Hello and welcome to the series "Absolute Beginners" here at Slow German. There will be new episodes as before, but I want to include a few episodes for absolute beginners. They are meant for people who for example are traveling to Germany and who want to speak a few words in the native language ... The first one of these was published sometime ago, and today I want to give you all the vocabulary you need to go to a restaurant and eat something. After all, I do not want you to starve here in Germany!

At first if you enter the restaurant, you might be greeted by a waiter. This is not at all common in Germany - most people just seat themselves. So if you do not see somebody steering towards you, feel free to choose yourself where you want to sit. In case a waiter welcomes you, he might ask "Do you have reservations?" Or "Do you have a reservation?". He wants to know if you have made a reservation in advance. You can say, "No, I'm sorry," meaning "No, I'm sorry" or "Yes, in the name of Smith." Of course you have to replace the name with your own name Schmidt.

The waiter might also ask you: "For two?", Meaning, if he sees that there are two people in your party, "For two?". Or "For four?" If there are four. He will then show you to a table that's big enough for all of you.

Usually, the waiter should present you with the menu without being asked for it. If he's having a busy day or simply forgot his duty, you might remind him with "The menu, please." Meaning "The menu, please". You can also say: "Can I have the card", "Can I have the menu?"

Most waiters are not very talkative, so do not expect them to introduce themselves and ask things like "What would you like to drink today?". They say most simply: "To drink?", Meaning "To drink". Then they wait for you to answer. Now I do not know what you would like to order, but I have a few alternatives for you:

"An apple spritzer, please.". Apple juice is the favorite non-alcoholic drink of Germans, it is a mix of mineral water and apple juice. "An apple spritzer, please."

"An orange juice, please.". An orange-juice, please.

"A Coke, please." A coca-cola, please.

"A mineral water, please." Sparkling mineral water, please.

"A quiet water, please."

Or, of course, "A beer please.". I guess I do not have to translate that.

Now let's think about food. You pick something from the menu and say "I'd like to ..." and then you say what you would like to eat. If you can pronounce it, I am very proud of you. For example you can order a steak and say "I'd like Wiener Schnitzel". If you are a little shy, just say "I'd like this," and point to what you would like to have on the menu. If you want something special that you can not find on the menu, just ask: "Did you ...?". For example: "Have a Wiener Schnitzel". It simply means: Do you have a wiener schnitzel?

Let's hope everything worked out fine and you're sitting there with your drink and your food. The waiter wants to wish you "Bon appetit", literally meaning he wishes you a healthy appetite. But something is missing. Just call the waiter by Establishing eye-contact, maybe raising your hand and saying "sorry", meaning simply "Excuse me". Then wait until he or she comes to your table. In former times people said "sir" or "Miss", but that is thought to be old-fashioned today and some waiters and waitresses even consider it to be rude.

Finally, just ask: "Could I please have salt?" Salt if you want to have. I give you some more examples:

"Could I please have a fork?" Means "Could I have a fork, please?"

"Could I please have a knife?" Means "Could I have a knife, please?"

"Could I please have a spoon?" Means "Could I have a spoon, please?"

"Could I please have an ashtray?" Means "Could I have an ashtray, please?" But be careful: Most restaurants nowadays are smoke-free.

If you have to use the bathroom, you can ask: "Excuse me, where is the toilet?".

At the end of your meal, the waiter wants to clear the table and say something like "Did it taste?", He wants to know if you enjoyed your meal. You can answer by simply saying "Yes, thank you.", Or if you really liked it, say "Very well, thank you.".

You can then order some coffee or dessert, and if you're done, ask for the Cheque by saying "The bill, please." Or "I want to pay, please". Remember, there's one big difference between dining in Germany and dining in the U.S.. In Germany, you can usually sit at a table as long as you want. After your meal, you can just sit there and enjoy your coffee or drink some more wine or beer and just talk for hours. You do not have to rush out of the restaurant as soon as you're done eating. But it is not polite to sit at an empty table, but order some drinks.

That's it for now - for more information on this podcast visit www.slowgerman.com or check out the new iPhone app You also can follow on Twitter Slow German and Facebook. Have fun learning German and Goodbye!

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Hello and welcome to the series "Absolute Beginners" here at Slow German. There will be new episodes as before, but I want to include a few episodes for absolute beginners. They ...