How To Ask For A Cup of Coffee in Different Languages

Don't let your travels find you without a cup of coffee in your hand.

One of the best things about coffee is that it’s virtually everywhere. You can enjoy a cup of your favorite drink all across the five continents, in every country. Some of them are even worldwide known experts on coffee culture and coffee production. Whether it’s treated as a tourist attraction or just a must-have, if you’re traveling abroad you’ll never have to worry about finding a place to have your daily dose of caffeine.

However, a real problem could come if you don’t know how to ask for it. Sure, if you say “cafe,” most people will understand what you want, as the word has few etymological changes in the different languages. However, it’s always useful to be able to communicate clearly, so you don’t get in the middle of misunderstandings and cultural impasses. Learn how to ask for a cup of coffee like a polyglot pro with us!

The first thing you’ve got to know is why it’s called "coffee" in the first place. Coffee is believed to have originated from Ethiopia. Because of that, it’s said that the word comes from the Ethiopian province of Kaffa, where,  oddly enough, they call it bunno. After it spread all over the world, and while every culture learned to add their personal touch to this beverage, the word kept loyal to its true origins, barely changing. Here are few examples of how coffee is spelled and pronounced in some languages:

Arabic: قهوة (qahwa)
Chinese: 咖啡 (Kāfēi)
French: Café
German: Kaffee
Italian: Caffè
Japanese: コーヒー (Kōhī)
Korean: 커피 (Keopi)
Portuguese: Café
Russian: Кофе (Kofe)
Spanish: Café

Afrikaans: Koffie
Dutch: Koffie
Finnish: Kahvi
Greek: Καφές (Kafés)
Hindi: कॉफ़ी (Kofee)
Icelandic: Kaffi
Romanian: Cafea
Swedish: Kaffe

Even though the pronunciation is very similar in many languages, culture, customs, and specifications vary widely in every society. For example, did you know that it’s frown upon to ask for a cappuccino after the morning in Italy? Or that if you ask for a coffee in Finland, they’ll probably add a cheese bread to accompany your cup with? Part of the incredible experience of traveling is learning the little details that customize every lifestyle, and that makes us so unique as human beings.

And as we are unique, we also know that everyone has different tastes and preferences when it comes to coffee. It’s not enough to know how to say it in every language, so here we are to shed some light on how to ask for coffee just the way you like it!

FRENCH
How to order it	Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît
With/without milk	Café au lait/Sans lait
With/without sugar	Avec sucre/Sans sucre
Hot/cold	Chaud/Froid
Small/Medium/Large	Petit/Moyen/Grand

SPANISH
How to order it	¿Me da un café, por favor?
With/without milk	Café con leche/Sin leche
With/without sugar	Con azúcar/Sin azúcar
Hot/cold	Caliente/Frío
Small/Medium/Large	Pequeño/Mediano/Grande

ITALIAN
How to order it	Vorrei un caffè si, prega
With/without milk	Caffè latte/Senza latte
With/without sugar	Con zucchero/Senza zucchero
Hot/cold	Caldo/Freddo
Small/Medium/Large	Piccolo/Normale/Grande

GERMAN
How to order it	Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte
With/without milk	Mit Milch/ohne Milch
With/without sugar	Mit zucker/ohne Zucker
Hot/cold	Heiss/Kalt
Small/Medium/Large	Klein/Normal/Gross

SWEDISH
How to order it	Jag vill ha en kopp kaffe och en kanelbulle.
With/without milk	Med mjölk/utan mjölk
With/without sugar	Med socker/utan socker
Hot/cold	Varm/kall
Small/Medium/Large	Små/Vanligt/Stort

JAPANESE
How to order it	コーヒーをください (Koohii wo kudasai)
With/without milk	ミルクコーヒー (mirukukoohii)/ ブラックコーヒー(burakkukoohii)
With/without sugar	砂糖 (Satou)/砂糖なし (Satou nashi)
Hot/cold	ホット (hotto)/コールド (koorudo)
Small/Medium/Large	小さなコーヒー (chiisanakoohii) /中型コーヒー (chuugatakoohii)/大型コーヒー (oogatakoohii)

PORTUGUESE
How to order it	Você pode me dar um café, por favor?
With/without milk	Com laite/Sem laite
With/without sugar	Com açúcar/Sem açúcar
Hot/cold	Quente/Frio
Small/Medium/Large	Pequeno/Médio/Grande

Are you planning a trip to any of the countries where these languages are spoken? Then you’re ready to go! At That Coffee Roasters, we love to go to Colombia to find the best of coffee's culture and traditions. You can enjoy coffee from different origins right here with us. Check our online store and pick the best selections of our products!

Where are you going?

---

That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters