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Quería reservar una mesa para cuatro.

Quería reservar una mesa para cuatro.
I'd like to book a table for four.
From Lesson 297:Polite past (quería…, venía a…)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Quería reservar una mesa para cuatro.

Why is quería in the past tense if I am booking a table for the future?
In Spanish, using the imperfect tense (quería) is a common way to sound polite and soften a request. It is similar to saying 'I wanted to book' in English. Using the present tense (quiero) can sound too direct or demanding when speaking to restaurant staff.
Could I use quisiera instead of quería here?
Yes, quisiera is another excellent way to say 'I would like' politely. Both are perfectly natural in Spain, though quería is very common in everyday spoken Spanish for casual requests, while quisiera can sound a tiny bit more formal.
Why is it para cuatro and not por cuatro?
You use para here because it shows the purpose or the intended recipients of the table (it is meant for four people). You would use por for things like an exchange or a duration of time, which does not fit this context.
Do I need to say para cuatro personas or is just para cuatro enough?
Just saying para cuatro is perfectly natural and the most standard way to say it in Spain. The word personas is obvious from the context of booking a table, so native speakers usually just drop it.

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