Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): La camarera pregunta si queremos dejar propina; yo digo que sí. - The waitress asks if we want to leave a tip; I say yes.

La points to a specific, known waitress (the one serving your table). Una camarera would mean “a waitress” in general, not a particular one. In context, diners usually refer to their server with the definite article: la camarera / el camarero.

Is camarera the usual word in Spain? What about mesera?

In Spain, the usual word is camarera (female) / camarero (male). In much of Latin America, mesera/mesero is more common. If you want something more neutral in Spain, people sometimes say quien nos atiende, el personal de sala, or simply la persona.

What’s the difference between si and sí here?

si (no accent) means “if/whether,” introducing the indirect yes/no question: pregunta si queremos…
sí (with accent) means “yes,” used in yo digo que sí. They are different words; the accent changes the meaning.

Why is it pregunta si queremos (indicative) and not pregunta si queramos (subjunctive)?

After verbs of asking with si meaning “whether,” Spanish uses the indicative: it’s an embedded yes/no question, not a clause needing the subjunctive. Compare:

Correct: La camarera pregunta si queremos dejar propina.
Subjunctive appears with influence/wish: La camarera quiere que dejemos propina.

Why use dejar propina instead of dar propina?

Both exist, but dejar propina (literally “leave a tip”) is the most idiomatic collocation in Spain when talking about tipping at restaurants/bars. Dar propina is also understood and used, especially in Latin America, but in Spain dejar propina is what you’ll hear most often at the table.

Why is there no article before propina? Could I say una propina or la propina?

Spanish often omits the article in set expressions like dejar propina (leave a tip). You can say:

dejar propina: general act of tipping (most common).
dejar una propina: emphasizes one tip or the amount as a discrete thing.
dejar la propina: “the tip” already assumed/known in context (e.g., “Shall we leave the tip now?” → ¿Dejamos la propina ya?).

Should it be nos pregunta instead of just pregunta? And should it be le digo?

If you want to specify whom she asks, add an indirect object: La camarera nos pregunta si… (“asks us”). Without nos, it’s grammatical but less specific.
Similarly, le digo que sí makes it explicit you’re telling her (to her): le = “to her/him”. Yo digo que sí is fine in isolation but le digo que sí is very natural in conversation.

Is the semicolon in …propina; yo digo… correct in Spanish?

Yes. A semicolon can join two closely related independent clauses. You could also use:

A period: …propina. Yo digo…
A conjunction: …propina y yo digo…
Or even entonces to show consequence: …propina; entonces yo digo…

Why is the subject pronoun yo present? Could it be omitted?

Spanish is a pro‑drop language: the verb ending already shows the subject. Yo is optional and adds emphasis/contrast (e.g., “I say yes”). You could simply say Digo que sí unless you want to stress that it’s you who answers.

Could I say La camarera está preguntando si… for “is asking”?

You can, but the simple present is usually preferred for quick, bounded actions like a single question: La camarera (nos) pregunta si… The progressive está preguntando suggests an ongoing process and sounds less natural here.

I’ve heard pregunta que si… Is that acceptable?

You will hear (me) pregunta que si… in colloquial speech (including in Spain), but it’s considered nonstandard/redundant in careful writing. The recommended form is simply pregunta si…

How would this sentence look if everything happened in the past?

Use past reporting forms and usually backshift the embedded verb:

La camarera nos preguntó si queríamos dejar propina; yo le dije que sí. You can also keep the present in the embedded clause if the content is still valid at speech time, but the default backshift is very common.

Is queremos the only option? What about more polite or tentative forms?

In reported speech, si queremos is neutral. Polite direct questions the waitress might ask include:

¿Quieren dejar propina? (ustedes)
¿Les gustaría dejar propina?
¿Desean dejar propina?
Spain, informal plural: ¿Queréis dejar propina? Your report stays neutral: pregunta si queremos…

What are some natural alternatives to yo digo que sí?

All of these are idiomatic:

Yo respondo que sí.
Yo contesto que sí.
Le digo que sí. (to her)
More emphatic: Desde luego que sí. / Claro que sí.

Any cultural note about tipping in Spain that affects this sentence?

Yes. In Spain, tipping is optional and modest. Common habits:

Round up the bill or leave small change in bars/cafés.
5–10% in restaurants only for notably good service or upscale places. So dejar propina is not expected by default, but it’s appreciated.

Could the word order or objects change without changing the meaning?

Yes. Variants include:

La camarera nos pregunta si queremos dejar propina; le digo que sí. (adds clarity with pronouns)
La camarera pregunta si queremos dejar la propina; yo digo que sí. (focuses on “the tip” already assumed)
With a period or conjunction instead of the semicolon, as noted above.