cafea
[kaˈfeː.a]feminine
The English word coffee is translated into Latin as cafea. Wiktionary also lists caffēa.
Meaning: beverage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cafea | [kaˈfeː.a] (Classical Latin, narrow) [kaˈfɛː.a] (narrow) |
feminine |
| caffēa | feminine |
The term refers to the beverage known as coffee.
Which one should you use?
cafea and caffēa are both used to mean coffee. caffēa is a common variant of the word.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a feminine noun. The form cafeam is the accusative case, used when coffee is the direct object of a verb. The form cafeae is the genitive case, used to indicate possession or a relationship, such as describing the smell of coffee.
Did you know?
- Because coffee was not a staple in the ancient Roman diet, you will not find the word cafea in the works of classical authors like Cicero or Caesar.
- The word cafea belongs to the first declension. This means it shares the same ending patterns as aqua, the Latin word for 'water', which is fitting for a water-based beverage.
Examples in context
- Cafea mihi non multum placuit.The coffee was not much to my liking.This sentence shows how to express that the coffee was not to one's liking using cafea.Tatoeba #6146112 by CarpeLanam, translation #50494 by MrShoval
- Thomae non placet cafea calda.Tom doesn't like hot coffee.This sentence demonstrates how to say someone does not like hot coffee using cafea.Tatoeba #8618261 by shekitten, translation #7983653 by shekitten
- Raro saccharum in cafeam indit.She rarely puts sugar in her coffee.This sentence illustrates the use of the accusative form cafeam when putting sugar into coffee.Tatoeba #10332589 by soridsolid, translation #9926071 by sundown
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucius and Lucia are in the kitchen in the morning.
- LuciusVisne cafeam nunc bibere?Do you want to drink coffee now?
- LuciaIta, cafea me excitat.Yes, coffee wakes me up.
- LuciusTibi cafeam sine lacte parabo.I will prepare coffee for you without milk.
- LuciaGratias tibi, Luci!Thank you, Lucius!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “coffee” translations and entries cafea, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
