?¿Tienen reserva?Have you got a reservation?¿A nombre de quién está hecha la reserva?Under what name’s the booking?Estamos completos.We’re full.Sígame, por favor.Follow me, please.Pasen por aquí.This way please. (to more than one person)Pase por aquí.This way please. (to one person)Aquí tiene la carta de vinos.Here’s the wine list.El plato del día es la paella.The dish of the day is paella.La merluza se nos ha terminado.There isn’t any hake left.Es una especialidad de la zona.It’s a local speciality.¿Han decidido ya?Are you ready to order?¿Qué va a tomar?What are you going to have?¿Qué va a beber?What will you have to drink?¿Qué desea tomar?What would you like?Le recomendaría el pescado.I’d recommend the fish.¿Quieren beber algo primero?Would you like anything to drink first?¿Quieren café?Would you like any coffee?En seguida se lo traigo.I’ll bring it right away.Aquí lo tiene.Here it is.¿Desea alguna cosa más?Would you like anything else?En un momento estoy con usted.I’ll be right with you.A esto les invita la casa.This is on the house.Lifestyle Tips
• Spaniards usually don’t have lunch till around two or three and may not start their evening meal till nine, ten or even later. So it isn’t advisable to go out for dinner too early. If you can’t wait, however, you will find bars serving tapas
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