La hora del vermut

Vermouth hour

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Los domingos, a eso de la una, muchos bares se llenan de gente que «hace el ». Es una bebida dulce y un poco amarga, con hielo y una rodaja de naranja. Se toma antes de comer, con unas , patatas fritas o unas . Nadie tiene prisa: es el momento de la semana para ver a los amigos o a la familia.

On Sundays, at around one o’clock, many bars fill with people “doing the vermouth”. It is a sweet, slightly bitter drink with ice and a slice of orange. You have it before lunch with some olives, crisps or anchovies. Nobody is in a hurry: it is the moment of the week to see friends or family.

Hace unos años, el vermut parecía una costumbre de abuelos. Ahora vuelve a estar de , sobre todo en Madrid y en Barcelona. Si te invitan, no lo pienses mucho: ve, pide uno «de » y quédate a charlar. Y un consejo: no hagas planes para justo después. El vermut casi siempre se hasta la comida.

A few years ago vermouth looked like a grandparents’ habit. Now it is fashionable again, especially in Madrid and Barcelona. If you get invited, do not think twice: go, order one “on tap” and stay to chat. And a tip: do not make plans for straight afterwards. Vermouth almost always stretches into lunch.

Words from the text

Grammar in the text
  • ve, pide uno… y quédate — Imperative for “tú”: ir → ve, pedir → pide, quedarse → quédate (the pronoun is attached).
  • no lo pienses, no hagas planes — Negative imperative = no + present subjunctive: no pienses, no hagas.
For your diary

¿Qué ritual de fin de semana tienes tú? Invita a alguien a probarlo en tres o cuatro frases.

What weekend ritual do you have? Invite someone to try it in three or four sentences.