Ordering a Lunch Set | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Quiero pedir un menú de almuerzo para los dos.

   I want to order a lunch set for us.

   Quiero

   I want

   pedir

   to order

   menú

   set menu

   almuerzo

   lunch

   para los dos

   for the two of us

   More detail

   Quiero is the first-person singular present form of querer, “to want.” Querer + infinitive is a reusable way to say what you want to do: Quiero descansar means “I want to rest.” The subject is understood as “I” from the verb form. pedir is an infinitive meaning “to ask for” or, in this context, “to order.” With querer, it stays in the infinitive: Quiero pedir... means “I want to order...” The form pedir can also mean “to ask for” in other contexts, but the menu makes the ordering sense intended here. menú is a masculine noun meaning “menu” or “set menu.” Here it refers to the lunch set being ordered, rather than simply the list of available dishes. Its plural is menús. almuerzo is a masculine noun meaning “lunch.” In menú de almuerzo, de links the noun to the meal type: “lunch menu/set.” The noun almuerzo can also refer to the meal itself, as in El almuerzo está listo (“Lunch is ready”). para los dos means “for the two of us” in this sentence. Para marks the intended recipient or use, and los dos identifies a definite pair. Here, the translation’s “us” shows that the speaker is included in that pair. Los is masculine plural here; dos is the numeral “two.” Compare the reusable pattern para los dos (“for both of us/the two of us”) with para dos (“for two,” focusing on quantity rather than a definite pair). Together, Quiero pedir expresses the speaker’s desire to order, un menú de almuerzo identifies what is being ordered, and para los dos identifies who it is for. The whole utterance means: “I want to order a lunch set for us.”

2. ¿Prefieres pollo o pescado?

   Would you prefer chicken or fish?

   Prefieres

   do you prefer

   pollo

   chicken

   pescado

   fish

   More detail

   Prefieres means “you prefer” here. Its base form is preferir; prefieres is the present-tense form for singular informal tú. The question uses the present because it asks about the listener’s current choice. Compare prefiero = “I prefer” and prefiere = “he/she prefers” or formal singular “you prefer.” Example: ¿Prefieres té? — “Do you prefer tea?” pollo is the noun “chicken.” In this sentence it names one of the two food options. Example: Quiero pollo. — “I want chicken.” pescado is the noun “fish” as food. It is the other option in this question. Example: Hoy quiero pescado. — “Today I want fish.” The pattern ¿Prefieres X o Y? asks which of two options the listener prefers: “Would you prefer X or Y?” Here, ¿Prefieres asks about the listener’s preference, and pollo o pescado supplies the two alternatives. Together, the utterance means “Would you prefer chicken or fish?”

3. Hoy me parece mejor el pescado.

   Fish sounds better to me today.

   Hoy

   today

   me parece

   it seems to me

   mejor

   better

   pescado

   fish

   More detail

   Hoy means “today” and places the judgment in the present day. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or gender. Example: Hoy trabajo. — “I work today.” me parece comes from parecer, “to seem” or “to appear.” In this pattern, me marks the person to whom something seems a certain way: me parece is literally “it seems to me.” The thing being evaluated appears after the verb here. The verb form parece is third-person singular present; it agrees with the thing that seems a certain way, not with me. Example: La idea me parece buena. — “The idea seems good to me.” mejor means “better” in this sentence. It is the comparative form associated with bueno (“good”), and it is irregular: bueno → mejor, not a regular form such as *más bueno* in this basic comparison. Mejor does not change for gender or number in this use. Example: Este plan me parece mejor. — “This plan seems better to me.” The comparison is understood from the situation; the utterance does not specify what alternative is being compared. pescado means “fish” as food. It is a masculine singular noun, which is why the sentence uses the masculine singular article el: el pescado. This word refers to fish prepared or considered as food; the word for a fish as an animal is commonly pez. Example: El pescado está listo. — “The fish is ready.” Together, Hoy me parece mejor el pescado presents fish as the option that seems preferable to the speaker on this day: “Fish sounds better to me today.” The structure is time expression + me parece + comparative + evaluated noun; the noun el pescado is the thing that receives the evaluation, while me identifies the speaker’s point of view.

4. Incluye arroz y una guarnición pequeña.

   It comes with rice and one small side.

   Incluye

   includes; comes with

   arroz

   rice

   guarnición

   side dish

   pequeña

   small

   More detail

   Incluye means “includes” or, in this menu-style context, “comes with.” It is the present-tense third-person singular form of incluir: incluir → incluye. The subject is understood from the item being described rather than stated in the sentence. The same spelling can also be the affirmative tú command (“include!”), but the fixed translation supports the descriptive “includes/comes with” reading here, not a request. arroz is the noun “rice.” It is an especially useful food word because it normally appears without an article when naming an included food in this kind of statement. Example: El plato incluye arroz. — “The dish includes rice.” guarnición means “side dish” or “side.” It is a feminine noun, as shown by the feminine singular forms around it. The accent on the final ó is part of the spelling. Example: La guarnición está caliente. — “The side dish is hot.” pequeña means “small.” It is the feminine singular form of pequeño, agreeing with the feminine singular noun guarnición: una guarnición pequeña. The masculine counterpart is pequeño; for example, un plato pequeño means “a small plate.” una is the feminine singular indefinite article, matching guarnición. In this fixed translation, the side is presented as one small side, but the article itself should be learned primarily as the form used with a feminine singular noun, not as an automatic numerical claim in every context. Together, Incluye arroz says that the understood dish or item comes with rice, and una guarnición pequeña adds one small side dish. The whole utterance therefore means: “It comes with rice and one small side.”

