Breakfast is the one meal you eat in the building you slept in. It has its own short vocabulary — what time it stops, what you can take, and how to have it sent up instead.
1. What time it stops
Mei: What time does breakfast start?
Staff: Half past six, through to ten.
Mei: And at weekends?
Staff: Eleven on Saturday and Sunday.
Mei: Good. We won't be up before nine.
2. Arriving at five to ten
Dan: Are you still serving?
Staff: For another five minutes. Go straight in.
Dan: Is anything left?
Staff: Plenty. We top it up until the end.
Dan: You've saved my morning.
3. How the buffet works
Priya: Is it a buffet or do we order?
Staff: A buffet. Help yourself to anything on the long table.
Priya: And eggs?
Staff: Those are cooked to order. Tell me and I'll bring them over.
Priya: Scrambled, please.
Staff: Take a seat and they'll follow you.
4. More coffee
Tom: Could I get a refill?
Staff: Coffee or tea?
Tom: Coffee, and hot milk if there is any.
Staff: There's a jug at the end of the counter.
Tom: I walked straight past it.
5. A smaller breakfast
Noor: Is there a continental option?
Staff: Bread, cheese, fruit and hot drinks, at the near end.
Noor: That's all I want at this hour.
Staff: It's the cheaper rate too, if you're paying separately.
Noor: Even better.
6. Eating upstairs
Leo: Could I order room service?
Staff: Of course. What would you like?
Leo: The soup and some bread, to room 304.
Staff: Thirty minutes, and there's a five pound delivery charge.
Leo: That's fine. I'm not going out again tonight.
Staff: It'll be with you shortly.
7. Breakfast in the room
Ivy: Can we have breakfast sent up tomorrow?
Staff: Fill in the card and hang it outside before two.
Ivy: Do we tick a time?
Staff: A half hour window. Seven to half past, and so on.
Ivy: Seven, then. We've an early train.
8. After the meal
Sam: We've finished. Could someone clear the plates?
Staff: Leave them outside the door and we'll take them.
Sam: One more thing — could I have a wake-up call at six?
Staff: Six exactly. The phone will ring twice.
Sam: Thank you. Goodnight.
Words to know
| buffet | A long table of food you serve yourself from, as much as you like. Is it a buffet or do we order? |
| help yourself | Take what you want without asking. What staff say to send you to the buffet. Help yourself to anything on the long table. |
| still serving | Still giving out food. The question to ask when you arrive near the end. Are you still serving? |
| refill | A second cup of the same drink, usually free with breakfast coffee or tea. Could I get a refill? |
| continental | The cold, lighter breakfast: bread, cheese, fruit. The opposite of a cooked breakfast. Is there a continental option? |
| hot drinks | Tea, coffee and chocolate, as one heading on a menu or a buffet sign. Bread, cheese, fruit and hot drinks |
| room service | Food brought up to your room. You order room service; you never book it. Could I order room service? |
| wake-up call | A phone call from the desk at an hour you choose, so you don't miss an early train. could I have a wake-up call at six? |
Quick practice
Complete each line with a word or phrase from this lesson.
1. You come down at five to ten and want to know if you are too late.
“Are you ________?”
2. You want to know whether you serve yourself or a waiter takes an order.
“Is it a ________ or do we order?”
3. The staff member tells you to take whatever you want.
“________ to anything on the long table.”
4. Your cup is empty and you would like more coffee.
“Could I get a ________?”
5. You are too tired to go downstairs and want food sent up.
“Could I order ________?”
6. You have an early train and want the phone to ring at six.
“Could I have a ________ at six?”
Show the answers
1. still serving 2. buffet 3. Help yourself 4. refill 5. room service 6. wake-up call
Common mistakes
Not: What time does breakfast open?
Say: What time does breakfast start?
Shops and doors open. Meals start and finish, so breakfast starts at seven and finishes at ten.
Not: I'd like to book room service.
Say: Could I order room service?
You book a table or a room, days ahead. Food that is coming up in half an hour is ordered.
Not: Please take my dishes.
Say: Could someone clear the plates?
Take my dishes sounds like you are giving them away. Staff clear plates, or clear the table, and that is the phrase they know.
Your turn
Say these out loud. Change the times, the drink and the floor so the lines match a morning you might really have.
- Ask what time breakfast starts and whether weekends are different.
- You arrive five minutes before the end. Ask whether they are still serving.
- Ask whether it is a buffet and how to get eggs.
- Order soup and bread to room 304 and ask how long it will take.
- Ask for breakfast to be sent up at seven, and for a wake-up call before it.
Quick review
Three questions get you fed. What time does breakfast start? Are you still serving? Is it a buffet or do we order? Upstairs, two more do the rest: Could I order room service? and Could someone clear the plates? Remember that meals start and finish — only shops open.