Lesson 43: At the Restaurant
You ordered a coffee back at the café. Now let’s handle a whole meal — ordering politely and asking for the bill at the end.
Ordering dinner
שָׁלוֹם, מָה תִּרְצוּ לְהַזְמִין?
shalom, ma tirtsu lehazmin?
Hello, what would you like to order?
אֲנִי אֶקַּח אֶת הַמָּרָק וְסָלָט, בְּבַקָּשָׁה.
ani ekach et hamarak vesalat, bevakasha.
I’ll have the soup and a salad, please.
וְלִשְׁתּוֹת?
velishtot?
And to drink?
מַיִם, תּוֹדָה.
mayim, toda.
Water, thanks.
אֶפְשָׁר אֶת הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן?
efshar et hacheshbon?
Can I have the bill?
בְּוַדַּאי, מִיָּד.
bevadai, miyad.
Of course, right away.
Grammar: ordering politely
The natural way to order is אֲנִי אֶקַּח (ani ekach, “I’ll take/have”) + אֶת + the dish:
- אֲנִי אֶקַּח אֶת הַמָּרָק ani ekach et hamarak — “I’ll have the soup”
For a polite request, start with אֶפְשָׁר (efshar, “may I / is it possible”):
- אֶפְשָׁר אֶת הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן? efshar et hacheshbon? — “Can I have the bill?”
- אֶפְשָׁר עוֹד מַיִם? efshar od mayim? — “Can I have more water?”
The verb “to order” is לְהַזְמִין (lehazmin) — the same word also means “to invite”.
Tip: Finish with הָיָה טָעִים (haya ta’im, “it was tasty”) — a small compliment that always lands well.
Vocabulary
On the menu
| מָרָק | marak | soup |
| סָלָט | salat | salad |
| מָנָה | mana | dish, portion |
| חֶשְׁבּוֹן | cheshbon | bill, check |
Ordering
| לְהַזְמִין | lehazmin | to order; to invite |
| אֲנִי אֶקַּח | ani ekach | I’ll have / take |
| אֶפְשָׁר | efshar | may I, is it possible |
Useful words
| מֶלְצַר / מֶלְצָרִית | meltsar / meltsarit | waiter (m. / f.) |
| טָעִים | ta’im | tasty, delicious |