Booking Guru
Book a table, a tour, or an appointment — and change it later — out loud.
Open with quisiera — it's the standard polite register for any booking: quisiera reservar una mesa para cuatro, ¿tienen disponibilidad para el sábado? Give the date, time, and party size, and always close with the name — la reserva está a nombre de García — because a booking without a name isn't a booking. And know your region's word for appointment: cita in Mexico, turno in Argentina, hora in Chile.
Below: the phrases that carry a restaurant, tour, or doctor's booking, what locals actually say, the details people forget to confirm — and a way to rehearse the whole call out loud before you make it for real.
The warm-up pack
The phrases that actually get a reservation locked in — the details they always confirm, and the graceful way out when plans change.
01 · How you open the call
Quisiera reservar una mesa para cuatro.
I'd like to reserve a table for four.
Quisiera is the polite standard for any booking — softer than quiero and exactly what's expected on the phone.
02 · Give them the day
¿Tienen disponibilidad para el sábado?
Do you have availability for Saturday?
One question does the job. Say the day, then wait — they'll ask for the time next.
03 · Give them the time
A las ocho de la noche, por favor.
At eight in the evening, please.
Time plus por favor closes the basics — exactly what a native speaker says here, no extra words needed.
04 · The detail people forget to give
La reserva está a nombre de García.
The reservation is under the name García.
A booking without a name isn't a booking. Make this your automatic closing line, every time.
05 · Booking a tour instead
¿Cuánto dura el recorrido?
How long does the tour last?
The first logistics question, before you commit a whole afternoon to something.
06 · Where you're actually supposed to go
¿Dónde es el punto de encuentro?
Where is the meeting point?
Ask this before hanging up. Turning up at the wrong spot is the easiest way to miss a tour.
07 · What's actually included
¿Incluye transporte y almuerzo?
Does it include transport and lunch?
Never assume. A quoted price rarely spells out what's bundled unless you ask directly.
08 · Booking a doctor's appointment
Quisiera pedir una cita.
I'd like to make an appointment. (Latin America and Spain) — sacar un turno in Argentina.
Same request, different word in Argentina — turno instead of cita. Either one gets you booked.
09 · When your first choice is gone
¿Hay lista de espera?
Is there a waiting list?
Don't just accept 'no' — this is the normal, polite next question when your slot isn't free.
10 · When plans change
Necesito cambiar mi reserva. ¿Puedo moverla al jueves?
I need to change my reservation. Can I move it to Thursday?
State the need, then the specific fix. It's clearer than apologizing your way through the request.
11 · The graceful cancel
Lo siento, tengo que cancelar. ¿Hay algún cargo por cancelación?
I'm sorry, I have to cancel. Is there a cancellation fee?
A short apology plus the practical question — asking about fees upfront is completely normal, not pushy.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/booking-guruRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| an appointment | la cita | el turno |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | ¿Cuánto sale? |
| Do you have a table? | ¿Me apartas una mesa? | ¿Tenés mesa? |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Booking Guru pack, the big lesson is a phone call — and Isabella plays the reservations agent at a popular restaurant: polished, strictly usted, walks through every detail and reads the full reservation back before she hangs up. It's Tuesday afternoon, you want a table for four on Saturday night — and the first time slot you ask for isn't available. Later, plans change and you have to call back to move it. Out loud. And she talks back:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Booking Guru is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Quisiera reservar una mesa para cuatro — I'd like to reserve a table for four. Quisiera is the polite standard for bookings; follow with ¿tienen disponibilidad para el sábado? and a time: a las ocho de la noche, por favor.
La reserva está a nombre de García — the reservation is under García. It's the detail learners most often forget, so make it your closing line, and confirm the rest too: ¿me puede confirmar la fecha y hora?
Apologize briefly, then ask about fees: lo siento, tengo que cancelar, and ¿hay algún cargo por cancelación? To move it instead: necesito cambiar mi reserva — ¿puedo moverla al jueves?
Quisiera pedir una cita, then ¿cuál es la primera hora disponible? and es mi primera visita. In Argentina you'll hear sacar un turno instead — same request, different word.
Three logistics questions cover it: ¿cuánto dura el recorrido? (how long is it), ¿dónde es el punto de encuentro? (where do we meet), and ¿incluye transporte y almuerzo? (what's included).
