Opinions about food (AQA GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
Opinions about food
When travelling or dining out, being able to express your opinions about food is essential for great communication in Spanish. This topic covers key vocabulary, phrases, and grammar you'll need to discuss meals, dietary preferences, and food experiences.
Essential food opinion vocabulary
Understanding how to describe food and express your preferences will help you navigate restaurants and social dining situations with confidence. The vocabulary below forms the foundation of food-related conversations in Spanish-speaking countries.
Basic food descriptions
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| está muy buena | it's very good |
| está muy rica | it's very tasty |
| está fría | it is cold |
| está caliente | it is hot |
| caro/a | expensive |
| barato/a | cheap |
| dulce | sweet |
| demasiado azúcar | too much sugar |
| demasiada sal | too much salt |
| tiene... | it has... |
| con | with |
| sin | without |
| disfrutar | to enjoy |
| probar | to try |
Notice how "está" is used for temporary conditions like temperature and taste. This is because food conditions can change - soup can get cold, or food can become stale. Always use "está" rather than "es" when describing these temporary food qualities.
Dietary preferences
When expressing your dietary needs, these phrases are invaluable for communicating your requirements clearly to restaurant staff and hosts:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Soy vegetariano/a | I am vegetarian |
| Soy vegano/a | I am vegan |
The adjective ending must agree with your gender (-o for masculine, -a for feminine). This is a fundamental rule in Spanish that applies to all adjectives describing people.
Asking about food quality
The key question you'll hear and use frequently is:
¿Qué tal la comida? - How's the food?
This versatile phrase works in any dining situation and shows genuine interest in the meal experience. You can respond with any of the descriptive phrases above, such as "Está muy rica" or "Está demasiado fría".
"¿Qué tal...?" is an incredibly useful question structure in Spanish that can be used to ask about almost anything - food, weather, experiences, or even how someone is doing. Mastering this phrase will significantly improve your conversational abilities.
Grammar focus: Irregular preterite verbs
When discussing past food experiences, you'll often need irregular preterite verbs. These verbs are essential for describing what happened during meals or restaurant visits, but they don't follow standard patterns.
| Verb | yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ser/ir | fui | fuiste | fue | fuimos | fuisteis | fueron |
| dar | di | diste | dio | dimos | disteis | dieron |
| estar | estuve | estuviste | estuvo | estuvimos | estuvisteis | estuvieron |
| hacer | hice | hiciste | hizo | hicimos | hicisteis | hicieron |
| poder | pude | pudiste | pudo | pudimos | pudisteis | pudieron |
| decir | dije | dijiste | dijo | dijimos | dijisteis | dijeron |
Common mistake to avoid: Many students try to apply regular preterite endings to these irregular verbs. These verbs have completely different stems in the preterite tense, so they must be memorized as special cases.
Learning tip: Don't worry about memorising every single form! Notice that each verb family shares the same pattern once you learn the stem. For example, all forms of "estar" start with "estuv-" in the preterite tense.
Pronunciation tip: The stress in these irregular preterite forms falls on the stem, not the ending, unlike regular preterite verbs.
Example sentences with translations
Here are practical examples showing how to use this vocabulary in real conversation contexts:
Worked Example: Present tense food opinions
- La paella está muy rica - The paella is very tasty
- El café está demasiado caliente - The coffee is too hot
- Soy vegetariana, ¿tienen platos veganos? - I'm vegetarian, do you have vegan dishes?
- Esta comida está muy cara - This food is very expensive
Notice how "está" is used consistently for temporary food conditions.
Worked Example: Past tense food experiences
- Fui al restaurante ayer - I went to the restaurant yesterday
- Hizo la comida muy rápidamente - He/she made the food very quickly
- No pudo comer porque estaba fría - He/she couldn't eat because it was cold
- Le dije al camarero que estaba muy salada - I told the waiter that it was very salty
See how the irregular preterite verbs (fui, hizo, pudo, dije) are used to describe completed past actions.
Translation practice
Test your understanding with these translation exercises. Try to complete them before checking the answers:
Spanish to English:
- ¿Qué tal la comida en el restaurante?
- Está muy buena pero demasiado cara.
English to Spanish:
- I am vegan and I don't eat meat.
- The soup was very hot yesterday.
Answers:
Spanish to English:
- How's the food in the restaurant?
- It's very good but too expensive.
English to Spanish:
- Soy vegano/a y no como carne.
- La sopa estaba muy caliente ayer.
Key Points to Remember:
- Use "está" for temporary food conditions like temperature and taste, never "es"
- "¿Qué tal la comida?" is your go-to question for asking about food quality in any situation
- Irregular preterite verbs are essential for discussing past dining experiences - focus on learning the stems first
- Always make adjectives agree with gender (vegetariano/a, caro/a, bueno/a)
- "Demasiado/a" means "too much" and is very useful for expressing problems with food portions or seasoning
- Master these basics and you'll be able to navigate any dining situation with confidence!