un café, por favor
/un kaˈfe poɾ faˈboɾ/word by word
In Spanish, "coffee, please" is said as un café, por favor.
un café, por favor is a common and straightforward way to politely ask for a coffee.
Which one should you use?
The phrase un café, por favor means "a coffee, please". If you were to say el café, por favor, you would be saying "the coffee, please", which sounds unnatural when you are ordering a drink for the first time.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions, particularly in Latin America, you might hear Un cafecito, por favor, which means "A little coffee, please". This is a common way to express affection or familiarity.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the indefinite article un (a/an) to specify one single serving of coffee.
How do you pronounce it?
/un kaˈfe poɾ faˈboɾ/
Did you know?
- The word café shares its roots with the Arabic word qahwa, which originally referred to a type of wine. It was only later used to describe the coffee beverage that traveled through the Ottoman Empire to Europe.
- The word café in Spanish serves a double purpose, referring to both the beverage and the color brown.
- In some parts of Mexico and Central America, you might be offered café de olla. This is a traditional way of serving coffee that is brewed in an earthen clay pot with cinnamon and sugar.
Examples in context
- Hola, un café, por favor.Hello, a coffee, please.
- Para mí, un café, por favor.For me, a coffee, please.
Example conversation
At a local cafe in the morning.
- MaríaBuenos días, un café, por favor.Good morning, a coffee, please.
- MateoClaro, María. ¿Algo más?Sure, María. Anything else?
- MaríaNo, gracias.No, thanks.
- MateoMuy bien, aquí tiene.Very well, here you go.
