LinguaThree places, one set of tools
You can now order at a bar with quiero, quería and ¿me pone…?, buy by weight at the market with un kilo de and ¿a cuánto están?, and get through a menú del día choosing de primero, de segundo and de postre, saying what a dish is with ser and how it tastes with estar. Everything below is a reminder, not new material – read it once and go to the exercises.
| Phrase | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Quiero un café. | anywhere | direct order |
| Quería una tostada. | bar, café, shop | soft, polite order |
| ¿Me pone una caña? | standing at the bar | friendly request (Spain) |
| ¿Me trae la cuenta? | sitting at a table | asks the waiter to bring something |
| ¿Me da un kilo de peras? | market stall, everywhere | polite request for a quantity |
| Para mí, la sopa. | any table | says who gets what, no verb |
Prices and quantities: which question when
| Question | You ask about | Typical answer |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cuánto es? | the total, at the end | Son cuatro con cincuenta. |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta el queso? | the price of one thing | Cuesta seis euros. |
| ¿Cuánto cuestan los huevos? | the price of several things | Cuestan dos euros. |
| ¿A cuánto están los tomates? | today's market price per kilo | Están a dos euros el kilo. |
| Quantity | Food | Why that form |
|---|---|---|
| un kilo de | tomates | counted, so plural, no article |
| medio kilo de | queso | weighed, so singular; no un before medio |
| un litro de | leche | a liquid, singular |
| una docena de | huevos | twelve, so plural |
| una ración de | calamares | a full plate to share |
The menu: courses, ser and estar
| You want to say | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| what a dish is, always | ser | El gazpacho es una sopa fría. |
| how this plate tastes now | estar | La sopa está muy rica. |
| what you are, your diet | ser | Soy vegetariana. |
| what is on offer today | hay | De postre hay flan o fruta. |
| which slot a dish goes in | de + turno | De segundo, el pollo. |
Three traps to watch. Primero loses its -o only before a noun: el primer plato, but de primero. Medio never takes un: medio kilo, not un medio kilo. And rico for taste goes with estar – está muy rico – because es rico about a person means wealthy. Across the ocean, remember the twins: zumo / jugo, patata / papa, una caña / una cerveza.
¿Me da medio kilo de naranjas? ¿A cuánto están? – A un euro con cincuenta el kilo.Could you give me half a kilo of oranges? How much are they? – One euro fifty a kilo.
De segundo, para ella la paella y para mí la tortilla. – ¿Y de beber? – Dos cañas, por favor.For the main course, the paella for her and the tortilla for me. – And to drink? – Two small beers, please.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| el camarero | waiter | El camarero nos recomienda la paella. The waiter recommends the paella to us. |
| la cuenta | the bill, the check | Pedimos la cuenta después del postre. We ask for the bill after dessert. |
| el zumo | juice (Spain; Latin America: jugo) | Los niños beben zumo de manzana. The children drink apple juice. |
| la tostada | toast | La tostada lleva aceite y sal. The toast comes with oil and salt. |
| la naranja | orange (the fruit) | Compro naranjas para hacer zumo. I buy oranges to make juice. |
| el queso | cheese | Este queso es de cabra. This cheese is goat cheese. |
| un kilo de | a kilo of | Un kilo de tomates cuesta dos euros. A kilo of tomatoes costs two euros. |
| el postre | dessert | Hoy de postre hay helado. Today there is ice cream for dessert. |
| la ensalada | salad | La ensalada lleva tomate y lechuga. The salad has tomato and lettuce in it. |
| rico | tasty, delicious | El gazpacho está muy rico hoy. The gazpacho is very tasty today. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
You are standing at the bar in Spain and want a small draught beer. Which friendly request fits?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.