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Session 11
Listen to find out how order food and drink in a restaurant.
Restoraantii keessatti akkamitti nyaataafi dhugaatii akka ajajju hubachuuf caqasi.
Activity 1
How do I order food and drink in a restaurant?
Gaaleewwan restoraantii keessatti nyaataafi dhugaatii ajajachuuf fayyadamnu ijaaruuf jechoota lameen walitti firoomsi:
For | drink |
For | main |
To | dessert |
To | start |
Deebiikee mirkaneeffachuuf caqasi. Ittaansuudhaan barreeffama kanaa gad jiru waliin walbira qabii ilaali.

Caalii
Yooyyaa! Gara sagantaa barnootaa How do I… tti baga nagaan dhufte! An Caaliidha. Saamis naa waliin jirti.
Sam
And me, Sam. Hello, everybody.
Caalii
Kutaa kanaan, restoraantii ykn mana nyaataa keessatti nyaata akkamitti akka ajajnu baranna. Nama restoraantii keessa jiru tokko caqasuun haa’eegallu. Hubachuuf yoo sirrakkise hin yaadda’iin gara boodaarra sigaargaarraa. Ammaaf namichi nyaata gosa meeqa akka ajajatu hubbadhu. Jechoonni muraasni si gargaaranis kunooti; ‘soup’ shoorbaa, ‘fish’ qurxummii, ‘vegetables’ muduraalee, ‘chocolate cake’ keekii chokolaataa akkasumas, ‘water’ bishan.
Waiter: Are you ready to order?
Diner: Yes! To start, I’ll have the soup, please. For main, I’ll have the fish with vegetables. And for dessert, I’ll have the chocolate cake, please.
Waiter: Of course. Anything to drink?
Diner: To drink, I’ll have water, please.
Caalii
Dhageessee? Gosa nyaataa sadii tartiibaan dhihaatan nyaachuufi. So, Sam, shall we look at the language we can use to order in a restaurant?
Sam
Absolutely!
Caalii
Egaa gaafiin jalqabaa keessummeessan restoraantichaa gaafatee, ‘Are you ready to order?’ kan jedhu ture.
Sam
There are only two ways to answer this question: ‘yes’ or ‘no’! In our conversation, the answer was ‘yes’.
Caalii
Ammas akkatti namichi ajajate caqasuudhan akkamiin gosawwan nyaataa sadan tartiibaan dhihaatan akkatti maqaa dhahan haahubannu – isaan keessa inni tokko kanneen lamaanirraa adda.
Yes! To start, I’ll have the soup, please. For main, I’ll have the fish with vegetables. And for dessert, I’ll have the chocolate cake, please.
Caalii
Isa kamtu keessaa adda akka ture qalbeeffattee? Gosawwan nyaataa kanneen tokko tokkoon akksitti ibsina: ‘to start’ nyata jalqabaa, ‘for main’ nyaata mummee, ‘for dessert’ nyaata mi’aawaafi kan xumurarratti nyaataman kan akka keekii.
‘To start’ gochadha, garuu ‘main’ fi ‘dessert’ maqaadha, kanaaf ‘to’ otoo hinta’iin ‘for’ fayyadamna.
Sam
And then you say what you want – do you remember how?
Caalii
Eeyee, ‘I’ll have…’ Ani …n nyaadha. Haala kana keessatti waa’ee murtee battalaa dubbachuuf ‘I’ll’ gocha ‘have’ wajjiin fayyadamna. Akkasuma nyaata ajajannu fuuldura ‘the’ akka fayyadamnu qalbeeffadhu sababiinsaa tarreeffama nyaataa keessaa waan tokko eeraa jirra waanta’eef . Shaakaluuf akka si gargaaruuf Saamiin caqasi.
Sam
Repeat after me:
To start, I’ll have the soup, please.
For main, I’ll have the fish with vegetables.
And for dessert, I’ll have the chocolate cake, please.
Caalii
Ittaansuun, waan dhugamu yoo barbaaddeef gaafii akkasii sigaafatu: ‘Anything to drink?’
Sam
Yes – this is short for ‘would you like anything to drink?’ – and how do you answer it, do you remember? Let’s listen again:
To drink, I’ll have water, please.
Caalii
Kanaaf akkuma ‘to start’, ‘to drink’ fayyadamna, sababiinsaa, kun gocha ‘I’ll…’ itti aanee dhufu waan ta’eefi.
