[Vocabulary] restaurants - ordering food

[marker]

Are both the following sentences correct?

I'll have salad.
I'll take salad.


By the way, should I put 'a' before the word 'salad'?

Thanks in advance for replies

 

[emsr2d2]

Are both the following sentences correct?

I'll have salad.
I'll take salad.


By the way, should I put 'a' before the word 'salad'?

Thanks in advance for replies

If there is only one salad on the menu, you could say either "I'll have the salad" or "I'll have salad". If there is more than one salad on the menu, you would have to specify which one - "I'll have the Caesar Salad", "I'll have potato salad" etc. In BrE, we don't use "take" when ordering food or drinks in a restaurant.

 

[marker]

Is it then possible to use 'take' in AmE?

 

[riquecohen]

I've heard it used but 'have' is more natural.

 

[marker]

I've heard it too and seen it written but not as often as 'have'. It seems 'take' is some kind of substandard in the context provided

 

[emsr2d2]

You will hear "take" used frequently by non-native speakers, usually because it's a direct translation from their own language. For example

Je voudrais prendre un café au lait (French) = I would like to take a white coffee (coffee with milk) - Direct translation
Me gustaría tomar un café (Spanish) = I would like to take a coffee

Prendre = to take
Tomar = to take

In English, it would be "I'll have a coffee" or "I would like [to have] a coffee".