Learn how to ask or indicate the existence of something
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Alisha: Hi everybody, this is Alisha. |
| Fernando: Hola amigos, yo soy Fernando. |
| Alisha: Welcome to SpanishPod101.com. Order Some Delicious Mexican Food! In this lesson you will learn how to ask if something is available in a restaurant and understand what the waiter or waitress is saying. |
| Fernando: This conversation takes place at a restaurant in Mexico. |
| Alisha: And it’s between Ashley, who is a Spanish student in Mexico, her friend María, and a waitress. |
| Fernando: The speakers are in a business situation, so they will be speaking formal Spanish. |
| Alisha: Let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| Ashley Disculpe señorita, ¿hay tacos de pollo? |
| Waiter No, no hay. |
| Maria: ¿Hay tacos de carne? |
| Waiter Sí, sí hay. |
| Alisha: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Ashley Disculpe señorita, ¿hay tacos de pollo? |
| Waiter No, no hay. |
| Maria: ¿Hay tacos de carne? |
| Waiter Sí, sí hay. |
| Alisha: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| Ashley Disculpe señorita, ¿hay tacos de pollo? |
| Alisha: Excuse me, Ma'am, do you have chicken tacos? |
| Waiter No, no hay. |
| Alisha: No, we don't. |
| Maria: ¿Hay tacos de carne? |
| Alisha: Do you have beef tacos? |
| Waiter Sí, sí hay. |
| Alisha: Yes, we do. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Alisha: Fernando, why don’t you teach us a bit about good manners in Mexico when ordering food? For example, what is a good way to call a waiter or waitress? |
| Fernando: Good question. You can call a waiter by saying - ‘disculpe jóven’ |
| Alisha: Which is like “excuse me young man”, right? |
| Fernando: Right. For a waitress, you should say - ‘Disculpe señorita’ |
| Alisha: “Excuse me, young lady”? |
| Fernando: Right. These are polite ways to call a waitress or a waiter. |
| Alisha: What about tipping? |
| Fernando: I’d say it’s about the same as the US. Tip 15 to 20 percent. But be careful that the tip is not already included in your bill. Otherwise, you will end up paying twice. |
| Alisha: As a foreigner who is not used to Mexican food, is it okay to ask lots questions about the menu? |
| Fernando: As many as you want. Often times, things that are on the menu have already run out, so it’s wise to ask. |
| Alisha: Anything else? |
| Fernando: Be polite and you will be treated very well. |
| Alisha: And with that, let’s move onto the vocab! |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Alisha: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first word we shall see is: |
| Fernando Disculpe. [natural native speed] |
| Alisha: Excuse me. |
| Fernando Disculpe. [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando Disculpe. [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Fernando haber [natural native speed] |
| Alisha: to be (there is) |
| Fernando haber [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando haber [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Fernando taco [natural native speed] |
| Alisha: taco (Mexican dish) |
| Fernando taco [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: taco [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Fernando: de [natural native speed] |
| Alisha: of |
| Fernando: de [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: de [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Fernando: pollo [natural native speed] |
| Alisha: chicken |
| Fernando: pollo [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: pollo [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Fernando: no [natural native speed] |
| Alisha: no |
| Fernando: no [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: no [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Fernando: carne [natural native speed] |
| Alisha: meat |
| Fernando: carne [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: carne [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Fernando: sí [natural native speed] |
| Alisha: yes |
| Fernando: sí [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Fernando: sí [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES |
| Alisha: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. We’re going to talk about two kinds of food - chicken and beef. |
