How often do you eat out in restaurants? If you do this in an English-speaking country, would you know your way around a menu? Learn some phrases for talking to waiters, and practise your listening and pronunciation in this free English lesson from Oxford Online English. This lesson is for intermediate learners.
Listen to the full audio here:
A: What are we doing then? Starter and main course, or main course and dessert?
B: Er … probably main course and dessert. Trouble is the steaks are always really filling so if you have a starter, you risk not finishing your main.
A: Ooh, I do fancy an appetiser though. Why don’t we get some olives to share?
B: Nah, not for me, but don’t starve yourself on my account. You have what you like!
C: Are you ready to order?
A: Yes, I think we’re both gonna have the early evening special please, but could you bring some olives to pick at while we wait?
C: Of course. And how would you like your steaks?
A: Medium rare for me please.
B: And for me – thank you. Actually, no, rare – tell the chef to just show it to the heat and put it straight on the plate.
C: Understood! And any sides for you?
A: Um … what does it come with?
C: You get chips and a salad but some people like to choose one of the light bites to have on the side.
A: Oh yes, here they are … er … ooh, what about portobello mushrooms?
C: OK, and for you sir?
B: No, I won’t have anything else to eat, thanks. But could I switch drinks? I don’t really want the glass of wine that’s included. What soft drinks can I have instead?
C: You can have any of the bottled juices on the back of the menu there.
B: Ah … um … could you give me a minute to think.
C: Tell you what, let me put the food order through and I’ll come back for the drinks. Oh, er … are there any dietary requirements I need to know about?
A: Yeah, lots please!
C: (laughs) Of course!
B: Actually I’m gluten-free, but I think we’re safe with steak and chips, aren’t we?
C: Yes, not a problem, but I’ll let the kitchen know.
Ordering in a Restaurant – exercise 1
Comprehension: building a profile
When you hear people talking, you need to build a profile of who they are. Listen to the conversation and collect information about the three speakers.
Ordering in a Restaurant – exercise 2
Pronunciation: intonation in questions
Intonation is the way that the pitch of the voice rises and falls as we speak. Listen to some questions from the dialogue and decide if the speakers’ voices go down at the end or up at the end.
To learn more about pronunciation, try our Pronunciation Course in the Members section at the top of the page.
Ordering in a Restaurant – exercise 3
Vocabulary: parts of a menu
You probably know ‘starter’, ‘main course’ and ‘dessert’, but what about the other parts of the menu that go with your meal?
Ordering in a Restaurant – exercise 4
Grammar: the imperative for instructions
The imperative is the verb form that we use to give other people instructions and orders. Between friends, you can be quite direct, but in a fairly formal setting like a restaurant, you can add language around it to be more polite.
