Handy Spanish Phrases for Tapas
Tapas are one of the most famous things about Spain and you’ll definitely want to try at least once while here on a school trip. As well as being an enjoyable social experience, it’s a great way to practise your Spanish outside of the classroom. Here are some useful phrases for a great evening out.
¿Quieres tomar unas tapas?
Do you want to go out for tapas? A good way to start the evening off — though really, is anybody going to say no to that?
¡Perdone!
Excuse me! For getting the waiter’s attention if it happens to be a busy night.
¿Para beber? ¿Para comer?
To drink? To eat? This is usually how the waiter takes orders.
¿Qué significa esto?
What does this mean? In case you need help with anything on the menu.
¿Es para vegetarianos? / ¿Tiene carne?
Is it for vegetarians? Does it have meat? Always better to check than to assume, and end up with aubergines stuffed with shrimps, like we did once.
¿Que nos recomienda?
What do you recommend for us? If you’re struggling to choose something, or are in the mood for trying something new, try asking the waiter for some advice and see what they say.
Quisiera…
I would like… For when you’re ordering your food, though as in English you can just say the name of the dish if you like.
¡Salud!
Cheers! Literally means ‘health’, this is used to make a toast in Spanish.
¡Que aproveche!
Enjoy your meal! Just like the French say ‘Bon appetit’, the Spanish use this phrase, which literally means ‘make the most of (your meal)’.
¿Nos trae la cuenta por favor?
Can you bring us the bill please? For the end of what was hopefully a fantastic meal!
Did you know: we also do tapas tasting as an evening activity in our school tours! We can include this on one of the evenings in the programme, meaning your students will be able to share in this unique Spanish experience!
