mesa para cuatro
/mesa paɾa kwatɾo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "table for 4" is translated into Spanish as mesa para cuatro.
You use mesa para cuatro to request a table at a restaurant that can accommodate four people. To make your request more polite when arriving at a restaurant, it is standard to add por favor at the end, resulting in una mesa para cuatro, por favor.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of mesa (table), para (for) and cuatro (four).
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "a table for four", you can add the indefinite article una before mesa, forming una mesa para cuatro.
How do you pronounce it?
/mesa paɾa kwatɾo/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, you do not need to wait for a host to seat you. It is often acceptable to look for an available mesa and signal to the staff.
- In Spain, groups sharing a mesa often order raciones, which are large portions of food designed for everyone to share rather than individual plates.
- The word mesa shares a common ancestor with the English word 'measure', as both stem from the Proto-Indo-European root for 'measuring' or 'measuring out' space.
Examples in context
- ¿Podríamos reservar una mesa para cuatro personas, por favor?May we reserve a table for four people, please?
- Disculpe, ¿podríamos tener una mesa para cuatro?Excuse me, could we have a table for four?
- ¿Hay una cervecería con mesa para 4 cerca?Is there a casual bar with a table for 4 nearby?
- Hola, una mesa para cuatro, por favor.Hello, a table for four, please.
- ¿Tiene una mesa para cuatro disponible?Do you have a table for four available?
- Queremos una mesa para cuatro en la terraza.We want a table for four on the terrace.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo arrive at a restaurant.
- ElenaBuenas noches, queremos una mesa para cuatro.Good evening, we want a table for four.
- MateoHola, por favor esperen un momento.Hello, please wait a moment.
- ElenaNo hay problema, Mateo, podemos esperar.No problem, Mateo, we can wait.
- MateoAquí tienen su mesa para cuatro.Here is your table for four.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuatro, mesa, para, CC BY-SA 4.0.
