Restaurant reservations Part 4 (Advanced): Asking about accessibility features for disabled guests.

💬 Spanish says "in" a wheelchair with en, just like English. The word is literally "chair of wheels": silla "chair" + ruedas "wheels".

🇪🇸 Staff ask this directly and matter-of-factly so they can plan a table and access. A plain answer like sí, mi padre is all that's expected.

💬 eso es works as "exactly" or "that's right" to confirm what someone just said. It's handy any time staff check a detail back with you.

💬 algún is the short form of alguno, used before a masculine word, so the question means "any step at all". With a feminine word it's alguna: ¿hay alguna rampa?

🇪🇸 Many older buildings in Spain have a single step at the door, even when the inside is flat. That's why this is worth asking separately from "is it accessible?"

💬 The describing word goes after the noun: rampa portátil, not "portable ramp" order. Same pattern: silla plegable "folding chair".

💬 -nos "us" attaches to the end of the verb: avisar becomes avisarnos. Same with others: avisarme "let me know".

💬 al + a basic verb form means "when/on doing" something. Reuse it: al salir "when you leave", al entrar "on entering".

💬 tienen here is the polite "you" for a group, the same form as "they have". Staff use it to address your whole party formally.

🇪🇸 In a restaurant, el baño or el servicio is how you ask for the toilet. Nobody expects an actual bath.

💬 adaptado "adapted" is the usual Spanish word for facilities fitted for disabled people. It changes ending to match: la entrada está adaptada.

💬 Es que at the start of a sentence introduces a reason or justification, and it softens what follows. Spaniards use it all the time: Es que llegamos tarde "The thing is, we're running late".

💬 planta "floor, storey" is the everyday word for a level of a building in Spain, not just a plant. planta baja is the ground floor.

💬 es que at the start softens a sentence into "it's just that...", giving a reason for asking. Reuse it: es que llegamos tarde "it's just that we're arriving late".

🇪🇸 Toilets down a flight of stairs are very common in Spanish bars and restaurants, so this is a realistic worry to raise.

💬 Literally "bars of support": Spanish links two nouns with de where English just puts them side by side. Same pattern: silla de ruedas.

💬 les makes this polite and plural, addressing your whole group. To one person formally it's si le parece.

💬 Spanish often uses the plain present for something about to happen: les pongo means "I'll put you". It's very common in service talk.

💬 agradecería is the "would" form of agradecer "to thank, appreciate"; the -ía ending turns verbs into "would". Same idea: me gustaría "I would like".

💬 Spanish states the group size with the verb "to be": seríamos cuatro is literally "we would be four". Plainer version: somos cuatro.

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

🇪🇸 Half past nine is a completely normal dinner time in Spain, even early by some standards. si puede ser keeps the request gentle.

💬 Hueco literally means "gap" or "hole", but in Spain it is the everyday word for free space or an open slot. You'll hear it at restaurants, hairdressers and doctors alike: ¿Tienes hueco el lunes? "Do you have a slot on Monday?"

💬 hueco literally means "gap" or "hole", but it's the everyday way to say there's a free slot or table. You'll hear no tengo hueco for "we're full".

💬 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.

💬 dejar + apuntado means "to leave noted down", as in making sure it's on record. Same shape: lo dejo reservado "I'll leave it booked".

💬 lo de + a noun means "the matter of" or "that business about". Reuse it: lo del baño "the toilet thing".

💬 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.