Ordering at a Café
Spanish Basic Conversation 1
Chapter 8 · Ordering Food & Drink at a Café
☕ Ordering at a Café — En el bar
In Spain the bar is a café, bar and snack place in one, open from breakfast to late evening. This chapter covers ordering a drink and something to eat, politely asking for what you want with quisiera and me gustaría, and asking for the bill. The tables give the respelling, and a Hard words box helps with the trickiest words.
① Breakfast (formal) — Un café con leche
A:
Buenos días. ¿Qué desea?
Good morning. What would you like?
B:
Quisiera un café con leche y una tostada, por favor.
I'd like a white coffee and a piece of toast, please.
A:
Muy bien. ¿Algo más?
Very good. Anything else?
B:
No, nada más. Gracias.
No, nothing else. Thank you.
② A Small Coffee (informal) — Un cortado
A:
Hola. ¿Qué te pongo?
Hello. What can I get you?
B:
Un cortado, por favor.
A cortado, please.
A:
¿Quieres algo de comer?
Do you want something to eat?
B:
Sí, un bocadillo de jamón.
Yes, a ham sandwich.
③ Drinks with Friends — Una caña
A:
¿Qué tomáis?
What are you having?
B:
Yo una caña. ¿Y tú, Marta?
I'll have a small beer. And you, Marta?
C:
Un agua con gas, por favor.
A sparkling water, please.
A:
Dos cañas y un agua con gas. Y unas tapas.
Two small beers and a sparkling water. And some tapas.
④ Lunch (formal) — El menú del día
A:
Buenas tardes. ¿Tienen menú del día?
Good afternoon. Do you have a set menu?
B:
Sí. Primero, sopa o ensalada. Segundo, pollo o pescado.
Yes. First, soup or salad. Second, chicken or fish.
A:
Me gustaría ensalada y pescado, por favor.
I'd like salad and fish, please.
B:
¿Y para beber?
And to drink?
⑤ Likes — Me gusta el café
A:
¿Te gusta el café?
Do you like coffee?
B:
Sí, me gusta mucho. ¿Y a ti?
Yes, I like it a lot. And you?
A:
A mí me gusta el té, pero no me gusta la leche.
I like tea, but I don't like milk.
B:
Entonces, un té solo.
Then, a tea with no milk.
⑥ The Bill (formal) — La cuenta, por favor
A:
Perdone, la cuenta, por favor.
Excuse me, the bill, please.
B:
Enseguida. Son once euros con cincuenta.
Right away. That's 11 euros 50.
A:
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?
B:
Sí, claro.
Yes, of course.
🗣️ Key Phrases — Frases clave
| English | Formal (usted) | Informal (tú) |
|---|---|---|
| What would you like? | ¿Qué desea? keh deh-SEH-ah | ¿Qué quieres? / ¿Qué te pongo? keh KYEH-rehs / keh teh POHN-goh |
| I'd like… | Quisiera un café, por favor. / Me gustaría un café. kee-SYEH-rah oon kah-FEH / meh goos-tah-REE-ah oon kah-FEH | |
| Anything else? | ¿Algo más? AHL-goh MAHS | ¿Algo más? |
| The bill, please. | La cuenta, por favor. lah KWEHN-tah por fah-BOR | |
Quisiera and Me Gustaría: Polite "I'd Like"
Quiero ("I want", from querer, Chapter 5) is correct but blunt. Quisiera and me gustaría both mean "I would like" and sound politer. For now learn them as ready-made phrases; each is followed by the thing you want (quisiera un café) or an infinitive (me gustaría comer). In a busy bar you will also hear and say simply "Un café, por favor."
🍽️ Food and Drink on the Menu — La carta
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| un café solo | oon kah-FEH SOH-loh | a small black espresso |
| un cortado | oon kor-TAH-doh | an espresso with a little milk |
| un café con leche | oon kah-FEH kohn LEH-cheh | coffee with (more) milk |
| una caña | OO-nah KAH-nyah | a small draught beer |
| un agua (con gas / sin gas) | oon AH-gwah (kohn GAHS / seen GAHS) | water (sparkling / still) |
| un bocadillo | oon boh-kah-DEE-yoh | a sandwich (in a bread roll) |
| unas tapas | OO-nahs TAH-pahs | some small snacks |
| el menú del día | ehl meh-NOO dehl DEE-ah | the set-price lunch |
Un agua, not una agua
Agua is feminine, but in the singular it takes un / el to avoid two a sounds together: un agua, el agua. Adjectives stay feminine (el agua fría) and the plural is regular: las aguas.
🔤 Verbs — Pedir, tomar, beber
Pedir ("to ask for, to order") changes e → i in every form except nosotros and vosotros. Tomar ("to have, to take") is a regular -ar verb and beber ("to drink") a regular -er verb (Chapter 6).
| pedir (to order) | tomar (to have, take) | beber (to drink) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | pido PEE-doh | tomo TOH-moh | bebo BEH-boh |
| tú (you, informal) | pides PEE-dehs | tomas TOH-mahs | bebes BEH-behs |
| él, ella, usted | pide PEE-deh | toma TOH-mah | bebe BEH-beh |
| nosotros (we) | pedimos peh-DEE-mohs | tomamos toh-MAH-mohs | bebemos beh-BEH-mohs |
| vosotros (Spain) | pedís peh-DEES | tomáis toh-MAHYS | bebéis beh-BAYS |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | piden PEE-dehn | toman TOH-mahn | beben BEH-behn |
A first look at gustar — "to like"
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Me gusta el café. | meh GOOS-tah ehl kah-FEH | I like coffee. |
| ¿Te gusta el té? | teh GOOS-tah ehl TEH | Do you like tea? |
| No me gusta la leche. | noh meh GOOS-tah lah LEH-cheh | I don't like milk. |
| Me gustan las tapas. | meh GOOS-tahn lahs TAH-pahs | I like tapas. |
Gustar Works "Backwards"
Gustar literally means "to be pleasing (to)". The thing you like is the subject, so the verb agrees with it: me gusta + singular thing (el café), me gustan + plural things (las tapas). For "you like" use te gusta. This is only a first look; the full pattern comes later, and Spanish Grammar 2 7 explains it in detail.
