Any Spanish speakers around, please?

[MirandaGoshawk]

I'd just like a bit of advice. Going to Spain next month. Is it usual/polite to say '"I want..." rather than "I would like..." in a restaurant? So, is Quiero un café, por favor? normal/polite? When I learnt French I was taught to use Je voudrais instead of Je veux. Is there a usual Spanish equivalent? I found 'gustar' but for some reason the conjugations aren't listed in my book, and I'm wondering if it means that I actually like coffee, rather than dislike it, and not that I'm asking for one. Thanks!

I’m doing Duolingo Spanish atm and quiero un café is always the form used.

me gusta café. I like coffee.
Me gustaría un café. I would like a coffee.

It doesn't matter if you use gustaría or quiero, though I personally prefer gustaría.
Spanish people will be impressed you´re trying, they won´t think you´re rude if you get the form slightly wrong.

You can simply say 'un cafe' when asked what you'd like if a waiter is taking orders. Some people say 'por favor', others don't.

I'm learning and we had this very conversation the other day - we think it's rude to say 'I want' but that is perfectly normal to them. As a PP said - I'm hoping they will just impressed I'm trying, along with all the 'un/una' mistakes I will invariably make, like the completely illogical un vestido. A dress. Masculine. What????

You can use poner as in, "ponme/pongame un cafe". Have a listen to what others use. Personally, I wouldn't use me gustaria in that context in spoken Spanish. Sounds like a wishlist rather than an order.

Un café, por favor.

I agree, don’t use me gustaria or quisiera, bit odd sounding.

Un café por favor would be perfectly fine. Por favor and gracias will get you by.

Manners are less important.
Dame un cafe is common (give me a coffee)
Un cafe por favor
Saying 'me gustarìa un cafe' is kind of like telling them you feel like a coffee.
The question you will be asked is probably 'què quiere usted?' So the answer is 'quiero', but don't overthink it.
Excuse the punctuation.

Many thanks, all. I mean, muchas gracias .

I'm using Duolingo too. It is very annoying! I did Spanish several years ago and my teacher told us not to bother with usted at all, but Duolingo uses it all the time.

Poetry - Wouldn't it be Què quieres usted? (Polite uses the he/she version, doesn't it?)

Spanish is not quite as formal as French. Either go for "Quisiera un café" ir "Querría un café, por favor", which are polite forms of speech, or else "Un café, por favor" (the verb is implied, and also the fact that it's a response to the waiter's question, verbal or not, when addressing you as a customer).

To PP, "quieres" is incorrect, for a third person singular it's "quiere". But it's a start, nobody would bat a lid (Spaniards are always pleasantly surprised when English speakers at least give it a try).

I just saw that was you. The advice stands, though. Spanish verbs are one of the most complex aspects of the language so don't be discouraged.

I get this uncomfortableness! I used to worry about this too. And I got a lot of funny looks, when I thought I was being polite. Here's how I figured it out:

It helps when you realize that English is the weird language. Many romance languages distinguish between formal and informal using a tense (usted v tú). But in English, we make things sound polite by adding more conditionals to a sentence.

"Bring me a coffee" v "Would you mind terribly, if you are not too busy, possibly thinking about maybe bringing me a coffee, if it's not too much trouble, thank you very much please?"

Obviously this is an exaggeration! But you get the idea. In English we add politeness by making our sentences less direct.

In English, "I would" means a lot of different things, grammatically. E.g., it means "used to". As in "Every morning I would drink coffee before school"). However, it also signals that you are being polite in a request. "Would you mind getting me a coffee?".

But "polite" doesn't translate into Spanish, so you are just left with the other grammatical meanings.

When you say "I would like a coffee", you are essentially doing a literal translation from English. Which isn't correct!

If it's hard to get over the idea that you are being rude, if you don't use "would", then imagine that when you say "me gustaría un cafe", what people here is "I used to like a coffee." They get what you are saying... kinda... but it's weird.

As people above suggested, convey politeness through your tone and using please/thank you. After all, tone is really the most important thing in any language... as we know in British English from the sheer venom that can be injected into "terribly sorry".

I remember a Spanish friend telling me about how she went home after a summer living in Britain. Her grandmother complained she had become too British, always saying please and thank you!! She was offended as they were family and she (grandma) thought it was excessive

I only dabble, but in these circs I would say ;

Para mi, cafe con leche por favor, Y....(and then I would look over to DH to place his order)

It seems to have always been fine!

I usually go with “para mi ................ Gracias”

How do you ask for the bill ? Is la cuenta por favor ok?

Yes, that would be fine

And “para mi” etc is what Spanish friends use if I’m out with them in Spain

Yes 'la cuenta por favor' is perfect.
Quieres is the tù form (informal)
Quiere is the èl/ella/usted

Quisiera, quiero are both acceptable. For those learning on Duolingo, it teaches Latin American Spanish where, in many countries, Usted is still used.

To ask for a coffee in a bar or cafe, definitely use 'dame' so 'dame un cafe con leche'. No need for please. It sounds rude as a direct translation (give me a coffee) but really it isn't!

In Spain Usted is used as formal you singular
In Latin America Ustedes is used as vosotros in Spain (you informal plural)

Great thread. I'm doing Duolingo and going to classes. Very helpful posts.