Use transactional language to order food and drink in a restaurant setting
F5Lesson 3 of 12◇ Core language
In the Restaurant — Ordering Food and Drink
في المَطعَم — طَلَب الطَّعام والشَّراب
Food, Health & Body · Everyday activities
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Learning Objectives
Focus on these outcomes rather than trying to memorise everything at once.
Understand a simple Arabic menu and extract information
Role play a restaurant conversation using Paper 3 transactional format
Lesson outline
- 8 minStarterHave you eaten at an Arabic restaurant?
- 12 minMain 1Menu reading and transactional vocabulary
- 20 minMain 2Restaurant role play — Paper 3 format
- 8 minMain 3Writing an order — practical task
- 10 minPlenaryCultural dining etiquette
Exam connection: Listening: food and health descriptions (Paper 1 all formats) | Reading: restaurant blog, health article, doctor's leaflet (Paper 2 R1–R4, Q1/Q2 matching, Q4 gap-fill) | Writing: 80–100 words food and health article/email (Paper 4 Q3) | Speaking: restaurant role play (transactional) + doctor-patient role play + topic conversation on food and health
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Vocabulary
Tap each card to reveal the meaning, category and example.
Three-step recall
- Say the Arabic aloud.
- Cover the meaning and recall it.
- Use six items in your own spoken or written sentences.
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Quizzes
Use the two short checks. Errors show you what to revise next.
Quiz 1 — Meaning check
0 / 61. What does تُفّاح mean?
2. What does زَيت mean?
3. What does خُبز mean?
4. What does جُبن mean?
5. What does سَمَك mean?
6. What does مِلح mean?
Quiz 2 — Match Arabic and English
العربية
English
Matched: 0 / 6
Stretch challenge
Choose three matched items and combine them into one accurate sentence or short exchange.
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Grammar
Read the rule, notice the pattern and then produce your own examples.
Core rule / strategy
يَطلُب (orders — new 2028 syllabus verb, Form I, root ط-ل-ب). Polite request structures: هل يمكنني أن + present subjunctive: هل يمكنني أن آخُذ...؟ بِدون + noun (without nuts): بيتزا بدون جبن. مع + noun: قهوة مع حليب. Conditional polite: لو سمحت (if you please — more formal than من فضلك). Question forms in restaurant: هل هذا الطبق حلال؟ هل يحتوي على...؟
Notice the pattern
- آكُل الخُبز كلَّ يوم.
- أُحِبُّ الأُرز مع الدَّجاج.
- أخي يَأكُلُ اللَّحم.
- تَأكُلُ أُختي الدَّجاج.
Accuracy checklist
- Check the subject and verb or noun/adjective agreement.
- Check gender, number and tense or time frame.
- Use the lesson structure in a complete, meaningful sentence.
- Read the sentence aloud and correct anything that sounds incomplete.
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Skills Practice
Practise listening, reading, speaking and writing with the same lesson language.
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Listening
Listen twice: first for the main idea, then for details.
آكُل الخُبز كلَّ يوم. أُحِبُّ الأُرز مع الدَّجاج. أخي يَأكُلُ اللَّحم. تَأكُلُ أُختي الدَّجاج. السَّمَك مُفيد.
- What is the main topic?
- Write three Arabic words you recognise.
- What one detail can you hear or infer?
Teacher/partner guidance and possible answer
Read the Arabic text naturally twice. A successful answer identifies the lesson topic, any three accurate key words and one relevant detail from the text.
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Reading
Underline known words before answering.
آكُل الخُبز كلَّ يوم. أُحِبُّ الأُرز مع الدَّجاج. أخي يَأكُلُ اللَّحم. تَأكُلُ أُختي الدَّجاج. السَّمَك مُفيد.
- What is the main topic of the text?
- Find two words or phrases connected with “In the Restaurant — Ordering Food and Drink”.
- What specific detail can you identify?
- Which grammar structure from this lesson appears, or could be added?
Reading support
Start with names, numbers, repeated words, connectors and familiar verb patterns. You do not need to translate every word.
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Speaking
Build your answer, then ask a follow-up question.
- Explain the topic “In the Restaurant — Ordering Food and Drink” in your own words.
- Use at least five items from the vocabulary section.
- Give an opinion or personal example and justify it.
- Ask and answer two follow-up questions with a partner.
Useful frame:في رَأيي... لِأَنَّ... أَيضاً... وَمِن جِهَةٍ أُخرى...
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Writing
Plan, write, check and improve.
Task: Write about In the Restaurant — Ordering Food and Drink. Use at least eight vocabulary items, the lesson grammar and two connectors. Target: 40–60 words.
