Eating Out - Lesson 1 - Conversation:

En la Barra de un Café

(At a Café Counter)


(photo by  GothPhil used under terms of Creative Commons license.)
barra de un cafe


 






Camarero:

Buenas tardes. ¿Qué van a tomar?

Good afternoon. What are you going to have?

Jim:

Yo, una caña. ¿Y tú Manolo?

I, a beer. And you Manolo?

Manolo:

Un chato.

A glass of wine.

Jim:

¿Qué tapas hay?

What [kind of] hors d'oeuvres are there?

Camarero:

Las que ustedes ven. También hay patatas fritas, chorizo, boquerones....

The ones you see. There are also potato chips, chorizo, boquerones ....

Jim:

Póngame aceitunas y boquerones.

Give me olives and
boquerones.

Manolo:

Para mí, chorizo y patatas fritas.

 

For me, chorizo and
potato chips.

...

Jim:

¿Otro chato, Manolo?

Another glass, Manolo?

Manolo:

Pues, sí.

Well, sure.

Jim:

Camarero, otro chato para mi amigo y otra caña para mí.

Waiter, another glass of wine for my friend and another beer for me.

Camarero:

¿Más tapas?

More hors d'oeuvres?

Jim:

¿Te gustan los chipirones, Manolo?

Do you like [the] chipirones, Manolo?

Manolo:

Sí, mucho.

Yes, a lot.

Jim:

Pues... una ración de chipirones y otra de gambas.

 

Then, an order of chipirones  and [another] one of shrimp.

 

Jim:

La cuenta, por favor.

The check, please.

Camarero:

Son doscientas setenta pesetas.

It's two hundred and seventy pesetas.

Jim:

Aquí tiene. Quédese con la vuelta.

Here you are. Keep the change.

Camarero:

Muchas gracias.

Thank you very much.


 




Notes on conversation

En la barra... In Spain, a café sells drinks and tapas. During morning hours, coffee and hot chocolate are served. There is usually a counter -- la barra -- where customers stand or seat themselves on high stools.

¿Que van a tomar? Literally: "What are you going to take?"

Una caña is literally "a glass." This is used in bars to order a beer.

Un chato is a small glass. This is used to order wine.

Tapas are "hors d'oeuvres," assorted tidbits and appetizers served with beer, wine, or mixed drinks. They are also called pinchitos. A larger portion is called una ración.

Some cafés and bars have tapas and raciones menus. A good way of spending an evening is ir de tapeo, or ir de pincheo. To Americans "tapa hopping" is going from bar to bar trying their special tapas with a drink.

Chorizo is a semi-dry, spicy sausage with a characteristically bright red color.

Boquerones are small pickled or fried fish.

Póngame..., "put on here," is said when one, sitting at a counter, orders some tapas and/or drinks. Traigame ..., "bring me," is used when a person orders from a table.

Chipirones are squid. They are small fried or cooked squid with a sauce and served as hors d'oeuvres.

¿Te gustan los chipirones? "Do you like squid?" Noticethat in Spanish you must use los ("the").