Who's last? The queue without a line

How a Spanish queue works

1. entrar Walk in and ask People are standing around the shop, not in a line. Say: Buenos días. ¿Quién da la vez? — or ¿Quién es el último?
2. Yo Somebody answers A hand goes up, or someone says Yo. You go after that person.
3. vigilar Watch one person You no longer need to watch the queue, only the person ahead of you. Look in the window, sit down for a moment.
4. el último Answer the next one When the next customer comes in and asks, now you are the last: say so out loud. A silent last person is how it goes wrong.
5. me toca Your turn The assistant asks ¿A quién le toca? Say Me toca a mí. If there is any doubt: ¿Iba usted antes?

• In a neighbourhood market or bakery there is often no straight line; people wait spread around the shop, and even so everybody knows whose turn it is.
• The question asked on walking in is ¿Quién da la vez? — literally who gives the turn — or ¿Quién es el último? Both are understood all over Spain.
• Tocar here means to be somebody's turn, not to touch: Me toca a mí. The same verb is used for winning the lottery.
• In Spain people say hacer cola even when no queue is visible; in much of Latin America the everyday phrase is hacer fila.

Buenos días. ¿Quién da la vez?

Good morning. Who's last?

Alguien levanta la mano o contesta: "Yo".

Somebody raises a hand or answers: "Me".

Me toca a mí.

It's my turn.

Aun así, todo el mundo sabe a quién le toca.

Even so, everybody knows whose turn it is.

The ticket machine, and stepping out

In supermarkets, at the meat and fish counters and in many public offices you take a number from a machine instead — coger número — and a screen shows who is being served. Where there is a machine, the ticket decides and asking who is last makes no sense. At the bakery, the kiosk or a market stall, the turn is still kept by word of mouth.

The advantage of the spoken queue is that nobody has to stand in a line. If you need to step out for a minute, tell the person behind you: ¿Me guarda la vez, por favor? Leave without a word and you lose your turn — and coming back to claim it is a quick way to start an argument.

• In supermarkets, at meat and fish counters and in many public offices you take a numbered ticket; where there is a machine, the ticket decides.
• Coger is an everyday verb in Spain; in several Latin American countries it is vulgar, so there people say tomar or sacar un número.
• If you step out, tell the person behind you; if you leave without saying anything, you lose your turn.

¿Me guarda la vez, por favor?

Could you keep my place, please?

Si se va sin decir nada, pierde la vez.

If you leave without saying anything, you lose your turn.

Colarse

Colarse is going ahead of somebody who was there before you. It is very badly thought of, and somebody will say so out loud — usually politely, but clearly, with the whole shop listening. The regulars of a neighbourhood shop tend to know exactly who came in when. The phrase to have ready: Perdone, pero estaba yo antes.

• Pushing in — colarse — is very badly thought of, and somebody will say so out loud.

Colarse es pasar delante de quien estaba antes.

Colarse is going ahead of somebody who was there before you.

Perdone, pero estaba yo antes.

Excuse me, but I was here first.