Food & Drink
La comida y la bebida
⏱ 45-60 minWhat you'll learn
- ✓ Order food and drink in a restaurant or café
- ✓ Express food preferences and dietary requirements
- ✓ Describe meals and eating habits
- ✓ Use the verb gustar with food vocabulary
- ✓ Compare Spanish and British food culture
Grammar Focus
Essential grammar for this topic with exam tips and links to full explanations.
Partitive articles (some/any)
In Spanish, you often omit the article where English uses "some" or "any". For specific indefinite things, use algún/alguno.
Examples:
Quiero pan
I want (some) bread
¿Tienes fruta?
Do you have (any) fruit?
Como arroz todos los días
I eat rice every day
⚠️Exam tip: Unlike French, Spanish doesn't have a partitive article - just drop the article for "some"!
Learn more about Indefinites →Ordering in a restaurant
Use polite forms like quisiera (I would like) or me gustaría (I would like) when ordering. Both are polite - quisiera (imperfect subjunctive) is slightly more formal, me gustaría (conditional) is more common in everyday speech.
Examples:
Quisiera el menú del día
I would like the set menu
Me gustaría pedir la paella
I would like to order the paella
¿Me pone una ensalada?
Could you give me a salad?
Para mí, el pollo
For me, the chicken
La cuenta, por favor
The bill, please
⚠️Exam tip: In role-plays, use quisiera or me gustaría rather than quiero - both are polite and interchangeable!
Expressing opinions about food
Use a variety of structures to give opinions about food and drink.
Examples:
Me encanta la paella
I love paella
No soporto el pescado
I can't stand fish
Prefiero la carne al pescado
I prefer meat to fish
Lo que más me gusta es...
What I like most is...
⚠️Exam tip: Vary your opinion phrases beyond just "me gusta" - examiners love variety!
Healthy eating vocabulary
HigherDiscuss healthy eating habits using key phrases.
Examples:
Hay que comer de forma equilibrada
You have to eat in a balanced way
Es importante evitar la comida basura
It's important to avoid junk food
Debería beber más agua
I should drink more water
Trato de comer sano
I try to eat healthily
⚠️Exam tip: Healthy eating is a common writing/speaking topic - have opinions ready!
🔗 Key Verbs for this Topic
Quick Reference
Ordering Politely
Use quisiera (I would like) or me gustaría for polite requests. Para mí + dish is also common.
Quisiera la paella, por favorI would like the paella, please
Para mí, el gazpachoFor me, the gazpacho
Verb Conjugation Tables
comer
| yo | como |
| tú | comes |
| él/ella | come |
| nosotros | comemos |
| vosotros | coméis |
| ellos/ellas | comen |
beber
| yo | bebo |
| tú | bebes |
| él/ella | bebe |
| nosotros | bebemos |
| vosotros | bebéis |
| ellos/ellas | beben |
pedir
| yo | pido |
| tú | pides |
| él/ella | pide |
| nosotros | pedimos |
| vosotros | pedís |
| ellos/ellas | piden |