Sam
Great! Now you’ve learned what to say in a restaurant, it’s time for you to practise.
Caalii
Jalqaba kessummeessaan mana nyaatichaa ajajachuuf qophi ta’uukee baruuf si gaafata. Tartiiba nyaataaf jalqabarratti shoorbaa feeta. Yaadadhu, asitti ‘for’ hinfayyadamnu akkasumas kabajaa waliin ajajachuu yaali. Ittaansuun deebiikee kan Saam wajjin wal bira qabii ilaali.
Sam
To start, I’ll have the soup, please.
Caalii
Ittaansuun, qurxummii feeta. Maal jetta?
Sam
For main, I’ll have the fish.
Caalii
Atis akkasuma jettee? Ok, so now you know how to order food and drink in a restaurant. Mee kana hiriyyakee waliin maaf hinshaakaltuu?
Sam
Yes, and see you next week. Bye!
Caalii
Nagatti! Bye!
Learn more!
1. ‘To start’ eega jennee, maaliif ‘for main’ jenna?
‘Start’ fi ‘drink’ lameenuu gochawwani, kanaaf fuldurasaaniitti ‘to’ fayyadamna. ‘Main’ fi ‘dessert’ lameenuu wantota/maqaaleedha, kanaaf jalqabasaaniirratti ‘for’ fayyadamna.
2. Hima keessatti gaaleewwan kunneen eessa galuu?
Jalqaba himaarra galuu danda’u: Fkn. 'For main, I’ll have the fish, please.' Ykn nyaata booda galuu danda’u: Fkn. 'I’ll have the fish for main, please.'
3. Haala kabaja qabeessaan ‘Ani …n barbaada?' Jechuuf gaalee kamiinan fayyadamuu malaa?
Wayita resoraantiitti ajajanu waan nyaachuufi dhuguu murtessine battalatti dubbachuuf gaalee ‘I’ll have…, please’ jedhu fayyadamna.
Kanneen ittaananillee fayyadamuu dandeessa:
Can I have…, please?
I’d like…, please.
4. Wayita restoraantii keessatti ajajannutti maaliif ‘the’ nyaatawwan fuuldura fayyadamna?
Gabatee tarreessituu nyaataarraa wayita gosa nyaataa tokko eerru ‘the’ fayyadamna; sababiinsaa namni kamiyyuu waa’ee ‘fish’ ykn ‘soup’ nuti dubbachaa jirru sun kam akka ta’e adda baasee waan beekuufi. Dimshaashumatti waa’ee nyaatawwan kanneenii kan dubbannu yoo ta’e, fuldurasaaniitti ‘the’ hinfayyadamnu.
Akkamittin restoraantii keessatti ajaja?
4 Questions
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Help
Activity
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Hint
‘Start’ gocha dha, kanaaf ‘to’ ykn ‘for’ nu barbaachisaa? Jalqaba himaarratti gaalee kaa’i.Question 1 of 4
Help
Activity
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Hint
‘Main’ wantaa dha, kanaaf ‘to’ ykn ‘for’ nu barbaachisaa? Jalqaba himaarratti gaalee kaa’i.Question 2 of 4
Help
Activity
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Hint
‘Drink’ gocha dha, kanaaf ‘to’ ykn ‘for’ nu barbaachisaa? Hiima keessatti dhugaatii booda gaalee kaa’i.Question 3 of 4
Help
Activity
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Hint
‘Dessert’ wantaa dha, kanaaf ‘to’ ykn ‘for’ nu barbaachisaa? Hima keesstti nyaata booda gaalee kaa’i.Question 4 of 4
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
What's your favourite type of restaurant? Why? Tell us on our Facebook group!
Gosti restoraantii caalchistee jaallattu maali? Maaliif? Garee Feesbookii keenyarratti nutti himi.
Join us for our next episode of How do I… when we will learn more useful language and practise your listening skills.
Qooqa daran faayida-qabeessa ta’an dabalataa kan keessatti barannuufi dandeettiiwwankee caqasuu kan ittiin shaakaltu sagantaa keenya How do I… 'n yeroo ittaanu walitti deebina.
Session Vocabulary
the soup
shoorbaa
the fish
qurxummii
with vegetables
muduraalee wajjin
the chocolate cake
keekii chokkolaataa
water
bishaan