In this final lesson of Unit 6, you'll bring everything together! You'll learn to make plans to eat out, express preferences about restaurants, and compare places using 'mejor' (better) and 'peor' (worse). You'll also review the verbs 'ir' and 'venir' and master 'ir + a + infinitive' for talking about immediate plans.
Learning tips
- 'Vamos a comer' literally means 'we go to eat' but functions as 'let's go eat' — 'vamos' is used both as 'we go' and 'let's go.'
- 'Ir' means movement away from the speaker, 'venir' means movement toward the speaker — similar to 'go' vs. 'come' in English.
- 'Mejor' and 'peor' are already comparative — don't add 'mas' before them. Say 'es mejor,' NOT 'es mas mejor.'
- 'Esta noche' (tonight) is a useful time expression. Similarly: 'esta manana' (this morning), 'esta tarde' (this afternoon).
Warm-up & Active Recall
Recap: In Lesson 6.5, you learned 'para' (purpose, recipient, destination) vs. 'por' (exchange, thanks, percentage). Remember: 'La propina es para el mesero' but 'Gracias por la comida.'
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| la cuenta | the check/bill |
| la propina | the tip |
| incluir | to include |
| el total | the total |
| dividir | to divide/split |
| cada uno | each one |
| invitar | to treat/invite |
| dejar | to leave |
| suficiente | enough |
| el servicio | the service |
Dialog
Valentina and Andres make plans for dinner. Notice 'vamos a comer' (let's eat / we're going to eat) — 'ir + a + infinitive' expresses future plans. 'Venir' means to come (toward the speaker): 'Vengo de la oficina' (I'm coming from the office). The comparatives 'mejor' (better) and 'peor' (worse) are irregular — they don't use 'mas.' For regular comparisons, use 'mas + adjective + que': 'mas rico que' (tastier than).
Valentina
Andrés, vamos a comer esta noche. ¿Vienes conmigo?
(Andrés, let's-go to eat this night. Come-you with-me?)
Andres, let's go eat tonight. Are you coming with me?
Andrés
¡Claro! Vengo con mucho gusto. ¿A cuál lugar vamos?
(Of-course! I-come with much pleasure. To which place go-we?)
Of course! I'll come gladly. Which place are we going to?
Valentina
Conozco un lugar mejor que el restaurante de ayer. Es mi favorito.
(I-know a place better than the restaurant of yesterday. Is my favorite.)
I know a place better than yesterday's restaurant. It's my favorite.
Andrés
¿Es mejor o peor que el restaurante de la Zona G?
(Is better or worse than the restaurant of the Zone G?)
Is it better or worse than the Zona G restaurant?
Valentina
¡Es mucho mejor! Vamos juntos esta noche. Voy a pedir ajiaco.
(Is much better! Go-we together this night. I-go to order ajiaco.)
It's much better! Let's go together tonight. I'm going to order ajiaco.
Andrés
Perfecto. Yo vengo de la oficina a las siete. ¿Vamos a ir a pie?
(Perfect. I come from the office at the seven. Go-we to go on foot?)
Perfect. I'm coming from the office at seven. Are we going to walk?
Valentina
Sí, el lugar queda cerca. Ir a pie es mejor que ir en taxi.
(Yes, the place stays close. To-go on foot is better than to-go in taxi.)
Yes, the place is nearby. Walking is better than taking a taxi.
Andrés
¡Listo! Vamos juntos. Este es mi restaurante favorito también.
(Ready! Go-we together. This is my restaurant favorite also.)
Great! Let's go together. This is my favorite restaurant too.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ir | /ˈiɾ/ | to go | Irregular: voy, vas, va, vamos, van |
| vamos | /ˈba.mos/ | we go / let's go | 'Vamos' doubles as 'we go' and 'let's go!' |
| venir | /be.ˈniɾ/ | to come | Irregular: vengo, vienes, viene, venimos, vienen |
| vengo | /ˈben.ɡo/ | I come | Irregular yo form of 'venir' |
| el lugar | /lu.ˈɣaɾ/ | the place | General word for any place or spot |
| mejor | /me.ˈxoɾ/ | better | Irregular comparative — don't say 'mas mejor' |
| peor | /pe.ˈoɾ/ | worse | Irregular comparative — don't say 'mas peor' |
| favorito | /fa.βo.ˈɾi.to/ | favorite | Agrees with noun: favorito/favorita |
| juntos | /ˈxun.tos/ | together | Changes form: juntos (masc/mixed), juntas (fem) |
| esta noche | /ˈes.ta ˈno.tʃe/ | tonight | Literally 'this night' — a common time expression |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| la cita | /ˈsi.ta/ | the date, appointment | |
| el ambiente | /am.ˈbjen.te/ | the atmosphere, ambiance | |
| acogedor | /a.ko.xe.ˈðoɾ/ | cozy, welcoming | |
| elegante | /e.le.ˈɣan.te/ | elegant | |
| económico | /e.ko.ˈno.mi.ko/ | affordable, economical | |
| la terraza | /te.ˈra.sa/ | the terrace, patio |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| vamos a comer | let's go eat |
| esta noche | tonight |
Pronunciation: Pay attention to the difference between 'ir' (/iɾ/) and 'venir' (/be.ˈniɾ/). In 'vamos,' the 'v' is pronounced like a soft 'b' in Spanish — your lips should barely touch. 'Mejor' is pronounced 'me-HOR' — the 'j' is that strong 'h' sound. Practice: 'Vamos juntos esta noche' (BA-mos HOON-tos ES-ta NO-che).
