Spanish Phrase
¿Quieres un aperitivo?
Meaning
Literally, 'Do you want a snack?' It is a friendly way to ask someone if they'd like something to eat between meals, often a small bite or a drink with a bite.
When to use
Use this phrase when offering a light bite to a friend, colleague, or guest, especially in informal settings like a home gathering, a bar, or during a coffee break.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Quieresunaperitivo?
Verb: querer
Querer means 'to want'. In the present indicative, second person singular informal is 'quieres'.
Indefinite article
'un' is the masculine singular indefinite article used before masculine nouns like 'aperitivo'.
Noun gender
'aperitivo' is a masculine noun, so it takes 'un' and the adjective forms agree in gender.
Question marks
Spanish uses an opening inverted question mark (¿) and a closing one (?).
🗨In Conversation
¿Quieres un aperitivo?
Do you want a snack?
Sí, gracias. ¿Qué tienes?
Yes, thank you. What do you have?
✕Common Mistakes
¿Quieres una aperitivo?
'Aperitivo' is masculine, so the correct article is 'un', not 'una'.
¿Quiere un aperitivo?
'Quiere' is the formal third‑person singular. Use 'quieres' for informal second‑person singular.
¿Quieres un snack?
Sometimes learners mistakenly use the English word 'snack' directly. Use the Spanish noun 'aperitivo' or 'tentempié'.
↔Alternatives
¿Te apetece algo para picar?
Would you like something to nibble on?
¿Quieres algo de picar?
Do you want something to snack on?
¿Te gustaría un tentempié?
Would you like a little bite?
Cultural Tip
In Spain and many Latin American countries, the "aperitivo" hour (often called "la hora del aperitivo" or "la hora del tapeo") is a social ritual where people gather for drinks and small bites before dinner. Offering an aperitivo is a sign of hospitality and is common in bars, cafés, and homes. Remember that the tone is usually informal; for a more formal setting you might say "¿Le gustaría un aperitivo?".