Checking a Restaurant Order | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At a restaurant, two adults check their order details before asking the server to confirm everything..

EN → ES / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Checking a Restaurant Order to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Quiero revisar el pedido antes de que llegue la comida.

KYEH-roh reh-bee-SAR el peh-DEE-doh AN-tes deh keh YEH-geh lah koh-MEE-dah. I want to check the order before the food comes.
B

Es más fácil corregir los errores antes de que empiecen a cocinar.

es mahs FAH-seel koh-rreh-HEER lohs eh-RROH-rehs AN-tes deh keh em-PYEH-sen ah koh-see-NAR. It's easier to fix mistakes before they start cooking.
A

Pedí sopa sin cebolla.

peh-DEE SOH-pah seen seh-BOH-yah. I asked for soup without onions.
B

Y yo pedí ensalada sin aderezo.

ee yoh peh-DEE en-sah-LAH-dah seen ah-deh-REH-soh. And I asked for salad with no dressing.
A

El postre debe llegar después de la comida.

el POHS-treh DEH-beh yeh-GAR dehs-PWEHS deh lah koh-MEE-dah. The dessert should come after the meal.
B

Le pediré al camarero que confirme todo.

leh peh-dee-REH al kah-mah-REH-roh keh kohn-FEER-meh TOH-doh. I'll ask the server to confirm everything.

Word by Word

Quiero “Quiero” expresses what the speaker wants; here it introduces the desired action in “Quiero revisar”. Use “Quiero + infinitive” to say that you want to do something, for example in a restaurant when stating your plan.
revisar “Revisar” means to check or review, and here it refers to checking the restaurant order. It follows “Quiero” in the reusable pattern “Quiero + infinitive”; you can use it when checking details before accepting something.
el “El” is the definite article used here before “pedido”, giving “el pedido” for “the order”. Use “el + masculine singular noun” when referring to one such noun, for example while checking a specific order.
pedido “Pedido” means the order being checked at the restaurant in “el pedido”. A useful pattern is “revisar el pedido” when checking what was requested, such as before the food arrives.
antes “Antes” means “before” and places one event earlier than another; here it appears in “antes de que llegue la comida”. Use “antes de que + clause” when one action must happen before another event.
de In “antes de que llegue la comida”, “de” connects “antes” to the following clause. The full reusable expression is “antes de que + clause”, useful for describing an action that happens before another event.
que In “antes de que llegue la comida”, “que” introduces the clause describing the later event. Use it after “antes de” when what follows is a complete action or event, such as the food arriving.
llegue “Llegue” expresses the food’s arriving in “antes de que llegue la comida”. It is used after “antes de que” to describe the event that has not yet happened; this pattern is useful when timing one action before an arrival.
la “La” is the definite article used before “comida”, giving “la comida” for “the food”. Use “la + feminine singular noun” when referring to one specific noun, as when talking about the food in a restaurant.
comida “Comida” means the food in “la comida” that is expected to arrive. A useful pattern is “llegar la comida” for saying that the food arrives, especially when discussing restaurant timing.
Es “Es” means “is” in the statement “Es más fácil corregir los errores”. Use “Es + adjective” to describe something, such as saying that an action is easier.
más “Más” means “more” and forms the comparison “más fácil”, meaning “easier” here. Use “más + adjective” when comparing the degree of a quality, such as the ease of fixing a mistake.
fácil “Fácil” describes fixing mistakes as easy in “Es más fácil corregir los errores”; with “más”, the phrase means “easier”. Use it after “ser” to describe how easy an action or task is, for example when explaining a simple solution.
corregir “Corregir” means to fix or correct, and here it refers to fixing order mistakes. It follows “Es más fácil” in the pattern “Es más fácil + infinitive”, useful when explaining which action is easier.
los “Los” is the definite article used before the plural noun “errores”, giving “los errores” for “the mistakes”. Use “los + plural noun” when referring to specific plural items, such as mistakes already found in an order.
errores “Errores” means mistakes or errors, specifically mistakes in the order in this dialogue. A useful pattern is “corregir los errores” when talking about fixing identified problems before an action begins.
empiecen “Empiecen” expresses that they start in “antes de que empiecen a cocinar”. It refers to the plural people who will begin cooking; use it in this pattern when placing something before their cooking starts.
a In “empiecen a cocinar”, “a” links the verb meaning “start” to the action that begins. The reusable pattern is “empezar a + infinitive”, used when saying that someone starts an activity.
cocinar “Cocinar” means to cook, and here it is the activity that the restaurant staff are about to start. It follows “empezar a” in “empiecen a cocinar”, useful when describing the beginning of cooking.
Pedí “Pedí” means “I asked for” or, in this restaurant context, “I ordered”. It states what the speaker previously requested in “Pedí sopa sin cebolla”; use “Pedí + item” when explaining an earlier order.
sopa “Sopa” means soup, the dish requested in “Pedí sopa sin cebolla”. A useful pattern is “pedir sopa” when ordering soup in a restaurant.
sin “Sin” means “without” and specifies that the soup has no onion in “sopa sin cebolla”. Use “sin + noun” to state an ingredient or item that should not be included when ordering food.
cebolla “Cebolla” means onion, the ingredient excluded in “sopa sin cebolla”. The pattern “sin cebolla” is useful when telling a server that an order should contain no onion.
Y “Y” means “and” and connects the speaker’s order with the other person’s order. Use it to add another related item or statement, as when listing two restaurant requests.
yo “Yo” means “I” and identifies the person who made the second request in “Y yo pedí ensalada”. It is useful when clearly stating your own order after someone else has mentioned theirs.
ensalada “Ensalada” means salad, the dish requested in “yo pedí ensalada sin aderezo”. A useful pattern is “pedir ensalada” when ordering salad at a restaurant.
aderezo “Aderezo” means dressing, and here it is the item excluded from the salad in “ensalada sin aderezo”. Use “sin aderezo” when asking for a salad without dressing.
postre “Postre” means dessert, which should arrive after the meal in “El postre debe llegar”. A useful pattern is “el postre” when referring to the dessert course in a restaurant.
debe “Debe” expresses what should or must happen in “El postre debe llegar después de la comida”. It is followed by “llegar” in the pattern “debe + infinitive”, useful for stating an expected or required action.
llegar “Llegar” means to arrive or come, and here it describes the dessert arriving. It follows “debe” in “debe llegar”, a useful pattern for saying when something is expected to arrive.
después “Después” means “after” and places the dessert later than the meal in “después de la comida”. Use “después de + noun” to describe the time following an event or item.
Le “Le” identifies the person who will receive the request in “Le pediré al camarero”. It appears before the verb in the pattern “le + verb” when referring to doing or saying something to that person, such as asking a server.
pediré “Pediré” means “I will ask” or “I will request”; here the speaker will ask the server to confirm the order details. Use “pediré a alguien que + verb” when describing a request you plan to make.
al “Al” is the contracted form of “a” and “el” in “al camarero”. It introduces the masculine singular person receiving the request; use “al + masculine singular noun” in similar phrases.
camarero “Camarero” means server or waiter, the restaurant worker who will be asked to confirm the order. A useful pattern is “pedirle al camarero que + verb” when making a request to a server.
confirme “Confirme” expresses the action the server is being asked to perform in “que confirme todo”: confirming everything. Use “pedirle a alguien que confirme + information” when asking a person to verify details.
todo “Todo” means “everything” in “confirme todo”, referring to all the order details. Use it after a verb such as “confirmar” when the whole set of relevant items or information is included.

