How to order coffee in Italian

Start with Buongiorno, vorrei un caffè. It means “Good morning, I’d like a coffee.” Add per favore for “please”, and grazie for “thank you”.

A polite order you can use

Buongiorno.: Good morning. A polite greeting for the person serving you.
Vorrei un caffè, per favore.: I’d like a coffee, please. Vorrei is a polite way to ask for something.
Grazie.: Thank you.

In an Italian bar, un caffè means an espresso. Caffè is masculine, so say un caffè. Keep the accent on the final è when you write it. Voglio means “I want” and can sound blunt at a counter; vorrei means “I would like”.

What might the barista say?

This exchange comes from Un caffè in piedi, Miraventura’s beginner story set in a Roman bar. Try your reply before reading the example.

Fiorella

Allora! Prego, mi dica.

Right then! Go ahead, what can I get you?

An example reply

Buongiorno, vorrei un caffè.

Good morning, I’d like a coffee.

Fiorella

Ecco qua: il caffè. Zucchero?

Here you go: the coffee. Sugar?

In the story you can answer Uno, grazie. (“One, thank you”) when asked about sugar. It is an answer about sugar, rather than a new coffee order.

Useful words at the counter

Al banco: At the counter.
Al tavolo: At a table. Check the price list: counter and table service can have different prices.
La cassa: The till. Payment order varies between bars; look for a sign or follow the staff’s instructions.
Una spremuta: A freshly squeezed juice. In the story it is made with blood oranges. Use una with the feminine spremuta, compared with un caffè.

In this story you order at the counter and then pay at the till before drinking. Treat that as the routine of this bar, rather than a rule for every café in Italy.

Practise the conversation in Rome

Meet Fiorella at the counter in Un caffè in piedi. Greet her, order, then pay for what you had. Speak or type your replies with English support and explanations of mistakes.

For English-speaking beginners: A1 to A2 on the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Practise ordering a coffee

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