🍔 Fast Food - Comida rápida

Aa ⏱ ≈ 21 minutes

Everyday Spanish · Food and ordering

Ordering Fast Food in Spanish

Your food can be fast even if your Spanish takes a moment. Start with what you want, add a little por favor, and leave out the onions if you like. We’ll build your order one phrase at a time, with room for extra cheese.

Your next small win: order food and a drink, make a change, ask for it to go, and pay.

Fast Food Vocabulary

Start with a few things you might actually order. There’s no need to memorize the whole menu before lunch.

una hamburguesaA burger
una hamburguesa con quesoA cheeseburger
papas fritasFrench fries
un refrescoA soft drink

A useful regional swap: papas fritas is common in much of Latin America; in much of Spain you’ll hear patatas fritas. We’ll use papas fritas in the main examples.

More food and drink options
una pizzaA pizza
un perro calienteA hot dog
un perrito calienteAnother name for a hot dog
pollo fritoFried chicken
nuggets de polloChicken nuggets
aguaWater
patatas fritasFrench fries
una gaseosaA soft drink in some regions

Food and drink names vary by place. The wording on the menu is a useful guide; terms such as gaseosa do not mean exactly the same thing everywhere.

Placing an Order

You have the food words. Now give them an opening line. Learn one request you can reuse, then change the food inside it.

Quisiera una hamburguesa, por favor.I would like a burger, please.
Quiero una hamburguesa, por favor.I want a burger, please.

A reusable pattern: Quisiera + what you want + por favor. Quisiera sounds softer than quiero; both can be used when ordering.

Quisiera una hamburguesa con queso, por favor.I would like a cheeseburger, please.
Quisiera una hamburguesa con queso y papas fritas.I would like a cheeseburger and fries.

Try it aloud

Ask for a cheeseburger politely. Begin with Quisiera and include “please.”

Words you may see or hear
el menúThe menuCan also refer to a meal deal or set meal, depending on the restaurant.
un comboA combo mealCheck what is included; the name alone does not tell you the contents.
el pedidoThe order
¿Qué desea ordenar?What would you like to order?

Customizing Your Order

A small word can make a big change to your burger. Con puts something in; sin leaves it out. Add extra when a little more would hit the spot.

con quesoWith cheese
sin cebollaWithout onion
queso extraExtra cheese
sin hieloWithout ice
Sin cebolla, por favor.No onion, please.
Con queso extra, por favor.With extra cheese, please.
Sin hielo, por favor.No ice, please.
¿Me puede dar más salsa?Can you give me more sauce?

Try it aloud

Order a burger with cheese but no onion. Put the food first and the change after it.

Changing one item for another
¿Puedo cambiar el refresco por agua?Can I swap the soft drink for water?

The pattern: cambiar A por B means to replace A with B. You’re asking whether the change is possible.

Choosing a Size

Small, medium, large: three choices, with a little grammar on the side. Learn the size together with the item so the ending comes along naturally.

un refresco pequeñoA small soft drink
un refresco medianoA medium soft drink
un refresco grandeA large soft drink
una pizza medianaA medium pizza

Match the noun: pequeño and mediano become pequeña and mediana with feminine nouns. Grande works with both: un refresco grande, una pizza grande.

Un refresco mediano, por favor.A medium soft drink, please.
Una porción grande de papas fritas, por favor.A large portion of fries, please.

Try it aloud

The cashier asks what you want to drink. Ask for a medium soft drink with no ice.

For Here or To Go

The order is taking shape. Now tell the cashier where it’s going: to a table or out the door.

¿Para comer aquí o para llevar?For here or to go?
Para llevar, por favor.To go, please.
Para comer aquí, por favor.To eat here, please.
Todo para llevar, por favor.Everything to go, please.

Listen for a shorter version: ¿Para aquí o para llevar? asks the same practical question.

Paying for Your Order

One last exchange before the first bite. Ask how you can pay, then finish with a thank-you.

¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?Can I pay by card?
Voy a pagar en efectivo.I’m going to pay in cash.
¿Me puede dar el recibo, por favor?Can you give me the receipt, please?
Gracias.Thank you.
Payment vocabulary
pagarTo pay
la tarjetaThe card
el efectivoCash
el reciboThe receipt

You may see other words for a receipt, including ticket or tique, depending on the location.

A Fast Food Conversation

Bring the pieces together. Read the customer’s lines first, then try the cashier’s questions. Your order can take a little practice before it takes a tray.

At the counter

A
¿Qué desea ordenar?What would you like to order?
B
Quisiera una hamburguesa con queso y papas fritas, por favor.I would like a cheeseburger and fries, please.
B
La hamburguesa sin cebolla, por favor.The burger without onion, please.
A
¿Qué desea tomar?What would you like to drink?
B
Un refresco mediano, sin hielo, por favor.A medium soft drink, no ice, please.
A
¿Para comer aquí o para llevar?For here or to go?
B
Para llevar. ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?To go. Can I pay by card?
A
Sí, claro.Yes, of course.
B
Gracias.Thank you.

A is the cashier; B is the customer. This example orders individual items. If you want a combo, use the combo name or number shown on the menu.

More Example Sentences

Once your main order feels comfortable, try a different food or describe what arrived. The next sentence doesn’t have to come with a whole new vocabulary list.

Other things you might order
Quiero nuggets de pollo con salsa.I want chicken nuggets with sauce.
Quisiera una pizza grande para compartir.I would like a large pizza to share.
Mi pedido es para llevar.My order is to go.
Talking about the food
La hamburguesa con queso está deliciosa.The cheeseburger is delicious.
Las papas fritas están calientes y crujientes.The fries are hot and crispy.

Practice: Ordering Fast Food

Take the customer’s part. Choose the phrase that matches each request. There are eight questions, followed by a chance to say a complete order without choices.

Audio uses your device’s Spanish voice. Listen to each phrase, then try it aloud.