Phrase · 🍽️ Ordering food and drink
Yo quiero el pollo con papas fritas. ¿Y tú?
I'll have the chicken with chips. What about you?
A1choosing from the menuinformales-419Audio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Yo1pronounI1st sing. · subjectquiero2verbwantquerer · present · 1st sing.el3determinerthemasc. · sing. · definitepollo3nounchickenmasc. · sing.conprepositionwithpapas4nounpotatoespapa · fem. · pl.fritas5adjectivefriedfrito · fem. · pl..¿Yconjunctionandtú6pronounyou2nd sing. · subject?
- Yo → quiero: subject: yo
- quiero → pollo: want what?
- el → pollo: agree: masc. sing.
- con → papas: con + noun
- fritas → papas: agree: fem. plural
Word for word: “I want the chicken with fried potatoes. And you?”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1yo is usually dropped; here it contrasts with tú: as for me… Subject pronouns and forms of address: tú, usted, ustedes →
- 2querer: e → ie, quiero. Fine among friends; to a waiter add por favor. Present tense: stem-changing verbs (e → ie, o → ue, e → i, u → ue) →
- 3A dish from the menu takes the article: el pollo (chicken). Articles: el, la, un, una; al and del →
- 4papas = potatoes in Latin America; Spain says patatas.
- 5fritas agrees with papas: feminine plural. Describing nouns: adjective agreement and modifiers →
- 6tú (you) has an accent; tu means "your". Sounds, spelling and written accents →
Variations
- Yo quiero la sopa. ¿Y tú?
- Yo quiero el pescado con arroz. ¿Y usted?