📖 Vocabulary — Vocabulario
20 key words. Read the Spanish first, then check the respelling (CAPITALS = the stressed syllable).
| # | Spanish | Say it | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | el bar | ehl BAR | bar, café | noun |
| 2 | la carta | lah KAR-tah | menu (the full list) | noun |
| 3 | la cuenta | lah KWEHN-tah | the bill | noun |
| 4 | la propina | lah proh-PEE-nah | tip | noun |
| 5 | el camarero / la camarera | kah-mah-REH-roh / kah-mah-REH-rah | waiter / waitress | noun |
| 6 | la leche | lah LEH-cheh | milk | noun |
| 7 | el té | ehl TEH | tea | noun |
| 8 | el zumo | ehl THOO-moh | juice | noun |
| 9 | la tostada | lah tohs-TAH-dah | toast | noun |
| 10 | el jamón | ehl khah-MOHN | ham | noun |
| 11 | la ensalada | lah ehn-sah-LAH-dah | salad | noun |
| 12 | el pescado | ehl pehs-KAH-doh | fish | noun |
| 13 | el pollo | ehl POH-yoh | chicken | noun |
| 14 | pedir | peh-DEER | to order, ask for | verb |
| 15 | tomar | toh-MAR | to have, take | verb |
| 16 | beber | beh-BEHR | to drink | verb |
| 17 | pagar | pah-GAR | to pay | verb |
| 18 | con / sin | kohn / seen | with / without | prep |
| 19 | ¿Algo más? | AHL-goh MAHS | anything else? | phrase |
| 20 | enseguida | ehn-seh-GEE-dah | right away | adv |
Hard Words
cortado = kor-TAH-doh · caña = KAH-nyah (ñ = "ny") · bocadillo = boh-kah-DEE-yoh (ll like English "y" in "yes") · jamón = khah-MOHN (j = throaty "kh") · zumo = THOO-moh (Spain: z = "th") · camarero = kah-mah-REH-roh (single r is a quick tap) · enseguida = ehn-seh-GEE-dah. In the dialogs, ¿Quieres algo de comer? = KYEH-rehs AHL-goh deh koh-MEHR and ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? = PWEH-doh pah-GAR kohn tar-KHEH-tah are phrases for now (puedo comes in a later chapter).
How the Bar Works
In a bar you can stand at the counter or sit at a table, and you often pay at the end rather than on each order, so ask for la cuenta when you want to leave. To get a waiter's attention, Perdone ("excuse me") is a safe, polite choice. The menú del día is a fixed-price lunch, usually served on weekdays, with a first course, a second course, bread, a drink and a dessert or coffee. Practices differ by place and region.
Tipping in Spain
Tipping (la propina) is not obligatory and is smaller than in some countries. For a coffee or a beer, leaving small coins or nothing is common. For a meal, rounding up or leaving a few coins is typical. Treat these as rough guides, not rules.
Latin America Note
In Latin America a common word for "the bill" is also la cuenta, and for the plural "you" people say ¿Qué van a tomar? instead of ¿Qué tomáis? Words differ by country: zumo (juice) is mostly Spain, where much of Latin America says jugo, and caña and cortado are very Spanish usage. Tipping customs also vary by country, and in some places a service charge may be added.
Grammar Pointer
Gustar is explained in Spanish Grammar 2 7, and the conditional (me gustaría) in Spanish Grammar 3 10. The imperfect subjunctive form quisiera is covered in Spanish Grammar 4 4. Use them as references after this chapter.
✍️ Try It Yourself — Ejercicios
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Politely order a white coffee and a piece of toast.
Show answer
Quisiera un café con leche y una tostada, por favor. (or Me gustaría…)
2. Say: "A cortado and a ham sandwich, please."
Show answer
Un cortado y un bocadillo de jamón, por favor.
3. Complete: "Yo ___ un café." (tomar) · "Nosotros ___ una caña." (pedir) · "Ellos ___ agua." (beber)
Show answer
tomo · pedimos · beben.
4. Say: "I like coffee, but I don't like tea." and "Do you like tapas?"
Show answer
Me gusta el café, pero no me gusta el té. · ¿Te gustan las tapas?
5. Ask for a sparkling water, then ask the waiter for the bill.
Show answer
Un agua con gas, por favor. … Perdone, la cuenta, por favor.
6. The waiter says ¿Algo más? and you want nothing else. What do you answer?
Show answer
No, nada más. Gracias.
Coming Up in Chapter 9
Shopping and prices: ¿Cuánto cuesta? ¿Tiene…? Me lo llevo, euros and cents, buying bread and fruit, las rebajas (sales) and the market (el mercado).