How to Say 'No Onions, Please' and 'Extra Sauce' in Spanish
Learn to order food your way in Latin American Spanish: ask for no onions, extra sauce, and other personal preferences politely at restaurants and food stalls.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
Sin cilantro, por favor means "No cilantro, please" or "Without cilantro, please." Sin asks for an ingredient to be left out, while por favor adds "please." For an onion-free order, the recording below models Sin cebolla, por favor. This lesson also teaches extra sauce and sauce on the side, so you can state a clear food preference and hear how the request sounds. These preference requests do not by themselves communicate an allergy.
By the end, you can…
- ask for a dish without a specific ingredient, such as 'sin cebolla'.
- ask for extra of something, such as 'con salsa extra'.
- politely soften a request with 'por favor' and '¿me puede...?'.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Sin cebolla, por favor.
No onions, please.
seen seh-BOH-yah, por fah-BOR
The most direct way to remove onions. Use 'sin' + ingredient for any topping: 'sin tomate', 'sin queso'.
Con salsa extra, por favor.
Extra sauce, please.
kohn SAHL-sah EHK-strah, por fah-BOR
Use 'con ... extra' for more of a sauce or topping. In Mexico you may hear 'con salsa aparte' for sauce on the side.
¿Me lo puede hacer sin cebolla?
Can you make it without onions for me?
meh loh PWEH-deh ah-SEHR seen seh-BOH-yah
A polite full request. 'Lo' refers to the dish; change to 'la' for a feminine dish like 'la pizza'.
Sin cebolla y con salsa extra, por favor.
No onions and extra sauce, please.
seen seh-BOH-yah ee kohn SAHL-sah EHK-strah, por fah-BOR
Combine two preferences in one sentence with 'y' (and). Keep 'por favor' at the end.
¿Me puede dar la salsa aparte?
Can you give me the sauce on the side?
meh PWEH-deh dahr lah SAHL-sah ah-PAHR-teh
'Aparte' means separately or on the side. Useful when you want to control how much sauce you add.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 'sin' + ingredient for removing something, and 'con' + item + 'extra' for adding more. Examples: 'sin cebolla' (no onion), 'sin cilantro' (no cilantro), 'con queso extra' (extra cheese), 'con aguacate extra' (extra avocado). Add 'por favor' to keep it polite. If you need a full sentence, use '¿Me lo puede hacer sin...?' or '¿Me puede dar...?'. Notice that Spanish usually keeps the same noun form after 'sin' and 'con': 'sin cebolla', 'con cebolla'.
When to use it
Use these phrases at restaurants, taquerías, food trucks, and cafés. Say 'Sin cebolla, por favor' when ordering tacos, burgers, or salads. Say 'Con salsa extra, por favor' when you want more sauce or dressing. If the server asks '¿Algo más?' (Anything else?), you can add 'y sin tomate, por favor'. For sauce on the side, say 'La salsa aparte, por favor'. These are preferences, so they are usually easy to accommodate; for allergies, say 'Soy alérgico/a a...' instead.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buenas tardes. ¿Qué le gustaría ordenar?
Good afternoon. What would you like to order?BWEH-nahs TAHR-dehs. keh leh goos-tah-REE-ah or-deh-NAHRUn taco de pollo, sin cebolla, por favor.
A chicken taco, no onions, please.oon TAH-koh deh POH-yoh, seen seh-BOH-yah, por fah-BORClaro. ¿Y algo para tomar?
Of course. And something to drink?KLAH-roh. ee AHL-goh PAH-rah toh-MAHRAgua, por favor. Y ¿me puede dar la salsa aparte?
Water, please. And can you give me the sauce on the side?AH-gwah, por fah-BOR. ee meh PWEH-deh dahr lah SAHL-sah ah-PAHR-tehA little context goes a long way
In much of Latin America, 'por favor' and a friendly tone matter more than complex grammar. 'Sin cebolla' is perfectly polite on its own at a casual food stall, but adding 'por favor' or '¿me puede...?' is safer in sit-down restaurants. In Mexico, 'salsa aparte' is common; in Argentina, you might hear 'salsa separada' or 'aparte'. If you are in Spain, 'sin cebolla' works too, but '¿me pone...?' is a common way to order.
One thing to watch for
Using 'no cebolla' or 'no quiero cebolla' as a direct translation of 'no onions'.
Try this instead: Use 'sin' + ingredient: 'Sin cebolla, por favor.' 'No cebolla' sounds like a fragment, and 'No quiero cebolla' can sound blunt. The standard request is 'Sin cebolla, por favor' or '¿Me lo puede hacer sin cebolla?'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'No onions, please' in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Sin cebolla, por favor.
'Sin' means without, and 'por favor' makes it polite. You can also say 'Sin cebolla' alone at a casual counter.
2You want extra sauce. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
Con salsa extra, por favor.
'Con ... extra' adds more of something. 'Salsa aparte' is a valid alternative if you want it on the side.
3How do you politely ask the server to make your dish without onions?
Show a sample answer
¿Me lo puede hacer sin cebolla?
This full question is polite and clear. If the dish is feminine, use 'la': '¿Me la puede hacer sin cebolla?'.
Remember two patterns: 'sin' + ingredient to remove it, and 'con' + item + 'extra' to add more. Add 'por favor' and you can customize almost any order in Spanish.
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