In this workshop you will practice a common restaurant situation: asking for a dish to be prepared without an ingredient or with extra sauce. You will first learn short polite requests, then follow a short exchange between a customer and a staff member, and finally recall the exchange with the roles reversed. The goal is to speak clearly and politely, not to memorize grammar rules.
Making a simple request
A polite request can be very short. The line «Sin cebolla, por favor.» means that you do not want onions in your food. The line «Con salsa extra, por favor.» means that you want more sauce than usual. Both are useful on their own when the dish is already understood. If you want to be more explicit, you can use a full question. The line «¿Me lo puede hacer sin cebolla?» asks whether the food can be made without onions for you. Notice that the request is polite and direct at the same time. You can also combine two requests in one sentence. The line «Sin cebolla y con salsa extra, por favor.» asks for no onions and extra sauce together. When you speak, keep your tone calm and friendly. You do not need to explain why you want the change. A short request is usually enough.
Following a short ordering exchange
In a restaurant, the staff member often speaks first. The line «Buenas tardes. ¿Qué le gustaría ordenar?» is a greeting and a question about what you would like to order. A natural reply is a dish plus a request. The line «Un taco de pollo, sin cebolla, por favor.» orders a chicken taco and asks for no onions. The staff member then accepts and asks about a drink. The line «Claro. ¿Y algo para tomar?» means that the order is accepted and asks if you want something to drink. You can answer with a drink and another request. The line «Agua, por favor. Y ¿me puede dar la salsa aparte?» asks for water and for the sauce to be served on the side. This exchange shows a clear order: greeting and question, order with a request, acceptance and a new question, then a drink and another request. When you practice, keep that order. Do not start with the drink before the staff member asks about it.
Speaking clearly and politely
Short requests are easy to say, but clarity matters. Say the food item first if you are ordering, then add your request. For example, you can order a dish and then use «Sin cebolla, por favor.» or «Con salsa extra, por favor.». If you need a full question, use «¿Me lo puede hacer sin cebolla?». If you have two changes, use «Sin cebolla y con salsa extra, por favor.». When the staff member asks a question, listen for the key word. The line «Buenas tardes. ¿Qué le gustaría ordenar?» asks what you would like to order, so your answer should be a dish. The line «Claro. ¿Y algo para tomar?» asks about a drink, so your answer should be a drink. If you want the sauce served separately, use the request in «Agua, por favor. Y ¿me puede dar la salsa aparte?». Speak at a normal speed and repeat once if needed. Politeness comes from a calm tone and a clear request, not from long sentences.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
Sin cebolla, por favor.
No onions, please.
seen seh-BOH-yah, por fah-BOR
Con salsa extra, por favor.
Extra sauce, please.
kohn SAHL-sah EHK-strah, por fah-BOR
¿Me lo puede hacer sin cebolla?
Can you make it without onions for me?
meh loh PWEH-deh ah-SEHR seen seh-BOH-yah
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
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
Buenas tardes. ¿Qué le gustaría ordenar?
Good afternoon. What would you like to order?Un taco de pollo, sin cebolla, por favor.
A chicken taco, no onions, please.Claro. ¿Y algo para tomar?
Of course. And something to drink?Agua, por favor. Y ¿me puede dar la salsa aparte?
Water, please. And can you give me the sauce on the side?Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided exchange: order with one change
You are the customer in a small restaurant. The staff member greets you and asks what you would like to order. You want a chicken taco with no onions.
Your task: Read the staff member's line aloud: «Buenas tardes. ¿Qué le gustaría ordenar?». Then read your order aloud using the dish and the request for no onions. Use the full line «Un taco de pollo, sin cebolla, por favor.» as your model. After that, read the staff member's next line «Claro. ¿Y algo para tomar?» and answer with water only.
Reply comprehension: choose the right response
You hear a staff member say «Claro. ¿Y algo para tomar?» after you have ordered a chicken taco with no onions. You want water and you want the sauce served on the side.
Your task: Choose the best reply: A) «Un taco de pollo, sin cebolla, por favor.» B) «Agua, por favor. Y ¿me puede dar la salsa aparte?» C) «¿Me lo puede hacer sin cebolla?». Say your choice aloud, then read the full reply aloud. After that, answer this question: does «Claro. ¿Y algo para tomar?» ask about a drink or about onions?
Recall and role swap: customer and staff
You will now recall the full exchange from memory. First you play the customer, then you play the staff member. The chronological order of the exchange stays the same: greeting and question, order with a request, acceptance and drink question, drink and sauce request.
Your task: With a partner or with the audio, say the exchange in order. As the customer, use «Un taco de pollo, sin cebolla, por favor.» and «Agua, por favor. Y ¿me puede dar la salsa aparte?». As the staff member, use «Buenas tardes. ¿Qué le gustaría ordenar?» and «Claro. ¿Y algo para tomar?». Then swap roles and say the same exchange again without reading. If you are alone, say both roles aloud, but keep the same order.
Common questions
Can I use the short requests on their own?
Yes. The lines «Sin cebolla, por favor.» and «Con salsa extra, por favor.» are complete polite requests when the dish is already clear. If you need to name the dish or ask a full question, use «¿Me lo puede hacer sin cebolla?» or «Sin cebolla y con salsa extra, por favor.». In a real exchange, the staff member may ask a question first, as in «Buenas tardes. ¿Qué le gustaría ordenar?», so listen before you answer.
What if I want the sauce served separately?
Use the request in «Agua, por favor. Y ¿me puede dar la salsa aparte?». It asks for water and for the sauce on the side. This fits after the staff member asks about a drink, as in «Claro. ¿Y algo para tomar?». If you only want extra sauce in the dish, use «Con salsa extra, por favor.» instead. Keep your answer to the drink question focused on a drink first, then add the sauce request.
Sources and further reading
- spanish: ask for food to be prepared speciallyChecked September 2026
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