comida para llevar
/komida paɾa ʝebaɾ/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for take away food is comida para llevar.
Use this phrase to refer to food bought from a restaurant with the intention of eating it elsewhere.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of comida (food), para (for/to) and llevar (to carry/take away).
Which one should you use?
When ordering at a restaurant, para llevar (to go) is the direct opposite of para comer aquí (to eat here).
How does it change in a sentence?
When ordering, you can shorten the phrase to just para llevar to indicate you want your food to go.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the concept of comida para llevar is less common than the tradition of sobremesa, where people linger at the table to talk long after the meal is finished.
- In Spain, if you order comida para llevar at a traditional tapas bar, you might be surprised to find that some authentic establishments refuse to offer it to preserve the quality of the dish.
- The verb llevar comes from the Latin verb levāre, which means 'to raise' or 'to lift'.
Examples in context
- Quisiera pedir comida para llevar.I would like to order take away food.
- ¿Tienen opciones de comida para llevar?Do you have options for take away food?
- ¿Dónde puedo encontrar un restaurante que ofrezca comida para llevar?Where can I find a restaurant that offers take away food?
- Vamos a pedir comida para llevar y disfrutarla en el parque.Let's order take away food and enjoy it in the park.
- Prefiero llevarme la comida y comer tranquilamente en casa.I prefer to take away the food and enjoy a relaxed meal at home.
- Acá decimos 'pedir comida para llevar' o 'pedir comida a domicilio'.Here, we say 'order food to take away' or 'order food for home delivery'.
- ¿Es para comer aquí o para llevar?Is it to eat here or to take away?
- Quiero pedir comida para llevar.I want to order take away food.
- ¿Tienen comida para llevar aquí?Do you have take away food here?
- Vamos a comprar comida para llevar.We are going to buy take away food.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- SofíaNo quiero cocinar hoy, Javier.I don't want to cook today, Javier.
- JavierPodemos comprar comida para llevar.We can buy take away food.
- Sofía¡Buena idea! ¿De dónde pedimos?Good idea! Where should we order from?
- JavierPidamos comida china.Let's order Chinese food.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comida, llevar, para, CC BY-SA 4.0.