Grammar Points

antes de que + subjuntivo

Antes de que llegue la comida, quiero revisar el pedido.

AN-tes deh keh YEH-geh lah koh-MEE-dah, KYEH-roh reh-bee-SAR el peh-DEE-doh.

Before the food arrives, I want to check the order.

After “antes de que,” Spanish uses the subjunctive, such as “llegue,” for an event that has not happened yet.

después de + infinitivo

Después de pedir la sopa, pediré el postre.

dehs-PWEHS deh peh-DEER lah SOH-pah, peh-dee-REH el POHS-treh.

After ordering the soup, I will order dessert.

After “después de,” Spanish commonly uses an infinitive when the subject is the same in both actions.

Spanish Vocabulary

antes de que conj
AN-tes deh keh before

Quiero revisar el pedido antes de que llegue la comida.

cocinar verb
koh-see-NAR to cook

empiecen a cocinar

comida noun
koh-MEE-dah food; meal

Quiero revisar el pedido antes de que llegue la comida.

corregir verb
koh-rreh-HEER to fix; to correct

Es más fácil corregir los errores antes de que empiecen a cocinar.

empezar verb
em-peh-SAR to start; to begin empiecen

antes de que empiecen a cocinar

error noun
eh-RROHR mistake errores

corregir los errores

fácil adj
FAH-seel easy

Es más fácil corregir los errores antes de que empiecen a cocinar.

llegar verb
yeh-GAR to arrive; to come llegue

antes de que llegue la comida

pedido noun
peh-DEE-doh order

Quiero revisar el pedido antes de que llegue la comida.

pedir verb
peh-DEER to ask for; to order Pedí

Pedí sopa sin cebolla.

querer verb
keh-REHR to want Quiero

Quiero revisar el pedido antes de que llegue la comida.

revisar verb
reh-bee-SAR to check

Quiero revisar el pedido antes de que llegue la comida.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I asked for soup without onions.

Show AnswerPedí sopa sin cebolla.

And I asked for salad with no dressing.

Show AnswerY yo pedí ensalada sin aderezo.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to arrive; to come

Show Answerllegue

to fix; to correct

Show Answercorregir

order

Show Answerpedido

to check

Show Answerrevisar