Lesson 6.2

Las bebidas

Drinks

Now that you can get a table, it's time to order drinks! In this lesson, you'll learn the names of common beverages, how to specify hot or cold, and how to use 'con' (with) and 'sin' (without) to customize your order. You'll also discover Colombia's unique coffee culture and the beloved 'tinto.'

Learning tips

In Colombia, 'un tinto' means a small black coffee — not red wine! This catches many Spanish learners off guard.
'Con' and 'sin' are tiny but powerful words. Practice combining them: 'cafe con leche' (coffee with milk), 'agua sin gas' (still water).
'El agua' uses the masculine article even though 'agua' is feminine — this happens with feminine nouns starting with a stressed 'a' sound.
Colombian juices ('jugos') are famous — lulo, guanabana, maracuya. They're often blended with water or milk.

Warm-up & Active Recall

Recap: In Lesson 6.1, you learned how 'gustar' works: me gusta + singular noun, me gustan + plural noun. The thing you like is the grammatical subject!

Word	Meaning
el restaurante	the restaurant
el mesero	the waiter
la mesa	the table
sentarse	to sit down
el menú	the menu
la carta	the menu card
pedir	to order/ask for
ordenar	to order
para	for
dos	two

Dialog

Andres and Valentina are ordering drinks. Notice how they use 'quiero' (I want) and 'voy a pedir' (I'm going to order) — both common ways to order. 'Con' means 'with' and 'sin' means 'without,' essential for customizing orders. A 'tinto' in Colombia is a small, hot black coffee — one of the most common drinks. 'Gaseosa' is the Colombian word for soda (in other countries you might hear 'refresco').

Andrés

Mesero, ¿nos trae las bebidas, por favor? Quiero un café con leche.

(Waiter, us bring the drinks, please? I-want a coffee with milk.)

Waiter, can you bring us the drinks, please? I want a coffee with milk.

Valentina

Yo quiero un jugo de lulo, bien frío, sin hielo.

(I want a juice of lulo, very cold, without ice.)

I want a lulo juice, very cold, without ice.

Andrés

¿El café es caliente o frío? Quiero un tinto, por favor.

(The coffee is hot or cold? I-want a tinto, please.)

Is the coffee hot or cold? I'd like a tinto, please.

Valentina

El tinto siempre es caliente. ¿También quieres agua?

(The tinto always is hot. Also want-you water?)

The tinto is always hot. Do you also want water?

Andrés

Sí, un agua sin gas, por favor. ¿Tú quieres una gaseosa?

(Yes, a water without gas, please. You want a soda?)

Yes, a still water, please. Do you want a soda?

Valentina

No, gracias. No me gusta la gaseosa. Prefiero el jugo.

(No, thanks. Not me pleases the soda. I-prefer the juice.)

No, thanks. I don't like soda. I prefer juice.

Andrés

¿Y una cerveza con la comida? ¿Quieres?

(And a beer with the food? Want-you?)

And a beer with the meal? Do you want one?

Valentina

Tal vez después. Primero el jugo, con hielo no, sin hielo.

(Maybe after. First the juice, with ice no, without ice.)

Maybe later. First the juice, not with ice, without ice.

Vocabulary

Active words

Word	IPA	Translation	Note
el agua	/ˈa.ɣwa/	the water	Uses 'el' despite being feminine — because of the stressed initial 'a'
el jugo	/ˈxu.ɣo/	the juice	Colombian fruit juices are a must-try!
el café	/ka.ˈfe/	the coffee	Colombia is world-famous for its coffee
el tinto	/ˈtin.to/	the tinto (small black coffee)	Uniquely Colombian — NOT red wine! A small, often sweetened black coffee
la cerveza	/seɾ.ˈβe.sa/	the beer	Popular Colombian brands include Aguila and Club Colombia
la gaseosa	/ɡa.se.ˈo.sa/	the soda/soft drink	Colombian word for soda; 'refresco' in other countries
caliente	/ka.ˈljen.te/	hot	For temperature of food/drinks
frío	/ˈfɾi.o/	cold	Changes form: frio/fria/frios/frias
con	/ˈkon/	with	Essential for ordering: 'con leche,' 'con hielo'
sin	/ˈsin/	without	Essential for ordering: 'sin gas,' 'sin azucar'

