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A2 English · Lesson 14 · Real-Life Task

Food & Ordering at a Restaurant

Countable / Uncountable  ·  Some / Any  ·  I'd like…  ·  Menu Mission  ·  Dialogue  ·  Role-Play
0 / 0
🥚
14 min

Food words come in two families. Some you can count: one egg, two eggs. Others you can't count — you can't say "two rices"! This changes which little words go with them.

🔢 Countable – you can count them
an egg → two eggs
apple, banana, tomato, carrot, sandwich, pizza
Can use a/an and plural -s.
🌊 Uncountable – no plural, no a/an
milk, water, rice, bread, cheese, sugar, coffee, meat
❌ a milk, two breads → ✅ some milk, some bread
Think of them as "material", not pieces.

💡 Some & Any

some → positive sentences: "We have some cheese." (niște)
any → negatives and questions: "We don't have any cheese." · "Do you have any cheese?" (deloc / vreo)


Exception worth knowing: offers use some"Would you like some coffee?"

Romanian note: "pâine" works like English bread — but careful with words that flip! English money is uncountable: ✅ "I don't have much money" — never "moneys". Advice and information too!

🎯 Practice – Countable or Uncountable?

Click C (countable) or U (uncountable) for each food word. Click 🔊 to hear it.


✏️ Practice – Some or Any?

1. We have cheese in the fridge.
2. Do you have tomatoes?
3. There isn't milk left.
4. I'd like water, please.
5. She bought apples at the market.
6. We don't need sugar, thank you.
🧳
8 min

Click a card to flip it, 🔊 to hear the English. You will meet all of these words in the mission and the dialogue!

🙏
8 min

I'd like (= I would like) is the polite way to ask for things — aș dori. It is the single most useful phrase in any restaurant, shop, or hotel.

PhraseExampleRomanian
I'd like…I'd like the grilled salmon, please.Aș dori somonul la grătar.
We'd like…We'd like a table for two.Am dori o masă pentru două persoane.
Would you like…?Would you like some dessert?Ați dori un desert?

💡 like ≠ 'd like

"I like pizza." = general taste. Îmi place pizza. (always true)
"I'd like a pizza." = order/request now. Aș dori o pizza. (this moment)


At a restaurant, use 'd like — saying "I like a pizza" to a waiter sounds very strange!


✏️ Practice – like or 'd like?

🕵️
15 min
Your mission: You are choosing a restaurant for dinner in London. Open the La Terrazza website, study the menu, and answer the questions. Everything is on the site!
🍝 Open La Terrazza →
Question 1
How much is the Margherita pizza?
Question 2
Which pasta dish is spicy?
Question 3
Name a dessert that costs less than £6.
Question 4
On which days can you get the lunch menu special?
Question 5
How much does the lunch menu cost per person?
Question 6
On which day do children under 10 eat free?
Question 7
How much extra does a gluten-free pizza base cost?
Question 8
What time does the restaurant close on Sunday?

🧠 The Hungry Traveller Puzzle

You have £25 for dinner: you want a starter, a main course (pasta, pizza or mains), and a drink. Write one order that fits your budget — with prices!
Example: Garlic bread (£4.50) + Spaghetti Bolognese (£12.50) + fresh orange juice (£3.90) = £20.90 — under budget, and you still have £4.10 for an ice cream (£4.50)… almost! 😄 Many combinations work — the trap is the Beef Steak (£19.90), which leaves no room for a starter.
💬
14 min

Listen to a customer ordering dinner at La Terrazza. Click 🔊 on any line, or play the whole conversation. Then read the customer role aloud yourself.

Phrases to steal: A table for two, please. (O masă pentru două persoane.) · Are you ready to order? (Sunteți gata să comandați?) · Could we have the bill, please? (Putem primi nota, vă rog?) · Anything else? (Altceva?)

✏️ Complete the dialogue from memory

W: Good evening! Do you have a ?
C: Yes, a for two. The name is Popescu.
W: Follow me, please. Here are your . … Are you ready to ?
C: Yes. I'd the tomato soup to start, and then the grilled salmon, please.
W: Would you like anything to ?
C: A bottle of still water, please. … And could we have the at the end?
W: Of course. Would you like any ? The tiramisu is famous!

🔢 Restaurant maths – check the bill!

Use the La Terrazza prices. Write only the number (e.g. 25.90).

1. Tomato soup + grilled salmon + still water: £
2. Two Margherita pizzas + two lemonades: £
3. The lunch menu for two people: £
📝
14 min

Topic: Review your dinner at La Terrazza (or a real restaurant you visited)

Imagine you had dinner there last Saturday. Write a review of at least 80 words: what you ordered, what it was like, how much it cost, and your recommendation. This recycles your Past Simple from Lessons 11–13!

Last Saturday we went to… I ordered… / We had… The … was delicious / cold / perfect The waiter was… It cost… / The bill was… I recommend… / You should try…
0 / 80 words
At least 80 words
At least 3 food or drink words
At least 3 past forms (went / ordered / was / had / ate…)
A recommendation (I recommend… / you should…)
🎭
10 min

Final challenge: order for real. Your teacher is the waiter. Keep the La Terrazza menu open — you order from it!

🎬 Scenario 1 – Dinner for Two
You are at La Terrazza with a friend who is vegetarian.
  • Ask for a table for two
  • Order a starter and a main for both of you (check the 🌱 symbols!)
  • Ask if the soup contains meat
  • Order drinks and, later, ask for the bill
😱 Twist: The kitchen has no more salmon! Listen to the waiter's suggestion and choose something else.
🎬 Scenario 2 – The Wrong Bill
You finished a lovely dinner: garlic bread, lasagne, a lemonade.
  • Ask for the bill
  • Check it: the waiter says £28.40 — is that right? (Do the maths!)
  • Politely explain the mistake and say what you actually ordered
  • Thank the waiter and say goodbye
💡 Useful: "Excuse me, I think there's a mistake in the bill." · "We didn't order any dessert."
🎉

Lesson Complete!

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