Sweet things
El flan, a caramel custard, is a classic dessert on a Spanish set menu. Las magdalenas are small sponge cakes in paper cups, and many people dip them (mojar) in coffee or milk at breakfast. Un bollo is usually a sweet bun.
| For dessert, could you bring me a flan? | De postre, ¿me podría traer un flan? |
| The children dip the muffins in the milk. | Los niños mojan las magdalenas en la leche. |
Bocadillo or sándwich?
In Spain these are two different things:
| the bread | |
|---|---|
| el bocadillo | a barra, a baguette-style loaf |
| el sándwich | soft sliced bread, often toasted |
A toasted ham-and-cheese sándwich is a café classic. The plural is sándwiches.
| Could you make me a ham and cheese sandwich? | ¿Me podrías hacer un sándwich de jamón y queso? |
| Do you prefer a sliced-bread sandwich or a baguette sandwich? | ¿Prefieres un sándwich o un bocadillo? |
Infusiones
Una infusión is an herbal tea. The classic is la manzanilla, chamomile, a common remedy for an upset stomach. In Andalusia, una manzanilla can also be a dry sherry-type wine.
| If your stomach hurts, have a chamomile tea. | Si te duele el estómago, tómate una manzanilla. |
Cava and champán
El cava is Spanish sparkling wine, most of it from Catalonia; people often toast with it at Christmas. El champán comes from France, though many people say champán for any sparkling wine.
| Cava is usually cheaper than champagne. | El cava suele ser más barato que el champán. |
Asking politely
The conditional softens a request: ¿Me podría traer…? to a waiter, ¿Te importaría…? to someone you call tú.
| Could you bring me a chamomile tea, please? | ¿Me podría traer una manzanilla, por favor? |
| Would you mind ordering the pizza by phone? | ¿Te importaría pedir la pizza por teléfono? |
