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In a restaurant. Absolute Beginner #2

von Annik Rubens | 17. Mai 2010 | Absolute Beginner, SG Podcast-Episode | 26 Kommentare

Annik Rubens        

ant. Absolute Beginner #2           In a restauran

Hello and welcome to the series „Absolute Beginners“ here at Slow German. There will be new
episodes as before, but I will include a few episodes for absolute beginners. They are meant for
people who for example are travelling to Germany and who want to speak a few words in the
native language… The first one of these was published some time ago, and today I want to give
you all the vocabulary you need to go to a restaurant and eat something. After all, I don‘t want
you to starve here in Germany!

At first if you enter the restaurant, you might be greeted by a waiter. This is not at all common
in Germany – most people just seat themselves. So if you don’t see somebody steering towards
you, feel free to choose yourself where you want to sit. In case a waiter welcomes you, he
might ask „Haben Sie reserviert?“ or „Haben Sie eine Reservierung?“. He wants to know if you
have made a reservation in advance. You can say, „Nein, tut mir leid“, meaning „No, I’m sorry“,
or „Ja, auf den Namen Schmidt“. Of course you have to replace the name Schmidt with your
own name.

The waiter might also ask you: „Für zwei?“, meaning „For two?“, if he sees that there are two
people in your party. Or „Für vier?“ if there are four. He will then show you to a table that’s big
enough for all of you.

Usually, the waiter should present you with the menu without being asked for it. If he’s having a
busy day or simply forgot his duty, you might remind him with „Die Speisekarte, bitte.“
meaning „The menu, please“. You can also say: „Kann ich die Karte haben?“, „Can I have the
menu?“

Most waiters are not very talkative, so don’t expect them to introduce themselves and ask
things like „What would you like to drink today?“. They most simply say: „Zum Trinken?“,
meaning „To drink?“. Then they wait for you to answer. Now I don’t know what you would like
to order, but I have a few alternatives for you:

„Eine Apfelschorle, bitte.“. Apfelschorle is the favorite non-alcoholic drink of Germans, it is a mix
of mineral water and apple juice. „Eine Apfelschorle, bitte.“

„Einen Orangensaft, bitte.“. An orange-juice, please.

„Eine Cola, bitte.“ A coca-cola, please.

„Ein Mineralwasser,
Annik Rubens         bitte.“ Sparkling mineral water, please.
Juden in Deutschland           SG #196 – Juden in Deutschland          
„Ein stilles Wasser, bitte.“
Or, of course, „Ein Bier bitte.“. I guess I don’t have to translate that.

Now let’s think about food. You pick something from the menu and say „Ich hätte gerne…“, and
then you say what you would like to eat. If you can pronounce it, I am very proud of you. For
example you can order a Schnitzel and say „Ich hätte gerne das Wiener Schnitzel“. If you are a
little shy, just say „Ich hätte gerne das hier“, and point to what you would like to have on the
menu. If you want something special that you can’t find on the menu, just ask: „Haben Sie …?“.
For example: „Haben Sie ein Wiener Schnitzel?“. It simply means: Do you have a Wiener
Schnitzel?

Let’s hope everything worked out fine and you’re sitting there with your drink and your food.
The waiter will wish you „Guten Appetit“, literally meaning he wishes you a healthy appetite. But
something is missing. Just call the waiter by establishing eye-contact, maybe raising your hand
and saying „Entschuldigung“, meaning simply „Excuse me“. Then wait until he or she comes to
your table. In former times people said „Herr Ober“ or „Fräulein“, but that is thought to be old-
fashioned today and some waiters and waitresses even consider it to be rude.

Finally, just ask: „Könnte ich bitte Salz haben?“ if you want to have salt. I give you some more
examples:

„Könnte ich bitte eine Gabel haben?“ means „Could I have a fork, please?“

„Könnte ich bitte ein Messer haben?“ means „Could I have a knife, please?“

„Könnte ich bitte einen Löffel haben?“ means „Could I have a spoon, please?“

„Könnte ich bitte einen Aschenbecher haben?“ means „Could I have an ashtray, please?“ But be
careful: Most restaurants nowadays are smoke-free.

If you have to use the bathroom, you can ask: „Entschuldigung, wo ist die Toilette?“.

At the end of your meal, the waiter will clear the table and say something like „Hat’s
geschmeckt?“, he wants to know if you enjoyed your meal. You can simply answer by saying
„Ja, danke.“, or if you really liked it, say „Sehr gut, danke.“.

You can then order some coffee or dessert, and if you’re done, ask for the cheque by saying
„Die Rechnung, bitte.“ or „Ich möchte zahlen, bitte!“. Remember, there’s one big difference
between dining in Germany and dining in the US. In Germany, you can usually sit at a table as
long as you want. After your meal, you can just sit there and enjoy your coffee or drink some
more wine or beer and just talk for hours. You don’t have to rush out of the restaurant as soon
as you’re done eating. But it is polite to not sit at an empty table, but order some drinks.

That’s it for now – for more information on this podcast visit slowgerman.com or check out the
new iPhone app. You can also follow Slow German on Twitter and Facebook. Have fun learning
German and Auf Wiederhören!

26 Kommentare
Frank am 3. Juli 2019 um 23:01
you are the best !!!! love u ☺

Annik Rubens        

Juden in Deutschland
Andreas           SG #196 –
Steinberg amJuden
5. Juliin2017
Deutschland
um 06:52