16 Spanish words to know before eating out in Spain - Spanish Sabores (2023)

FAQs

What do Spaniards say before eating? ›

In Spanish, the phrase buen provecho is used throughout the Spanish-speaking world. However, it is especially common in Mexico. In Mexico, it is our version of the French saying bon appetit or the German mahlzeit—and in my small state of Morelos, we take it very seriously.

There are two commonly used words for dinner: merienda and cena. In most parts of Latin America, merienda refers to an average evening meal and cena is reserved for special occasions – like a big Christmas Eve turkey dinner. In Spain, merienda is a small meal meant to tide you over between el almuerzo and la cena.

Similar to the French toast, this Spanish “Cheers” wishes “good health to everyone!”. A longer toast is commonly used in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries: “Pa' arriba, pa' abajo, pa' centro, pa' dentro”. “Put your glass up, put your glass down, glasses to the center, now drink!” By the way, take care.

The 23-letter adverb anticonstitucionalmente means 'anticonstitutionally'. Anticonstitucionalmente is also the Portuguese translation; the French translation, anticonstitutionnellement, is an exceptionally long word as well (25 letters).

The Typical Spanish Lunch

The large midday meal, called la comida, has several courses and usually includes five or six choices in each. At home, Spaniards do not traditionally eat “fancy” dishes on a daily basis, but still enjoy a soup or pasta dish, salad, meat and/or fish, and a dessert, such as fruit or cheese.

In Spain, you can simply say "la cuenta, por favor" (the check, please) when you catch your server's attention. Another common phrase many locals use is "¿Nos cobras cuando puedas?" (literally "Can you charge us when you can?"). Either one is a perfectly fine way to ask your server to bring the bill.

What does saludo de vato mean? ›

saludo de vato - Spanish gestures of greeting between friends. 3 ese - Spanish word for “man”

The Spanish word for “cheers” is “¡salud!”, pronounced sa·lood. The literal translation of this word is “health.” People use this term during toasts as they are honoring someone while wishing them health and overall wellbeing.

A typical Spaniard eating schedule is as followed:

– Desayuno (breakfast): anywhere from 7am to 9am, depending on how early you start your days. – Almuerzo (mid-morning snack): roughly 10am to 11am. Most Spanish schools have a patio time where the students are given this time to eat their almuerzo.

Dinner: 9–11 p.m.

Dinner in Spain may be late, but as with all Spanish mealtimes, it's definitely worth waiting for. Cena, or dinner, is usually much lighter than it would be in many other countries.

In this lesson, we learned the vocabulary and pronunciation for the numbers 1-10 in Spanish: uno (ooh-no), dos (dohs), tres (trays), cuatro (kwah-troh), cinco (seen-koh), seis (says), siete (syay-tay), ocho (oh-choh), nueve (nway-vay), diez (dyays).

No, gracias

This is the standard way of saying “no” when offered something. It's also the most polite option. No, gracias means “No, thank you” in Spanish, and it's used in the same way as in English.

Here are the Spanish numbers: 1 - uno. 2 - dos. 3 - tres.

not much. Millions translate with DeepL every day.

What are the 4 extra Spanish letters? ›

The Spanish Alphabet: Sounds And Letters

The table above includes the four extra letters that are often included in the Spanish alphabet: ch, ll, ñ and rr.

In 2010, the Royal Spanish Academy officially removed two letters (ch and ll) from the alphabet, making it 27 letters instead of 29. Fortunately for English speakers, the official Spanish alphabet now only has the one additional letter that does not appear in the English alphabet: ñ.

There are sixteen verbs used in Basic English. They are: be, do, have, come, go, see, seem, give, take, keep, make, put, send, say, let, get.

Haber “To Have” or “There is/There are”

First things first: there are three classes of Spanish verbs: -ar verbs, -er verbs, and -ir verbs.

Yo is the first-person pronoun “I” or “me.” The adverb también (“also, too”) is a contraction of the words tan, meaning “as,” and bién, meaning “good.” Yo también literally translates to “I also” in English.

This lists the 8 verbs that are essentially in order to be comprehensible in Spanish. This idea is originally from Terry Waltz who came up with the Super 7. The verbs include: Tener, Poder, Ser, Ir, Estar, Querer, Gustar, and Hay.

Bocadillo or bocata de huevos revueltos is a simple Spanish sandwich that's made with Spanish bread and scrambled eggs. Typically, a Spanish-style baguette (barra de pan) is sliced lengthwise and filled with a layer of freshly scrambled eggs.

