Restaurant reservations (Advanced): Setting preferences for seating, such as indoor, outdoor, or specific views.

💬 Times take las because the word horas "hours" is understood. The only exception is one o'clock: a la una.

💬 Completa means "fully booked" here, not "complete". It ends in -a to match terraza; for a whole restaurant you'd hear está completo.

🇪🇸 The terraza "terrace" is the most sought-after seating in Spain, especially on summer evenings. Book early if you want it, and nine is already a popular dinner hour.

💬 Venir bien means "to suit" or "to work for", not "to come well". Reuse it with me: ¿Te viene bien mañana? "Does tomorrow work for you?"

💬 Times use las because horas "hours" is understood, so it's a las nueve. One o'clock is the exception: a la una.

🇪🇸 Les addresses your whole group politely, as the plural of usted. Staff use it with any party of customers.

💬 Starting with Es que "the thing is" softens a reason or excuse. Try Es que tengo prisa "The thing is, I'm in a hurry".

🇪🇸 Spaniards often eat dinner at 9 or later, so families with children may politely push back on late slots. This phrase declines gently without saying no outright.

💬 Alguna here means "any", as in "do you have any table". It's the natural way to ask about availability: ¿Tienen alguna habitación? "Do you have any rooms?"

💬 Spanish says vistas "views" in the plural and uses a, not "of": vistas a la montaña "mountain view".

💬 A ventanal is a large window, bigger than a regular ventana. The ending -al often signals a bigger version of something.

💬 Dar a means "to face" or "to look out onto", not "to give". Swap the place: que da a la playa "facing the beach".

💬 Se ve means "you can see" or "one sees", with no particular person doing the seeing. Same pattern: se oye "you can hear".

💬 Quedarse con means "to take" or "to go with" when choosing. Use it in shops too: Me quedo con este "I'll take this one".

💬 Apartada ends in -a because it describes la mesa "the table", even though the table isn't named. For a room you'd say apartado.

💬 Here c before i is said (th), so cocina sounds like (ko-THEE-na) in Spain.

💬 Por gives the reason behind something: por el calor "because of the heat", por el humo "because of the smoke".

🇪🇸 Adding a reason after a request makes it sound less fussy. Spanish restaurants can be lively and loud, so asking for a quieter table is common.

💬 Spanish keeps de in front of quién, where English sends the word to the end: "who is it under?" You can't drop it, and the same goes for ¿Con quién? "With whom?"

💬 La stands for la reserva "the reservation". Spanish uses the present tense to offer to do something: ¿Te ayudo? "Shall I help you?"

🇪🇸 Answer with your surname or first name, as in A nombre de Smith. Spell it slowly if it's unfamiliar, since staff will write it down.

🇪🇸 Restaurants often take a mobile number to confirm the booking, or to call if you're late. Offer it in pairs of digits, which is how Spaniards usually read numbers out.

💬 por si means "in case" and attaches to whatever might happen: por si llueve "in case it rains". hubiera is a softer, more hypothetical form of hay "there is", making the change sound unlikely rather than expected.

🇪🇸 Spanish restaurants often ask for a phone number when you book, partly to call or WhatsApp you if your terrace table falls through because of weather. Saying yes is normal and expected.

🇪🇸 Staff often say this on the phone once they've written down your booking. It's simply a confirmation, so no reply is needed beyond thanks.

💬 Hasta + a day or time is the standard 'see you then': hasta mañana "see you tomorrow", hasta luego "see you later". Days of the week take el and are not capitalised.

💬 This is short for es usted muy amable "you are very kind", with the verb dropped. amable doesn't change shape, so it works for a man or a woman.

🇪🇸 A standard warm sign-off to restaurant staff on the phone or in person. It sounds polite without being stiff, and works with anyone who has done you a small favour.