Passive words

Word	IPA	Translation	Note
la limonada	/li.mo.ˈna.ða/	the lemonade
el aguapanela	/a.ɣwa.pa.ˈne.la/	the aguapanela (cane sugar water)	Traditional Colombian hot drink made from unrefined cane sugar
el chocolate	/tʃo.ko.ˈla.te/	the chocolate	Hot chocolate is very popular in Bogota
la copa	/ˈko.pa/	the wine glass, goblet
el vaso	/ˈba.so/	the glass
el hielo	/ˈje.lo/	the ice

Useful chunks

Word	Translation
con leche	with milk
sin gas	without gas (still, not sparkling)

Pronunciation: The Spanish 'j' in 'jugo' is pronounced like a strong English 'h' — as in 'HOO-go.' In Colombian Spanish, it's slightly softer than in Spain. Also notice 'cerveza' — the 'c' before 'e' is pronounced like 's' in Latin America (not 'th' as in Spain). So it's 'ser-VE-sa.'

Grammar: Using 'querer' and 'ir a' for ordering — prepositions 'con' and 'sin'

Person	querer (to want)	ir a + infinitive
yo	quiero	voy a pedir
tú	quieres	vas a pedir
usted / él / ella	quiere	va a pedir
nosotros	queremos	vamos a pedir
ustedes / ellos	quieren	van a pedir

Preposition	Meaning	Example
con	with	café con leche
sin	without	agua sin gas

When ordering at a restaurant, you have two main structures:

1. Querer + noun (I want + something):

Quiero un tinto. (I want a tinto.)

Queremos dos cervezas. (We want two beers.)

Remember: 'querer' is a stem-changing verb (e→ie): quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, quieren.

2. Ir a + infinitive (going to + verb):

Voy a pedir un jugo. (I'm going to order a juice.)

Vamos a ordenar las bebidas. (We're going to order the drinks.)

Prepositions 'con' and 'sin':
These are essential for customizing orders:

con = with: cafe con leche, agua con gas

sin = without: agua sin gas, cafe sin azucar

You can combine them freely: 'Un jugo de lulo sin hielo y un cafe con leche, por favor.'

Exercises

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each sentence with the missing word.

Quiero un de naranja, por favor.(a fruit drink)
Un café leche, por favor.(preposition meaning 'with')
Un agua gas, bien fría.(preposition meaning 'without')
El siempre es caliente en Colombia.(Colombian small black coffee)
No quiero , quiero jugo.(a carbonated soft drink)

Grammar Application

Form a complete sentence using the given elements with 'querer' or 'ir a + infinitive.'

yo / querer / un tinto → (yo + querer conjugated + noun)
tú / ir a / pedir / una cerveza → (tu + ir a + infinitive + noun)
ella / querer / agua sin gas → (ella + querer conjugated + noun phrase)
nosotros / ir a / ordenar / las bebidas → (nosotros + ir a + infinitive + noun)
ustedes / querer / un jugo → (ustedes + querer conjugated + noun)

Translation (English to Spanish)

Translate each sentence into Spanish.

I want a coffee with milk, please.
She wants a cold juice without ice.
Are you going to order a beer?
The water is cold.
I don't like hot soda.

Creative Construction

Write a short drink order (2-3 sentences) using words from this lesson. Imagine you are ordering drinks for yourself and a friend.

Takeaway

Use 'quiero' or 'voy a pedir' to order drinks. Customize with 'con' (with) and 'sin' (without). Remember: 'un tinto' in Colombia is a small black coffee, not wine!

Culture note: Coffee is central to Colombian culture. Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee producer, and Colombians take great pride in their coffee. A 'tinto' — a small cup of black coffee, often slightly sweetened — is offered everywhere: in offices, shops, even by street vendors. It's common to hear '¿Le provoca un tintico?' (Would you like a little coffee?) as a gesture of hospitality. Aguapanela (hot cane sugar water, sometimes with lime) is another beloved traditional drink, especially in the cooler climate of Bogota.

Explanations in: de en