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Activities
Complete the activities in order, or choose the one that addresses your weakest area.
Starter8 min
Have you eaten at an Arabic restaurant?
Quick Look at of hands: who has eaten at an Arabic or Middle Eastern restaurant? What did they order? teacher or partner writes any Arabic food names You mention on the board. Then: Study an image of a busy Arabic restaurant with a menu visible. "Today you are going to order a full meal from an Arabic menu. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to go into any Arabic restaurant and order confidently." This sets a clear, motivating real-world goal for the lesson.
Main 112 min
Menu reading and transactional vocabulary
Distribute the Arabic restaurant menu (4 sections: مقبلات، طبق رئيسي، حلوى، مشروبات — 4 items per section with simple descriptions and prices in Arabic-Indic numerals). Read for 3 minutes. Comprehension questions: What is the cheapest starter? What is the dish of the day? Which main course is vegetarian? What drinks are available without sugar? This reading task mirrors Paper 2 Question Group 2 (signs, notices, menus). Then introduce the new 2028 verb يطلُب in context: "النادل يطلُب من الزبون أن يختار." "الزبون يطلُب الطبق اليومي."
Main 220 min
Restaurant role play — Paper 3 format
Present the 5 transactional prompts (exactly Paper 3 role play format): 1) Greet the waiter and ask for a table for two. 2) Ask for the menu and enquire about the dish of the day. 3) Order a starter, main course and drink. 4) Ask if the dish contains nuts (allergy concern). 5) Ask for the bill and compliment the food. Pairs practise all 5 prompts (7 minutes). teacher or partner circulates and notes: is يطلُب used correctly? Is هل يمكنني أن used? Are polite structures (من فضلك، لو سمحت) included? Then: 3 pairs perform for the class. Class scores using the Paper 3 role play mark scheme (0/1/2 per prompt). teacher or partner confirms scores.
Main 38 min
Writing an order — practical task
Write a short email to an Arabic catering company (شركة تقديم الطعام) ordering food for a class party: "نريد [quantity] من [food] و[quantity] من [food]..." They must order 6 different items, specify any dietary requirements (نباتي، حلال، بدون مكسرات)، and include a polite opening and closing. This writing task makes the transactional language relevant beyond the restaurant scenario — it mirrors Paper 4 Q1 form-filling and Q2 directed writing formats.
Plenary10 min
Cultural dining etiquette
Brief cultural lesson: how is dining different in Arabic-speaking countries? Discuss (teacher or partner guides with prompts): communal dishes (shared from one plate), رمضان iftar meals, hospitality culture (the host always insists on more food — تفضَّل/تفضَّلي), saying بِسمِ الله before eating and الحمد لله after. Write 2 sentences about an Arabic dining custom they found interesting. This cultural awareness directly supports IGCSE Topic Area E (international world, customs, faiths and celebrations).
Useful resources
- Authentic-style Arabic restaurant menu (teacher-created)
- Role play scenario cards (3 scenarios)
- Menu reading comprehension questions
- Restaurant role play peer assessment checklist
Stretch / heritage-reader challenge
Heritage readers: write a restaurant review (70+ words) of a real or imagined Arabic restaurant — in the style of an Arabic food magazine. Include: description of the atmosphere, what you ordered (using يطلُب and يتناول), taste assessment (adjectives), price opinion, and recommendation. Would you return? Why?
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Plenary
Finish with a quick check and one clear next step.
Key takeaways
- Use transactional language to order food and drink in a restaurant setting
- Understand a simple Arabic menu and extract information
- Role play a restaurant conversation using Paper 3 transactional format
- Grammar focus: يَطلُب (orders — new 2028 syllabus verb, Form I, root ط-ل-ب). Polite request structures: هل يمكنني أن + present subjunctive: هل يمكنني أن آخُذ...؟ بِدون + noun (without nuts): بيتزا بدون جبن. مع + noun: قهوة مع حليب. Conditional polite: لو سمحت (if you please — more formal than من فضلك). Question forms in restaurant: هل هذا الطبق حلال؟ هل يحتوي على...؟
Exit ticket
Menu reading comprehension (collected). Role play (peer-scored using Paper 3 mark scheme). Catering order email (spot-check).
Optional follow-up
Write a dialogue (10 lines) between a waiter and a customer in an Arabic restaurant. The customer should: order a full meal, ask about ingredients, request a change to the order, and ask for the bill. Use هل يمكنني أن، يطلُب، بدون، and مع.
Confidence check
How secure do you feel after this lesson?
Remember: quick revision works best when you revisit weak vocabulary and correct errors, not when you try to complete everything in one sitting.