Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): ¿Quieres otro zumo o prefieres un té? - Do you want another juice or do you prefer tea?

Spanish doesn’t use an article before otro. Otro already carries the idea of “another/one more,” so adding un is normally redundant or incorrect.

Correct: ¿Quieres otro zumo?
Incorrect (in everyday Spanish): ¿Quieres un otro zumo?
For emphasis you might hear: ¿Quieres otro zumo más? or simply ¿Quieres uno más?

Does otro mean “another” or “one more”? Is there a difference from más?

Otro = “another one/one more unit.” It implies a new serving or item of the same kind: otro zumo = another glass of juice.
Más = “more (quantity).” It suggests adding quantity, not necessarily a whole new unit: más zumo = more juice (a top-up).
If you want a different drink instead of the same one, you’d switch: Prefiero un té.

Why is it zumo in Spain but jugo elsewhere?

In Spain, fruit juice is commonly called zumo. In most of Latin America, it’s jugo. Both mean “juice,” but in Spain jugo often refers to juices from meat or cooking, not to fruit juice.

Spain: un zumo de naranja
Mexico/Argentina/etc.: un jugo de naranja

Why is it un té, not una té?

Because té (tea) is a masculine noun in Spanish: el té, un té, los tés.

Compare: infusión (herbal tea) is feminine: una infusión.

What’s the difference between té and te?

Té (with accent) = the noun “tea.”
Te (no accent) = the unstressed object pronoun “you” (to/for you). Examples:
¿Te apetece un té? (Here, te = “to you,” and té = “tea.”)
Me gusta el té.

Is using the present tense (¿Quieres…?, ¿Prefieres…?) polite enough in Spanish?

Yes. The present indicative is standard and friendly for offers and choices. Softer or more formal alternatives:

Informal/softer: ¿Te apetece…?, ¿Te gustaría…?
Formal (usted): ¿Quiere…?, ¿Prefiere…? or ¿Le apetece…?

Where is the subject pronoun tú? Why isn’t it written?

Spanish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the subject. Quieres/prefieres already indicate tú.

You can add it for emphasis/contrast: ¿Tú prefieres un té?

How would this change with formal address or plural “you”?

Formal singular (usted): ¿Quiere otro zumo o prefiere un té?
Informal plural in Spain (vosotros): ¿Queréis otro zumo o preferís un té?
Plural in Latin America (ustedes): ¿Quieren otro zumo o prefieren un té?

Can I shorten it to something like ¿Otro zumo o un té? in casual speech?

Yes. Ellipsis is common in offers when context is clear:

¿Otro zumo o un té?
¿Otro o un té?
¿Un té o prefieres seguir con zumo?

Why is it o and not u? When does o change to u?

O changes to u only before words that start with the sound /o/ (spelled with o or silent-h + vowel), to avoid the “o-o” sound clash:

u ocho (not o ocho)
u hoja (not o hoja) In the sentence, the next word is prefieres, so it stays o.

What about punctuation—why the inverted question mark, and is a comma before o needed?

Spanish questions start with ¿ and end with ?; both are mandatory.
No comma is needed before o in a simple choice like this. Spanish generally avoids a comma before y/o unless there’s a special clarity reason.

Do I need the article before drinks? Why un té instead of just té?

For a serving, Spanish commonly uses the article: un té ≈ “a tea” (a cup). Without the article can sound more generic or mass-like:

General statement: Bebo té por las tardes.
Concrete offer: ¿Quieres un té? Both are possible in offers, but un té clearly means “a cup of tea.”

What’s the difference between ¿Quieres más zumo? and ¿Quieres otro zumo?

¿Quieres más zumo? = Do you want more juice (some extra poured into the same glass)?
¿Quieres otro zumo? = Do you want another juice (another full glass/serving)?

Any pronunciation tips for these words in Spain?

zumo: In most of Spain, z is pronounced like English “th” in “thin” [θ]; elsewhere (Andalusia, Canary Islands, Latin America) it’s [s].
té: The accent marks the stress on the single syllable; say it cleanly like “teh.”
quieres/prefieres: The stressed syllable is the second-to-last (quie-RES, pre-FIE-res). The ie is a diphthong.

How does preferir work when explicitly comparing two things?

Use the pattern: preferir X a Y.

Prefiero el té al zumo. With an offer using o, you don’t need a: ¿Prefieres un té o otro zumo? You can also use an infinitive: ¿Prefieres tomar un té?

How does otro agree in gender and number?

Otro behaves like an adjective and agrees with the noun:

Masculine singular: otro zumo
Feminine singular: otra cerveza
Masculine plural: otros zumos
Feminine plural: otras cervezas

Could I swap the order and say ¿Prefieres un té o quieres otro zumo? Does it change the meaning?

That word order is fine and means the same thing. You’re just presenting the options in the opposite sequence.