Breakdown of Quisiera una porción de ese pastel exquisito.
de
from / of
una
a, an (feminine)
ese
that (masculine)
el pastel
cake
querer
to want
exquisito
exquisite
la porción
portion
Questions & Answers about Quisiera una porción de ese pastel exquisito.
Why is quisiera, which is the past subjunctive, used here to say 'I would like' right now?
Even though quisiera is technically the imperfect (past) subjunctive form of querer (to want), it is used as a highly polite way to say 'I would like' in the present. You can think of it as a softer, more courteous version of quiero (I want). It is a set phrase you will hear very often in restaurants, cafes, or shops.
Why is it ese pastel and not eso pastel?
Ese is the masculine singular word for 'that' when it comes directly before a masculine noun like pastel. You only use eso when you are talking about an abstract idea, a situation, or an unknown object (for example, '¿Qué es eso?' meaning 'What is that?'). Because we know the specific object is a cake, we must use the matching masculine adjective ese.
Could I put the adjective first and say ese exquisito pastel?
You could, but placing the adjective after the noun (pastel exquisito) is the standard, most natural word order in Spanish for describing things. Moving a descriptive adjective like exquisito before the noun makes it sound very poetic, emotional, or literary, which might sound a bit overly dramatic when you are simply ordering dessert.
Is porción the most common way to say a 'piece' of cake?
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