Prepare to speak Spanish Out There Aim: In this mini, self-study lesson we are going to learn how to order some typical Spanish food and drinks. Venue: To practise you should go to Plaza Mayor, if you are in Madrid, but if you are in another Spanish-speaking city you could go to a similar area where people are hanging about, chatting socially and are not moving or busy in any way - somewhere you will find different terrazas, places to eat and drink, with tables outside, and ask the questions in the task below. 1. Test: Do you know how to order a Spanish omelette in a restaurant? There is going to be a pause for you to say it, or just listen and repeat: Un pincho de tortilla, por favor. A little plate of Spanish omelette please. Did you sound similar to the voice in the recording? If not, try again. If it makes it easier, write the words, spelled as you hear them, on the dotted line under the Spanish text. 2. Here are some more phrases you can use to order: Tiene calamares? Quiero una ración de gambas.. Una caña, por favor. Do you have any squid? I would like a plate of prawns. A (glass of) beer, please. There are different ways to order, and even if the literal translation in English sounds a bit impolite don t worry, is is polite! These are the most common ways to order in Spanish. The intonation is very important, so listen to the recording carefully one more time. 3. Other possible questions and answers: Cuánto cuestan las tapas?.. Casi todas, uno cincuenta / dos euros. Algo más?.... No, eso es todo, gracias.... Si, una caña más, por favor. La cuenta por favor...... How much do the tapas cost? Almost all of them 1.50 / 2.00 Anything else? No, that s all, thanks. Yes, one more glass of beer please. The bill please. Copyright Languages Out There Ltd. 2006 1
*You will find numbers in the Introduction document. If you are not sure about them, why not ask the staff to write the price down. The question is: Cómo se escribe esto? How do you write this? * Please pause the podcast now to read the following glossary. 4. Glossary Una ración de : a plate of something to eat, usually prawns, squid, ham or cheese (typical way of ordering in Spain). These are normally served as shared plates. Un pincho de : a little plate of It can be used with many kinds of food like the phrases above, eg. Un pincho de jamón, or una ración de queso. gambas: prawns tortilla: Spanish omelette jamón: ham, and not jam! Remember: in Spanish j is pronounced like ch in the word loch and h is silent. queso: cheese calamares: squid una caña: a small glass of beer más: more, notice how it goes at the end of sentence, eg. Una caña más. tiene: you have / do you have, polite form. The verb is tener. See the Introduction document for the conjugation of the verb. Quiero: I want. The verb is querer, eg. quiero más pan. Cuánto?: How much? cuestan: cost, as in they cost, third-person plural. eso: that es: is. The verb is ser. casi: almost todo: all. The ending of the word changes according to the gender of the noun following, eg. todas (las tapas): all (the tapas) in feminine plural, or todos for masculine. * Continue listening to the podcast now. 5. More food and drinks: un helado de chocolate.... una sopa de verduras..... una ensalada mixta.... unos huevos fritos... Mas pan... a chocolate ice cream a vegetable soup a mixed salad some fried eggs More bread Copyright Languages Out There Ltd. 2006 2
un agua mineral..... un zumo de naranja.... un café.... un té..... un vaso de leche...... una cerveza...... un vino tinto / blanco..... una botella de vino tinto... una sangría... a (glass of) water a (glass of) orange juice a (cup of) coffee a (cup of) tea a glass of milk a beer a glass of red / white wine a bottle of wine a sangria 6. Now try to make a dialogue using the phrases and examples above. First write it and then try to say aloud. Go back to the recording and check your pronunciation. 7. Some useful language for your Out There task If you have done other mini self-study Spanish Out There lessons you probably remember the phrases below. If not, have a look: Disculpe, Señor / Señora Excuse me Sir / Madam Estudio español. I m learning Spanish. Puedo hacerle unas preguntas? Can I ask you some questions? Si / No / Vale. Yes / No / OK Lo siento, no entiendo. I m sorry, I don t understand. Puede repetirlo por favor? Can you repeat please? Cómo se escribe esto? How do you spell (write) this? Cómo se dice esto en español? How do you say this in Spanish? Muchas gracias. Thank you very much. Adiós! / Hasta luego. Goodbye! / See you later. Copyright Languages Out There Ltd. 2006 3
8. On the podcast, listen to the recordings of real students attempting this task and get inspired. Then, to practise before you go out there, try to find the missing words from the phrases below: 1. Lo, no entiendo. 2. Un pincho de, por favor. 3. español. 4. caña, por favor. 5. una ración de gambas. 6. Tiene? 7. cuestan las tapas? 8. La por favor. 9. Una de vino tinto. 10. Un de naranja. Out There Task Now you can practise in a terraza and reward yourself with some nice Spanish food. Go to Plaza Mayor, if you are in Madrid, or any area with terrazas and order your food and drinks in Spanish. Remember to tell the staff that you are learning Spanish. Also, look at the menu and find the names of more dishes or drinks that you would like to try. In the box below, take notes of your conversation, so that you can remember it. Hola. Estudio español. How did that go? Copyright Languages Out There Ltd. 2006 4
You have now completed another mini, self-study Spanish Out There lesson. If you liked being able to communicate in Spanish, there are more lessons you can do. Or why not book some original Spanish Out There lessons at quality Language schools in Spain. These start in the classroom and then you go Out There with your teacher. For more information, visit www.languagesoutthere.com. More about Languages Out There Languages Out There was established by experienced language-teaching professionals in 2001. The first (English) courses were taught in London. Use it and you won t lose it. By using your new knowledge instantly you ll remember it and have the confidence to use your new skills again and again. You ll get a buzz from making yourself understood to native speakers. Our objective is to change the way that language is taught by introducing expertly structured methods that incorporate interactive, real world elements into every class. Our usual mode of lesson delivery is via fully qualified and experienced language teachers. Languages Out There courses are now available for a number of major languages and are taught in many of the world s major cities. Copyright Languages Out There Ltd. 2006 5