A1 · Unit 3
Ordering food
You'll order food in a restaurant and say what you want.
New words
to want
Bulgarian has no infinitive: dictionaries list the "I" form, "искам"
. Fine for ordering with "моля"
.
can
Used with "да" + verb: "Не мога да ям месо."
could I have…?
The easiest polite request: "Може ли менюто?"
— "Could I have the menu?"
menu
shopska salad
Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onion and grated white cheese.
banitsa
супаsupasoup
Feminine: "една супа"
.
хлябhlyabbread
white brined cheese
White brined cheese, like feta. Yellow cheese is "кашкавал"
.
месоmesomeat
for me
A natural way to start your order: "За мен супа."
I'll have
Ready-made ordering phrase: "Аз ще взема баница."
What would you like?
What the waiter asks you.
mineral water
Mineral water can be sparkling or still. For water without bubbles, say "негазирана вода"
.
Lunch at a traditional restaurant
Waiter
Заповядайте, менюто.
Here you are, the menu.
Благодаря! Искам шопска салата, моля.
Thank you! I'd like a shopska salad, please.
Waiter
Нещо друго?
Anything else?
Да, една супа и хляб.
Yes, a soup and some bread.
Waiter
Нещо за пиене?
Something to drink?
Една негазирана вода, моля.
A still water, please.
Waiter
Добре, веднага.
Okay, right away.
Grammar
"Искам"
+ a thing: "Искам супа."
When you want to do something yourself, use "да"
and a verb in the same person: "Искам да поръчам"
, "Искаме да поръчаме"
. With "мога"
: "Не мога да ям месо"
.
Искам да поръчам.
I'd like to order.
Не мога да ям месо.
I can't eat meat.
"да"construction
Examples
Искам шопска салата, моля.
I'd like a shopska salad, please.
Може ли менюто?
Could I have the menu?
За мен супа и хляб.
Soup and bread for me.
Аз ще взема баница със сирене.
I'll have banitsa with cheese.
Супата с месо ли е?
Does the soup have meat in it?
Те искат две баници.
They want two banitsas.
Искаш ли сирене?
Do you want some cheese?
Може ли още хляб?
Could we have more bread?