| Fernando: Yes, ‘pollo’, and ‘carne’. ‘Pollo’ is “chicken”, and ‘carne’ is “beef”. |
| Alisha: So in the dialogue, they were talking about chicken tacos and beef tacos? |
| Fernando: Right. I think nearly everyone knows the word tacos - but actually, their image of tacos might be wrong. |
| Alisha: Oh really? What do you mean? |
| Fernando: Well, what do you think of when you hear the word “taco”? |
| Alisha: Hmm... ground beef inside a crunchy taco shell? |
| Fernando: Right? That’s an American creation actually! |
| Alisha: Really?? I didn’t know that! |
| Fernando: In Mexico, tacos are beef or chicken wrapped in soft corn tortillas. |
| Alisha: Oh, so they’re soft tacos? |
| Fernando: Right. That’s what taco refers to in Mexico. We normally eat them with lettuce on top, served with sour cream, fresh cheese, and some green or red chili sauce. |
| Alisha: Mmm, sounds good! Listeners, repeat after Fernando - “Chicken tacos”. |
| Fernando: Tacos de pollo [pause] |
| Alisha: Beef tacos. |
| Tacos de carne [pause] |
| Alisha: So ‘carne’ means “beef”? |
| Fernando: Well, not exactly. ‘Carne’ is actually just “meat”. But meat can mean chicken, pork, or any kind of meat. The real word for beef is ‘res’, or ‘carne de res’. But in Mexico, if you just say ‘carne’ it means “beef.” |
| Alisha: Ok, good to know! |
| Fernando: Yes, listeners, be sure to try some real tacos when you go to Mexico! |
| Alisha: Definitely! Okay, now let’s go to our next section. |
Lesson focus |
| Alisha: The focus of this lesson is how to ask if something is available using the verbs... |
| Fernando: ‘hay’ and ‘tiene’. |
| Alisha: If you want to ask if something is available, like at a restaurant, there are two patterns you can use, right Fernando? |
| Fernando: Right. The first is, ‘hay...’ and then the item. ‘Hay’ means “there is”, or “there are.” |
| Alisha: And when you change the intonation, you can turn it into a question, right? |
| Fernando: Yes, that’s right. For example, to ask “Are there any tacos?”, you would say ‘¿Hay tacos?’ Repeat after me- ‘¿hay tacos?’ [pause] |
| Alisha: Let’s add a little extra information. “Are there any chicken tacos?” |
| Fernando: Repeat after me - ‘¿hay tacos de pollo?’ [pause] |
| Alisha: And “Are there any beef tacos?” |
| Fernando: Repeat - ‘¿hay tacos de carne?’ [pause] |
| Alisha: Okay, what’s the other way to ask the same question? |
| Fernando: The other way to ask the question uses the word ‘tiene’. This comes from the verb ‘tener’, “to have”, and so it literally means “do you have”. |
| Alisha: In the polite form, right? |
| Fernando: Right, this is the polite way to ask. Let’s practice. ‘Tiene tacos?’ |
| Alisha: “Do you have tacos?” |
| Fernando: Repeat after me - ‘tiene tacos?’ [pause] |
| Alisha: Let’s expand on these ones too. “Do you have chicken tacos?” |
| Fernando: Repeat after me - ‘tiene tacos de pollo?’ [pause] |
| Alisha: Do you have beef tacos? |
| Fernando: Tiene tacos de carne? [pause] |
| Alisha: Lets review the examples we had in the dialogue. First we had, “Excuse me, ma’am...” |
| Fernando: Disculpe señorita... |
| Alisha: Are there any chicken tacos? |
| Fernando: ¿Hay tacos de pollo? [pause] |
| Alisha: So Fernando, is there really no difference between these two ways of asking? |
| Fernando: These questions mean the same thing. However, ‘tiene’ can be a little more personal, since you are asking “Do YOU have”. |
| Alisha: And how would someone normally answer these questions? |
| Fernando: We repeat again using the same verb, so if someone asked, ‘hay tacos?’ I could reply... ‘sí, hay tacos.’ Repeat after me - ‘sí, hay tacos’ [pause] |
| Alisha: Yes, there are tacos. |
| Fernando: Or ‘no, no hay tacos.’ Repeat - ‘no, no hay tacos’ [pause] |
| Alisha: And the same goes for ‘tiene’, right? |
| Fernando: That’s right! The answers would be ‘Sí, tengo tacos’. Repeat after me - ‘sí, tengo tacos’ [pause] |
| Alisha: Yes, I have tacos. |
| Fernando: And ‘No, no tengo tacos.’ Repeat after me - ‘No, no tengo tacos’ [pause] |
| Alisha: “No, I don't have tacos.” |
Lesson focus |
| Fernando: Be sure to see the lesson notes for more information! |
| Alisha: Ok, listeners. I think that’s going to do it for now! And let us know if you have questions. Okay everyone, see you next time! |
| Fernando: Hasta luego! |
Comments
Hide