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Quiero arroz con patatas.

Quiero arroz con patatas.
I want rice with potatoes.
From Lesson 63:Basic Food and Drink·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Quiero arroz con patatas.

Why isn't there a 'yo' before 'quiero'?
In Spanish, the ending of the verb usually tells you who is doing the action. Because quiero always means 'I want', you don't need to include the word yo (I) unless you want to add special emphasis.
Why is it just 'arroz' and not 'el arroz'?
Just like in English, when you are talking about an unspecified amount of food, you often leave out the word for 'the' (el or la). You just ask for 'rice' (arroz) instead of 'the rice' (el arroz).
The dictionary says 'to want' is 'querer'. Where does the 'i' in 'quiero' come from?
Querer is a stem-changing verb. For many common Spanish verbs, when you change them to match 'I' or 'you', the 'e' in the middle of the word changes to 'ie'. That is why querer becomes quiero.
Is 'patatas' the only word for potatoes in Spanish?
In Spain, patatas is the standard word for potatoes. However, if you speak to someone from Latin America, you will usually hear the word papas used instead. Since you are learning the Spanish of Spain, patatas is the best one to practice here.

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