Grammar: Review of 'ir' and 'venir' — 'ir + a + infinitive' for plans — comparatives
| Person | ir (to go) | venir (to come) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | voy | vengo |
| tú | vas | vienes |
| usted / él / ella | va | viene |
| nosotros | vamos | venimos |
| ustedes / ellos | van | vienen |
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| ir + a + infinitive | Vamos a comer. (We're going to eat.) |
| mejor que | Es mejor que el otro. (It's better than the other.) |
| peor que | Es peor que ayer. (It's worse than yesterday.) |
| más + adjective + que | Es más rico que la sopa. (It's tastier than the soup.) |
Ir (to go) and Venir (to come) — review:
Both are irregular and essential:
- Ir: voy, vas, va, vamos, van
- Venir: vengo, vienes, viene, venimos, vienen
Ir + a + infinitive expresses immediate plans or intentions:
- Vamos a comer. (We're going to eat. / Let's eat.)
- Voy a pedir ajiaco. (I'm going to order ajiaco.)
- ¿Vas a venir? (Are you going to come?)
This structure is the most common way to talk about the near future in everyday Spanish — much more common than the actual future tense at A1 level.
Comparatives:
- mejor = better (irregular — never say 'mas mejor')
- peor = worse (irregular — never say 'mas peor')
- mas + adjective + que = more ... than: 'Es mas rico que la sopa.' (It's tastier than the soup.)
Examples:
- Este restaurante es mejor que el otro. (This restaurant is better than the other.)
- La sopa es peor que la ensalada. (The soup is worse than the salad.)
- Es mas grande que el otro plato. (It's bigger than the other dish.)
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing word.
- ¡ a comer esta noche!(nosotros form of 'ir' — also means 'let's go')
- Yo de la oficina a las siete.(yo form of 'venir' — irregular -go form)
- Este restaurante es que el otro.(comparative meaning 'better')
- Es mi restaurante .(adjective meaning 'most liked')
- ¿Vamos esta noche?(adverb meaning 'together')
Grammar Application
Form a complete sentence using 'ir a + infinitive' or comparatives.
- yo / ir a / comer / ajiaco → (yo + ir a + infinitive + noun)
- nosotros / ir a / pedir / la cuenta → (nosotros + ir a + infinitive + noun)
- este restaurante / ser / mejor / el otro → (better + than — irregular comparative)
- tú / venir / conmigo / esta noche → (tu + venir + prepositional phrase)
- la sopa / ser / peor / la ensalada → (worse + than — irregular comparative)
Translation (English to Spanish)
Translate each sentence into Spanish.
- Let's eat together tonight.
- I'm coming from the office at seven.
- This place is better than the other one.
- It's my favorite restaurant.
- Are you going to come with me?
Creative Construction
Write a short conversation about making dinner plans (2-3 sentences). Compare restaurants and suggest going out together.
Takeaway
Use 'ir + a + infinitive' for plans: 'Vamos a comer' (Let's eat). Compare with 'mejor' (better) and 'peor' (worse) — never add 'mas' before them. 'Ir' = movement away, 'venir' = movement toward you.
Culture note: Colombians love eating out together. Going to a restaurant is a social event, and meals often last much longer than in the US or Europe — lingering at the table to chat ('sobremesa') is an important cultural tradition. When making plans, Colombians might say 'Vamos a comer algo' (Let's go eat something) as a casual invitation. The phrase '¡Vamos!' (Let's go!) is one of the most common expressions you'll hear. Dining areas in Colombia often have an open-air terrace — Colombians love enjoying the weather while eating, especially in Bogota's pleasant climate.
Sign in to track your progress.