5. ¿Qué guarnición se ve mejor?

   Which side looks best?

   Qué

   which

   guarnición

   side dish

   se ve

   looks

   mejor

   best

   More detail

   Qué asks for a choice or identification. In this question it means “which,” and its accent marks the interrogative use. Compare qué in a question with que in a linking clause, as in el plato que prefiero (“the dish that I prefer”). guarnición means “side dish” here. It is a feminine noun; the article or adjective referring to it would agree in the feminine singular, for example una guarnición pequeña (“a small side dish”). Its plural is guarniciones. se ve comes from verse, used here for how something appears or looks. The form ve is the third-person singular present form of ver; se is part of this appearance construction, not a separate English-style subject. A reusable example is La sopa se ve bien — “The soup looks good.” mejor is the comparative form related to bien, meaning “better”; in a choice among options, it can express “best” in English. It does not change for masculine or feminine nouns. For comparison, Esta opción se ve mejor que la otra means “This option looks better than the other one.” Together, Qué guarnición asks which side dish is being selected, and se ve mejor asks which one appears most appealing. The complete utterance therefore means “Which side looks best?”

6. Las verduras se ven frescas y sencillas.

   The vegetables look fresh and simple.

   verduras

   vegetables

   se ven

   look; appear

   frescas

   fresh

   sencillas

   simple

   More detail

   verduras means “vegetables” here. It is the plural of verdura; the feminine plural form is also reflected in the adjectives that describe it. In the supplied context, these are the vegetables being chosen. se ven is the third-person plural present form of verse in the sense “to look” or “to appear.” The subject is plural, so ven has the plural ending; se belongs to this pronominal construction and is not a separate object meaning “themselves.” Compare se ve with a singular subject and se ven with a plural subject. Example: La sopa se ve caliente. — “The soup looks hot.” frescas means “fresh” here. Its base form is the adjective fresco; frescas is feminine plural because it describes verduras. The adjective changes with the noun it describes: un tomate fresco — “a fresh tomato”; unas verduras frescas — “some fresh vegetables.” sencillas means “simple” here. Its base form is sencillo; sencillas is feminine plural to agree with verduras. In this sentence, “simple” describes the vegetables, without adding a more specific reason for that description. Together, Las verduras is the subject, se ven says how they appear, and frescas y sencillas gives two coordinated descriptions of them. The whole utterance means: “The vegetables look fresh and simple.”

7. Vamos a elegir las verduras.

   Let's choose the vegetables.

   Vamos a

   Let's …

   elegir

   choose

   verduras

   vegetables

   More detail

   Vamos a introduces a shared plan or immediate intention with nosotros: vamos a + infinitive can mean “we are going to …”, and in this sentence it naturally becomes “let’s …”. Vamos is the first-person plural present form of ir (“to go”), but with a and an infinitive it forms this future-oriented construction. Example: Vamos a cocinar. — “Let’s cook.” elegir means “to choose” and is the infinitive, the form used after vamos a. Its present-tense forms include elijo (“I choose”) and eliges (“you choose”). In elijo, the stem vowel changes from e to i, and the spelling also changes to preserve the sound; eliges does not have that stem-vowel change. Example: Quiero elegir una opción. — “I want to choose an option.” verduras means “vegetables” here. It is the plural of verdura, so las verduras is a feminine plural noun phrase; las agrees with that noun in gender and number. Example: Las verduras están listas. — “The vegetables are ready.” Together, Vamos a elegir las verduras expresses a shared proposal or plan: “Let’s choose the vegetables.”

8. Puedo hacer el pedido ahora.

   I can place the order now.

   Puedo

   I can

   hacer

   to do; to make

   el pedido

   the order

   ahora

   now

   More detail

   Puedo comes from poder and is the first-person singular present form: “I can” or “I am able to.” It is used with an infinitive to express ability or possibility: Puedo llamar ahora means “I can call now.” The subject is included in the verb form, so Spanish does not need a separate subject pronoun here. hacer is the infinitive “to do” or “to make.” After a form such as puedo, the following verb stays in the infinitive: puedo hacer, “I can do/make.” In this sentence, hacer is part of the useful expression hacer un pedido, “to place an order.” el pedido means “the order” here. Pedido is a masculine singular noun, so it takes the masculine singular definite article el. The noun is related to pedir, “to ask for” or “to request,” but el pedido here refers specifically to an order. Hacer el pedido therefore means “to place the order,” with el identifying a particular order rather than expressing a quantity. Ahora means “now” and places the action in the present time. It can be moved for emphasis without changing its basic meaning: Ahora puedo hacer el pedido means “Now I can place the order.” Together, Puedo + hacer el pedido expresses the speaker’s ability or readiness to place a particular order, and ahora specifies the time: “I can place the order now.”