barista
feminine, masculine
The English phrase 'barista' is translated into French as barista.
In French, barista is used specifically to refer to a professional trained in coffee preparation, often within a specialty coffee context, rather than a general cafe worker.
Meaning: person who prepares coffee in a coffee shop for customers (noun)
Which one should you use?
In a French cafe, use barista only for the coffee specialist. For the person taking orders and serving tables, use serveur or serveuse.
How does it change in a sentence?
While the spelling of barista remains the same for both genders, the indefinite article changes to une to indicate a female barista.
Did you know?
- In French specialty coffee circles, a barista is expected to discuss the 'terroir' of the beans, a term usually reserved for wine experts. This links the coffee craft directly to French viticulture traditions.
- In some French regions, the term barman is still preferred over barista if the establishment serves both alcohol and coffee.
- While barista is common in modern specialty shops, traditional French cafes often use the term cafetier to describe the person running the establishment.
Examples in context
- Dans ce restaurant, le serveur de café est très compétent.In this restaurant, the barista is very competent.
- Mon ami travaille comme barista dans un café à Paris.My friend works as a barista in a café in Paris.
- Le barista prépare un excellent cappuccino.The barista prepares an excellent cappuccino.
- Cette barista travaille dans le café du coin.This barista works in the corner coffee shop.
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are standing in line at a busy cafe.
- EmmaLe barista est très rapide ce matin.The barista is very fast this morning.
- HugoOui, il fait beaucoup de café.Yes, he is making a lot of coffee.
- EmmaHugo, est-ce que tu veux un latte ?Hugo, do you want a latte?
- HugoOui, s'il te plaît, Emma.Yes, please, Emma.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “barista” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
