Restaurant reservations Part 2 (Advanced): Understanding cancellation policies and deadlines.

🇲🇽 Staff ask whose name the booking is under, not your own name, so give the name the person who booked used.

💬 a nombre de is the fixed way to say "under the name of". It also works for bills and orders: la cuenta a nombre de... "the bill under the name of..."

💬 la stands for la reservación, so it goes before the verb, not after as in English. If it were a masculine thing, you'd say ya lo encontré.

💬 se dejó says the deposit was left without naming who left it. Same pattern: se pagó "it was paid".

💬 Say mil alone for a thousand, never un mil. After that it's dos mil, tres mil.

🇲🇽 Restaurants in Mexico often ask large groups for an anticipo. You'll usually pay it by transfer or card when you book.

💬 cuándo carries an accent mark when it asks a question. In a statement like cuando llegue "when I arrive", it doesn't.

💬 After sin, use the plain dictionary form of the verb, just as you would after "without ...ing" in English: sin pagar "without paying", sin avisar "without notice".

💬 The full phrase is con + time + de anticipación: con dos días de anticipación "two days in advance".

💬 Put a más tardar right before any deadline: a más tardar mañana "tomorrow at the latest".

🇲🇽 Mexicans use o sea constantly to rephrase or check that they understood. Say it back, as in o sea, el jueves, to confirm a deadline.

💬 fíjese literally means "notice". Here it just opens what you're about to explain, much like English "the thing is".

💬 Literally it's "to the best", but it simply means "maybe". Mexicans use it far more than quizás.

💬 Spanish often uses the present tense for plans in the near future. no vienen can mean "aren't coming" on Saturday.

💬 a lo mejor means "maybe", not "at best". It's a very common Mexican way to soften news.

🇲🇽 This is a gentle, indirect way to ask about consequences. It sounds less confrontational than asking outright whether you'll be charged.

💬 Spanish counts the group with "we are" where English says "there are": somos menos "there are fewer of us". To give the size, say somos ocho "there are eight of us".

💬 avisar means "to let someone know" or "give notice", not advise. You'll hear avíseme "let me know" a lot.

💬 de + el always merges into del: antes del jueves, but antes de la cena "before dinner".

💬 anticipo and anticipación look alike, but anticipo is money paid up front and anticipación is advance notice.

💬 ya no before a verb is how Spanish says "no longer" or "not anymore." Same pattern: ya no hay mesas "there are no tables anymore."

💬 anticipo looks like "anticipation," but it means money paid in advance. It's the usual Mexican word for a reservation deposit.

🇲🇽 Mexican restaurants usually ask for an anticipo only for large groups or busy dates like Mother's Day. Ask ¿hasta cuándo puedo cancelar? "until when can I cancel?" so you know the cutoff.

💬 Spanish often uses the plain present tense for a near-future promise, so confirmo covers "I'll confirm." Same pattern: le llamo mañana "I'll call you tomorrow."

💬 To say "on" a day, Spanish just uses el, with no word for "on." Same pattern: el viernes "on Friday."

🇲🇽 Said in reply to gracias, it means "no, thank YOU." It sounds warm and a bit more gracious than de nada.

💬 lo here means a formal "you" said to a man. To a woman it's la esperamos, and to a group it's los esperamos.

💬 Starting with Que plus tenga turns this into a wish, and tenga is the polite form for someone you call usted. Swap the ending to reuse it: Que tenga buen día "Have a good day" or Que tenga buena noche "Have a good night".

🇲🇽 Restaurant staff and hosts in Mexico say this warmly as you leave or end a call. A simple Igualmente "Likewise" or Gracias, igualmente is the natural reply.

🇲🇽 This is the standard comeback when someone wishes you well, for example after que le vaya bien "have a good day." It's polite and works with anyone, from waiters to managers.

🇲🇽 In Mexico this is an everyday goodbye, even if you'll never see the person again. It's a natural way to end a phone call with a restaurant.