Speaking Spanish on the phone can be a challenge for Spanish learners, but it’s also the only way to book a table in most restaurants in Spain. So, if you live in a Spanish speaking country and you’d like to go out for dinner, this is for you!
When the restaurant picks up the phone, they’ll usually say the restaurant’s name and a greeting. To be polite, use quería:
Restaurante: Restaurante La Fonda, buenas tardes.
Cliente: Hola, quería reservar una mesa para cenar esta noche.
For the booking details, you’re likely to be asked the number of people, the booking time, a name and a phone number.
Restaurante: ¿Para cuántas personas? / ¿Cuántas personas son? / ¿Cuántos son?
Cliente: 4.
Restaurante: ¿A qué hora?
Cliente: a las 9h.
Restaurante: ¿A qué nombre? / Un nombre, por favor.
Cliente: Fischer. F-I-S-C-H-E-R
Restaurante: Perfecto, y un teléfono, por favor.
Cliente: 612 345 678
Restaurante: pues ya está, muchas gracias.
Cliente: muchas gracias.
*Remember that to say the time of an event you should always use “a las…” (plural), except for “a la 1 (una)” (singular)
*You can give either your name or family name for the booking, whichever you think might be easier to recognize/understand for a Spanish speaker. Spelling it in Spanish can help complete the booking faster.
*”ya está” means it’s done, so that’s your confirmation that the booking is complete.
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