I can book a table, order at a restaurant, ask for cutlery and for food to go, ask for the check, pay by card or in cash, and leave a tip.
At a restaurant: booking, ordering, and the check
At a restaurant: booking, ordering, and the check
A restaurant visit has four steps: booking, ordering, the check, and the tip. The waiter and the guest use vy.
Booking: rezervovať stôl; the day takes na + the accusative (na piatok). How many of you: “Sme traja”, “Sme štyria”. At the restaurant, give your last name: rezervácia na meno Petrovová.
Ordering: to “Čo si dáte?” you answer “Dám si…” (“I'll have…”) or “Prosím si…”: si comes second. If something is missing: “Prepáčte, nemám nôž.” To take food with you, use the set phrase “Zabaľte mi to, prosím.” Learn it as a whole.
The check: “Účet, prosím.” The waiter asks whether you're paying together and how. By card is kartou: the instrumental with no preposition (no word for “by”), like autobusom. In cash is v hotovosti.
The tip is prepitné (colloquial: tringelt). Slovaks don't add a percentage: they round the bill up. If the check is €18.40, hand over €20 and say the amount: “Dvadsať eur, prosím.” The waiter then brings no change.
Common mistakes:
• ×Dám kávu (that's “I'll give coffee”) → Dám si kávu.
• ×Mám rezervácia → Mám rezerváciu (what? — the accusative).
• ×v hotovosť → v hotovosti (where? — the locative).
The waiter asks, you answer
On the left, the waiter's question; in the middle, your answer.
| Čašník | Vy | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Máte rezerváciu? | Nie. Máte voľný stôl? | Do you have a reservation? — No. Do you have a free table? |
| Čo si dáte? | Prosím si šalát a vodu. | What will you have? — A salad and water, please. |
| Ešte niečo? | Áno, ešte jednu minerálku. | Anything else? — Yes, another mineral water. |
| Platíte spolu? | Áno, spolu. | Are you paying together? — Yes, together. |
What's on the table
Words from the restaurant scene.
| In Slovak | In English |
|---|---|
| tanier | plate |
| pohár | glass |
| lyžica | spoon |
| lyžička | teaspoon |
| vidlička | fork |
| nôž | knife |
| servítka | napkin |
Lesson notes
At a restaurant: booking, ordering, and the check
A restaurant visit has four steps: booking, ordering, the check, and the tip. The waiter and the guest use vy.
Booking: rezervovať stôl; the day takes na + the accusative (na piatok). How many of you: “Sme traja”, “Sme štyria”. At the restaurant, give your last name: rezervácia na meno Petrovová.
Ordering: to “Čo si dáte?” you answer “Dám si…” (“I'll have…”) or “Prosím si…”: si comes second. If something is missing: “Prepáčte, nemám nôž.” To take food with you, use the set phrase “Zabaľte mi to, prosím.” Learn it as a whole.
The check: “Účet, prosím.” The waiter asks whether you're paying together and how. By card is kartou: the instrumental with no preposition (no word for “by”), like autobusom. In cash is v hotovosti.
The tip is prepitné (colloquial: tringelt). Slovaks don't add a percentage: they round the bill up. If the check is €18.40, hand over €20 and say the amount: “Dvadsať eur, prosím.” The waiter then brings no change.
Common mistakes:
• ×Dám kávu (that's “I'll give coffee”) → Dám si kávu.
• ×Mám rezervácia → Mám rezerváciu (what? — the accusative).
• ×v hotovosť → v hotovosti (where? — the locative).