Catalan · Cafés & restaurants · Elementary

How to book a table in Catalan

Call and say “Voldria reservar una taula per a aquesta nit” or “Teniu taula per a dissabte?”. The restaurant will ask “Quantes persones són?” and “A nom de qui és la reserva?”. Give the number and a time, “a les nou”, and spell your name if needed. To change it later, call back and say “Tinc una reserva”.

Try it · about two minutes

You phone a restaurant to book a table for Saturday night, then call back to change the number of guests.

Sound on: the restaurant staff speaks Catalan. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

The conversation

It’s Saturday morning. You call the restaurant and someone picks up.
You
Voldria reservar una taula per a aquesta nit.
I’d like to book a table for tonight.
Restaurant staff
Quantes persones són?
How many people?
You
Una taula per a quatre, si us plau.
A table for four, please.
Restaurant staff
A quina hora?
What time?
You
A les nou, si pot ser.
At nine, if possible.
Restaurant staff
A nom de qui és la reserva?
What name is the booking under?
You
A nom de Martin.
Under Martin.
Restaurant staff
Digui?
Hello?
You
Tinc una reserva.
I have a booking.
Restaurant staff
A nom de qui?
What name is it under?
You
A nom de Martin. Al final serem sis: hi ha lloc?
Martin. There’ll be six of us in the end: is there room?

Key phrases

Voldria reservar una taula per a aquesta nit.
I’d like to book a table for tonight.
Quantes persones són?
How many people?
Una taula per a quatre, si us plau.
A table for four, please.
Una taula per a dos a les vuit, si us plau.
A table for two at eight, please.
A nom de qui és la reserva?
What name is the booking under?
Li lletrejo el meu nom.
Let me spell my name for you.
Hi ha taula a la terrassa?
Is there a table on the terrace?
Tinc una reserva.
I have a booking.
Voldria canviar la reserva a divendres.
I’d like to move my booking to Friday.
Ho sento, però hem de cancel·lar la reserva.
Sorry, but we have to cancel the booking.

Good to know in Catalonia

How the call usually goes

1
Staff answer with the restaurant’s name or “Digui?”. Go straight to your request.
I’d like to book a table for tonight.
2
Give the number of people and a time.
3
Leave a name, and spell it if it isn’t a local one.

Telling the time in quarters

Catalan counts quarters towards the next hour: un quart de deu is a quarter past nine, dos quarts de deu is half past nine. Dinner often starts around nine.

A dos quarts de deu, si us plau.

At half past nine, please.

Ask the restaurant, not the person

To the restaurant

Teniu taula per a aquesta nit?

Do you have a table for tonight?

To one person, formal

Té una taula lliure?

Do you have a free table?

Asking the restaurant as a whole with teniu sidesteps the choice between tu and vostè.

More situations in Catalan

All situations in Catalan

Keep these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

Download on the App Store (opens the App Store in a new tab)

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.