PhraseNestStart with a greeting and your drink
Greet the person at the counter, then make a short request. Quisiera is a polite way to introduce what you would like. You can also point to the menu and say the drink name followed by por favor. A complicated opening is unnecessary.
A café con leche is coffee with milk. An americano and a cortado are different drinks, and the exact preparation can vary between cafés. Check the menu or ask about the drink if the amount of milk or type of coffee matters to you.
Buenos días.
Good morning.
Use in the morning. Buenas tardes is suitable in the afternoon.
Quisiera un café con leche, por favor.
I'd like a coffee with milk, please.
Replace the drink with a name from the café's menu.
¿Tienen leche de avena?
Do you have oat milk?
Tienen asks whether the café has it; it does not assume that every café does.
Add your preference one detail at a time
After naming the drink, add the detail you need. Sin means without. If you want a small size, the server may ask you to choose between sizes listed on the menu. Use the café's own size names when they differ from pequeño, mediano, and grande.
Coffee descriptions do not always match an English menu word for word. An iced drink might be described with frío or con hielo, depending on the drink and the shop. Read the menu first and keep your request specific rather than assuming every term names the same preparation.
Sin azúcar, por favor.
No sugar, please.
Add after the drink request. Azúcar has an accent on the stressed syllable.
Uno pequeño, por favor.
A small one, please.
This refers back to un café. With a feminine drink name such as una limonada, use una pequeña.
Say whether you are staying or taking it away
Para llevar means to go or takeaway. Para tomar aquí means you will drink it there. Learn both, even if you usually choose the same option: recognizing the alternative helps you understand the question.
A server might ask '¿Para aquí o para llevar?' You can answer with just the relevant phrase. Practice the question followed by your own answer, leaving a pause between the two.
Para llevar, por favor.
To go, please.
Useful for takeaway drinks and food.
Para tomar aquí.
To drink here.
A short answer when you are staying in the café.
Finish the order and handle a question
Payment routines vary. Some cafés take payment immediately; others bring a bill later. You can ask the price or whether card payment is possible without needing a long explanation.
If you miss a question, ask the person to repeat it. The phrase below uses puede, a courteous usted form for speaking to one person. You can take another moment to listen, point at the menu, or give a short answer.
¿Cuánto cuesta?
How much does it cost?
Ask about one drink or item.
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?
Puedo refers to you: can I?
Eso es todo, gracias.
That's everything, thank you.
Use when the server asks whether you want anything else.
¿Me puede repetir eso, por favor?
Could you repeat that, please?
A courteous request to one person; useful beyond the café.
Rehearse one complete order
Choose a greeting, your drink, a preference, and the takeaway or stay-in phrase. Listen to each sentence, repeat it during a pause, then try the order with only the English ideas visible. Practice the repetition request as well, so it is available when the conversation changes.
Personalize the order with the drink and milk you normally choose. Explore PhraseNest to turn your English order into Spanish cards you can review and practice.
Try a little recall.
Read the English cue and say it in Spanish before revealing one possible answer. Other natural answers may also work.
I'd like a coffee with milk, please.
Reveal a Spanish answer
Quisiera un café con leche, por favor.
Start your order aloud without reading the Spanish.
To go, please.
Reveal a Spanish answer
Para llevar, por favor.
Imagine the server asking whether you are staying.
Can I pay by card?
Reveal a Spanish answer
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Finish the order with a payment question.