Esperamos junto a la barra porque queríamos pedir una croqueta más y otro aperitivo.

It can be either one in isolation, because esperamos is both:

• present: we wait / we are waiting
• preterite: we waited

In this sentence, the rest of the context points to the past, especially queríamos (we wanted), so the natural reading is we waited.

Spanish often relies on context to tell you which tense is meant when a form is ambiguous.

Queríamos is the imperfect of querer, and here it expresses an ongoing mental state or background reason: we wanted to order...

That is very common in Spanish. The imperfect is often used for:

• background information
• descriptions
• ongoing states
• reasons behind another action

So in this sentence:

• Esperamos... = the main action
• porque queríamos... = the background reason for that action

If you said quisimos, it would sound more like a completed, specific moment of wanting, which is less natural here.

After querer, Spanish normally uses an infinitive when the subject is the same:

• queríamos pedir = we wanted to order

This works just like English:

• We wanted to order
• Queríamos pedir

You do not need a second conjugated verb here.

Junto a means next to, beside, or by.

So:

• junto a la barra = next to the bar / by the counter

It is a normal and correct expression. You might also hear:

• al lado de la barra = next to the bar

Both are common. Junto a can sound a little more compact or slightly more formal, but it is very natural.

Here la barra usually means the counter in a bar or café, especially in Spain.

So it is not necessarily referring to the whole establishment, but to the place where people stand, drink, or order food.

In Spain, standing junto a la barra is very typical in bars and tapas places.

Because porque (one word, no accent) means because.

Compare:

• porque = because
• por qué = why

Examples:

• Esperamos porque queríamos pedir. = We waited because we wanted to order.
• ¿Por qué esperamos? = Why did we wait?

This is a very common spelling question for learners.

Both can work, but they are not exactly the same in nuance.

• una croqueta más = one more croquette
• otra croqueta = another croquette

In many situations, they mean almost the same thing.

However, una croqueta más emphasizes the idea of an additional one a bit more clearly. It is very similar to English one more.

So:

• Queríamos pedir una croqueta más = We wanted to order one more croquette

That sounds very natural.

In Spanish, when más means more / another additional one with a noun, it often comes after the noun phrase:

• una croqueta más = one more croquette
• dos minutos más = two more minutes
• un café más = one more coffee

This is a very common structure in Spanish.

Because otro already functions as a determiner, like another in English.

So Spanish says:

• otro aperitivo = another appetizer/drink/snack

Not:

• un otro aperitivo ❌

This is the same pattern as:

• otra croqueta
• otro día
• otra vez

You normally do not put un/una before otro/otra in this use.

Because the nouns have different grammatical genders:

• croqueta is feminine → una croqueta
• aperitivo is masculine → otro aperitivo

The articles and words like otro/otra must agree with the noun:

• una croqueta más
• otro aperitivo

This is standard gender agreement in Spanish.

In Spain, aperitivo can refer to:

• a small drink and snack before a meal
• the occasion of having that pre-meal drink/snack
• sometimes a light appetizer-type item

Depending on context, it may overlap a bit with ideas like snack, appetizer, or even the social ritual of having something before lunch.

In a bar context, otro aperitivo sounds very natural.

Yes, but the meaning would shift slightly.

• porque queríamos pedir... = because we wanted to order...

  • gives the internal reason or motivation

• para pedir... = in order to order...

  • emphasizes purpose more directly

So both are possible in many contexts, but this sentence focuses on what we wanted, not just the practical purpose.

Yes. Esperar is the standard verb for to wait.

So:

• Esperamos junto a la barra = We waited by the counter

Spanish does not usually need an extra word like for after wait unless you are waiting for someone/something:

• Esperamos aquí. = We waited here.
• Esperamos al camarero. = We waited for the waiter.

Here, no direct object is needed, because the sentence is just saying where they waited and why.

Normally, Spanish does not use a comma before porque when it introduces the reason for the main clause.

So this is standard:

• Esperamos junto a la barra porque queríamos pedir...

That is the usual punctuation.