What is the most popular dessert in Spain? ›

Flan. The most typical Spanish dessert, you'll find flan on almost any menu throughout the country. This simple dessert is made from milk or cream, whole eggs, and sugar and sets to a wobbly jelly-like consistency.

In Spain a tip is known as 'una propina' when it is given directly to a waiter/waitress or as 'el bote' when it is placed in a jar or bottle on a bar.

In the Spanish cuisine, an appetizer, called an aperitivo, is a supplement to a full meal, while the tapas are something completely different, another way of having your whole lunch or dinner.

Papear: This word “to eat” is used a lot in Spain and Peru; but don't even think about using it in Colombia where it means “to fool someone.” Yantar: This slang term is very popular in Spain and Ecuador.

Is it expected? Tipping in Spain works differently: The customer actually has the option to not leave any tip at all. However, restaurants expect a 10% tip on each bill—although it's not a formal rule, and that percentage is much lower than tipping practices in other countries.

Ask instead for un vaso de agua (a glass of water) or agua de grifo (water from the tap)—or avoid this altogether by asking for that to begin with. Usually they'll give in, but sometimes they'll resist. They might say they don't serve tap water, or that they only have bottles.

Plus, when you do order water you can easily find yourself with a 1.5-liter glass bottle which is no use if you plan to explore the city later, so here is the lowdown. For tap water ask for agua de grifo or una jarra de agua for a pitcher, and if you are happy with a bottle just ask for agua.

The way of responding to buen provecho in Spanish is simply by saying the same thing or the short version, provecho. In Mexico, it's common to say the diminutive of the word—provechito (little benefit). It doesn't mean “may you have a small benefit from your meal,” it's just an endearing way of saying it.

Cheers in Spanish: Salud

While you might have already known that most Spanish-speaking countries like to clink their drinks to a cheerful “Salud!,” it seems the saying is popular for more than just a festive toast.

Spanish speakers use this phrase as a salutation when someone is about to eat. It's is a way of communicating that you hope the person you're talking to enjoys their meal. It's also a reminder of the central role that food and sharing a meal have in Hispanic culture.

What is the Spanish tequila shot saying? ›

I learned the “tequila toast,” arriba (glasses up); abajo (glasses down); al centro (glasses to the front which wishes health to everyone participating in the toast); y pa' dentro (your tequila goes inside or drink your drink), when I was shopping in Acapulco a few years back.

A buen tiempo says, "You're just in time! Join us! There's plenty for everyone!" It is used whether the ones arriving are family, friends, acquaintances, or even strangers.

If someone tells you Bon appétit ! you can answer Merci (= thank you) if they're not eating as well (if they're a waiter, for instance). If they are eating at the same time, you only need to wish them the same: Bon appétit !

The most common word used in Spanish to say cheers is ¡Salud!, which means 'health', in the same way as the French say santé and the Germans gesondheid. Spaniards may also direct their toast specifically at the person they're drinking with by saying ¡A tu salud! (To your health!).

Salud means “health” so you are essentially drinking to everyone's health. This meaning is common in many countries and Mexico is no different when it comes to tradition and culture. The drinking age in Mexico is 18 so you may see some younger crowds down there toasting to one another all throughout the day.

lonche: Its the direct adaptation from the word lunch (the u sounds like o in Spanish). This term is used in Mexico generally for the food you take to have at school or work.

The midday meal or la comida, as it is called in Spain, is the largest meal of the day. It is definitely a big meal and typically includes multiple courses and wine.

If you'd like to say “I am hungry” in Spanish, you'd say “Tengo hambre.” Even though it's not an exact translation—it means “I have hunger”—it's the most common phrase used by Spanish speakers. From time to time, you may hear someone say “Estoy hambrienta.” It means the same thing, but it's not used as often.

"Pa' dentro or Adentro" - Literally translates to "inside". Drink immediately, bottoms up!

Why do you bite a lime after a shot of tequila? ›

Immediately bite into and ​suck on lime or lemon wedge. The sour fruit balances and enhances the flavor of the tequila.

Chupar/Pistear (to drink)

Chupar (literally to lick or to suck) and pistear are both slang for “to drink.” El chupe and el pisto are the nouns, so they refer to “the drinks.” Chupar and chupe are used in the center and south of Mexico, while pistear and pisto are more common in the north.