British Pubs

British people love going to the pub. But what exactly is a pub? Well, a pub is like a bar – people go there to have a drink, to meet their friends or to play darts.

Pubs open at about 9 o’clock in the morning and they usually close at about eleven o’clock at night. You have to remember two very important things about pubs in Britain: you have to order your drinks at the bar because there is no table service (servicio de camareros en las mesas) and you have to pay for (pagar) your drinks when you order them! If you go with friends, everyone usually buys a round of drinks (ronda de bebidas). Of course, you don’t have to drink alcohol; you can also have non-alcoholic drinks.(bebida sin alcohol)

       

Here is a list of some of the things you can order in a pub.

Beer and whisky

There are lots of different kinds of beer; lager, bitter, mild or stout for example. And of course, there are many different kinds of whisky: Ballantines, Glenfiddich, Cardhu or Johnnie Walker, for example. Do you know of any other brands (marcas) of whisky?

Ordering drinks – beer and spirits

When you want a glass of beer, you can order a pint or half a pint.

 “Pint” – 1 pint = 0.568 litres

“Half pint” – 1/2 pint = 0.284 litres

         

In British pubs, when you buy spirits (bebidas alcohólicas) the barman gives you a very small amount of alcohol. He measures (mide) the amount of alcohol (0.0284 litres) that he puts in each glass. In Britain, the law (la ley) says that pubs have to do this. If you want a bigger drink, ask for a double – but remember you have to pay double as well.

Do you like whiskey? Yes? Well, then you probably know that you can drink whisky with or without ice If you want your whisky with ice, you can say “a whisky with ice, please”, or you can ask for “Scotch on the rocks, please” – they always use this expression in films!

You are now ready to survive (sobrevivir) in a British pub!