How to share dishes and split the bill in Spanish
Yo probé el pulpo aquí y estaba buenísimo.
“I had the octopus here and it was delicious.”
When: When the table asks what is good here
The moment
You are at a busy tapas place in La Latina with three Spanish friends. You need to decide what to order for the table, recommend something, and sort out the bill.
A2 · Unit 1 · Eating out
The lines
Recommending what you tried
Back a recommendation with the past: 'Yo probé el pulpo aquí y estaba buenísimo.' 'Probé' is the one-off action, 'estaba' describes how it was.
Yo probé el pulpo aquí y estaba buenísimo.
“I had the octopus here and it was delicious.”
When to use it: When the table asks what is good here
What you’ll hear back: Pues lo pedimos. (Then let's order it.)
Ordering for the middle of the table
Sharing is the default in Spain: '¿Pedimos unas raciones para compartir?' A 'ración' is a full plate meant to sit in the middle for everyone.
¿Pedimos unas raciones para compartir?
“Shall we order a few dishes to share?”
When to use it: While everyone is still reading the menu
What you’ll hear back: Sí, mejor así. (Yes, better that way.)
Words for this scene
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Salud, chicos! | sah-LOOD CHEE-kos | Cheers, everyone! |
Levantad las copas: ¡salud, chicos! Raise your glasses: cheers, everyone! Tip: Meet everyone's eyes as you clink, or it is bad luck. | ||
| a escote | ah es-KOH-teh | split evenly between everyone |
Mejor lo pagamos a escote, que es más fácil. Better we split it evenly, it is easier. Tip: Spain splits the total evenly; asking for separate bills feels odd. | ||
| algo para picar | AL-goh PAH-rah pee-KAR | something to nibble on |
Ponnos algo para picar mientras decidimos. Bring us something to nibble on while we decide. Tip: Order this first; the table picks the bigger dishes later. | ||
Your objective
Recommend a dish you’ve had before; when a friend can’t eat it, suggest another to share, then propose how to split the bill.
- a dish you recommend
- another dish when they can’t eat it
- how to split the bill
Lines that get it done
- Yo probé el pulpo aquí y estaba buenísimo.
- ¿Pedimos unas raciones para compartir?
- Mejor lo pagamos a escote, que es más fácil. · Better we split it evenly, it is easier.
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. A friend asks what is good here. You had the octopus last time and loved it. What do you say?
- Yo probé el pulpo aquí y estaba buenísimo.
- Yo pruebo el pulpo aquí y era buenísimo.
- Yo probaba el pulpo aquí y estuvo buenísimo.
- El pulpo aquí probé y buenísimo estaba.
Show the answer
Yo probé el pulpo aquí y estaba buenísimo.
'Probé' marks the single past visit and 'estaba' describes what it was like.
2. How do you suggest ordering several dishes for the whole table?
- ¿Pedimos unas raciones para compartir?
- ¿Compramos unas raciones entre todos?
- ¿Partimos unas raciones para nosotros?
- ¿Dividimos unos platos para compartir?
Show the answer
¿Pedimos unas raciones para compartir?
You 'pedir' dishes in a restaurant, and 'para compartir' is the set phrase for sharing.
3. The bill arrives and everyone wants to pay the same amount. What do you say?
- Lo pagamos a escote, ¿vale?
- Lo pagamos a mitades todos, ¿vale?
- Pagamos cada uno una cuenta aparte, ¿vale?
- Hacemos las cuentas por partes, ¿vale?
Show the answer
Lo pagamos a escote, ¿vale?
'A escote' is the everyday Spanish phrase for splitting a bill evenly.