In a restaurantShow Podcast Information 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, bitte.“ Sparkling mineral
water, please. „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?
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