Es él, el camarero.
It's him, the waiter.
The camarero is the person who comes to your table, takes your order and brings the food, and here someone points him out.
From The Blacklist · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "waiter" in Spanish
el camarero
nounmasculinefeminine: la camareraplural: los camareros
"Waiter" in Spanish is el camarero in Spain, and a waitress is la camarera. In Mexico, Central America and Colombia people say el mesero, and in Argentina and Uruguay el mozo.
Hear "camarero" in real movie scenes
One waiter, one waitress. Each video starts and stops on that line.
La camarera de Oklahoma.
The waitress from Oklahoma.
The people in this scene are talking about a woman who serves tables, so both the article and the ending switch to -a.
From Una propuesta indecorosa · Spanish audio
Camarero, mesero or mozo?
The word for the person who serves you depends on the country.
| Word | Where you'll hear it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el camarero, la camarera | Spain | Also the word for the staff who serve you at a bar. |
| el mesero, la mesera | Mexico, Central America, Colombia | Built on mesa, table. |
| el mozo, la moza | Argentina, Uruguay | In other contexts mozo can also mean a young man. |
Tip: Wordy teaches el camarero, the Spain word. In Mexico, switch to el mesero and keep the same grammar.
Grammar: el camarero, la camarera
Four things to know before you order.
Man or woman
el camarero for a man, la camarera for a woman. A mixed group of servers is los camareros.Stress on RE
Say ka-ma-RE-ro. There's no written accent, and both r's are a quick tap of the tongue.Where is he? Use estar
Location takes estar: ¿Dónde está el camarero? La camarera está en la cocina.Jobs without un
After ser, a job usually goes without an article: Soy camarero. Mi hermana es camarera.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Es él, el camarero.
That's him, the waiter.
El camarero está en el restaurante.
The waiter is at the restaurant.
¿Puedo hablar con el camarero?
Can I talk to the waiter?
Mi hermana es camarera.
My sister is a waitress.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗la camarero
✓la camarera
For a woman, the ending changes along with the article.
✗Soy un camarero
✓Soy camarero
When you say what someone does for a living with ser, leave out un.
✗el mesero (in Madrid)
✓el camarero
People in Spain understand mesero, but the word they use is camarero.
Real conversation: the slow waiter
A short dialog while you wait to order.
Alba is sharing a table with you at a restaurant. You've both been waiting for service for ages.
¡Ay! El camarero no está.
Oh! The waiter's nowhere around.
Es muy lento hoy.
He's so slow today.
Pero el otro restaurante es más lento.
But the other restaurant is slower.
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
Free, and you don't need an account.
1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 27 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Camarero starts like camera. Picture a waiter who snaps a photo of every plate before he carries it to your table.
Questions about "waiter" in Spanish
How do you say waiter in Spanish?
El camarero in Spain, el mesero in Mexico and el mozo in Argentina. All three are masculine.
How do you say waitress in Spanish?
La camarera in Spain and la mesera in Mexico. Only the article and the last letter change.
How do you get a waiter's attention in Spanish?
Say Perdone or Disculpe, then ask for what you need: La cuenta, por favor.
How do you say "I'm a waiter" in Spanish?
Soy camarero, or Soy camarera for a woman. Spanish leaves out un before a job here.
